The Most Correct Answer with Nurse Educators Stephanee Beggs and Meris Shuwarger

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hi friends, happy Friends of Franz Friday!

(00:07):
How was your Valentine's Day?
Or in my case, Singles Awareness Day?
I actually went to my friend's Jasper's place that night and he cooked jajangmyeon,
or Korean black bean noodles, for the single boys in our friend group.
We made a pact to not let a gathering happen again next year.
We'll see about that.

(00:28):
Anyway, the past few weeks at work have been super sentimental for me because it marked
my 7th year of working at the practice.
7 years, wow time just flew by.
For those who may not know, I work at an endovascular medicine outpatient practice, Interventional
Cardiology and Vascular Surgery in Nature, where we do procedures under light anesthesia

(00:50):
such as angiograms, venograms, ablations, fasciograms, and embolizations to hopefully
provide relief from pain and swelling to our patients who suffer from peripheral arterial
and venous diseases.
Seven years ago, I interviewed for this clinic as a medical assistant.
I was in my second year of college as a nursing student and wanted to start getting more hands-on

(01:11):
experience outside of the once-a-week clinical rotations within the nursing curriculum.
Funny story, during my interview with the head physician of the practice, Dr. Puma,
who now stands as one of my amazing mentors in life, I didn't bring a printed resume
with me.
In my defense, this is the first job I ever interviewed for.
I was 19 years old.

(01:32):
The first job I actually had was as a teacher's assistant at a science middle school during
the first year of college.
But I was taken in directly by my middle school teacher who offered me the job because she
said she had a dream that I started working for her.
Anyways, I didn't bring my resume.
Dr. Puma was like, he didn't bring a resume?
I honestly didn't know any better.

(01:54):
And said, oh, he sent my Google documents and they hadn't hit my phone.
LOL.
He stared at me, shook his head in amazement and muttered, kids these days.
But he actually took my phone and scrolled down to read my resume.
And I got the job the same day.
And seven years later, I'm still with them.

(02:16):
I worked as a medical assistant for them for many years.
Then when they finished nursing school, I went to their cardiac surgery floor in the
hospital while still taking shifts in the clinics as the in-house nurse giving medication
immunizations.
We also partnered with the United Nations during the pandemic to do house to house COVID
testing for UN diplomats so that they can be cleared to travel internationally for their

(02:37):
conferences.
Then they helped the cardiologists co-author medical publications.
And then recently I helped them found the nursing department for the ambulatory surgical
center.
Okay, okay, I rambled on with my story, but I just wanted to share how heartwarming has
been the past few weeks thinking how quickly time has flown.
How much I grew as a person, as a professional and just how much life has changed since then.

(03:00):
During those times I was starting at the practice, I also had an ongoing battle.
Nursing exams.
Oh God, I still have PTSD until now.
I remember those weekly quizzes, monthly exams and finals that were a huge chunk of your
grade.
I was always just studying, memorizing medications and their side effects, creating diagrams
and errors for pathophysiology and reading case reports for medsurg.

(03:24):
Nursing school was definitely an uphill battle.
Those NCLEX style questions kill you with the select all that apply modality.
Going through a URL to study for the board exam.
I remember the questions like, which is most correct?
And then gives you five options and three of them are the same exact thing.
Like how do you expect me to choose?
I can't even choose what to eat in the restaurant.

(03:46):
Have you ever seen that meme where he goes like, there's the exams be like, which is
the most orange?
And then goes on to give you four pictures of the same exact orange.
And don't even get me started with changing your first answer in the exam.
I remember almost failing my first ever med search test.
My professor called me to her office and showed me my Scantron paper of answers.

(04:07):
She pointed to 10 incorrect questions where I obviously changed my answers because of
the pencil erasure.
She said, all of your first choices were the right answers.
She then told me the story of her uncle while she was in nursing school who would yell
at her before leaving the door for school.
Don't change your answers, he would say.
And that story really helped me a lot.
And also shout out to that professor because she actually let me change back to my original

(04:31):
answers.
The GOAT, the greatest of all time.
And even when I went back to school at NYU for my post-bac, studying for physics and
biochemistry and organic chemistry and for the MCAT.
Oh dear God.
But that's a story for another day.
Examinations are really a thorn in a student's life, but obviously are so necessary.
You cannot escape them, so you have no choice but to find the strategies and techniques

(04:53):
that can set yourself up for success and hopefully favorable exam results.
And this is the crux of our episode today.
This was recorded way back in May last year during nurse's week.
I am so honored to introduce you to two friends who answered the questions that my nursing
classmates and I stumbled upon during our college days.
Is there a correct way of studying?
How can you actually absorb information from online lectures?

(05:15):
Should I just memorize or actually spend most of my time creating diagrams to see the bigger
picture of a certain concept?
And how do I manage exam anxiety?
In today's episode, we are joined by two emergency department nurses who also rescue others outside
the trauma bay.
On the internet, for students who are seeking studying resources that can hopefully relieve
their emotional trauma of taking exams.

(05:37):
We have the iconic Stephanie Beggs from California, CEO of RNXplain, Inc.
An educational content platform that went viral during the pandemic of social media
and is utilized by over 1 million nursing students and current nurses nationwide.
She was honored in Forbes 30 under 30 for education, having generated more than 2 million
in revenue selling study materials and merchandise in 2023.

(06:00):
She is currently an adjunct professor of nursing pharmacology.
Then we have the amazing Meris Shuwarger from Ohio, a certified emergency and trauma nurse.
A member of the editorial board of the Journal of Emergency Nursing.
Nurse team lead and educator at the Level Up RN.
An educational platform where registered and practical nurses, which I actually used during
nursing school.

(06:21):
And an adjunct clinical instructor for medical surgical nursing.
I know, what a duo powerhouse today.
And I hope with their tips, you can find the most correct answer.
Enjoy!
I often wish I had perfect vision.
There is so much intricacy in life and beauty in the world around me that I often miss because

(06:44):
my view can get so blurry.
Though I had glasses for years, I opted never to wear them because of the embarrassing indentations
and marks they left behind on my face.
Covree seeks to target this common struggle within the eyewear market.
Covree is a 100% AAPI woman owned inclusive eyewear brand designed for comfort, offering
a wide range of sunwear and specs with prescription lens options.

(07:05):
With their signature elevated fit that features longer nose pads, a reduced frame curvature,
and a narrow nose bridge to elevate the frame, Covree is designed to better complement diverse
facial features such as low nose bridges and high cheekbones for an effortless fit.
Beyond this, the premium handcrafted frames are made from plant-based acetate and lenses
with 100% UV protection.

(07:26):
Finding a perfect fit with their offers of a home and virtual try-on.
With the code FRONT, that's F R A N Z, you can get $20 off any frame you like on shopcovree.com.
See the world's beauty more comfortably with Covree.
This offer is valid in one frame per order, cannot be combined with any other offers,
and is limited to one use per customer.
There are luxuries in life that see beyond material things.

(07:47):
Practices like self-care and skin care can be an oasis in the whirlwinds and busyness
of life.
What if there exists a harmony between material and immaterial luxuries?
House of M Beauty is a saffron-infused luxury skincare line that harnesses the antioxidant,
vitamin C-rich, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial power of the highest quality medicinal-grade

(08:07):
saffron.
They are a clean treatment skincare line suitable for sensitive and postpartum skin.
Their unique and consciously crafted formulations maximize the potency of medicinal saffron
to calm and soothe sensitive skin while brightening and targeting skin concerns.
From their skin polish, to the miracle serum, to the glow jelly mask, and the silk night
concentrate, the experience of the luxurious transformation saffron can bring to your skin

(08:30):
with the code FRANS20.
That's F-R-A-N-Z-2-0, or 20% off your first order on houseofmbeauty.com, also available
at Nordstrom nationwide.
As a nurse, I am on my feet, alert for 12 hours or more each day.
There is no space for jazziness or lethargy in my job because my patient's well-being
is at stake.

(08:50):
Sometimes you just need the extra energy boost from coffee.
Robusta Coffee offers 2x more caffeine and antioxidants with 60% less sugar.
But did you know that thanks to its climate and fertile volcanic soil, Vietnam is the
world's second largest coffee producer and the number one grower of Robusta?
New in coffee supply is America's first specialty, a women-owned Vietnamese coffee company set

(09:12):
to change the future of coffee through sustainability, diversity, and inclusion.
The only roast coffee beans that are hand-picked at peak ripeness from their right-trade Vietnamese
farms to produce sweet and flavorful coffee without any additives, flavorings, or oils.
Get your own velvety coffee experience for 15% off your order with the code FRANS15.
That's F-R-A-N-Z-1-5 at newincoffeesupply.com.

(09:47):
I'm so excited.
I'm so excited too.
Thank you so much for joining me today.
And it's such an honor to be with you.
I know you're all the way on the West Coast, right?
Yes. I just came from like two days ago.
I have family in LA.
So I visit often.
And now I'm back here in New York.
Oh my gosh, you're really sitting on the complete opposite side of me.
Oh wow.

(10:08):
Completely different time zones.
If you could just first please introduce yourself to everyone though you need no introduction.
Yeah.
So my name is Stephanie Beggs.
I have so many different titles.
So I'm CEO of R-inexplained.
I also am an ER nurse and I do teach pharmacology.

(10:28):
I just finished my semester with my sophomore level students in their BSN program.
But yeah, that's me.
Yeah.
I mean a total boss, right?
And I mean, you were talking about too, and I feel like this is something that I guess
you could not have expected, right?
In the past few years of just how things have gone forth.

(10:49):
And we will talk all about that.
Again, it is nurse's week and we just want to elevate the stories of nurses and nurses
both in clinicals and outside of clinicals, even in virtual, which you are living, you
know, Hannah Montana, the best of both worlds.
Literally, I am the Hannah Montana.
Well, speaking about nursing, I wanted to hear your journey.

(11:12):
Like you relay your story into getting into the field of nursing.
Yeah.
So I have a different journey to nursing, I would say.
If you haven't heard it, it's pretty interesting.
I went to school for business marketing.
I have a prior degree in business marketing and it wasn't until probably three years into

(11:33):
that degree that I realized it's not really what I wanted to do.
I was so close to getting that degree that I just decided, mine as well, get it and then
I'll go back to school and go for something that I wanted to do, which was nursing.
I've always loved gory things, nasty like sciencey things.
It's always interested me.
I just never actually took action to do it.

