Ep.47 Protests and Politics: Unpacking the Impact on Healthcare Professionals

Ep.47. In this episode of Nurses With Voices, Dr. Lendra discusses the importance of public health, particularly in light of recent tuberculosis and measles outbreaks. She emphasizes the critical role of vaccination and the need for accurate public health information. The conversation also delves into the significance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in healthcare, supported by statistics on gender and racial representation. Dr. Lendra encourages nurses to consider entrepreneurship as a viable career path, highlighting the upcoming Health and Wealth Expo as an opportunity for education and empowerment.

Don't miss this opportunity to transform your nursing expertise into a thriving business! Register now for the Health & Wealth Expo: A Virtual Summit and position yourself for success in 2024 and beyond.

Register at : Healthandwealthexpos.com or get the All Access Pass for access to the replays, bonus funding session, and Health & Wealth playbook. Visit: https://healthandwealthexpos.com/all-access-pass

For those ready to take the next step, join the encore masterclass, "The Secret to Transforming Burnout Into Breakthrough," on February 19th at 7 PM to gain practical strategies for creating a fulfilling and financially rewarding career.

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Takeaways

It's important to have your own values and beliefs.
Public health officials are facing challenges with outbreaks.
Vaccination is crucial for preventing disease outbreaks.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion provide access to opportunities.
Statistics show disparities in healthcare representation.
Nurses should consider entrepreneurship for career growth.
Education and self-investment are key for nurses.
Nurses have the skills to start their own businesses.
The Health and Wealth Expo offers valuable resources.
Staying informed and educated is essential for success.

Sound Bites

"Be your own CEO, be your own CNO."
"Don't forget the all access pass."
"Stay inspired, stay educated."

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Reflection on Feedback
00:41 Current Health Outbreaks and RFK Jr.'s Role
01:53 The Importance of Vaccines and Public Health Information
03:55 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Healthcare
07:22 Statistics on Representation and Pay Gaps
07:53 The Impact of DEI on Patient Outcomes
08:36 Empowering Nurses through Entrepreneurship
11:07 Upcoming Health and Wealth Expo Virtual Summit

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome back to another episode of Nurses with voices. I'm Dr. Lyndra
and before we get started, I want to say that
my content from last week really ruffled some feathers from the
response that I received. I received some great
responses, but some of the feedback that I
received, it really speaks to who you

(00:21):
are and it really speaks to what you believe
in. And it's okay. It's okay for you to have your values and
beliefs and it's okay for me to have my values and beliefs. And I thank
you for commenting and I thank you for sharing and we're going to move
on. I do want to say this. RFK Jr.
Has been confirmed. And how many

(00:43):
people feel like that's going to just be a. What's
the opposite of good? Now
this outbreak in Kansas, and I'm just going
to read some details to you. It says as of January 31,
2025, there were 67 active tuberculosis
cases and two deaths in two

(01:04):
Kansas counties. It can take many months after
infection for symptoms to develop and there can also be time
between the appearance of symptoms and a diagnosis. So yes, that is
tuberculosis. Usually as healthcare professionals, what we do when we
do what's called mantu test, we do PPD tests and
a lot of times nurses will get these tests done on upon

(01:26):
hire. And sometimes people who have had tuberculosis in the past,
specifically when they come from other countries, they have to have chest X
rays. So that is something that we still test for and hasn't truly,
truly had concern about an outbreak. But here we go. Now in
Kansas, I'm interested in knowing how RFK Jr. Is going to
handle this, especially being the now the Secretary of Health and Human

(01:48):
Services, this is where we would need him to step in. So let's see how
he handles it. And NBC News just reported that. Let
me put my glasses on for this one. NBC News
actually reported that in rural West Texas, a measle outbreak
rose with no end in sight. At least 49
cases have been confirmed. Health officials who are scrambling

(02:11):
to get a handle on the vaccine preventable outbreak
suspect 200 to 300 people may have been infected.
Now why is this important? In the past, RFK
Jr. Has expressed concerns about vaccines. He seemed to have had a different
perspective during his confirmation hearing.
However, these preventable outbreaks, as NBC News

(02:34):
just mentioned, are the reasons why we have these vaccines in place
and why these vaccines are important. Because now
look, we have health officials scrambling
on how to handle this vaccine preventable outbreak. When we
put people in place who are not qualified to handle the position or
the territory that comes along with it. These are the type of things that

(02:56):
happen when we take information down from, like
the websites that were taken down from for the center for Disease
Control. Not just use those websites.
Doctors for America filed a lawsuit against that information being
taken away. Doctors actually use that information. So you're going
to take away information that people use as resources.

