We recorded live at NurseCon 2026, and this episode went exactly where you would expect: medication errors, ER nurse chaos, wild audience stories, burnout, nurse ratios, and one very unfortunate cruise laxative situation.

We react to shocking med error stories, including insulin mistaken for Lasix, Lantus pushed IV, mannitol into a lumbar drain, cough syrup through an IV, and the kinds of medical stories that make every nurse double check everything forever.

We also talk about our own early nursing mistakes, why errors are often bigger than one person, the Swiss cheese effect, post-Covid burnout, bad preceptor experiences, and why nurses need spaces where they can laugh, vent, and feel understood.

— — — — — — — — — —LISTEN TO THE ER EDITSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Ab8DoFQ3hTyQvIE69O2YR?si=fea43e1cda3140f0Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-er-edit/id1884089840YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theEReditFOLLOW THE ER EDITTikTok: @theEReditInstagram: @theERedit_CONNECT WITH THE HOSTSCaitlin Armstrong: https://www.tiktok.com/@caitarmstrongrn_Karlie Tooley: https://www.tiktok.com/@ktooley89Business inquiries: [email protected]— — — — — — — — — —00:00 Struggling for My Life00:27 Clocked In Live at NurseCon01:08 Who We Are and Why We’re Here02:11 From Secret TikToks to Med Errors03:14 Taking Medication Errors Live04:48 Every Nurse Has a Med Error Story05:13 Blood in 15 Seconds and Morphine Allergies06:13 Insulin Instead of Lasix07:19 Amiodarone for Bradycardia?08:09 Full Bottle of Lantus IV Push09:19 Cough Syrup Through an IV10:23 The PCA Pump That Went Nowhere11:47 Why Nursing Mistakes Are So Scary13:14 The Allergy Miss That Became an Airway Emergency14:30 The Swiss Cheese Effect15:19 Nurse Ratios Around the Country16:36 8 Patients on Night Shift17:29 The Most Unhinged Nurse Would You Rather20:11 Alcohol Withdrawal or Psych C Diff?21:27 ER Nurse Red Flags24:18 NurseCon, Burnout, and Finding Your People24:55 The Cruise Laxative Incident28:12 Taco Bell in the Driveway28:43 Nurses Know How to Let Loose32:26 Why We Talk About the Hard Stuff34:42 New Nurses, Burnout, and Bad Preceptors39:12 How Covid Changed Healthcare

In this episode of The ER Edit, we react to the craziest lab values and vital signs nurses have seen, including wild blood pressures, glucose numbers, sodium levels, troponins, ethanol levels, DKA, alcohol withdrawal, rhabdo, and BNPs that made us question reality.

We also get into the ER moments that stick with us, from patients saying they are going to die to an emotional Christmas Eve STEMI story. Then we open the Whisper Line for anonymous confessions, ICU secrets, relationship red flags, and one hospital room affair we were not prepared for.

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Business inquiries: [email protected]

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00:00 Tell My Wife and Daughter I Love Them

00:25 Clocking In to Episode 10

00:55 The Podcast Hits the Top 200

03:13 Craziest Labs and Vitals Nurses Have Seen

03:53 A Blood Pressure That Should Not Be Real

05:22 White Count, Sodium, Troponin, and Ethanol Chaos

08:31 The Critical Troponin Call That Taught a Lesson

10:31 Nursing Diagnosis Did Not Teach Us This

12:01 Blood Sugar of 2020 and DKA Explained

14:33 Hemoglobin Drops and a Ruptured Spleen Story

17:16 Alcohol Withdrawal Patients Are Terrifying

19:15 Rhabdo, CK Over 40000, and Flu Complications

21:54 BNP of 122000 and Heart Failure Fluid Overload

23:38 The Whisper Line Starts Getting Unhinged

26:09 The Stroke Confession That Hit Hard

31:22 Marriage Red Flags and No Caller ID Panic

35:02 When Patients Say They Are Going to Die

37:31 The Christmas Eve STEMI Story

42:29 The ICU Room Affair Nobody Was Ready For

44:00 Caught in the Hospital Bathroom

This week on The ER Edit, Caitlin Armstrong and Karlie Tooley are playing Would You Survive the ER? We are talking wild triage moments, homeboy transport, PPE surprises, decon showers, scabies versus bedbugs, skin snow, a nursing school toe story we truly were not ready for, and the ER cases that make you realize anything can walk through the door.

If you are an ER nurse, nursing student, new grad, healthcare worker, or just here for the chaos, this one is funny, disgusting, honest, and painfully accurate. Clock in and let us know which scenario would have sent you home.