(11:54):
So I got my degree in business marketing, then I went back to school and got my degree
in nursing.
And I thought to myself, when I'd made the switch, I was like, I'm never going to use
this business degree.
It's pointless.
I felt like I was taking steps backwards and it was such a waste.
If only I could see where I was going to be now, which is crazy.
But yeah, so once I graduated with my degree in nursing, immediately got a job in the ER

(12:18):
and then Arne explained was born as well at that time.
And that's when I saw my business degree plus my nursing degree kind of collide, which was
crazy.
So yeah, basically like all worlds mixing in, right?
I mean, I also studied nursing and theater in college.
So I guess being able to do like, you know, kids or content online is also a mix of both

(12:39):
the worlds, right?
Yeah.
I mean, you were talking about how you love gory things.
And I guess you always had that like fine tuned interest for healthcare.
Where did that come from?
Was there any like friends, family or personal experience?
You know, I had no one in my family's in healthcare.
So I had no direction when it came time to actually put to action what I wanted to do

(13:01):
and pursue nursing.
I didn't have any sort of direction or any kind of help because I knew nobody in healthcare.
I didn't have like the traditional story that everybody has growing up with something in
their childhood was like a pivotal moment that never really happened to me.
I will say my mom was diagnosed with stage four gallbladder cancer as random as that
is right when I started to pursue my career in nursing.

(13:22):
And I wouldn't say that that was the reason why I chose nursing because I already was
pursuing it.
But it definitely was the confirmation that that's like exactly what I wanted to be doing
and where I was supposed to be and to pursue that.
So I would say that was like a big moment for me.
But I've always just loved science.
So yeah, I guess those moments, right?
Like make you really think about life and like, oh, what do I really want to be?

(13:44):
What's this new found interest that I have?
And I guess looking at that from a bird's eye view, right?
From business and now to nursing and then I guess somewhat back to business and nursing
combined.
Do you have any regrets in pursuing the field of nursing or anything that has happened so
far?
No, I have no regrets.
And I think what I love about my journey to nursing is it's actually a lot more common

(14:08):
than you think.
There are so many people out there that want to switch or have no idea of what they want
to do and they end up pursuing nursing later on in life.
And that's so okay.
So I did an accelerated nursing program and there were some students that in my cohort
that were dance majors prior.
Some were in the army.

(14:30):
The history of all of these people was so diverse.
And then they all chose to pursue medicine later on in life.
And like that's so okay.
They had a whole life prior to that.
And I love that.
So I have no regrets about it.
I think there are a lot of things that I took with me from my business degree till now obviously,
but that have also helped me in the hospital as well.

(14:51):
Yeah, I mean I had a classmate as well who was previously a lawyer before she went into
nursing.
Right.
And it tells you like stories of people who really find what they love to do and see what
gives them purpose.
Right.
And I wanted to ask you this because I mean having worked in the hospital as well, right,

(15:13):
being an emergency room nurse and now dealing with nursing students as a pharmacology professor.
We hear every day of issues in nursing and I want to elevate this because it's nurses
week, right?
Yes.
Constant outcry of nurses for things to change, whether it's ratios or appreciation.
If there's a nursing student out there, a whole full-fledged nursing student who wants

(15:35):
to get into the field of nursing, but they're worried if the job is still worth it given
all of these problems.
What would be your advice to them?
I would say it is still worth it.
I think the field in general is incredible.
And while there are so many things that need to be changed, I think that's the same for
any career that you go into.

(15:56):
There's always going to be, it's never going to be perfect.
And it is unfortunate, but that's when you find your voice and you kind of find your
purpose in nursing and how you can change nursing and people need to join the nursing
field so they can be the change that we need to see.
Yeah, and if bedside nursing is not for you, there are a thousand other jobs that you can
get with a nursing degree that treat you so well or pay you so good or fit your life.

(16:21):
And yeah, I think just the possibilities are endless.
So I would say it is worth it, 100% to get that degree because you could do so many things.
Yeah, definitely.
And we'll also talk more about that because she definitely did something outside of the
bedside as well, right?
Oh, yeah.
Well, I wanted to talk first into the bedside aspect.
So, emergency room nursing.
I always tell my friends, this is one place in the hospital that I probably cannot do

(16:47):
because of the so many things that's going on and the amount of trauma you see, like
physical trauma and just all the sirens.
I mean, I know you mentioned that you like some gory stuff, but why emergency room?
You know, I have always had a fascination with emergency, like critical care situations.

(17:09):
My first exposure into critical care, I was a medical scribe for an ER based urgent care
prior to nursing school.
Like that was the experience that I got from my applications.
And ever since then, I loved it and I knew I wanted to go into emergency.
During nursing school, obviously we have to do all of our rotations.
And so I kept an open mind to all of the other clinical rotations that I had, but nothing

(17:33):
really hit like emergency did.
So I loved that.
I also, I just love the fast pace.
I can't sit down.
I'm not like a sit down like person.
So I need something that's fast paced.
I love the critical thinking and the diversity that you get every single day.
No two patients are the same, no two diagnoses are the same.
And I love that.
But then I also like the vulnerability, I would say, like of the patients themselves

(17:57):
because they're in their most vulnerable state in that ER searching for help and to be the
nurse that helps them and is able to hopefully bring them back to their most optimal health.
I love that.
It's so satisfying.
Yeah, I would say.
Yeah, definitely.
I mean, I feel like, I mean, I've been to the emergency room myself many times, right?

(18:17):
As a patient myself.
And I think it is the space where people are just yearning for help, right?
It's like, be their worst possible day or night in their life.
And usually the front line are the nurses, right?
You know, the first to do everything and to do the triage or whatnot.
I wonder amidst all of the chaos, amidst all of the rapidness, how do you think the emergency

(18:40):
department formed your philosophies or beliefs about nursing?
Ooh, you know, the emergency department, I would say, really shaped me into the type
of nurse that I am, really shaped me into being stand for what I believe in.
I have never advocated more for patients, for strangers, really.

(19:01):
And I really found my voice in what I deserve and what my patients deserve.
And I think that kind of formed my own philosophy of what I will take as a nurse, but also what
I will fight for in my patients.
And it was hard.
I mean, it's really, really hard to start your new grad career in ER, but I think it

(19:22):
was so worth it.
And yeah, I really found my voice.
I really found my voice in the ER.
Yeah, that's beautiful.
You know, I love what you said about, I mean, you know, being in the emergency room, like
it's literally strangers, right?
And I feel like for nursing as a whole, right?
All of the patients who come through the doors, who are in the beds that we treat, they're
practically strangers to us, right?

(19:43):
We have no connection to them.
We've never known them before.
And then we're asking them to trust us with the care that we give, right?
I could say it's the same for RN Explained, right, even for nursing students, right?
I mean, I guess you cannot imagine the amount of success that RN Explained and all of your
study materials, but basically it's also reaching out to strangers, like nationwide and also

(20:06):
worldwide as well, right?
And I wanted to ask now, switching back to, I guess, the business and nursing worlds mixed
together, how did this whole, I will call it an empire, RN Explained come about to be?
So, when I graduated nursing school, it was right as the pandemic was starting to hit.

(20:28):
And as I had to start studying for the NCLEX during that time, obviously had nobody to
study with.
And that's how I learned best is through nursing school, I called my friends all the time and
I would teach them things and we'd get together and we'd teach each other face to face things.
And so I didn't have that during quarantine.
So what I did is I started to film myself teaching these topics to nobody and I would

(20:54):
post those on TikTok.
TikTok at the time was getting pretty big.
So for no reason, I posted those videos on TikTok.
I think my very first video I posted was diabetes insipidism, S-I-E-D-H.
It was so random, but so I posted those and they became more and more viral.
And then I started to realize in the comments that everybody was wanting to buy the sheets

(21:18):
that I was teaching in these videos.
And so I made a Nazi shop called it RN Explained and that was that.
And I really truly did not think it was going to go anywhere.
I had no idea how to work in Nazi shop.
I had no idea what I was doing and the rest was history.
Now here we are.
Yeah.
So it's wild, right?
I can't imagine how much of like a phenomenon it feels for you, right?

(21:40):
Why do you think it was so successful?
I mean, beyond the TikTok boom, beyond your personal story of studying for the NCLEX,
what is it about online materials that made RN Explained so successful, you think?
Well, I think it was easily accessible, especially during the pandemic.

(22:01):
Every nursing student, every school was switched online and teachers were not always the best
at teaching online.
Students were not getting the same education online.
Students might not be the best at learning online.
And so the need for any resource that students could get at that time to help them pass whatever
class they were in was so high.

(22:23):
And I fulfilled that need pretty much.
Yeah, I think that I saw the problem and the problem was everybody was online.
They were looking for anything to help them pass classes.
Everything was online and that was the problem.
And I found a way to fix that problem by the way that I taught and the sheets that I was
selling and stuff like that and people loved it.

(22:43):
So I just kept running with it at that point.
But yeah.
You know, even before the pandemic, we were having, from what I remember from nursing
school years ago is that we've also had hybrid models of classes, right?
Where we would have things online already, but it wasn't actually it would be more of
a, I remember my classes, like, oh, it's online.
It wasn't really the norm, right?

(23:03):
Like, there wasn't really the norm, right?
It's really like in-person lectures.
You have to go to class, whether it's 8 a.m. or five hours long.
Yeah, you have to go to in-person.
And then there were those bouts of, oh, wow, yeah, I can stay at home and do online lectures.
But I remember specifically there were nursing studies that didn't know how exciting it

(23:23):
was to stay at home.
We're like, oh, online lectures are kind of tricky because you don't know how to study
for it.
You don't know how to attack it.
There's also that sense of complacency, right?
Like, oh, I can listen to it two times speed or.
Yeah.
You don't pay attention.
Yeah.
But then as the pandemic came, right, it's I guess institutions that education was seeing,

(23:44):
oh, we can actually utilize online lectures.
And I guess there's a lot of classes now that are fully online, right?
And despite that sense of normalcy of online lectures now, it doesn't mean that everyone
has caught up to it, right?
It doesn't mean that everyone has developed the skills.
What do you think is the key to online education?
Oh, gosh.