(03:19):
So what happened? A judge stepped in and ordered
for the CDC and FDA to restore their
web pages removed after Trump's order. So US
Agencies told to reinstate critical public health information
that had been scrubbed from public view. A federal judge
has ordered that the Department of Health and Human Services, the Center for Disease Control

(03:41):
and Prevention, and the Food and Drug Administration restore
several of the webpages that they took down following
Trump's. Donald Trump's executive order attacking diversity,
equity and inclusion. Now, I'm being told that I
can't use that word, but I can't not use that word because we,
we know what diversity equity and inclusion means. And

(04:03):
diversity equity inclusion is basically about giving
access, right? Diversity equity inclusion, to put
it simply, for those. And I know a lot of people are saying, well,
it doesn't necessarily affect me. The number one percentage of people that
it affects is white women. Listen,
let's be clear. I understand people like to go to

(04:25):
statistics, which is fine. I want
to point out diversity equity inclusion is about access. And what do
I mean by that? It's about giving opportunity to
the underrepresented. Diversity equity inclusion was
created for just that. It was created to provide access and
opportunities to those who are

(04:47):
underrepresented so that they have the same options and
abilities. I was listening to Adrienne Smith recently,
and if you don't know who she is, she runs a nonprofit called
the Kang Diversity Collective. I love the example that
she used. And she used the example of the, the lower edge
curve. You have that lower edge curve that was created to provide

(05:09):
access to those with disabilities.
But not only does it provide access for those with disabilities, it also
provides access to mothers who are pushing their baby
strollers. It also provide access to people who have their
shopping carts going into grocery stores. Right?
It helps and affects a lot of other people.

(05:31):
Now, it's the same thing with diversity equity
inclusion. Now, if you raise that curve, you're now
blocking the access for people who may not have that
same opportunity. Raising that curve is similar to
removing dei. So to ndei, you're
suggesting to raise the curve so that no one has

(05:52):
access. And I think we're forgetting about that.
When we look at statistics, when we talk about the
representation of women in high achieving roles
by just let's just let's look at race and ethnicity for a
second and entry level roles. Now 28% of white
women hold entry level roles while

(06:13):
19% of women of color hold entry level roles
with men white men holding 33% of
those entry level roles. And then just look at the C suite.
We have 22% of white women at the C suite
level and then we have 7% women of
color at the C suite level while

(06:35):
56% of white men are at the C Suite level.
And these statistics are from a report from Women in the
workplace 2024 when we look at gender pay gaps by race and
ethnicity, we have all
women making about 82 cents compared to white
men and his Hispanics and Latino women

(06:57):
make about 58 cents compared to
white men and black women make about
63 cents compared to white men. And these are statistics from
the US Government Accountability Office. I share these statistics with
you to point out the impact of diversity, equity and
inclusion on minority access

(07:20):
into jobs. Let's talk about improved patient care and health
outcomes for a second. Diverse, diverse themes and inclusive
environments can lead to better patient care and enhanced innovation.
Also, EI efforts help in connecting with diverse communities,
promoting inclusivity and facilitating access to health insurance.
Now these insights really underscore and highlight the ongoing

(07:42):
challenges and the importance of DEI initiatives and the
importance of promoting equitable
representation and access in both professional and
healthcare settings for healthcare professionals. If you read these statistics and
you're wondering for your nurses in particular, if you're
wondering what can I do about it, I'll share with you one thing you

(08:04):
can do about it. This is the time to start your own business.
There are so many different businesses that nurses can use, and for
nurses in particular, this is the time to really start considering
and investing in yourself, educating yourself and understanding
what entrepreneurship looks like, what it looks like to try to start your own
business. This is the time that you want to do that. And I'll tell you

(08:25):
why. Something that you don't want to happen. You don't want to be stuck in
a place where you don't know where your next paycheck is going to come
from when you have all of these skills. I sit,
I sit back and I've been looking on LinkedIn and I've been seeing how a
lot of people are getting laid off and they're getting laid off because of low
performance. I think I mentioned in a previous podcast