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Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Ab8DoFQ3hTyQvIE69O2YR?si=fea43e1cda3140f0

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-er-edit/id1884089840

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Caitlin Armstrong: https://www.tiktok.com/@caitarmstrongrn_

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Business inquiries: [email protected]

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00:00 She Pulled Off a Toe?

00:22 Would You Survive the ER?

01:18 The Wildest Triage Story

04:53 Homeboy Transport Chaos

07:08 Decon Showers and PPE Panic

14:05 Scabies Family Plan or Bedbugs?

17:32 Skin Snow and the Toe Story

21:04 Period Pants in a Trauma

24:27 Guess the Triage Level

27:11 Grandma Fell on Baby Aspirin

30:23 The Aortic Dissection That Scares Nurses

35:33 How Patients Accidentally Make the ER Worse

In this episode, we are talking about the nursing stereotypes that are way too accurate. We get into the personalities every hospital seems to have, from the OG nurse and the Gen Z nurse to the know it all nurse, male nurse stereotypes, and the ER nurse who thrives in chaos.

We also break down specialty stereotypes for psych, NICU, peds, PICU, flight, ICU, PACU, and ER nurses, and have way too much fun guessing which specialties different celebrities would work in. This one is funny, specific, and painfully relatable.

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LISTEN TO THE ER EDIT

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Ab8DoFQ3hTyQvIE69O2YR?si=fea43e1cda3140f0

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-er-edit/id1884089840

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theERedit

FOLLOW THE ER EDIT

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CONNECT WITH THE HOSTS

Caitlin Armstrong: https://www.tiktok.com/@caitarmstrongrn_

Karlie Tooley: https://www.tiktok.com/@ktooley89

Business inquiries:  [email protected]

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0:00 The Tailored Scrubs Debate

0:19 Welcome Back To The ER Edit

0:43 Why Nursing Stereotypes Are So Accurate

1:43 The Legendary OG Nurse

3:33 Male Nurse Stereotypes

7:28 The Gen Z Nurse

9:36 Scrub Trends And Nurse Style

13:09 The Scary Know It All Nurse

17:06 Psych Nurse Stereotypes

18:18 NICU, Peds, And PICU Nurses

22:15 Flight Nurses Are Built Different

26:56 ICU Nurses Vs ER Nurses

32:05 Why ER Nurses Are Their Own Breed

33:32 Celebrities As Nurse Specialties

37:24 Wrapping Up

In this episode, we talk about what happens when nursing becomes more than a career and starts becoming part of your identity. From nursing school to years in the ER, we share how the job can shape our minds, our relationships, and the way we carry stress long after a shift ends.

We also open up about how motherhood changed the way we experience nursing, trauma, anxiety, and work life balance. This is a vulnerable conversation about nurse burnout, mental health, PTSD, boundaries, pride in the profession, and learning how to be more than just the title of nurse.

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LISTEN TO THE ER EDIT

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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-er-edit/id1884089840

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Caitlin Armstrong: https://www.tiktok.com/@caitarmstrongrn_

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Business inquiries: [email protected]

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0:00 The PTSD That Comes Back

0:20 Welcome Back To The ER Edit

1:46 When Nursing Becomes Your Identity

5:19 Why Karlie Chose Nursing

7:21 College, Setbacks, And Alaska

11:17 Caitlin’s Path Into Nursing

14:21 You Are Not Too Old For Nursing

18:28 The Pride Of Being An ER Nurse

20:13 Leaving The ER And Becoming A Mom

23:56 How Motherhood Changed Nursing

31:06 Boundaries, PTO, And Mental Health

37:15 You Are More Than Your Job

We are reacting to some of the wildest ER stories involving objects stuck in the rectum, from cue balls and shampoo bottles to Maglites, broken toys, and curling wand tips. We break down what actually happens in the emergency room, when sedation or surgery is needed, why some patients wait too long to get help, and how quickly these cases can turn serious with bowel perforation, sepsis, and other complications. It is funny, chaotic, and very nurse coded.

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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-er-edit/id1884089840

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FOLLOW THE ER EDIT

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Caitlin Armstrong: https://www.tiktok.com/@caitarmstrongrn_

Karlie Tooley: https://www.tiktok.com/@ktooley89

Business inquiries: [email protected]

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In Episode 5 of The ER Edit, we react to a thread of the wildest doctor responses healthcare workers have ever heard.

We read the funniest, darkest, most unfiltered things MDs have said, then tell some of our own stories about difficult doctors, ridiculous interactions, and the specialty stereotypes that feel a little too accurate. From ER docs and neurosurgeons to cardiology, GI, trauma, peds, and psych, we get into the personalities, the chaos, and the hospital humor that only healthcare workers truly understand.