(24:05):
So honestly, I think nowadays people's attention span is so short that these four to six hour
lectures online is just ridiculous.
Like there's no way that someone's going to pay attention or even retain any information.
So I think the key to online learning is clear, concise, straight to the point, which is what

(24:30):
I think everybody fell in love with in my teachings, because what you learn in a two
hour lecture about heart attacks is what I'll teach you in five minutes, you know, and that's
it.
And like, that's all you need to know.
You're straight to the point.
So I think that's the key.
I think people are not going to pay attention for longer than 10 minutes, Max.
I mean, I can't even pay attention for that long, let alone like a two, three, four hour

(24:52):
lecture that was originally in person and now online.
And now you have to discipline yourself to pay attention is crazy.
So the key is clear, concise and short.
And I know you teach pharmacology in person.
I do.
It's fun.
I can't imagine.
Now, how do you translate that online success of clear, concise information to in person

(25:15):
lectures where I guess you have a mandated time constraints set by the school?
Yeah.
So my lectures were two hours, seven a.m. to nine a.m.
So crazy that we start that early.
But so, so nursing school.
I never took the full time.
There was not a single class period that I strictly taught for two straight hours.

(25:39):
There's no way I cannot pay attention.
I know my students would be so bored.
And to be honest, not even that they want to pay attention, but the things that they
needed to be taught did not need two hours worth of time.
And so I wasn't about to drag out this teaching for two hours just to that time limit.
There's no way.
I created all of my own PowerPoints and I yeah.

(26:01):
And they were really informative.
They were straight to the point.
They answered any question that I think the students would have would probably be answered
in like the little comment section of like the PowerPoint.
They were colorful.
They had pictures.
I would relate things back to what I've seen in the ER for like a relatability aspect.
Yeah.
So that's kind of how I geared my lectures and it kept students super engaged.

(26:23):
They loved it.
I think that they learned a lot.
Yeah.
Yeah, for sure.
I mean, I'm very familiar with your study materials.
And I mean, when I look at them, like I tell my classmates, I'm like, damn, I wish we had
this when we had Metsurge or pharmacology.
For those who may not be familiar with your materials, can you explain to the general

(26:44):
public what is the premise of our unexplained materials?
Like what do you use?
Is it worksheets?
Is it arrows?
Is it colors?
Yeah.
So I sell study sheets.
Each single study sheet breaks down a single medical condition.
So heart attacks, diabetes, sepsis, stroke, whatever it is.
And on these sheets, I break them down very simple and easy to understand what normally

(27:09):
happens in the body, what happens with this condition, what you see, how you treat it
and what you look for as the nurse pretty much.
That's all you need to know.
But I break it down in a way that helps you remember with a lot of memory checks and mnemonics
and whatnot.
All of my sheets are handwritten and they include a lot of color.
I use literally Crayola markers, but they're all handwritten, which I think is a little

(27:30):
bit different than any other study sheet you'll get because it's not like a word document
you typed out and you're trying to learn from.
It's very natural, I would say, like kind of like your own study notes.
So you're studying from your own study notes pretty much.
And it's a lot easier, I think, to study from that than a word document with a million words.
So that's where my sheets are kind of broken down.

(27:51):
And then I sell those in bundles of pediatrics, OB, maternity, all that.
Yeah.
And then it just keeps going.
You just keep flipping.
You see a lot of conditions.
It's so beautiful.
I mean, you were listed recently in the Forbes 30 under 30 for education, right?
So it's great.
I mean, a boss, right?
It's great that you're being recognized for such a great work that you do.

(28:12):
I'm curious, where do you get the time to make these sheets?
Because you continue to make new ones as well, right?
Where do you find it?
So, trust me, I know, I literally don't know where I found the time.
But I would say about 90% of my sheets I made originally during quarantine.

(28:32):
So all of 2020, 2021 even was when, and it was perfect timing, I would say, for me, because
we had nothing else to do, right?
And on top of that, I was studying for the NCLEX.
So I was making these sheets for really myself that was also benefiting other people.
Just when I made the bulk of my stuff, I make new things every single day.
I tweak things now to be current to like new treatments or whatever.

(28:58):
I do that now, but it's a lot easier because the bulk of the sheet is done.
That's how I do it.
So I'm making more, like now I'm making more products and stuff like that.
So yeah.
And it's so helpful, honestly.
I mean, I read the comments on your posts, right?
Each time you post something educational and you can see the amount of help that you really
give to nursing students, right?
And what's your goal for RNXplain?

(29:20):
I mean, there's so much accolades now.
And what is your goal for your platform?
I would say reach more nursing students.
I really, I think I've reached a lot, but there are so many more that don't know about
my resources.
And I want to grow and to maximize to reach those people because I truly am confident

(29:43):
that my products will help them at some point in their journey, if not to take the NCLEX
like at any point.
So I want to grow and I want to maximize to reach more people who don't know me.
So I think I have a really good product for them.
And then I also, I have some new products.
I'm going to be doing a summer camp with Blake this summer, which is going to be so fun.
Yeah.

(30:03):
Just to come out with more resources, I think for students.
Yeah.
And I think that's helpful because as we know, it's like healthcare and medicine and science
like constantly evolves.
There's always something new.
There's always something to tweak, always something to fix or to add.
And I think one of those pressing issues that I see and I hear from mentees is the new generation

(30:24):
of NCLEX.
And I know that you probably were studying for the old, right?
Yeah.
I took the OG.
The OG.
The OG.
Yeah.
With the next gen NCLEX, I mean, I remember doing a sample as well during my own NCLEX
and I was like, oh, it's a very different ball game, a very different tactic, right?
How do you prepare your students?

(30:44):
And I guess how will RNXplained evolve to cater to this new generation of NCLEX?
Yeah.
So I have done my research on the next gen.
Let me tell you that I used to have on my Etsy shop, a NCLEX calendar and guide, like
just to help you organize and study to the NCLEX.
It has now since been updated for the next gen.

(31:05):
So I have that to kind of help students or new grads organize their studying for the
NCLEX.
In terms of preparing students, what I like to tell people is the way that you study for
the NCLEX is no different than how you studied before.
The content is all the same.
And so all of my content is still relevant.

(31:27):
It's still the same.
You still need to know everything that we needed to know years ago for other NCLEX.
But the only thing that's different is the way in which the question is asked.
That is the main difference.
And the case studies is what we were talking about.
Honestly, I would just say practice, practice the case studies.
Just be familiar with the way it's asked.

(31:47):
But truly, if you understand the content, you can answer any question, whether it be
a case study, a bow tie, a drag and drop, whatever it is, you can answer it.
It's just you have to study the content and the content has not changed.
So do what you were doing before.
That's what I tell people.
Yeah, that's what I tell people.
So it's always about the content.
I mean, even with the OG NCLEX, right, when we were studying, our professors always tell

(32:09):
us you need to know the content because even if it's a multiple choice or select all that
apply, if you know the content, no matter how much you try to mix up the question, no
matter how different they ask the asking of the question, right, if you know the content,
you'll always get to the right answer.
And I guess the same thing, even if it's a case study, even if it's what's the next steps

(32:29):
of this, if you know the content, if you have it really down and you understand, I suppose
to just maybe some pure memorization, which is needed for some concepts, right.
It's like no matter, I guess the new generation, if there's a next next generation of NCLEX,
right, the content remains the same, right?
Yeah, no, truly it is.
It's all about the content.
And I always tell people to sit on the question.

(32:52):
The answer is always in the question, always.
And if you sit there for long enough, it will come out at you.
I did this when I was practicing for the NCLEX.
I did this during my NCLEX and I sat there on a question that I was so confused about.
And rather than freaking out and just picking an answer to keep going, I sat there and I

(33:12):
looked at the question.
Sometimes I would sit there for maybe five minutes, five whole minutes just looking at
this question.
But then I'm like, Oh my God, the answer is literally right there.
And then I get the question right.
You know, you got to take your time and you got to know your content for sure.
Yeah.
And because they're saying education that we're talking about, a lot of the questions
that I received test tips and I guess the educator and the creator of aren't explained.

(33:38):
I think a pressing issue is test anxiety, right, which is very, very normal.
And I wanted to ask your ways around it.
How do you deal with test anxiety and what have you seen to work for your students?
So what I did with my students that I think helped a lot, hopefully, I think it helped
them prior to the exam or even when the exam starts, spend a couple of minutes writing

(34:00):
down anything that is in your head, anything that you were like, Oh my God, I cannot forget
this.
Oh, I'm going to cram this right before the exam.
Write it down because then you're not so worried and anxious that you're going to forget something
that's last minute in your head and you have it written down.
I did this through all of nursing school for the NCLEX.
I did it with my students in pharmacology.
I gave them a little scratch paper and I said, you guys, two minutes is not going to kill

(34:22):
you to write down whatever is in your brain right now and then start the exam.
So then you had a clear mind and that helped a lot with anxiety, at least for me.
That was a really, really good one.
Honestly, really reading the question and rereading the question over and over again
is another way to help kind of with anxiety because sometimes we tend to read too quickly,

(34:43):
right?
We get so anxious that we read the question so quickly and then we completely skip over
what the purpose of the question is and then you get the wrong answer.
So I like to read the question, reread it again, read your options, reread the question
again and then answer it.
You have a lot of time.
You have a lot of time on these exams and you just need to take the time.
But I think writing down on the scratch paper is my number one test anxiety tip for sure.

(35:07):
Yeah, I did the same actually.
I did the same.
You did?
Okay, yeah.
I did.
I did.
I did.
And it's so helpful.
And test taking skills and test anxiety skills are so helpful.
I think at the root and underneath all of that is like studying skills, right?
What would be your message to a student who innately feels like they have to know everything

(35:29):
for an exam?
That's hard.
It's hard to get past that because I actually was the same way.
Oh my God.
I just had like an epiphany of a moment that I had in nursing school where I was like,
oh my God, how am I going to remember every single side effect of sedative?
I was so like nervous.
And you think that you have to know every single thing.

(35:50):
But how I like to teach people to study is not to memorize because that will kill you
inside.
It's going to kill you inside and you're going to think you need to know every single
side effect and everything that you know is on in the textbook.
But more so train your brain to understand what the condition is and how it works in
the body.

(36:11):
If you understand how things work in the body, a medical condition, a medication, anything,
if you understand how it works in the body, everything else will follow.
You no longer have to learn every single side effect unless they're crazy one-offs, but
you no longer have to learn every side effect of things or every treatment of things because
if you understand what's going on, you know what will be presenting to you as the nurse.