(08:46):
that mass General Brigham. They have a
$250 million deficit and they'll be laying
off. And I share this with you because I don't want you to get
caught in that. I want you to be able to. Nurses should be using their
expertise. Nurses should be not in a position
where they don't know what to do next. So now they have to find another

(09:07):
job or they have to move away from their hometown so that they can
find work. No. Why not start your own business? Work
from home, right where you are. And you know what? Be
your own CEO. Be your own cno. There was a time where I
aspired to be a CNO of a. Of an organization.
And guess what? Now I'm my own CEO and

(09:29):
cno. And you can. You. You can do it, too.
Listen, if. If I can do it, yes, I have years of experience as
a nurse. Yes, I worked my right way up. And she, you know,
certifications, terminal degrees. Yes, I did all of that.
You don't necessarily have to do that. Right. So anyone
can start a business. You don't even really have to be a health care professional

(09:50):
to start a business. Right. And this is why we are
hosting the Health and Wealth Expo, a virtual summit on February
22, so that you can come and learn these things.
I want you to start positioning yourself. And I've been saying this for weeks on
end because I told you guys that position was my word of the month.
And I want you to start positioning yourself and educating yourself

(10:12):
and investing in yourself so that you understand and know what
that means or what it looks like to have your own and not
have to rely on or worry about when you're going
to do layoffs or what's going to happen here. Now, some people may have the
notion, well, I'm a nurse, I'm a healthcare professional. I always have a job.
Okay, that's fine, too. What. How

(10:34):
long are you going to just continue to just be comfortable and
not knowing they have AI? You have RFK Jr who is
now the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and talking about
AI taking on nursing roles. I just don't want you to get caught
out there. And this is not to place fear
among anyone. I don't want you to be afraid of anything. I want you to

(10:56):
be confident. I want you to be empowered. I want you to take your skills
and all that education that you have and put it to great use. And one
of the ways you can do that is by joining us at the Health and
Wealth Expo, a Virtual Summit, on February 22,
2025, you can
[e-mail] and
listen, we are also going to be having an in person summit in

(11:18):
New Jersey May 15th and 16th, and
there'll be more to come about that topic. This week is
our final week. We're going in strong into the virtual summit on
February 22nd. So I don't want you guys to miss out. We're going to be
talking about IV hydration, how to start an IV hydration business.
Look back at the previous podcast. You're not a real nurse if

(11:40):
you don't work in a hospital. That is episode
46. So watch episode 46. You'll see a lot
of the highlights from the other speaker, from the speaker, from the experts, I should
say that are going to be running it down for you guys,
giving you guys so many gems. I am so excited about this
summit and the lineup is just absolutely

(12:02):
amazing and you're going to walk away with so many gems and trust me, you're
going to want more and I want to give you more and that more. That
next step is probably more than likely going to be that May 15th and 16th
at Health and Wealth Expo Live summit that's going to be taking place in New
Jersey. And tickets for that are actually available.
But for right now, I want you guys to really, you know, take it, take

(12:25):
the opportunity to then get your feet wet with the Health and Wealth Expo
Virtual Summit. And this is how you start to educate yourself. This is how
you start to invest in yourself. This is how you start to really learn.
Okay, how can I use my skills? How can I use my skills and
do something that use my expertise? Because you've been trained,
you went to school, you have a degree in this, you received hands on

(12:46):
training, you're probably certified. You have all of the things that
you need. Bls, acls, that's, these are.
You have everything that you need. All the next thing that you need is that
confidence in yourself. So I do want you to join me at the Health and
Wealth Expo virtual summit February 22nd. You can log
in and register at healthandwealthexpos.com so this

(13:08):
is the last week to register for the summit is going to be
Saturday from 11am to 4pm this is your last week to register.
So put the day aside. Listen, once you register, you'll receive the
agenda this week and you can see, okay, I want to attend this one, this
one, this one. And don't forget the all access pass. Now the all access
pass is available and you will gain access to the replays with the all access

(13:30):
pass. And you will also gain access to. You'll get your health and wealth playbook
and you'll get access to that bonus session on funding. So I
can't wait to see you there. I'm excited about Saturday. I'm so
excited about it. I hope to see you guys there. And thank you so much
for listening. Until next time, make sure that you guys stay inspired,
stay educated, and stay empowered.