June 30, 2025 • 27 mins
Imagine walking into a hospital room, stethoscope in hand, only to have patients immediately assume you're the doctor simply because you're a man. For Brock Kemp, this scenario plays out regularly as a male nurse navigating a predominantly female profession. But these misconceptions are just the beginning of his fascinating journey through healthcare.
From mowing lawns and fixing storage unit doors to managing life-and-death situations in the emergency department, Brock's path into nursing defies the traditional narrative. His candid revelations about transitioning through multiple specialties—from challenging med-surg overnight shifts to rehabilitation at Mayo Clinic to research nursing and finally finding his calling in the ER—offer invaluable insights for anyone considering a healthcare career.
What makes Brock truly unique is his work as a creator behind @ScrubLaddy, where his medical comedy sketches have become a form of therapy for thousands of healthcare workers. Started as a cathartic response to a frustrating shift change, his content transforms the everyday challenges of hospital work into relatable humor that helps prevent burnout. When nurses message him saying "your videos make us feel seen," he knows he's found a meaningful way to support his colleagues beyond the hospital walls.
The conversation takes unexpected turns as Brock recounts dramatic moments like rushing to save a coding patient in the parking lot, juxtaposed against the mundane reality of treating toothaches in the next room. His description of the emergency department as "a giant machine" serving the community offers a fresh perspective on teamwork in crisis situations. Whether you're a pre-health student seeking career guidance or simply curious about the realities behind the hospital doors, Brock's story resonates with authentic passion and hard-earned wisdom.
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And make sure to check out@scrubladdy on tiktok and instagram!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Ashley (00:00):
Hello and welcome to Shadow Me Next, a podcast where
I take you into and behind thescenes of the medical world to
provide you with a deeperunderstanding of the human side
of medicine.
I'm Ashley, a physicianassistant, medical editor,
clinical preceptor and thecreator of Shadow Me Next.
It is my pleasure to introduceyou to incredible members of the
(00:22):
healthcare field and uncovertheir unique stories, the joys
and challenges they face andwhat drives them in their
careers.
It's access you want andstories you need, whether you're
a pre-health student or simplycurious about the healthcare
field.
I invite you to join me as wetake a conversational and
personal look into the lives andminds of leaders in medicine.
(00:44):
I don't want you to miss asingle one of these
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which will automatically notifyyou when new episodes are
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me next, where we will reviewhighlights from this
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upcoming guests.
(01:04):
What if the nurse in youremergency room also happened to
be the hilarious, wildlyrelatable voice behind one of
TikTok's most beloved healthcareaccounts?
Today, on Shadow Me Next, I'mjoined by Brock Kemp, an
overnight med-surg warriorturned ER nurse, who also
happens to be the creator behindScrublatty, where comedy meets
(01:25):
catharsis for thousands ofhealthcare workers.
From mowing lawns and fixingstorage units to managing
medical chaos and patient codes,brock's path into medicine is
unique and that's what makes itso interesting.
We'll talk misconceptions innursing, the power of laughter
and preventing burnout, and whatit's like to go viral for
(01:46):
reenacting the awkward chaos ofhospital shift change.
Plus, if you've ever wonderedwhat lateral mobility in nursing
really looks like, or what it'slike to drag an unconscious
patient from a car mid-code,you're in for a story.
Please keep in mind that thecontent of this podcast is
intended for informational andentertainment purposes only and
(02:09):
should not be considered asprofessional medical advice.
The views and opinionsexpressed in this podcast are
those of the host and guests anddo not necessarily reflect the
official policy or position ofany other agency, organization,
employer or company.
This is Shadow Me Next withBrock Kemp.
Hi, brock, thank you so muchfor joining me on Shadow Me Next
(02:31):
.
I am thrilled to have you.
You have an incredible,incredible platform and, more
importantly, you are a nurse andI just think you are a godlike
and a hero and I'm so gratefulfor our nurses.
Thanks.
Brock (02:42):
I'm excited to be here.
Ashley (02:43):
Godlike and a hero, and I'm so grateful for our nurses.
Thanks, I'm excited to be here.
So tell us, when you startedlooking into medicine, did you
know you wanted to go intonursing right away, or was it
something that was more of ajourney to trying to figure out?