(36:37):
So it's hard, but I think truly I think that that's just training your brain to kind of
realize you don't need to know every single detail.
You just need to know what goes on.
Copy physiology.
Yeah.
Huge.
And tips for changing answers at the last minute.
Don't go with your gut.

(36:58):
I had so many, I tutored so many students for the NCLEX and they did that.
And I was like, guys, go with your gut, but sit there, like sit there on the question
and think about, is this what I really want to go with?
But try not to overthink it.
Go with your gut.
I mean, I remember my first exams, I think in fundamentals and I'm like, why could it

(37:18):
be this answer?
Let me change it.
And that's actually, that's another test tip I give to people.
I was victim to this in nursing school.
Do not add to the story because when you sit there and you think about the question and
you've already answered it and you're like, hmm, but what if this patient falls on the
ground or passes out venom, then I need to do this.

(37:40):
And then they add to the story and they change their answer.
Do not add to the story.
Take it for face value.
That is a huge problem with students.
It's great because we're critically thinking, but you got to take it for face value because
that's how they get you.
Yeah.
That's such a good tip.
Because I remember in my first semester of nursing school, that was my mindset.

(38:01):
Oh, but what if, but yeah, what if this?
Yeah, yeah.
And you know, these are all amazing tips and thank you so much.
And I wanted to bring the platform to students who have done everything they could, right?
They study the hours long, they try to understand the concept, you know, went on YouTube, tried

(38:26):
all the study materials, go to office hours and they try to find out for themselves what's
a good learning method for them.
And no matter how hard they try, their grades and their exams do not reflect the amount
of effort and the work that they put in to these exams.
What did the, I don't know if it's a tip, if it's a word of encouragement advice, what

(38:47):
would be your message to the students who have tried it all, but seem to not reap the
benefits of what they've done?
Yeah, you know, I think every single nursing class requires you to learn and study in a
different way.
So what works for you in patho might not work for you in OB.

(39:08):
And because of that, it is a lot of trial and error of figuring out what works best
for you.
For me, very beginning, I was a flash card girl.
I was like, I am going to write everything on flash card.
And I found out in my fundamentals class that was such a waste of my time and I was not
learning anything.
And so I had to completely switch gears to figure out, oh my God, how am I going to study

(39:31):
for this now?
I failed.
I literally did the worst in my class on an exam in pharmacology.
And then the following exam, I got a perfect score, a hundred percent.
And it's just like, you're just like, how is this happening?
And you're not alone if this is you, I would say.
It really is a lot of trial and error and try not to knock yourself for not doing as

(39:53):
well as you thought.
Everybody will not do well at some point in nursing school.
There's nobody who just skates by and is like, this is a breeze.
But what I think is most important is as long as you are learning and you are studying and
you're doing your part, who cares if you did the worst in the class or if you did the best

(40:14):
in the class or you really bombed a quiz or whatever.
You're learning and that's all that matters.
And the people that are skating by are the ones that I'm kind of worried to work with
because they are just skating by and it's scary.
And so if you're not doing as good as you think, it's okay.
Everybody has been there.
It's all right.

(40:34):
You're going to get through and everybody's pace is different.
If you fail a class, it's okay.
Perseverance is how they weed nurses out.
If you persevere, you're meant to be here.
So yeah, yeah, definitely.
I totally agree with that with the whole trial and error.
And I think it's nursing culture also that I guess healthcare is all about numbers.

(40:55):
Medicine is all about numbers.
And I guess going through nursing school, you seem to feel that, oh, my grades define
me or how well a nurse I would be in the future.
And all of that mindset and all that echoes and whispers in your ear when in actuality,
it's really all what happens right when you start oraging.
Like it's, nursing school is hard, but it's definitely like not giving up and everyone

(41:21):
finds the learning method that works for them.
And I guess you see that with your students as well.
Totally.
And some might be the worst test takers ever.
It doesn't mean they're going to be a bad nurse.
Absolutely not.
And some are the most amazing test takers and they do horrible in clinicals.
You never know.
Like everybody's different.
But as long as you're putting in the work, you cannot go wrong if you put in the work

(41:41):
and you learn the things you need to learn.
Once you become a new grad and you start your first job, you're going to be totally fine.
It's hard to get through the mental battle of nursing school, but you got this.
It's definitely a mental battle.
And speaking of mental battles, I mean, having worked in the emergency room and putting out

(42:02):
content and making all the study materials, that's for sure a lot of work.
How do you decompress out of all of this?
You know what?
I go to the gym.
I have a trainer here in LA, which forces me to go to the gym.
And I love it.
I think that that is literally hands down what keeps me sane.

(42:22):
I try to take time, a good amount of time, at least one hour a day to myself.
Go on a walk, go outside, go on my phone, whatever it is, but at least just take an
hour for myself.
Going to the gym is huge.
I try to hang out with my friends when we all can, but especially love the ones not
in healthcare too, because then I'm kind of stepping away from healthcare.

(42:45):
And then I have my friends in healthcare that we can kind of vent and kind of work through
things together.
And yeah, so those are like my big things, but definitely working out at the gym is what
keeps me sane.
That's beautiful.
And I can't imagine working out in LA.
I mean, it's just the best place to be, right?
Weather's great.
People are great.
Yeah.
The weather is great, right?

(43:06):
Stuff.
This has been such a wonderful conversation.
And it's just inspiring of really how we can, like nursing can really change people's lives
both at the outside and also outside of it.
Like even online, right?
You helping all of these students achieve the dreams and the grades and the learning

(43:27):
methods that they want.
If you can tell everybody how they can get your materials, I might be familiar with it.
Yeah, so on TikTok at Steph Begg, B-E-G-G, no S. I post a ton of educational tidbits,
mnemonics, whatever on TikTok.
Same with Instagram at Stephanie Beggs here.

(43:48):
Etsy is where I sell all of my products.
That's ARINXplained on Etsy.
And then same with YouTube.
I actually launched a YouTube and I know, and I teach pretty much what I teach on social
media, but in a little longer format.
They're about five minute long educational videos on YouTube.
And that's ARINXplained as well.
Oh, Stephanie, you're such a boss.

(44:10):
Oh, thank you.
It's so great speaking to you today.
Oh, thank you.
Yes.
It was so nice having you.
Thank you for being the first time I've ever been on Instagram Live.
Yeah, it's a party.
Steph again, thank you so much.
I hope you have a great rest of the day and enjoy the LA sunshine.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Have such a good day.
Yeah.

(44:31):
Bye.
Bye.
Bye.
Bye.
Bye.
Bye.
Being in scrubs the whole shift and for days at work can sometimes trip you off your sense
of fashion and self-expression, but instilling a bit of design and color does not hurt to
let your personality shine through your uniform.
Vcotery is a leading provider of healthcare jewelry and accessories for playful everyday

(44:53):
wear from pins to badge-字 charms and medical specialty specific necklaces.
With their creative process paralleling the founder's background in dentistry, Vicodery
was founded to spark the genius within you, redefining the traditional boundaries for
jewelry and accessories.
They believe fashion can celebrate curiosity and the pursuit of knowledge while allowing
you to express your truest self.

(45:14):
From the curious student, to a confident clinician, or even a kidney transplant survivor, Vicodery
is here to celebrate you no matter where the journey takes you.
Get 15% off your first order with the code VFRIENDSOFFRANDS on vicotery.com.
Find your daily dose of style and make your passion your fashion.
As someone with acne-prone skin, I always fear using new moisturizers that may be too heavy

(45:39):
on my skin and clog my pores.
This is why I love my Aloe Quench by Skin by Anthos, a facial moisturizer made for all
skin types, especially for sensitive skin like mine.
Made with an oil-free formula using aloe, glycerin, and green tea, it is suitable for
acne-prone, oily, or combination skin.
Its soothing and paraben-free formula makes it even great for sunburns and patients taking

(46:01):
accutane.
Skin by Anthos is the byproduct of the minds and expertise of board-certified dermatology
professionals and proud AAPI mothers who saw the need for access to pharmaceutical strength
and professional-grade skincare for those with sensitive skin and or skin of color from
the safety and convenience of home.
Experience a regimen tailored to your skin type that is strong enough to deliver medical-grade

(46:23):
results for 20% off with the code FRANDSPODCAST when you're order on Skin by Anthos.com.
The sense of taste is so intriguing.
A cascade of good memories can wash over you as you experience the flavor you have met
before.
Founded by Hannah Bae, Helmi, a loving nickname for grandma in Korean, it's a brand of light
sparkling beverages that evokes feelings of nostalgia for Koreans and Asians in general,

(46:48):
but also curiosity if you are not familiar with certain ingredients and the story behind
the flavors.
Inspired by traditional Korean flavors through family recipes and made with real fruits and
spices, Helmi's debut flavor, Cinnamon Ginger Jeju-Bee Persimmon, is a sparkling take on
Korea's beloved sujeong-hwa, a sweetened spice punch that has been brewed for generations
to aid digestion and is shared during Korea's most festive moments.

(47:13):
It's their version of a healthier, lighter ginger ale.
With the code FRANDS, that's F-R-A-N-Z, you can get 15% off your first order on DrinkHelmi.com,
partake in honoring roots, strengthening ancestral connections, and celebrating hyphenated identities
with unique, refreshing, and better for you ingredients.
Hello!
What are you up to, my friend?

(47:35):
What am I up to?
I'm about to speak to one of the greatest people in the world.
No!
I'm so excited that you're in front of me right now, virtually.
I'm so excited!
You have no idea!
This has been such a thing that I've wanted to do for so long, and I am just like, I've

(47:55):
just been looking forward to this desperately.
So thank you so much.
Oh my gosh, the honor is mine.
There's so many things we have to talk about.
If you could just first please introduce yourself.
Absolutely!
Thank you.
My name is Maris Schuager.
I am a double-certified ER and trauma nurse, and I also work as an educator for Level Up
RN, and I do some other things like I serve on the extended editorial board of the Journal

(48:19):
of Emergency Nursing.
I mean, how cool is that, right?
I'm in front of royalty right now.
And I must say, I love the whole rainbow theme from the eyeglasses to the shirt and to the
Apple Watch.
I love it.
Thank you.
The rainbow is very much my thing.
I literally just moved yesterday, and so normally my office is all decked out and stuff, but

(48:44):
obviously here's my nice blank wall.
But yes, I had to lean into the rainbow for tonight.
Yeah, I love it.
It adds to the spice and against the blank wall, right?
But you know, another spice that we have is literally nurses week.
And you know, I think our profession is the one that is not so appreciated most of the
time, right?

