Being a new nurse is overwhelming enough, but what if you also feel out of sync socially with the people around you? Socially awkward. Emotionally drained. Cognitively overloaded. Loving nursing, but quietly wondering if you're doing it "wrong."

In this episode, I (Kati Kleber, MSN RN) sit down with my husband, licensed clinical counselor John Kleber, to talk honestly about what it's like to be a new nurse who doesn't feel like they fit the mold. Together, we unpack how neurodivergence, social anxiety, uneven emotional skill sets, and public expectations can collide during the already-intense transition from nursing school to practice.

Rather than trying to "fix" us nurses, we normalize why feeling awkward with the social side of nursing is just part of the learning process, and how to stay grounded while you grow into the role.

What you'll learn:

✅ Why it's common to love nursing but still feel awkward about the social side, and feel misunderstood, or out of place (especially for anyone who's neurodivergent)

✅ The difference between a genuine skill deficit and VERY normal developmental stages in new nurses

✅ Why perfectionism and people-pleasing are so common, and so exhausting

✅ Practical therapy frameworks, scripts, and tools to help you communicate your needs, protect your energy, and build confidence without pretending to be someone you're not

🔗 Resources & Links:

• John's counseling practice: https://www.klebercounseling.com/

• Join the FreshRN email list for free (non-spammy) resources & updates: https://www.freshrn.com/email-sign-up

• Nurse leaders: Need a comprehensive residency program for your new grads? Check out: https://www.freshrn.com/enterprise/

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New nurses step onto the floor with a license, but not with all the answers. Yet patients, families, and even friends often expect brand-new RNs to perform like seasoned experts. In this episode, I (Kati Kleber, MSN RN) sit down with my husband, licensed clinical counselor John Kleber, to unpack what it's like to learn under that spotlight of public expectations.

Together, we explore how new nurses can manage the gap between what people expect of you, and what you realistically know as you grow into the role.

What you'll learn:

✅ Why people assume you "know everything now" the second you pass NCLEX, and what's actually realistic

✅ How the Dunning-Kruger effect shows up in new grad nursing (the "I've got this!" → "Oh no I don't" roller coaster)

✅ How Benner's Novice-to-Expert model explains the long game of becoming truly competent

✅ Why shame, perfectionism, and imposter syndrome hit so hard in your first year

✅ Simple phrases you can use when you don't know the answer... but still want to build trust with patients and families

✅ Practical mindset shifts (from a counselor's perspective) to build confidence that's grounded and not fake

🔗 Resources & Links:

• John's counseling practice: https://www.klebercounseling.com/

• Join the FreshRN email list for free (non-spammy) resources & updates: https://www.freshrn.com/email-sign-up

• Nurse leaders: Need a comprehensive residency program for your new grads? Check out: https://www.freshrn.com/enterprise/

🎧 Follow & Subscribe:

If this episode gave you something to think about, follow FreshRN wherever you listen to podcasts, and share it with a nurse friend!

New nurses are often handed a long "allergy list" and five minutes to make sense of it. In this episode, Kati Kleber talks with Sophia L. Thomas, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, PPCNP-BC, FNAP, FAANP, former President of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and NP at DePaul Community Health Centers, about how to take a focused allergy history that actually improves patient care.

What you'll learn:

✅ A fast framework to separate side effect vs intolerance vs sensitivity vs true allergy

✅ The exact questions to verify things like "penicillin allergy" and when to consider delabeling

✅ How and when to use allergen-specific IgE blood testing (no antihistamine washout)

✅ High-impact pitfalls: alpha-gal syndrome and heparin; birch–apple cross-reactivity

✅ Documentation that helps providers choose safer meds and diets

✅ When to loop in pharmacy/allergy, and what to tell families about prevention

This episode is great info for new grads, med-surg, ICU/ED, primary care, school nurses, and anyone updating intake workflows.

🔗 Resources & Links:

• Connect with Dr. Sophia Thomas on LinkedIn and X
• Join the FreshRN email list for free resources & updates: https://www.freshrn.com/email-sign-up/
• Nurse leaders: Looking for a comprehensive residency program for your new grads? Check out: https://www.freshrn.com/enterprise/

🎧 Follow & Subscribe:

If this episode gave you something to think about, follow FreshRN wherever you listen to podcasts, and share it with a nurse friend!

Traditional nursing models are breaking under the weight of higher acuity, staffing shortages, and relentless workload. But nurse leaders aren't waiting for permission to fix it, they're redesigning care delivery right now.