This one is funny, slightly unhinged, and very on brand.

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Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Ab8DoFQ3hTyQvIE69O2YR?si=fea43e1cda3140f0

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-er-edit/id1884089840

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Business inquiries: [email protected]

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In Episode 4 of The ER Edit, we talk about the things we wish we knew before becoming nurses.

From feeling completely unprepared as new grads to realizing how much you actually learn on the job, we break down what nursing school teaches you and what it doesn’t. We also talk about student debt, ADN vs BSN, calling doctors for the first time, and the mental load that comes with working in healthcare.

This episode is honest, a little funny, and something we wish we had heard before starting our nursing careers.

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LISTEN TO THE ER EDITSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Ab8DoFQ3hTyQvIE69O2YR?si=fea43e1cda3140f0Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-er-edit/id1884089840YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theERedit

FOLLOW THE ER EDITTikTok: @theEReditInstagram: @theERedit_

CONNECT WITH THE HOSTSCaitlin Armstrong: https://www.tiktok.com/@caitarmstrongrn_Karlie Tooley: https://www.tiktok.com/@ktooley89Business inquiries: [email protected]

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In Episode 3 of The ER Edit, we talk about something that doesn’t get talked about enough: violence against nurses.

We react to a recent news story about a nurse being strangled at work and share our own experiences with workplace violence in the ER. From being assaulted by patients to the pressure of continuing your shift like nothing happened, we break down what this actually looks like in real life.

We also talk about the gray area of self defense in healthcare, why so many incidents go unreported, and why nurses are often expected to just deal with it.

This one is real, a little heavy, and something we think people need to hear.

— — — — — — — — — —LISTEN TO THE ER EDITSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Ab8DoFQ3hTyQvIE69O2YR?si=fea43e1cda3140f0Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-er-edit/id1884089840YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theEReditFOLLOW THE ER EDITTikTok: @theEReditInstagram: @theERedit_CONNECT WITH THE HOSTSCaitlin Armstrong: https://www.tiktok.com/@caitarmstrongrn_Karlie Tooley: https://www.tiktok.com/@ktooley89Business inquiries: [email protected]— — — — — — — — — —00:00 Cold Open: Self Defense Confusion00:12 Welcome Back to The ER Edit00:30 Are People Really Hooking Up in Hospitals?02:30 The Viral Nurse Attack Story03:30 Nurse Strangled at Work04:40 Why Violence Goes Unreported05:30 “I Didn’t Have Time to Press Charges”06:20 Being Alone in the ER Waiting Room07:30 That “Spidey Sense” You Can’t Explain08:40 When De-escalation Doesn’t Work09:30 Can Nurses Even Defend Themselves?11:00 The Reality of Feeling Unsafe at Work12:30 When You Get Too Comfortable in the ER14:00 Why Nurses Are Constantly at Risk15:00 “You Signed Up for This” (The Biggest Myth)17:00 Why Nothing Actually Changes19:00 The Anxiety Families Feel at Home20:30 Workplace Violence Statistics (Shocking)22:30 Why Hospitals Don’t Fix This24:00 The Urinal Story (Covered in Pee)27:30 The Aftermath Nobody Talks About29:30 Why Nurses Don’t Press Charges30:30 “Those Signs Don’t Do Anything”31:00 Why Your Work People Matter Most32:30 When Security Isn’t Enough33:30 Why These Stories Need to Be Told34:30 The Line Between Empathy and Safety35:30 We’re Human Too36:00 What We Wish We Knew as New Grads (Preview)

In Episode 2 of The ER Edit, we react to some of the most horrifying medication errors we’ve seen shared by nurses and healthcare workers.

From insulin overdoses to dangerous IV medication mistakes, we walk through what went wrong and explain why these errors can be so serious in the hospital. We also share the first medication mistakes we made early in our nursing careers and talk about the pressure nurses face when administering medications.

Some of these stories are shocking, some are educational, and some are darkly funny.

Clock in with us for Episode 2 of The ER Edit.

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LISTEN TO THE ER EDIT

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Ab8DoFQ3hTyQvIE69O2YR?si=fea43e1cda3140f0

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-er-edit/id1884089840

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theERedit

FOLLOW THE ER EDIT

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CONNECT WITH THE HOSTS

Caitlin Armstrong: https://www.tiktok.com/@caitarmstrongrn_

Karlie Tooley: https://www.tiktok.com/@ktooley89

Business inquiries:  [email protected]

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