(49:04):
It may be easily forgotten.
And I think our goal for this week and even every day after this week is to just elevate
the stories of nurses nationwide and worldwide.
And one of them is you, you know, you are such an inspiration each time I see your posts
and your stories.
I'm just so humbled and touched by the amount of transparency and strength and vulnerability

(49:29):
that you show to your followers in the world.
So thank you so much and such an honor for you to be here.
That bane my whole day.
Thank you so much.
I really think that we, in social media in general, but you know, especially as nurses,
we have this idea that we have to be strong and we have to, you know, we have to put forth
this very like, like big strong front and everything's good all the time and whatever.

(49:51):
And it's like, you know, sometimes it's not.
And like sometimes nursing school is hard.
Sometimes being a nurse is hard.
Like, and I think it's more humanizing and authentic to be like, I'm having a hard time
right now, like, you know, and people feel more seen by that than anything else.
And I know personally, it drives me insane when I see people who just have this perfectly
curated social media presence and it's like, that's not what life is.

(50:11):
That's not what life is.
And that's definitely not what the nursing pathway is.
Right?
I mean, like I said, there's highs and lows when it comes even from pre-nursing to nursing
school.
I wanted you to take me on this journey of how the journey looked like.
Oh yeah.
So I grew up, my dad was a doctor.
He was an OB-GYN.
He was a surgeon.

(50:31):
And my dad was very much the kind of like stereotypical doctor parent who wanted me
to be a doctor.
And so I was, you know, I was into that for a while when I was younger.
And he told me these awful stories about his time in his intern year.
You know, this was before there were like all these regulations and stuff.
He told me these terrible stories from his intern year, told me how awful it was, how

(50:55):
much debt he had.
And I remember being like, why do I want to do this?
And so I was kind of like, you know, yeah, I don't think that's for me.
And I decided it was going to be like, I wanted to be a high school English teacher.
And then I wanted to be a forensic scientist.
You know, I wanted to do all these things.
But science was always interesting to me.
Medicine was always interesting to me.

(51:16):
And I kept kind of coming back to it.
And when I was in my early twenties, I became very ill.
It turns out I have this very rare genetic condition called familial Mediterranean fever.
But we didn't know that at the time.
And so I ended up having 25 surgeries in four states with five specialists.
I had a colostomy bag.
I had a colostomy reversal, like this whole thing.

(51:39):
And the whole time, it was so unbelievably apparent to me that the people who were keeping
me alive, the people who were catching those subtle changes, advocating for me, you know,
saying she's in pain, she doesn't have enough pain management, you know, those kinds of
things, they were nurses.
And I will never forget, there was one time I had had a major operation.

(52:01):
I was like 21, 22 years old.
And I was in another state.
It was on Christmas Eve that I had the surgery.
So I'm away from home.
I'm not in my home state.
And I just had this major surgery.
And I'm young.
And I had incontinence to bowel.
And I was hysterical.
Like, you know, I mean, I was just...
This is like one of those things that like, it just made me feel like, oh, I'm worthless.

(52:25):
Like, you know, like I'm broken, whatever.
And I'm actually still in touch with her to this day.
But the nurse, I page the nurse, you know, and I'm like, I'm trying to clean myself up
and like, I can't do it because I just had surgery.
And she, I'll just never forget, it's three in the morning on Christmas Eve and she's
on her knees helping me like get cleaned up in the bathroom.
And I was just sobbing and she just put her arms like, it's making me emotional thinking

(52:48):
she just put her arms around my torso.
And she was like, it's okay.
And I just remember thinking, my physician saved my life.
There's no doubt about that.
But man, it was the nurses who were there for the quality of life.
It was the nurses who really took care of me.
And I thought, I want to do that.
That's what I want to do.

(53:08):
And so I actually, I went to nursing school when I was still sick and it just didn't work
out.
I was too ill, you know, and I ended up failing out of nursing school.
And it took me a long time to decide to go back.
I actually had one child, I was pregnant with my second child and decided to go back and
I had abysmal grades.
My GPA was terrible, you know, and I'm applying and you know how nursing school is.

(53:30):
I'm like, please let me in, please let me in.
And I wrote in my application and I said, if you give me a chance, you know, I explained
the whole story about why I failed out, why my grades suck and everything.
I said, if you give me a chance, I promise I won't let you down.
And they gave me a chance.
And I graduated valedictorian and went on to, you know, to be successful the second
time around.

(53:50):
But it truly was like a redemption story for me.
And now every day that I get to be that person for somebody and make a difference in their
life, that is it for me.
Right?
I mean, that's the whole point.
Yeah.
This is such a beautiful story.
I mean, I can truly relate to that.
I had a cardiac ablation, but I was already, I think pre-nursing, I think I was doing my

(54:11):
prerequisites and it's really in those moments, right?
We're in the most vulnerable of moments where it's really the nurses that pull through.
And we'll talk more about this as we talk about your emergency medicine work, but it's
all true, right?
It's like in the most vulnerable of moments, it's really the nurses that share with you.
I mean, especially in bedside, right?
We're usually the ones who are there like almost every second of the whole shift with

(54:33):
them.
Right?
And these are beautiful stories that remind us of why we do the things that we do as
a nurse and I guess very motivational and inspiring stories for the next generation
of nurses to keep in mind, right?
But also the truth of the matter, the other side of the story is that there's so much
brokenness in the healthcare system, right?
And systemic flaws, systemic failures.

(54:56):
We've been hearing the outcries of nurses against whether it's ratios or pay or unjust
assignments and stuff like that.
I wanted to ask you as we delve this further, you know, being an educator, being a nurse
yourself, and you know, especially with level of RN, right?
You see the next generation of students who are trying to study so that they could become

(55:19):
a nurse to other people someday.
With the amount of brokenness that we see in the healthcare system and the nursing workforce,
hopeful pre-nursing or nursing student is wondering if it's still worth it going to
the field.
What is your answer to that?
So first of all, I think that is a fully valid question and I think that it is a very prescient

(55:42):
thing to be asking yourself.
I think that you are smart to be asking yourself that.
And I think the answer is contextual.
I think for some people, it may not be worth it to them.
You know, they may say that's not for me anymore and that's okay.
And I think it's really good too to prioritize the things that you have.

(56:03):
This is what I care about most or, you know, whatever the thing is.
That's unique to you as an individual and it cannot be wholly applicable to everyone
on earth.
So first and foremost, if it's not for you, that's okay.
And you are not bad or broken or wrong for saying like, I thought this is what I wanted,
but it's not.
And I think, you know, just like with medicine, people tell me sometimes like, oh, you would

(56:26):
be a great doctor.
Yeah, I would.
It's not for me.
That's not what I want.
I could be a great rocket scientist.
That's not what I want.
So it's okay.
Like not everything has to be for you first and foremost.
The second thing that I would say is that if you are, if you're like, this is it, this
is my calling, this is my passion, this is what I want to do, like, heck yes, like please
come.

(56:47):
There are so many people who are currently nurses, nursing educators, bedside nurses,
nurses in the community, whatever, who are working so hard to fix what is broken.
And so please know that we really are, like, we're not just like, welcome to the profession,
like, you know, like get in line.

(57:07):
Like there are people out here who really genuinely, they know what's wrong and they
want to make it better for the next generation.
That is, I think, what is so incredibly special about the new nurses coming up is that there
has long been this idea of nurses eat their young and, you know, I suffered so you need
to suffer.
No.
And I really don't see that with the newer nurses.

(57:28):
It really, we're all in this together and because I suffered, I don't want you to, I
want to make the world a better place for you as an up and coming nurse.
So just know that really there are people here who are trying to fix things for you
as best that we can.
And if you are already aware of the things that are broken, you can be such an advocate

(57:49):
as well.
And we need people who are aware, who are looking out, who want to make real change.
So please join us.
You know, if this is your calling, then by all means, like, yes, it is worth it.
And the other thing that I would say is nursing isn't one size fits all.
Nursing is not a specific position, a specific type of nursing.
You can be a nurse who never provides hands on patient care.

(58:14):
You can be a nurse who works with computers.
You can be a nurse who works with chart auditing and, you know, insurance.
Like there are ways to make nursing work for you.
So even if you're like, I want to be an ER nurse, like, heck yeah, like come be an ER
nurse.
And then if you're like, you know what, this isn't for me.
There are as many opportunities as there are nurses.
There is no right way to be a nurse.

(58:36):
So there are lots of ways that are safer, healthier, happier, better paying, better
work life balance.
You don't have to be an acute care hospital bedside nurse to be a nurse.
Yes.
Super, super agree with that.
And that's a beautiful take.
I wanted to go into the heck yeah, become an emergency room nurse because that's exactly

(58:57):
the decision that you made.
Right?
So my question is why emergency medicine?
I had a live stream earlier with Stephanie Beggs, the CEO of RNX Plane and she's also
an emergency room nurse.
And I will ask you the same question I asked Sarah, why emergency room nursing?
Personally, I just don't think I could do it.
I feel like I'll walk in and I'm like, I'm just going to ask for a code blue for myself

(59:20):
with the amount of cases going on.
Why for you emergency medicine is the thing?
Well, so first and foremost, because I have ADHD.
So I'm a hundred percent real.
I knew when I went to nursing school and I was in clinical and I tell this story all
the time and I just, I think people don't believe me or maybe, you know, I don't know.

(59:41):
I hated clinical.
I would cry on the way to clinical and I would cry on the way home.
It wasn't what I wanted to do.
And I knew that going in, I knew that being a floor nurse and ICU nurse, you know, like
any of the floors where we did our clinicals, I just knew it wasn't for me.
And that's because I have ADHD and I really thrive in areas of chaos, you know, having

(01:00:05):
high priority tasks that are all coming in at once, right?
And there is no time management.
It's like, you do this, you do that, you do the next thing.
But I also, I worked in pre-hospital at NeonMest when I was younger and I loved that.
You never know what's going to walk in the door.
You have to be a, you know, a jack of all trades.
Like you got to be able to take the patient who is about to give birth, the patient with

(01:00:28):
a sucking chest wound, the patient with a sore throat.
Like you got to be able to handle it all.
But also there's something that I feel really strongly about, which is that as an ER nurse,
I had a unique opportunity to provide care to all patients and to be an advocate for
patients who are underrepresented.
And by that, I mean, if you work in the hospital, in the floor, if you work in, you know, outpatient

(01:00:51):
medicine, whatever it is, you are subject to the mercy of health insurance companies.
You've got to file prior authorizations.
They're going to deny things.
They're going to say, he's got to get off the floor.
You know, he's been here for too long.
We got to send him to long-term care or whatever.
When you come to the emergency room, it does not matter who you are.
It doesn't matter what you look like, what your ability to pay is, what's wrong with
you.
You come and I care for you.