In this episode, Kati Kleber, MSN RN, talks with Dr. Bethany Robertson, Clinical Executive at Wolters Kluwer, Health Learning Research & Practice, about how hospitals are experimenting with new care models that actually work. From team-based care to virtual nursing, Bethany explains how leaders are offloading cognitive overload, improving patient flow, and helping nurses feel valued for their clinical judgment... not just their ability to survive the shift.

We discuss:

✅ What virtual nursing really looks like in action: how it's being used across acute care to support bedside teams without cutting FTEs.

✅ Why simply adding more staff won't fix burnout, and what true workload redesign looks like when nurses can finally think, not just react.

✅ How nurse leaders are rewriting the rules using insights from the FutureCare Nursing 2025 report, to build care models that protect both patients and the profession.

🔗 Resources & Links:

• Read the full FutureCare Nursing 2025 survey report from Lippincott® Solutions
• Join the FreshRN email list for free resources & updates: https://www.freshrn.com/email-sign-up/
• Nurse leaders: Looking for a comprehensive residency program for your new grads? Check out: https://www.freshrn.com/enterprise/

🎧 Follow & Subscribe:

If this episode gave you something to think about, follow FreshRN wherever you listen to podcasts, and share it with a nurse friend!

In this episode of The FreshRN Podcast, host Kati Kleber, MSN RN, sits down with Dr. Susan Grant, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN (Chief Clinical Officer at symplr) to talk about how AI can actually make nursing better.

We focus less on "what AI is" and more on how to successfully integrate it into nursing practice. Susan will share leadership strategies for building trust, creating a culture where AI empowers rather than intimidates, and ensuring nurses are part of decision-making from the very beginning. We'll also talk about practical ways to prepare both seasoned nurses and new grads for the AI-driven workplace.

With more than 30 years of leadership experience at Wellstar, Beaumont, Emory, the University of Washington Medical Center, and Dana-Farber, Dr. Grant shares how technology can remove administrative burden, strengthen nurse-patient connections, and help managers and educators reclaim their time to focus on what really matters: people.

You'll learn:

✅ Why AI won't replace nurses, and the irreplaceable human skills that define our profession

✅ How ambient listening technology is capturing the unseen value of nursing care

✅ The biggest mistakes leaders make when rolling out new tech (and how to build trust instead)

✅ How AI could transform the daily workflow of both bedside nurses and nurse leaders within the next decade

Whether you're a bedside nurse, an educator, or a hospital leader, this conversation will leave you hopeful and ready to lead the change.

🔗 Resources & Links:

• Connect with Dr. Susan Grant and symplr: https://www.symplr.com
• Join the FreshRN email list for free resources & updates: https://www.freshrn.com/email-sign-up/
• Nurse leaders: Looking for a comprehensive residency program for your new grads? Check out: https://www.freshrn.com/enterprise/

🎧 Follow & Subscribe:

If this episode gave you something to think about, follow FreshRN wherever you listen to podcasts, and share it with a nurse friend!

In this episode, we're talking less about what sepsis is and more about how to build systems that actually help nurses catch and treat it earlier, without overwhelming us or compromising patient safety. Instead of focusing on textbook definitions, we explore how workflow, culture, and smart (nurse-driven!) processes can radically improve outcomes.

I sit down with Jaclyn Bond, MS, MBA, RN, former Director of Nursing and an innovative leader known for transforming rapid response workflows, developing a nurse-consult activation process, and championing nurse-driven sepsis care. With a background in ER, ICU, trauma, informatics, and program development, Jaclyn brings practical, evidence-based insight that every nurse and leader needs to hear.

Together, we talk about:

✅ Why many hospitals see too few rapid response calls, but too many codes

✅ How Jaclyn's "nurse consult" activation empowered bedside nurses to escalate sooner without the fear or judgment

✅ Using hard data as your strongest ally: whether you're influencing physicians, executives, or frontline staff

✅ Why the future of sepsis care is nursing-led precision resuscitation, supported by real-time physiologic data

… and a lot more!

This conversation is packed with insight for bedside nurses, rapid response teams, educators, and leaders, especially if you're trying to improve sepsis outcomes with limited resources. Jaclyn's approach blends compassion, critical thinking, and operational excellence in a way that feels both refreshing and highly actionable.

🚨 Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the guest and do not represent the official position of any organization with which they are currently or have previously been affiliated.