Brock (02:55):
It was definitely a journey for me.
So I can remember being like alittle kid and we would make
like these little posters andstuff and they were like what do
you want to be when you grow up, you know?
And I was like I remember Imade mine as like a doctor, with
one of those the eye doctors,with the circle thing on their
forehead, you know, because Ididn't really know what doctors
did, I just saw like pictureslike that's what doctors wear,
(03:15):
you know.
So I was like I want to be adoctor.
You know, they have family orsomething or they work.
You know, growing up in ahospital, nobody in my family
was a nurse outside of mygrandma, and she was a surgical
nurse.
So she was, I mean, she likedit a lot, but like she was
(03:36):
obviously a nurse like years andyears ago.
It's obviously way differentnow.
So it really wasn't likesimilar to what I do now at all.
But I went to school and I waslike a general health studies
degree and I went to schoolbecause that's where my sister
went and it was like this isjust what we're supposed to do.
We're supposed to go to school,so I'm going to go.
I went to Eastern IllinoisUniversity.
So go Panthers.
(03:57):
And I was like a general healthstudies degree and I got
through one year of generalhealth studies, which was all
just like basic biology andstuff.
You sort of like look aroundand you're like, okay, what are
these people all doing when theygraduate, you know, and a lot
of them were like a lot of thembecoming like like health ed
people at schools or like someof them go into like community
public health or they just likenothing was really like clearly
(04:20):
defined what you're going into.
So my mom actually was the onewho was like, hey, I think you
should consider nursing.
And then I had another friendwho's he was a little bit older
than me and his wife was a nurseand he was like she loves it,
it's super flexible, you shouldconsider it.
So I was like you know what?
I'm going to give it a shot.
And I went into nursing schooland it was weird Cause our
(04:42):
school had like this, likeEastern was its own school and
then next to Eastern was thisitty bitty little college called
Lakeview College of Nursing andyou could like basically like
segue into this Lakeview thingand that's what I did.
So I was able to transfer mycredits over there and it was
like a.
It was like a two to three yearbridge program, essentially to
(05:02):
get your BS in.
So that's what I did.
And before I went intohealthcare I had worked on
storage units.
So I worked at a storage unitfacility and I fixed doors and
then I was like a mower and Imowed people's grass and like so
I had no idea what I was doingat all.
Ashley (05:16):
I love to the visual of that like silver thing on the
doctor's.
Where did that even come?
Have you ever seen one of thosein real life?
I have not ever seen it is anophthalmologist, isn't it?
I guess.
Brock (05:26):
So I don't even know, I'll tell you where it came from
or where I got the idea?
As a kid is I used to play thatgame, super Smash Bros.
You ever heard of that game?
Yes, and it's that onecharacter named Dr Mario and I
always thought he was so cooland he had that on his head so I
was just like on his head.
So I was just like I guess thisis what doctors use, you know?
Ashley (05:43):
So it's so funny.
You know this is actually acool segue and I was going to
save this for later, but let'stalk about it now.
Misconceptions in medicine,right, misconceptions about what
people do Like in our headthat's what doctor means.
I mean, we were little, ofcourse.
Now we're older and we're inmedicine.
We know that doctors have othergizmos and gadgets that they
use.
But for you especially, haveyou run into misconceptions in
(06:05):
your work and what I don't know?
What would one of those looklike?
Brock (06:11):
Well, yeah, I mean, obviously I'm a male nurse,
which obviously is a hugemisconception, like right off
the bat.
Ashley (06:17):
Yep.
Brock (06:18):
You know, and like I mean , it's just a female dominated
profession which is, I mean,that's a whole nother topic with
a lot of history to it and um,I'm a male nurse, you know, so I
feel like when I walk into theroom, people always think I'm a
doctor.
They're always like oh, thedoctor's here, you know, and I'm
always like okay, he'll hey,time out you know, I'm actually
your nurse today.
Some of our PAs are more like myage, so I'll walk in with them
(06:41):
and they'll like start talkingto me like I'm going to like be
their provider.
And I'm just like pointing overlike you want to talk to her
and I feel bad because like Ifeel like maybe subconsciously
they're kind of like irritated,you know, and I get it because
it's like I'm sure I mean you'rea woman.