(01:01:12):
And that I think is so special.
It is such a gift and it is not something that I take lightly.
And the other thing is that a lot of the things that people complain about emergency medicine,
people using us as primary care, you know, medication refills and whatever, do you have
any concept of why that is?
Like, are you really thinking about the fact that these patients don't have access to these

(01:01:34):
things?
They don't have the resources.
They can't take the time off of work to go to the doctor's office.
I can't, I can't go to a doctor's appointment in the middle of my workday.
All of these things allow me to provide life-saving care, but life-changing care too.
And to be that person to say like, whatever it is that you need, whether it's a pregnancy
test, a medication refill, a throat swab, or, you know, to plug the bullet wound in

(01:01:59):
your chest, like I got you.
Like, and that I think is such a gift and it is really, that's what gets me excited
to go to work every day.
It's basically like a come as you are kind of space, right?
Yes.
And I think the amazing thing about the emergency room, which I've been to so many times now
at this point, I've gone from my chest pains, I've gone from my asthma attacks, I've gone

(01:02:20):
for my pulled hamstring when I was in gymnastics, I've gone for my appendicitis.
And I think the thing that I did see in the emergency room is like, come as you are, it's
like someone could be having their worst possible day ever, right?
And the team just swarms in on you, like, you know what, we'll take care of you from

(01:02:43):
here on out, right?
And it's such a beautiful thing and I just can't deal with the chaos.
I just can't.
I like my open heart and you stay there, you sleep, I'm here, I'll come in when I need
to.
And I love that.
I'm glad because I could never, because I could never.
So thank you for doing that.
So I don't have to.
Thank you for doing that.

(01:03:03):
I don't have to, right?
Well, I wanted to know, let's go on a Magic School Bus trip, a day in the life into the
emergency room.
I know it's all chaos.
I know that you just cannot expect anything in the emergency room, right?
But on a given day, would you say that there's a top three to five reasons why someone would

(01:03:24):
be in the emergency room?
Yeah, you know, and it really depends because at least the way that my ER is structured,
you can be positioned in kind of some different locations within the ER.
So you could be in like what we call prompt care, which is really like our urgent care
kind of section.
You could be in the major bays where it's like, you know, they're really sick people.
You could be in like the high acuity resuscitation assignments and that's like cardiac arrest,

(01:03:50):
you know, like respiratory arrest, like that kind of stuff.
So it really depends kind of where you are.
But I feel like the biggest ones, abdominal pain.
I mean, like that's just every day, all day, all patients, all ages, you know, chest pain.
I work at a high acuity, high volume trauma center.
So we see a lot, right?
So I would say taking the trauma out of it, but just like from the medical side, abdominal

(01:04:14):
pain is a big one.
Chest pain is a big one.
Difficulty breathing.
And then definitely like there's some others.
We get a lot of stroke alerts.
We are an advanced comprehensive stroke center.
So we get a lot of stroke alerts and then just sort of like altered mental status because,
you know, altered mental status could be anything from drug ingestion, UTI, stroke, like hepatic

(01:04:36):
encephalopathy.
Like there's so much stuff.
So I feel like that really is like one of the biggest ones that we see too that kind
of encompasses a lot, but it's a broad chief complaint.
Yeah.
And like you said, it's such a vital space in the hospital, right?
Or even things like urgent care as well, right?
Just getting people from the get-go.

(01:04:58):
And I guess you see people who's like, you know, I'm here because I've tried everything
at home and nothing has worked.
And this is my last resort.
Like I don't want to be here, but this is my last resort.
And it's truly a ride for sure, right?
I mean, I guess like for me as well, right?
Emergency nursing is maybe not something I guess I could try, right?

(01:05:20):
It's not something that's from the get-go.
You're about to pull me out, but you know, it's something from the get-go.
But it is something that a lot of nursing students and a lot of nurses really want to
do because of the amount of just rapid care that you can give, right?
Like really on the spot care, right?
And treatments and just algorithm of things and things that might seem too complex for

(01:05:44):
the general public, right?
And I guess this is where education comes in, right?
This is where instruction is really crucial and vital.
And I want to touch upon before we leave the expanse of emergency nursing is that you're
on the editorial board of the Journal of Emergency Nursing.
Is that correct?
Can you tell everyone about this beautiful and amazing news?
So this is like, I still just don't even believe that it's real, you know?

(01:06:09):
So let me back up a little bit.
My advice to any single human being, but especially if you are in nursing, is to always say yes
to whatever opportunity sounds interesting to you.
And by which I mean, don't, like you can and should say no to things.
I'm not suggesting you just like, I'll do that, I'll do that.
But if somebody presents you with an opportunity and you're like, I want to do that, like I

(01:06:33):
think that's interesting, go for it.
So a while ago, I did a presentation on LGBT plus inclusive healthcare basics.
And in that talk was a nursing student.
And that nursing student served on the board of the California Nursing Student Association.
And I, a couple of months later, get an email, hey Maris, I was in that seminar that you

(01:06:56):
did and I thought it was really great.
And I was wondering if you would do a presentation for the CNSA specifically about inclusive
prenatal care of trans patients.
And I was like, heck yeah.
Like I worked outpatient OBGYN for a decade, like, you know, I like very much my wheelhouse.
And so I was like, absolutely I will.
Again, say yes to the opportunity, right?
So I said yes to the opportunity.

(01:07:17):
I put together this presentation.
I presented it.
And the next day I get an email from Dr. Ana Valadez, who is the Dean at Sonoma State,
you know, for nursing.
And she said, you know, I saw your presentation.
I thought it was phenomenal.
And I was wondering, I'm an emergency nurse.
I'm the chair of the committee for diversity, equity and inclusion of the ENA.

(01:07:38):
I was wondering if I could put your presentation on our website.
And I was like, yeah, absolutely.
You know, like, of course you can.
And me saying yes to this one opportunity turned into me developing a relationship with
Dr. Valadez and getting to know her.
And she has really, we've never met in person, but she has really just kind of helped me
to shape and curate and cultivate my career in a way that has been really incredible to

(01:08:03):
me.
And she said, like, I would love to have you as a peer reviewer for the Journal of Emergency
Nursing.
Would you be interested in doing that?
And I said, again, opportunity.
You said yes to it.
You know, I'm like, that is like, yes, I want to do that.
And I took a course on how to be a peer reviewer.
You know, I showed proactively that I'm interested.
And then she offered me a position on the editorial board.

(01:08:26):
And here I am thinking, I don't know anything.
You know, I'm like, I don't know anything.
Like everybody else has their master's degree or their PhD or their D&P.
And I'm here with my BSN and I'm like, hello.
I'm just like, I feel so out of place.
But this is such an exciting opportunity for me to get to make an impact on the field of

(01:08:48):
emergency nursing, really blend it with my love for academia, you know, and also to be
somebody who is out here being an advocate for marginalized people, being an advocate
for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
And that to me was such a gift of like, this is what you were put on this earth to do.
And don't let your imposter syndrome stand in the way, Maris.

(01:09:10):
You got to just say yes to the opportunity and go for it.
And I'm like, I'm so excited.
You know, this is everything to me.
And to have this opportunity, even if I feel like, oh, I didn't deserve this or I haven't
done enough to, you know, whatever, like you got to say yes to the opportunity because
you never know when it's going to come up again.
And you never know when that opportunity is going to turn into something else.

(01:09:32):
That's literally what I tell students about like clinical.
If somebody asks you like, hey, can you help me turn this patient?
You say yes.
And then there may be like, oh, hey, also I got to start an MG tube.
Do you want to start that?
And you say yes.
Like, so if you are open and willing to pursue these sorts of things, then you never know
what it will turn into.
So always say yes to an opportunity.

(01:09:53):
That sounds like something you would be interested in.
You heard it here people say yes and just do it.
That's right.
Just do it.
Do it.
You know, outside of what you just said that you're making impact in emergency nursing,
the truth of the matter is you're making an impact on so many people nationwide and worldwide
with what you do with nursing education.

(01:10:14):
Right?
When we were first talking and I was thinking Level Up RN, I was like, why does it sound
so familiar?
I was like, why is this logo sound so familiar?
Why is the format of the YouTube video sound so familiar?
I was like, well, duh, I used this during school and studying for the NPEX.
Right?
For those who may not know, can you explain what Level Up RN is and what you do?

(01:10:36):
Absolutely.
So Level Up RN, we are a small nursing education company.
And so we create products and content to help support the education of practical and registered
nursing students.
If you know us, you either know us from like our flashcards, you know, like this is like
the thing people are like, oh my God, I use those.
Or you know us from like our YouTube videos.

(01:10:58):
We have a TikTok account.
We have, you know, we're on Instagram.
We have YouTube.
And what we try to do, we have a team of nurses and we try to break down these concepts that
are really intense, complicated, you know, whatever, turn it into more little like bite
sized lectures almost to help you understand the things that you learn in school.

(01:11:20):
And then we have the resources to support you as well.
The flashcards, the workbooks, the nursing school study planner, like we have all of
that.
Similarly, I used Level Up RN when I was in school and I, again, I'm telling you just
say yes.
Like you just, like you've just got to be willing to go for the thing you want.
I was in nursing school and I was the president of my student government and they wanted us

(01:11:42):
to do some events.
And I was like, events?
You know, I'm like, what the heck am I supposed to do for events?
Like, I don't know.
Like I don't, I'm, I'm an indoorsy person.
Like I don't do things.
So I'm like, oh my God.
And so I said, you know what?
I want to get Kathy Parks to speak to my school because she was the Level Up RN queen.
It was just her at the time.
And I was like, I'm going to ask her and I will never forget everybody I serve with being

(01:12:06):
like, she's not going to say yes.
Like there's no way she says yes.
And I said to them, okay.
But so she says, no, you know, like, so what if I asked her and she says, no, I've wasted
five minutes of my time and I'm exactly where I started.
And so I asked her and she said, nobody has ever asked me to do that before.

