On today's episode, I interview Kalen M. Knight, MSN, MBA, RN, CEN, SANE-A about his role as a medicolegal death investigator. You are going to want to listen to this episode - it's super fascinating!

Kalen Knight is a Forensic Nursing Specialist with the International Association of Forensic Nurses. He has extensive experience in clinical practice and education development from his prior professional experiences, including emergency, trauma, infectious disease, biocontainment/quarantine, nursing education, and forensic nursing. In addition to his role with the IAFN, Kalen practices as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner for Nebraska Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska as well as a Medicolegal Death Investigator for Pottawattamie County Medical Examiners Office in Iowa. He earned his BSN From Clarkson College in 2016 and his MSN and MBA from Nebraska Wesleyan University in 2022. He is a Certified Emergency Nurse and Certified Adult/Adolescent Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner. He additionally is an adjunct lecturer for the Masters in Forensic Nursing Programs Quality, Legal, Matters of Death Course and Clinical at Oakland University in Michigan.

This is a very interesting episode! Kalen gives us the rundown of what a normal call is like, how he processes the scene, as well as the follow-up as to where the decedent goes and whether or not autopsies are needed. He shares what he loves about the job, and how his views on death have changed since doing this work.

If you are interested in forensic nursing, this episode is for you!

Also, go check out Kalen's new podcast - Forensic Nursing: Beyond the Evidence with the International Association of Forensic Nurses here!

Thank you so much for being on the show, Kalen!

On today's episode, I chat with a friend of the podcast, Dr. Katrine Wallace aka Epidemiologist Kat about what is really going on with the Bird Flu, otherwise known as Avian Flu or H5N1. It was refreshing to hear her talk about the data around H5N1. Big picture - let's not panic.

Take a listen if you are interested in Dr. Kat's point of view on H5N1.

Thank you for being a voice of reason!

XOXO

Nicole

On today's episode, I interview Leah Helmbrecht a Forensic Nurse Examiner and Sane Nurse.

Leah is a seasoned registered nurse with over 15 years of experience across various specialties. She currently serves as a Discharge Nurse for Acute Care Units and as a Forensic Nurse Examiner/Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner in the Emergency Room. In addition to her clinical work, Leah is dedicated to raising awareness about critical issues such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and human sex trafficking through social media content. Her educational posts are balanced with lighthearted nurse humor to provide an approachable, yet impactful, platform for advocacy.

Leah has conducted research on Childhood Trauma through the Academy of Forensic Nursing and utilizes funds generated from her social media presence and the Nurse Converse podcast to support domestic violence victims. She purchases phones for patients whose abusers have damaged or confiscated their devices, enabling them to communicate with local advocates, law enforcement, and social support networks. Furthermore, Leah has spearheaded initiatives to display resource posters for victims of domestic violence and human trafficking in hospital restroom stalls and has played an instrumental role in revising national and local hospital protocols for responding to calls to the Nurse Advice Line from sexual assault survivors.

Leah imparts her knowledge of her position, common misconceptions, implications for healthcare providers, and implications for our practice! Her #1 key takeaway is just saying to our patients "I believe you, I am so sorry someone did this to you, and this is NOT your fault."

Please go check out her meaningful work teaching adults how to talk to children and you about human trafficking at:

https://goafn.thinkific.com/bundles/walkwisebundle

Also, please go visit Leah's Linktree to see everything that she is up to as well as her International Group Trips:

https://linktr.ee/offtheclocknurse

If you want to listen to episodes of Leah on the Nurse Converse Podcast check it out here!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nurse-converse-presented-by-nurse-org/id1724443873

Thank you so much!

Nicole

On today's episode, I have Nurse Coach Caroline to discuss all things for the New Grad Nurse!

Caroline Danna MSN, RN became a Registered Nurse in 2012. Since then, she has had over a decade of experience hiring nurses. Caroline has held positions in nursing recruitment as a Hospital Nurse Recruiter as well as Travel Nurse Recruiter. She also has years of experience in Nurse Management roles at both a large level I trauma center and small community hospital. Caroline managed all nursing hires within her respective units while in nursing leadership. Her true passion is coaching nurses as they advance their careers and grow professionally.

Nurse Coach Caroline offers advice on the following topics in this episode:

1. How to stand out on a resume and land an interview
2. Should I take a prep course for the NCLEX?
3. When should I apply for a job?
4. Boundary setting
5. Imposter syndrome
6. Mentorship
7. Surviving your first year!
8. Self-care tips!