You get it Like it happens.
Ashley (06:59):
It does, it does.
But you know this is a greatconversation in medicine.
Obviously we have to have asense of humility and we do have
to have a sense of humor.
Obviously you have the bestsense of humor, and patients
have an idea of what they expectnot just who they're expecting
to treat them, but also howthey're expecting to be treated,
and so I think it's just areally easy example of managing
(07:23):
patient expectations.
As soon as you walk into theroom, you know it's a vast.
It's a vast network of teammembers that serves these
patients, and it's fun to seethe roles that everybody plays.
I'm sure the PAs just giggle andsome days I'm sure they'll say
Brock, take it away, this one'syours.
You know, another thing thatyou might have realized or
recognized or experienced is thepatients will behave one way.
(07:44):
This one's yours.
You know, another thing thatyou might've realized or
recognized or experienced is thepatients will behave one way
for you, and then a PA, md, do aPT, ot, whatever, we'll walk in
the room and the patientbehaves in a totally different
way.
And you know it's somethingthat I don't think we address
that often.
Do you have you experiencedthat?
Brock (08:04):
A hundred percent.
Yeah, and I think, now that youmentioned that, like it's like
people choose who they want totrust, you know, it's been both
sides where I've had people whohave had negative experiences
with physicians and they feellike they can trust a nurse, you
know, and so they're likefriendly buddy, buddy with you,
and then the doc comes in andthey're kind of more closed off.
(08:24):
But I've definitely had it theother way too, where the doctor
will say something that you saidlike six times.
They're like this is the firsttime I'm hearing this.
You're just like gosh.
Like I told you, it's like fivetimes.
Ashley (08:34):
It brings up a really excellent point.
It's a great cautionary taleand a really great
recommendation to these patients.
If you feel like there issomebody on your medical team,
that you are jiving with,somebody that you trust,
somebody that you respect,somebody that feels like they
really are listening to you, getwith that person.
They are going to advocate foryou, whether they're a nurse.
Brock (08:55):
Oh, you're talking about from a patient side, from a
patient standpoint.
Ashley (08:58):
Yeah, absolutely yeah, from a patient standpoint.
You know, if you feel like yournurse is listening to your
concerns, let them know that andsay hey, can you advocate for
me?
We are all working as a team,you know, with their best
interests in mind.
Oh my gosh, so good.
Okay, wait, I want to pivotagain.
Um, you mentioned med surgeovernight.
That's where you started.
Brock (09:17):
Yep.
Ashley (09:18):
Wild.
Okay, was that hard.
I mean is that?
Is that a normal thing fornurses to jump into straight out
of school?
Brock (09:24):
Yeah, man, they're typically hardest to staff.
I think, you know, because Ithink like med surge is like
it's just such a weird, itreally it's a hard unit and it's
not like a lot of like fancycritical medical stuff.
But what happens is is you know, like you send people up from
the ED and they have no specificdiagnosis.
So a lot of like older folks gothere and they're there for
(09:46):
pneumonia or they're there forlike failure to thrive, you know
, but these patients have likevery, very high needs.
So it's like, well, it's notlike like medically like
difficult in terms of liketreatments and stuff.
It's just a lot of hands onwork.
Ashley (10:00):
A lot of work for you guys.
Brock (10:01):
I would imagine yeah imagine, yeah, totally, and they
all sun down at night andnights on med surge is just like
a mad.
It's like a zoo, you know,because it's like 9, 30 comes
around and it's like sweetlittle grandma who was in the
bed is now like jumping up anddown and like it's just, it's
like okay, so sorry, I'm gonnapivot a little bit too.
It's like when I got intomedicine, that for me was like,
(10:23):
and I was like what is going on?
Because I had never beenexposed to it.
I didn't even know that peoplecould do that.
You know what I mean.
Like you turn, it's like DrJekyll and Mr Hyde, like
overnight.
Like you turn into like thisdifferent person because you're
I don't really know the sciencebehind it like your brain is
just doing this to you and then5 am comes around and it's like
(10:44):
sweet little Susie again Like,and you're just like Susie.
Do you remember?
Like last night you were likeyelling at me and grabbing me
and all this stuff and they justhave no clue.