(01:12:27):
I would love to do that.
She's in California.
I'm in Ohio.
And so she's like, let's do it.
And so they kind of put the ball in my court and I just, I took over and started organizing
and I'm setting things up and I'm getting people to sign off, permission, you know,
all this stuff.
And we did it.
And it was awesome.
And I was like, ah, like I'm so excited.
I'm so proud of myself.
And then we kind of stayed in touch and she asked me to review some of her like new material

(01:12:49):
and stuff and I was giving her feedback on the things she was coming up with.
And she said, you know, kind of jokingly, she was like, you know, I'd love to hire you
when you graduate nursing school or now, LOL, JK, but really, you know, and I was like,
no, no, no, like, but, but really like, cause, cause I will.
I started working for her when I was still in nursing school.
So I would review the new material.

(01:13:11):
So I was a product development specialist at the time.
So I would, I would help to write the material.
It would help to do quality analysis of it and everything.
And then after I passed in class, she was like, I can really use your help teaching
the material.
And I was like, yes, you know, so now I, you know, I serve as an educator for level up
and I make YouTube videos.

(01:13:31):
We have all kinds of stuff.
We have like a membership where we have dosage calculation help.
We have cram courses, Inklex review courses.
I wrote like a thousand Inklex style questions for the membership, like, you know, all this
kind of stuff.
And everything we do is meant to enhance, supplement and improve the education of nursing
students.
And I really think, you know, I had phenomenal professors.

(01:13:53):
I really did.
I had great professors, but that's not the case for everyone.
And if you have a professor who is overwhelmed, busy, stressed out, checked out, you know,
in over their heads, whatever it may be, you might be in a situation where you're not getting
great instruction and you're not able to succeed through no fault of your own.

(01:14:15):
You're not getting the instruction you need.
And so to be able to have, you know, people call us like their YouTube professors and
stuff like that, like that's so exciting to me.
Like when somebody says, I had no idea what was going on in maternity and I watched this
video and you've made it make sense to me, that's like, yeah, it makes me so excited

(01:14:35):
because truly I know how isolated I felt in nursing school and how badly I wanted somebody
to be like, you're not alone.
You're doing a great job.
I'm here to help you.
And so to be able to be that person for other people, like that's everything to me.
Yeah.
You know, the isolation aspect is so true.
I went to a school here, nursing school here in New York City, where there was a hundred

(01:14:55):
of us in the same exact lecture hall every day.
Right.
And I guess in essence, this was so helpful because we get to share notes real time, right
after class or even before class, we get to study right next to each other.
Right.
And we jump off each other for questions or practice or, oh, I missed this.
Oh, I don't understand this.
I think when the pandemic started, right, it's like all of this has been overturned

(01:15:18):
by online learning.
I mean, we definitely had hybrid classes previously, right.
But the norm for nursing school was in-person lectures, 7 a.m., 8 a.m. or whatever time
it would be.
And then when the pandemic started, it's like everything is online and for the most
part, students were not able to catch up with that.
Right.

(01:15:38):
It's so hard to do online learning.
It is isolating specifically.
Right.
Even outside of the disposition of the professors, it's like complacency can come into reality.
Right.
Oh, I can just listen to it later.
I can rewatch the lecture at two times speed and actually you're on your phone with not.
What have you seen with your reviews from students nationwide and worldwide, whether

(01:15:59):
to YouTube or the reviews of the products, what have you seen to be working for students
when it comes to online education so that they can study successfully?
Oh, man.
OK.
So I started my senior year when the pandemic hit.
And so I went from like I was just in my element.
Like I said, I failed out of nursing school the first time around.
So I'm like, I'm going to succeed this time.

(01:16:20):
Right.
I'm really like I'm just so into it.
I'm in my element and then the pandemic hits.
And now you have thrown me off my rhythm.
Right.
Like I had a method to my madness, you know, all this stuff.
And now I'm stuck at home sitting in my pajamas.
You know, my kids are at home screaming and yelling and I am immunocompromised.

(01:16:41):
So I'm like for real not leaving my house for months and months.
I'm having like, you know, depression and all of this, all of this kind of stuff.
And it was very, very hard.
And I struggled a lot.
I felt like my grades, my motivation, my interests, it all took a hit and we were all suffering.
You know, and I had to find ways.
And again, I have ADHD.

(01:17:01):
So motivation and time management and task management are already very difficult for
me.
But I felt like I was just adrift when I was on doing distance learning.
And I think that that is very common, regardless of whether you have ADHD or not.
But the things that I see being like hallmarks of successful students when it comes to being

(01:17:23):
just in nursing school period, but especially online would be these.
So first and foremost is having some kind of a plan that you stick to every single day.
And whether it is like, you know, I get up in the morning and I'm going to study while
I do my breakfast, or even if it's just like, I'm going to wake up at this time, I'm going
to take a shower.
I'm going to like...

(01:17:43):
The routine and the structure is really, really important because that gives you a sense of
purpose.
It gives you a sense of like where you are in time.
You know, it really helps.
The other is understanding that just because you're not in a lecture or in a clinical doesn't
mean that you're just like off the hook for nursing school.
I am the biggest proponent of it is quality over quantity of study, but you have to be

(01:18:07):
consistent.
You have to do something every single day.
And for me, that looked like I did an hour of studying with breakfast, an hour of studying
with lunch, and a half an hour before bed.
And I was able to have it bundle, you know, and say like, while I'm eating, I'm reviewing
and you know, that kind of thing.
And that really helped me because now I'm getting two and a half hours of studying a
day, but it doesn't feel like it.

(01:18:28):
I'm not sitting at my desk for two and a half hours.
The other thing that I would say is having some variety of like boundaries.
And what I mean by that is when you're doing like school from home and you're living at
home and stuff, it's very easy for it to kind of all blend together.
So if you can find some kind of a way to say, this is the desk where I do schoolwork, you
know, and don't take that into your bed.

(01:18:50):
Don't take that into the kitchen.
You know, like this is where I'm studying.
This is where I'm working.
Make that your space.
We don't bring personal life into the study space.
We don't bring study into the personal life.
You know, really making sure like I would set a timer and be like at X time, I'm closing
the laptop and walking away because just as easy as it is to be under motivated and to

(01:19:10):
not work enough, it is very easy to work yourself too much and burn out in that capacity and
to feel like I never get to be off because I'm just always, it's in my home.
The other thing that I would say is figuring out how to use your resources.
See what resources the school has to offer to you.
Do they have tutoring services?
Are there extracurricular like clubs and groups you can join even if it's just on zoom, you

(01:19:34):
know, something to give you a sense of community and support and use your resources in the
community like Level FRN, like other people who have stuff to make you feel less alone
to help you learn so that you really can have that sense of support and educational support
as well because it's really hard.
It is super hard and I think it also boils down to knowing which learning style works

(01:19:57):
for you, right?
If I really can't read and intake anything, like there's no point in me reading the rest
of the chapter, right?
I remember when I was starting on nursing school, I would sit down for 10 hours straight
trying to read all the chapters that's needed for the next few weeks, right?
And I'm like, this is not working for me.
Like I need to solidify the learning style and the learning method that works for me,

(01:20:22):
right?
And it's kind of that quote thing that if you keep doing the same thing over and over
again to no success, it's probably time to, you know, change, there are some things up,
right?
And then I realized that, you know, maybe setting one hour to hours, but with quality,
right?
Much more harvest when it comes to reaping the things that you study, right?
And I guess you think that as well.

(01:20:43):
Oh, absolutely.
And I mean, this is very much my soapbox when I talk to students is like, not only is it
not helpful for you to sit down and study for eight and 10 hours at a time, it's actively
harming you.
Like, you know, it is not, your brain is going, I'm not interested.
And what you're doing is you're wasting your own time and then you're not getting the reward
of the effort you put in.

(01:21:04):
I talk a lot about like what I called my study bucket.
And what I meant by that was it's just a metaphorical bucket that lives in my brain.
But when I would be sitting down to study, I would ask myself, I would really check in
with myself and say, what feels good to me right now?
Because the only studying that's going to benefit me is the studying that I'm engaged
with.
So if that's doing practice questions, do the practice questions.

(01:21:25):
If it's watching a YouTube video, do that.
If it's taking notes on the things that you've studied in that class, do that, like whatever
it is that feels good to you in that moment, go for it.
There were times where I was like, I'm going to do 50 questions.
I'm going to, you know, whatever.
And there were times where I was like, if I see another test question, I'm going to
have a stroke, you know?
So you have to just check in with your body, with your brain, see where you are.

(01:21:49):
And then ultimately, if you are tired, if you are reading the same thing over and over
again, it's time to take a break.
I am a huge believer in the Pomodoro method.
I'm a huge believer in working break, working break, working break, you know, that kind
of a thing.
And then lastly, just like you said, your brain is not interested in reading black words

(01:22:09):
on a white page.
That is not interesting.
And also it is almost always not helpful.
The textbook has this much information and it goes into depth like this, and you need
this much information, right?
So it can be, you can get too much information, like trying to drink water out of a fire hose.
So really understand how to hone it down.

(01:22:31):
And then when you have people like with Level Up, where we've done the legwork for you,
we've said none of this matters, but this is what you got to know.
That is really helpful.
And there's a million people who have done similar stuff.
So whatever makes sense to you, whether that's flashcards, YouTube videos, apps, whatever
it is, you got to find that thing so that you don't have to weed out all the small details.

(01:22:55):
Let someone else do it for you.
Yeah.
I mean, it's definitely knowing about your limits as well, right?
I remember when I was doing You World, I was like, I'm going to do 75 questions today,
even though I'm so tired.
Like it comes to a point where it's like question 50, and I'm like, you know, I don't even give
a crap anymore, but I'm just going to keep doing the last 25 questions because I said

(01:23:15):
I'm going to do 75 questions, right?
And that is totally not a useful thing to do.
And I love the tips that you've been giving about, you know, the Pomodoro technique, which
I honestly love.
I heard it the most from a YouTube video and I was like, ah, okay.
Okay, Pomodoro.
I like this.
I like what's going on here, right?