🔗 Resources & Links:

• Learn more about FloPatch and sepsis resuscitation: https://flosonicsmedical.com/
• Read the Rapid Response / FloPatch case study
• Join the FreshRN email list for free (non-spammy) resources & updates: https://www.freshrn.com/email-sign-up
• Nurse leaders: Need a comprehensive residency program for your new grads? Check out: https://www.freshrn.com/enterprise/

🎧 Follow & Subscribe:

If this episode gave you something to think about, follow FreshRN wherever you listen to podcasts, and share it with a nurse friend!

If I could hop in a time machine and redo my journey to becoming a nurse, knowing what I know now... I'd take a very different path (and spend a lot less money). In this episode, I'm walking you through what I actually did: From changing majors to juggling basketball and nursing school, and what I'd do differently if I could go back.

We'll talk about:

✅ Why I wish I'd started as a CNA in high school

✅ How going the ADN route first could've saved me thousands

✅ What I learned about tuition reimbursement and scholarships the hard way

✅ The importance of progress over perfection when planning your nursing path

Plus, I'll share some encouragement for anyone stuck in decision paralysis, trying to figure out their next step. Your nursing journey doesn't have to be perfect to be worth it, and there are so many smart, affordable ways to get where you want to go.

My free workbook that will help you map out costs, pros/cons of different schools, applications, and more: https://www.freshrn.com/planner/

Sign up for my email list: https://www.freshrn.com/email-sign-up

My nursing degrees and programs learning hub: https://www.freshrn.com/nursing-degrees-and-programs/

Need to take out loans? Check out my partner, Juno, to join a collective bargaining group and score lower interest rates better than the big-name lenders (the 2025-2026 rates start at 3.47%!). Free to join, and it can save you thousands → https://www.freshrn.com/juno

Connect With Me Online! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreshRN X: https://x.com/Kati_Kleber Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/Fresh_RN/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kati_kleber/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@freshrn YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@freshrn

Ok that title might be a little spicy, but stick with me. In this episode, I discuss why so many of us over-identify with our roles, how "we're a family" culture keeps us stuck, and what learned helplessness looks like at the bedside. We'll also talk about the sneaky way suffering becomes a badge of honor, and how to step out of that martyr mindset.

Sign up for my email list: https://www.freshrn.com/email-sign-up

My professional development learning hub: https://www.freshrn.com/professional-development/

In this episode, we're diving into what happens when perfectionism collides with the messy, high-pressure reality of nursing. If you've ever felt like your entire identity is wrapped up in being the "good nurse" ... you know, the one who never messes up, never says no, and always holds it together, this conversation is for you.

We'll talk about:

• How nursing school subtly wires us for people-pleasing
• Why high-pressure roles make us more vulnerable to shame
• Why self-compassion (not shame) is the key to confidence and performance
• What to do when you disappoint someone—and how to recover with integrity

Join my email list, already! https://www.freshrn.com/email-sign-up

Get thoughtful support, freebies, and honest pep talks straight to your inbox:

If you want to learn more about self-compassion, check out the resources from Dr. Kristin Neff: https://self-compassion.org/

Need to take out loans? Use Juno to join a collective bargaining group and score lower interest rates—usually 1–4% better than the big-name lenders. Free to join, and it can save you thousands → https://www.freshrn.com/juno

Connect With Me Online! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreshRN X: https://x.com/Kati_Kleber Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/Fresh_RN/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kati_kleber/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@freshrn YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@freshrn

In this episode, I interviews Dr. Kelly J. Dries, Ph.D., RN, Director of Nursing Program Success at Wolters Kluwer Health. As a former dean of a nursing school, Dr. Dries shares:

• Her educational journey from someone telling her she'd never make it in nursing school, all the way to her PhD
• How nursing schools decide what their curriculum will look like
• The (sometimes sutble but important) differences between programs
• Smart questions to ask about the schools you're considering
• Advice and encouragement

Article Kelly mentions: https://www.dailynurse.com/solving-the-nursing-shortage-starts-with-investing-in-educators

Conversational AI tech article: https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/news/wolters-kluwer-and-laerdal-medical-enhance-vr-simulation-for-nursing-education-with-conversational-a

My free workbook that will help you map out costs, pros/cons of different schools, applications and more: https://www.freshrn.com/planner/

Money-Saving Tip: Private student loans tend to have higher rates and stricter terms compared to federal options. That's why it's smart to shop around. Services like Juno let you tap into group-negotiated loan rates, sometimes cutting interest by up to 4%. Signing up is free, and even a 1% lower rate could save you thousands over the life of your loan - https://www.freshrn.com/juno

Sign up for my email list: https://www.freshrn.com/email-sign-up

My nursing degrees and programs learning hub: https://www.freshrn.com/nursing-degrees-and-programs/