But yeah, a lot of, a lot of newnurses started on med surge,
which I was really thankful for.
I was not great at school and,like I said, no medical
background really.
So it was a good likefoundation, good starting ground
.
So I was there for like twoyears.
(11:04):
From there, I went to.
I went to Mayo Clinic inMinnesota and that was a really
cool experience.
So they had like a really umthorough like rehab facility
there.
Like a lot of people when theythink rehab you think like
nursing home, but you've got tothink in terms of like this is
Mayo Clinic, so they're going tomake like this amazing one.
So it was a stroke and spinalrehab and it was really really
(11:26):
neat.
It was a cool experience, likebecause you're just working with
really debilitated strokepatients or spinal cord injuries
.
I did that for a few years.
So that was sad, but also likevery rewarding at the same time,
because the patients would stayfor sometimes like months and
you know, some of them saw likea lot of progress.
Some of it was more like hey,this is your life.
Now we got to figure out how tomake this work for Um from
(11:51):
there.
I was like I want to trysomething else.
So I went into research nursingfor a very brief period of time
Um yeah, I mean you kind oflike when you're a nurse and all
you know is like bedside,you're like I'm going to try
something that's not bedside.
So I went into this researchthing and you're and I was kind
of like a, like a researchcoordinator you could say you
(12:12):
know so people going throughclinical trials and it's more.
It's a lot more of like anoffice job.
And I did that for just about ayear and I basically learned
like, okay, I actually reallyliked the flexibility of the 12
hour day.
I like being on my feet, I kindof like the hands-on care, so
did that, realized that wasn'tfor me, went back to bedside,
went to neurosurgery, post-opneurosurgery for about a year
(12:36):
and then that was again verysimilar to like the stroke thing
.
So a lot of those patients arecoming in with like crannies and
stuff, so they're like highknee high, like hands-on needs,
like they're like turns and theyhave trachs and they're tube
fed and all that, that stuff.
And then from there went to theER.
Ashley (12:55):
Which is where you are now.
Brock (12:58):
Which is where I'm at now .
It took me a while to get thereand, like, once I started in
the ER, I realized like I reallyliked it and my wife was even
like okay, like you definitelyshould stay here because you're
like a way happier person nowthat you kind of like found your
area, which I think speaks tolike nursing and medicine is.
It's like every area is sodifferent and you find one that
you like.
You're like oh, like this islike this might be my thing, you
(13:19):
know.
So I've been very happy workingin the ER.
I love it.
Ashley (13:23):
I'm so glad to hear that .
And gosh, there's, there is somuch goodness that you just told
us right there.
Um, particularly, not every bitof medicine is going to be for
every person, and that's okay.
I have some students that willcome and shout at me and say,
well, ashley, I cannot stand thesight of blood, I will pass out
.
That's okay.
(13:44):
There is a place for you inmedicine If you still want to
serve people in this capacitymaybe not working in the ER.
Let's discuss quality questions,and please keep in mind that
there's more interview prep,such as mock interviews and
personal statement review, overon shadowme nextcom.
There you'll find amazingresources to help you as you
(14:07):
prepare to answer your ownquality questions.
So Brock and I did not have achance to discuss a quality
question, but what he's talkingabout here brings up an
excellent point.
We often talk about thespecialties or roles in medicine
that we're drawn to, but thetruth is not every setting is
going to be the right fit foreveryone, and that's completely
(14:28):
normal.
So this is one interviewquestion.
I'd love to hear Describe asetting or situation in
healthcare that you think mightnot align with your strengths or
personality.
How would you navigate thatduring your training or career.
There's really no wrong answerhere.
It's more about being honestwith yourself and understanding
(14:50):
where you can grow or where youmight better thrive in a
different environment.
I want to talk about lateralmobility because you're
describing all of these verycool and also very different
jobs that you've worked over thecourse of at least a few years,
maybe 10-ish and lateralmobility is something it's like
(15:12):
a buzzword for PAs, likestudents love in interviews,
they love talking about.
They want to be a PA because ofthe lateral mobility, and
that's true, and obviously PAshave fantastic lateral mobility.
But tell me a little bit aboutwhat that looks like when you
switch from, you know, perhapsworking in med-surg to moving on
to the next one.