Please check Nurse Coach Caroline out on her website https://www.nursecoachcaroline.com/ and on Instagram and Tiktok @nursecoachcaroline for her amazing resources for the New Grad Nurse.

Thanks for being on the show!

XO

Nicole

P.S. If you want to check out the NCLEX prep course Caroline talked about here is the info:

Mometrix - Test Prep 

20% off Discount code: CAROLINE20

https://ref.mometrix.com/1191-852.htm

On today's episode, I have Dr. Des Wood on Found Down to discuss how to speak up as a nurse in difficult situations. It is a skill!

Desiree Wood,  DNP, ARNP, AGPCNP-BC, CCRN, is a board certified nurse practitioner with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She has over 18 years of diverse nursing experience, 10 years as an Acute Care NP in the ICU, the last 6 years focused on Medical Aesthetics, and is the founder of Seattle Beauty! 

We discuss the importance of speaking up, barriers to speaking up, tools for speaking up such as C.U.S. from TeamSTEPPS, and we even role play what speaking up looks like! Not sure what to say or who to turn to? We got you!

Let me know what you think about this episode! We hope it was helpful and in the future, you will be able to get CEs for listening to it. Stay tuned. :)

XOXO

Nicole

On today's episode, I interview Dr. Julie Siemers, DNP, MSN, RN about the importance of acknowledging medical errors and ways to improve patient safety.

Dr. Julie Siemers is a patient safety consultant, industry nurse leader, and educator. She is also the founder of Lifebeat Solutions and the author of the bestselling book ‘Surviving Your Hospital Stay: A Nurse Educator's Guide to Staying Safe and Living to Tell About It.’

She spent 15 years in nursing education, serving in roles ranging from Professor to Dean, and as Executive Director at a large nursing university in California. She has a rich background in direct patient care, with experience in various roles on the medical/surgical care floor, in the Intensive Care Unit, the emergency department, and the trauma resuscitation department at University Medical Center in Las Vegas. Additionally, she served as a flight nurse on a trauma helicopter for 10 years.

On this riveting episode we disuss some big takeaways that are important for improving your clinical practice as well as making patient care safer!

1. Count your respirations! Really count them. :)
2. Call the Rapid Response!
3. Speak up!
4. Treat your patients as if they are your family members!

Thank you, Dr. Julie for some interesting and important information about how to make the hospital setting safer.

It takes a village!

Best,

Nicole

On today's episode of Found Down, I interview and catch up with the talented and very funny flight and ground paramedics Chris Pfingsten and Spencer Oliver from the wildly successful EMS 20/20 podcast. We discuss the evolution of their careers, the different scopes of EMS ground and flight paramedics, and the genesis and creation of their podcast. They are truly out there trying to close the knowledge gap that school doesn't provide, as well as prevent us all from being "4th Year Medics."

Can't wait for you all to tune in!

Nicole

On today's episode, I sit down with Shauntel Howard, MSHI, BSN, RN-CHC, a registered nurse for over 10 years and a certified health and burnout coach specializing in burnout prevention.

With firsthand experience overcoming burnout, Shauntel founded ChartLyfe.com to support her colleagues in healthcare.

It was a pleasure to have Shauntel on the show! She offers great insight, her own burnout story, and resources on improving your well-being. Be sure to check out her weekly Peer Support Groups, her health coaching and wonderful resources on her website.

XO,

Nicole

On today's episode, I catch up with a friend of the podcast, Dr. Katrine Wallace a.ka. Epidemiologist Kat to chat all things Fall respiratory viruses like Covid-19, Flu, and RSV, and what the public health implications might be! Do you have questions about which vaccines to get? I promise you we will cover a lot of the common questions circulating right now. We also get into Mpox, Measles and Polio.

If you are an infectious disease nerd, this show is for you! :)

So happy to have you back on this show, Kat so we can all learn from you!

Nicole

P.S. This epidose was recorded 9/12/2024. The waste water data may look different that we we talked about on this episode.

P.S.S. I got my Covid-19 Vaccine and only had a sore arm. :)

After almost a 2 year hiatus, the Found Down Podcast is back. Critical Care nurse and host, Nicole Johnson is back on the show, accompanied by Dr. Des Wood, nurse practitioner and co-owner of Seattle Beauty. Des interviews Nicole this time to find out what's been going on, revisit what the podcast is all about, and inquire about what is in store for this next season!

Thank you so much for listening!