Hi everyone! This is a special solo episode I recorded today about my experiences with burnout working nights as a new grad. This one is personal - I don't interview anyone, it's just me, myself & I! I talk about my journey since starting this podcast in the fall, my night shift routine, the surprising ways that burnout impacted me, and changes I'm making. I hope this helps other people & I would love to hear what you think!

OFFICIAL JUSTICE FOR ANGELO QUINTO RESOURCES:

justiceforangelo.carrd.co

@justiceforangeloquinto

AJ's info:

angeloquinto.carrd.co

@ajthenurse

AJ's original instagram post about Angelo Quinto - https://www.instagram.com/p/CLjgSzkB-w0/

I am bringing AJ back here for this special episode to talk about the murder of Angelo Quinto, who died after suffering from police brutality in response to a psychotic episode. I have been really amazed by the online activism AJ has been doing for the past couple of weeks on behalf of Angelo and his family's cause, and as many people can relate I felt frustrated once again seeing myself simply just clicking share on his post and wondering if I've even helped. Then it dawned on me that I have a PLATFORM and A VOICE now and that I can use it to make change. I wanted to record this as soon as possible so I did it yesterday, the day after I worked a night shift, with minimal editing. So this episode is obviously very different from my normal episodes, but at the end of the day AJ really puts it best when he says that advocating for just causes and against brutality is at the core of nursing. This episode does contain content about racial injustice and police brutality, and I also have AJ talk about his experience foraying into the world of social media activism and giving his tips for how to be a good advocate as a young adult in 2020.

This is a a special two part conversation with Mary, a new grad night shift COVID nurse. Mary, @maryeuline on instagram, is an incredibly compassionate, caring, and optimistic person. I had such a great time getting to know her that we actually talked for TWO HOURS! I wanted you guys to have the same amazing experience getting to know her as I did, so I broke this episode up into two parts. This week, we talk about her experience finishing nursing school during COVID, feeling unprepared to enter the professional clinical setting, ADN vs BSN, and her crazy first night off of orientation taking care of a COVID patient! For nursing students/newly licensed nurses looking to enter the profession, Mary and I talk a lot about the early stages of that transition, provide great insights and advice, and talk about how COVID may impact what the transition looks like for you. Stay tuned next week for part two, where we get into the REAL TEA of Mary's day-to-day experience being a 22-year-old COVID nurse, and the physical and emotional impacts of this experience on Mary's lifestyle and outlook.

This episode I talk with Stephanie, a nurse who now works in pediatric acute rehab in California. We talk about her journey taking her first nursing job across the country in pediatrics acute care. I really enjoyed the opportunity to hear about and learn from her experience - she had quite the ride! We talked about her experience getting and recovering from COVID while she was orienting, the challenges we have both faced finding jobs as new nurses on units that were a good fit for us, and her journey learning she wanted to explore other avenues of the nursing profession.

This is a quick recording I made after a very 'new-grad-still-adjusting' experience I had over the past week that left me wondering how to be okay with not being okay. If you are someone, like me, who searches for "The Perfect Formula" to flipping your schedule, taking care of yourself, and enjoying your days off but still struggles, this chat is for you. I am sharing my own story and experience in case anyone else finds it relatable or helpful! Back to regular interview content with Episode 4. Send me a message/review/comment if you enjoyed!

AJ (or Andre as I know him) is a good friend of mine from nursing school. AJ was one of the first people I reached out to when I had the idea to start this podcast, and this conversation was actually recorded in early November and served as a little trial/pilot episode of the podcast! AJ is an ICU nurse in New Jersey who was in the middle of his orientation when the pandemic's first wave hit. We have a great conversation about our nursing school experience and about his experience as a new ICU nurse during the pandemic. AJ taught me a lot during this phone call. He shared with me his experience in the world of nursing as a member of multiple intersectional communities, and also taught me about the world of the nursing instagram community! It was awesome to catch up with a good friend of mine and to hear about how things are going for him, and I think this is a conversation anyone could learn from.

AJ also has awesome educational, informative, and ~if I may say so myself~ inspiring content on his instagram, @ajthenurse.

Today I have a great conversation with Molly, a trauma/acute care RN in New Jersey. We talk about her experience in nursing school as a second-career nurse, what it was like to transition from tech to RN while she was seeing COVID patients enter her unit, and how the combination of the pandemic and her new job forced her to face some tough realities head on. Molly's experience with self-doubt and confidence struggles is extremely relatable, and she shares some really helpful insights into what she did to help conquer her struggles. I came out of this conversation feeling really empowered and hopeful about making some changes in my own life that may improve my experience, as well as validated in some of my own experiences as a new grad RN.