What is it?
Is it really difficult?
Is it really time consuming,stressful?
Brock (15:33):
Oh Is it really difficult ?
Is it really time consuming,stressful?
Oh man, I have a lot to sayabout this.
Okay, so, lateral, I think it.
I think it's like a it's bothgood and it's bad.
So there, and I'll unpack thata little bit, but, like,
obviously being a nurse is greatbecause you can move to
different specialties, you know,with that being said, there is
something very, very valuableabout people who stay in a
(15:53):
specialty and I feel like, asnurses have, you know, as we
have more travel nurses, as wehave more just like movement and
people staying in positionslonger, you're starting to lose
that a little bit, you know.
And so, like the people that arelike cemented in a unit, who've
been there for, let's say, 15plus years, like, those people
are few and far between, butthey're like highly valuable
people, you know because, evenif it's, like, even if you were
(16:16):
going from exact same specialtyto the same specialty at a
different hospital, there'sstill so many like little
nuanced things that are going tobe different that you need,
like, somebody who actuallyknows, hey, this is what's going
on Like, this is how this works, you know, because it's just a
new place, even if it's theexact same specialty.
So, that being said, I think itis awesome you get to move
(16:38):
around.
I think it like gives peoplelike time to okay.
So the process is is, once youstart a new job, usually they
put you on orientation and youbasically like shadow and work
with another nurse for aboutthree months.
Ashley (16:49):
Oh, that's longer than I was expecting.
Brock (16:52):
Yeah, usually if you have like experience going in,
they'll cut you down.
But, like most of my switcheshave been about the same, where
you're basically shadowing andbeing precepted for about 10
weeks to 12 weeks and you canexpedite that a little bit if
you feel like, hey, I'm gettingit, like I've done this or
whatever.
But it's a long process andthose three months are pretty
(17:12):
grueling for you as the learner,like it can be fun and it's new
, but it's really tiring.
Ashley (17:17):
It's overwhelming and it can be really stressful, and I
think a lot of the thoughts thatgo through your head are have I
made the right decision?
Is this for me?
Am I going to screw all of thisup?
Brock (17:29):
And that's kind of the role of the preceptor is like
you're just kind of like hey,listen, like we want you to
learn how to do this.
I'm just here to make sure thatyou don't make a monumental
mistake.
Ashley (17:36):
You know Exactly, Exactly.
It's a good.
It's good, it's it's teaching,it's very important.
Somebody taught you it's goodto.
It's good to lean back intothese, these newer hires.
Tell me about a day Like whatdoes a day on, what does a day
in the ER look like for you?
Brock (17:52):
Yes, I love talking about this.
So I view the ER as like we'reless like independent nursing in
our own silos.
We're like a giant machine, soto speak, and our job is to
serve this community with theirvarious emergencies and stuff.
So we're just like thischurning machine and it's like
we get tons of people come in.
(18:13):
So let's say, you start yourday, walk there and, um, I'll
get like my bed assignments.
So it'll be like hey, brock,you're gonna have beds one, two,
three, four let's just say one,two, three, four, you know.
And so as the day goes on,those beds are going to get
filled up with different things.
Either ambulances come in andthey drop somebody off, and or
somebody comes in the waitingroom, you know, and they come in
(18:34):
and you pull them back to aroom.
So pretty much the day justlooks like you fill up your
rooms, you do your assessmentson them, you get doctor's orders
and you start executing ordersand those people can be either
highly critical or they could besuper not critical at all.
Like they could come in withlike tooth pain, like
legitimately, like they'll cometo the ER with tooth pain and
(18:57):
you're like man, I really thinkyou should have gone and seen a
dentist for this, you know.
But like sometimes we'll givethem like antibiotics maybe
they've got like an abscess intheir mouth or something you
know but the on the flip side ofit is like you never know
what's coming in.
You know, like just the otherweek I remember I was in.
I was just walking down thehall and somebody burst out of
the lobby and they're likethere's a guy, he's unconscious
(19:19):
in his car.
Grab a bed.
When that happens, you're justlike fight or flight immediately
and you're like, oh my God, I'mscrambling around looking for a
bed like a cot.
Run this out to this guy's car.