(01:23:37):
Well, I wanted to ask too that despite knowing the study method that works for you or, you
know, having an epithet in like, this is the resource material, this is the study material
that works for me.
The truth of the matter is that there's a handful of students that no matter how much
effort that they may put into studying, right, the numerical values on their exams and on

(01:24:02):
their scores may not reflect the amount of effort that they're putting into studying.
And this can lead to mindsets of, oh, I'm not good enough.
Oh, I'm not cut out for this.
And it leads to obviously feelings of disappointment and just imposter syndrome and just maybe
I should just quit.
What would be your message for those students or that students who may not seem to see the

(01:24:24):
benefits of the effort they put in?
So I have so much to say about that.
So first and foremost is I would really, really, before you make any kind of a decision, before
you have any sort of feelings of self-confidence being shaken or whatever, speak to your professors.
Because first and foremost, they are experts in this.
This is what they do every single day.
You are not special, by which I mean you are not the first person to show up to nursing

(01:24:49):
school and struggle, right?
Like, so take that out of it.
There are people I know who are incredible nurses who have terrible grades in nursing
school.
So first and foremost, the two things don't have anything to do with one another.
And then secondly, there are people at your school who their whole job is to support you
in your education.
So if you are feeling like I'm not doing well, I'm putting in all this time and effort and

(01:25:10):
I'm not seeing results, go talk to your professors.
They may have resources, they may have suggestions, they may be able to help you in some other
capacity, whatever that may be.
The other thing is sometimes it's not the right time.
And I mean this with all the gentleness and sincerity in the world because that happened
to me.
I failed out of nursing school.

(01:25:32):
I didn't take a leave of absence.
I didn't withdraw.
I was kicked out of the program.
They said, don't let the door hit you on your way out, like see you never.
And I was devastated, right?
I was devastated.
It crushed me.
But in retrospect, I was 21 years old.
I was incredibly ill.

(01:25:54):
I was working three jobs and going to school full time trying to survive.
I was having surgery every couple of weeks.
It wasn't the right time.
Was there anything wrong with me?
No.
Am I not capable of being a good nurse?
No.
When the time was right, I went back to school.
I graduated valedictorian in the nursing honor society.

(01:26:16):
I had the pick of my dream jobs as a new grad.
And I'm a pretty good nurse.
I'm not the best nurse in the world, but I'm pretty good at what I do.
My failing out of nursing school has nothing to do with any of that.
So it's okay if you look inside and say, this just isn't the right time right now.

(01:26:37):
Or I'm really overwhelmed.
Someone in my family is sick.
I have small children.
I'm working full time.
And I'm working nights to try and make it work.
Or the reason is it may not be the right time and nursing school isn't going anywhere.
It will always be there as an option.
So start by using your resources, reaching out to the people who are there to help you.

(01:26:58):
But man, if it's just not the right time, that's okay.
And it doesn't mean that it won't be the right time in the future.
And then also, if you do fail out, like I had friends who failed out of certain classes
that we took, and then they got A's the next time they took it because they'd been exposed
to that material before they understood how to apply it to the test taking environment.

(01:27:19):
Do you think anybody knows what they got in pharmacology or maternity or whatever?
Nobody knows.
They're out here living their best lives, taking care of people, keeping people alive.
Nobody is going like, so what'd you get in your pharmacology class?
Like, nobody cares.
It's going to be fine.
Yeah.
And definitely the numerical scores and all of those quantifiable aspects do not define

(01:27:42):
who you are as a nurse and it will not define how you work as a nurse in the future and
the amount of lives you will impact one day, right?
As someone who will take care of them.
And you're right.
You know, sometimes life just happens.
Things just happen and it's not the right time and we persevere and we try again.
And you know, you could be a valedictorian of your class and going to be on the editorial

(01:28:06):
board of Journal of Nursing and a nursing lead at the level of RN, right?
It's such a beautiful story of how we can turn all this brokenness into things that
will like a catapult for success, right?
And I think that's a very hard issue that, I mean, I remember as a student, also nursing
student before, we're just like, damn, this is some hard material.

(01:28:30):
This is hard to understand.
Don't, you know, don't undersell that part.
I think people think that like, you know, just because there's all these nurses out here doing
their thing like that, it must be like, I must be dumb or, you know, whatever.
Like first and foremost, you're not dumb, you're learning.
And then secondly, like, can we just really take a second to acknowledge how unbelievably

(01:28:54):
hard nursing is?
Like it's hard, even if you have lots of medical experience, even if you are single, unmarried,
no children, you know, you live at home, you have no job.
Like, it is hard.
So whatever you are doing, you're doing the best you can with the resources that you have
available.

(01:29:14):
Don't undervalue that.
Like really give yourself the credit for that because it's unbelievably difficult.
Like it just is.
But also you can do it.
And just because it is hard doesn't mean that you can't do it.
You can do hard things.
I promise you can.
Definitely.
And with all this hardness, you know, being in a nursing school and being a nursing student

(01:29:38):
and studying for the NCLEX, just being a nurse in itself, work is hard, right?
Like a lot of physical and emotional and mental tolls.
I want to know how you decompress out of all of this that we've been talking about.
Therapy.
And I mean that like so seriously.
I started as a new grad in the emergency room during the height of the pandemic.

(01:30:01):
Like talk about baptism by fire, right?
It was awful at times.
There were times where I was like, this is, I don't know if I want to do this.
Oh yeah.
They were just like, go save people's lives.
You know, like it was just, it was very intense.
When I was working, I was out of orientation for a couple of months and we were so overwhelmed

(01:30:21):
by COVID patients that they sent the National Guard to my hospital.
The governor of my state declared a state of emergency and sent the National Guard into
my hospital because we were that overwhelmed with COVID patients.
And you know, I'm used to seeing death.
Like I said, I worked for a hospital at EMS.
Like I'm not new to death and human suffering, but I was new to the unbelievable extent of

(01:30:45):
human suffering and death and illness that I saw during that time of the pandemic.
And it traumatized me.
Like truly legitimately diagnosed PTSD the whole nine yards.
I think that if I did not have mental health support, I don't know if I would be here right
now.
And I want to say too that therapy, and I understand that being able to access mental

(01:31:11):
health services is a privilege and it is something that is very difficult for people to access.
If you have access to it, if you have the resources available to get it, please do.
Even if things are good, because the point of therapy is to provide you with the coping
mechanisms to be able to deal with the things that come up in your life.
The time you want therapy is when things are good so that when things are bad, you are

(01:31:33):
prepared to handle them.
So I am in therapy to this day.
I'm doing EMDR to treat the PTSD from the pandemic.
You know, I'm in just regular talk therapy and it has been wildly helpful for me.
But of course, you know, I'm not like just in therapy every single day of my life, right?
So you got to have other stuff too.
I love having a hobby, you know, something to kind of like pull me away from my real

(01:31:55):
life.
I am a huge reader.
I'm an avid reader.
I love a book.
I love an audio book.
I love my Kindle, like, you know, whatever it is.
So that's definitely like my escape.
And then just like my Instagram platform, honestly, like it sounds so cliche, but like
I love being able to connect with people to share when I'm having a hard time, say, you

(01:32:16):
know, like things are not really good for me right now.
And the way people just are so immediately there for you, me too.
I'm also struggling.
Thank you for saying that, you know, whatever.
And then when things are good, they're there cheering you on too, you know, like it's been
really incredibly therapeutic to me to have that.
And then of course, as much as I can, just getting outside, being outside of these four

(01:32:39):
walls, touching some grass, seeing some sunlight, you know, just really being like, all right,
you're a person, you're on earth, keep breathing oxygen, you're doing just fine, you know?
And just ultimately knowing that this too shall pass and you just got to buckle up and be
along for the ride, you know, as much as you can.
I love all that.
Maris, you are such a breath of fresh air and such an amazing person all around and

(01:33:03):
so inspirational.
It's truly an honor to share this space with you tonight.
I can't believe the time has finally come.
I know.
I've been looking forward to this for so long.
Oh my gosh, such an honor.
I mean, I feel like we've been friends for so long, right?
I know.
Finally, we're here.
I think nursing education is one that's not really talked about.

(01:33:24):
And one that's very underappreciated, even though it's literally the foundation of nursing's
education, right?
Yeah.
You know, most up to date information, evidence-based information, all of that is based in the crux
of education and research, right?
And it's just so amazing that I was able to talk to you and get your insights on all of

(01:33:46):
these things.
Oh my God.
Absolutely.
I couldn't agree with you more.
You know, I really think that having people who have the clinical experience, but who
are also in touch with evidence-based practice, research, education is so vitally important
to making sure that we are producing the next generation of nurses who is prepared, who
can be advocates, who can really stand up for themselves too and for their profession,

(01:34:10):
not just their patients, and say, like, we deserve better.
And that starts with being empowered to feel that you have that ability, which starts in
school.
So I fully agree with you.
I think nursing education is incredibly important and the ability to make that one-on-one impact
on somebody's future clinical practice, you cannot take that seriously enough.

(01:34:34):
You know, it truly is an honor, it is a gift, and it's a huge responsibility that I think
you have to really look at and say, like, don't screw this up.
You know, like, it matters.
You cannot phone it in because these future nurses and their patients are depending on
you.
And that's a really big, important thing.
So I'm telling you, I could sit and talk to you for the next five and a half hours about

(01:34:55):
this.
I swear, honestly, I love talking to you.
Honestly, this was such a joy for me.
I cannot tell you enough how much I appreciate it.
This is...
I can't believe we got to do this.
Thank you so much.
Well, this is not the last time because there are so many more things.
We could talk about.
Well, Maris, thank you so much for joining me tonight.

(01:35:16):
It's really like, as we talk, I feel like this fire burning in my heart.
It's like, oh, this is such a beautiful and such a pertinent thing.
Absolutely.
Thank you for having me.
I love that you're doing this.
Thank you, Maris.
Have a great night.
You too.
Well, thanks so much for having me.

All Episodes

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

Cold Case Files: Miami

Dateline NBC

Stuff You Should Know

.css-15opob5{left:0;position:absolute;top:0.8rem;} All Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}The Most Correct Answer with Nurse Educators Stephanee Beggs and Meris Shuwarger

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}Cold Case Files: Miami

Dateline NBC

Stuff You Should Know

All Episodes

The Most Correct Answer with Nurse Educators Stephanee Beggs and Meris Shuwarger

Cold Case Files: Miami