He's coding in the passengerseat of his wife's car so that
we basically just hoist him outof there, toss him in this bed,
take him right back literally sowild, and he's probably in the
(19:41):
room next to the man with atoothache.
Yeah, right, yeah, you know whatI mean.
And like people it's funny too,because like patients down
there, like there's the roomsare very open, you know, and so
people down there can like see alittle bit like what's going on
and they can tell like, oh man,like somebody is not doing so
hot, because everybody's likefrantically like running past
their door and like grabbingcrash car and all this stuff.
Ashley (20:02):
I love it.
You know we have.
We have a phrase around here Um, that's uh, medicine is not
Grey's anatomy, right?
So, like, what you see on TVprobably isn't what is happening
in real life, but it soundslike in the ER.
Sometimes there is some gooddrama and uh, and you see some
really unique and um, totally.
Tv worthy things yeah.
Brock (20:23):
Yeah, totally, yeah, yeah , totally, yeah.
Like the, you're totally right.
Medicine, the tv shows areterrible.
The only one that wassemi-accurate for a little bit
was the pit.
Obviously everyone talks aboutthe pit, you know, and the pit
was cool because, like, you seethe treatments that they do and
you're like, wow, that's exactlylike we do it, like they did
their research.
My only thing against the pit Iactually made a post about this
(20:43):
but my only thing against thepit was just like the acuity
that the pit sees is insane.
You know what I mean.
Like it's like one day they'relike I remember the episode
they're doing like an emergencyfasciotomy and then the guy's
having a heart attack in thehall bed and you're just like,
okay, like this is, this is kindof outrageous here, but it's
drama, you know, it's like-.
Ashley (21:02):
It is.
It is.
Let's talk about your.
You mentioned your post, so youhave this amazing Instagram
TikTok presence.
Scrub Laddie, tell me what themost surprising and rewarding
aspect of doing this socialmedia thing that you do is.
Brock (21:18):
Sure, I'd love to.
So it's yeah, social media isfunny because you get popular on
it and you're just like, oh, Iguess, I guess I'm popular now
on social media and, um, Ioriginally like I remember it
was covid and that was when,like tiktok kind of was like
becoming a thing and it's covid,so you have nothing to do, and
I was like I'm gonna downloadthis app, you know.
(21:39):
So I downloaded it and I wasworking, by the way, through
covid you, but I download theapp, you start like scrolling on
it.
Ashley (21:45):
You're like oh, this is funny Like this is.
Brock (21:47):
you know you start to enjoy it.
And then I was like I'm goingto make some videos.
So then I made the most randomvideos you've ever seen, like
you know what I mean.
Just like stupid stuff, likeone time I made a video like my
wife like walking out on me.
It like my wife like walking outon me.
It was all mock scenario.
But she's leaving, of courseshe's leaving me and I go to the
fridge and I grab a beer andit's like the celebratory music
(22:09):
and like beer is my new wife,like that was my.
It's actually like one of myfirst viral videos I ever made
was that video and then soanyways.
I was just kind of I playedaround with it for a few years
and then like, honestly,honestly, the, the nursing thing
took off because I remember Igot my very first like very
successful videos.
(22:30):
I had to give a report to thisnurse who was like a pain in the
butt to give report, report tokind of like you tell them stuff
and they're just asking allthese questions that are just
really unrelated, like theyreally want to make some nurses
are like that we can talk aboutthat eventually, but like they
really want to make you feeldumb and like not great.
So I went home and it wasactually kind of like out of
frustration, it's like I'm justgoing to make a skit about this.
(22:50):
So I like made this skit and itjust like erupted.
Like people were like oh my God, like we, I know a nurse like
that, like that nurse sucks, youknow, and so that's kind of
where Scrub Laddie was born.
And then it just became likethese medical scenarios and my
goal was like I want to makethem funny and engaging, because
that's how that's people liketo watch.
(23:11):
That, you know, you have tolike captivate your audience,
but like at the same time I havelike these points and these
messages I'm trying to like getacross and it's just kind of
been like that.
So it's been like differentmedical scenarios where, whether
it's like some, some are sad,some of them are like really
realistic, some of them are justlike funny.
You know, like a supernon-compliant diabetic patient,
(23:33):
I have a character.
He's a fictional character.
His name is Rick and it's justlike oh, rick's back at the
hospital again because his bloodsugar is 8,000 and his, he's
going to get another toeamputation.
You know which you've seen?
patients like that you know, andI think sorry to answer your
question the rewarding part islike it's grown and people like
(23:54):
it and they the one thing thatnurses say to me all the time,
like they'll message me, it'slike hey, they're like hey, we
really appreciate what you do,because your videos make us feel
like seen and people are likethis feels almost like
therapeutic for them.
So then I'm like okay, that'spretty cool, because some of the
social media is just garbage,you know.
But it's like if you can, kindof in my mind, it's like if it
(24:15):
can be semi-educational, if itcan be therapeutic for people
like that's obviously like ahuge win and I just I think
that's cool.
Ashley (24:27):
Absolutely, and that's exactly how I found you in the
first place and why I just fellin love with your content and
you so much is because it is.
I mean, you're turning this,you're turning these very
realistic situations intosomething somewhat humorous,
although I'm sure many of themare just direct verbatim from
the exact situation as they werebut it does.
It's all very supportive ofhealthcare workers and it allows
.
It allows people to be seenthat otherwise might just feel
(24:49):
frustrated and, as we both know,that does lead to burnout.
And if you have a friend, evenif it's somebody that you follow
on Instagram or TikTok, thatyou can kind of laugh at with
them, thanks to you, it helps.
You know, it really does help,and not just in medicine.
I think this is, you know, Ithink this is across the board.
So thank you for what you'redoing with your platform,
(25:10):
scrubladdy.
It is just.
I love it so much.
Brock (25:13):
Appreciate you saying that.
I mean obviously it's a lot offun for me, so I appreciate that
you enjoy it.
I love doing the videos.
It's been super fun to be doingit for the last year or so.
Ashley (25:22):
And you mentioned cathartic too, and I think it is
so important for us to findthose outlets, whether it's
related to our job or not.
You with Scrub Laddie, me withShadow, me Next.
These are ways that we feellike we can continue to give
back in a capacity that is alsoreally enjoyable for us.
So I appreciate it.
Okay, last question, before wewrap up, brock, tell me one
(25:43):
piece of advice that you wishsomebody would have said to you
that maybe would have eitherpushed you one direction or the
other.
Brock (25:50):
I think I maybe like shadowing would have been
helpful.
It's funny, this is shadowingme next, perfect, yes.
Next, we're kind of perfect.
Yes, I think shadowing wouldhave been helpful and I should
have spent more time, I think,on the front end, going like
understanding on the front end,like okay, medicine.
All these different areas looksdifferent.
(26:11):
Every floor is different, youknow, and I should shadow and
see like which one attracts methe most, because I think my
advice to somebody would be likeyou're going to find the area
that you like, you like there,it exists out there.
It just like for me it tooksome time to get there, but it's
out there, you know, and likeyou'll find it.
And I'm in, like you know,people talk about like the 60 40
(26:33):
rule.
Like 60, enjoy your job, 40,don't like obviously, at the end
of the day, it's still going tobe work and it's not super fun,
but regardless, you still gotto go to work, you still got to
make money, you still got tosurvive.
So it's not super fun, butregardless, you still got to go
to work, you still got to makemoney, you still got to survive.
So it's like, just just give ita chance to find that area that
you actually enjoy because it'sout there.
Ashley (26:53):
I think that's perfect.
Oh, that was beautifully saidand absolutely correct.
Obviously, it's what we're alltrying to do Just showcase the
day in our life and a day in thelives of others, and, um, and
help others find their place andfind their role and find what
is is meaningful and whatthey're passionate about.
So thanks so much.
Brock Brock with scrub Lottie,you are amazing.
Um, I appreciate you taking thetime.
Brock (27:13):
Thank you for having me Good to meet you.
Ashley (27:16):
Thank you so very much for listening to this episode of
shadow me next.
If you liked this episode or ifyou think it could be useful
for a friend, please subscribeand invite them to join us next
Monday, as always.
If you have any questions, letme know on Facebook or Instagram
Access.
You want stories you need?
You're always invited to ShadowMe Next.
Hello and welcome to Shadow Me Next, a podcast where
I take you into and behind thescenes of the medical world to
provide you with a deeperunderstanding of the human side
of medicine.
I'm Ashley, a physicianassistant, medical editor,
clinical preceptor and thecreator of Shadow Me Next.
It is my pleasure to introduceyou to incredible members of the
(00:22):
healthcare field and uncovertheir unique stories, the joys
and challenges they face andwhat drives them in their
careers.
It's access you want andstories you need, whether you're
a pre-health student or simplycurious about the healthcare
field.
I invite you to join me as wetake a conversational and
personal look into the lives andminds of leaders in medicine.
(00:44):
I don't want you to miss asingle one of these
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which will automatically notifyyou when new episodes are
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me next, where we will reviewhighlights from this
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upcoming guests.
(01:04):
What if the nurse in youremergency room also happened to
be the hilarious, wildlyrelatable voice behind one of
TikTok's most beloved healthcareaccounts?
Today, on Shadow Me Next, I'mjoined by Brock Kemp, an
overnight med-surg warriorturned ER nurse, who also
happens to be the creator behindScrublatty, where comedy meets
(01:25):
catharsis for thousands ofhealthcare workers.
From mowing lawns and fixingstorage units to managing
medical chaos and patient codes,brock's path into medicine is
unique and that's what makes itso interesting.
We'll talk misconceptions innursing, the power of laughter
and preventing burnout, and whatit's like to go viral for
(01:46):
reenacting the awkward chaos ofhospital shift change.
Plus, if you've ever wonderedwhat lateral mobility in nursing
really looks like, or what it'slike to drag an unconscious
patient from a car mid-code,you're in for a story.
Please keep in mind that thecontent of this podcast is
intended for informational andentertainment purposes only and
(02:09):
should not be considered asprofessional medical advice.
The views and opinionsexpressed in this podcast are
those of the host and guests anddo not necessarily reflect the
official policy or position ofany other agency, organization,
employer or company.
This is Shadow Me Next withBrock Kemp.
Hi, brock, thank you so muchfor joining me on Shadow Me Next
(02:31):
.
I am thrilled to have you.
You have an incredible,incredible platform and, more
importantly, you are a nurse andI just think you are a godlike
and a hero and I'm so gratefulfor our nurses.
Thanks.
Brock (02:42):
I'm excited to be here.
Ashley (02:43):
Godlike and a hero, and I'm so grateful for our nurses.
Thanks, I'm excited to be here.
So tell us, when you startedlooking into medicine, did you
know you wanted to go intonursing right away, or was it
something that was more of ajourney to trying to figure out?
Brock (02:55):
It was definitely a journey for me.
So I can remember being like alittle kid and we would make
like these little posters andstuff and they were like what do
you want to be when you grow up, you know?
And I was like I remember Imade mine as like a doctor, with
one of those the eye doctors,with the circle thing on their
forehead, you know, because Ididn't really know what doctors
did, I just saw like pictureslike that's what doctors wear,
(03:15):
you know.
So I was like I want to be adoctor.
You know, they have family orsomething or they work.
You know, growing up in ahospital, nobody in my family
was a nurse outside of mygrandma, and she was a surgical
nurse.
So she was, I mean, she likedit a lot, but like she was
(03:36):
obviously a nurse like years andyears ago.
It's obviously way differentnow.
So it really wasn't likesimilar to what I do now at all.
But I went to school and I waslike a general health studies
degree and I went to schoolbecause that's where my sister
went and it was like this isjust what we're supposed to do.
We're supposed to go to school,so I'm going to go.
I went to Eastern IllinoisUniversity.
So go Panthers.
(03:57):
And I was like a general healthstudies degree and I got
through one year of generalhealth studies, which was all
just like basic biology andstuff.
You sort of like look aroundand you're like, okay, what are
these people all doing when theygraduate, you know, and a lot
of them were like a lot of thembecoming like like health ed
people at schools or like someof them go into like community
public health or they just likenothing was really like clearly
(04:20):
defined what you're going into.
So my mom actually was the onewho was like, hey, I think you
should consider nursing.
And then I had another friendwho's he was a little bit older
than me and his wife was a nurseand he was like she loves it,
it's super flexible, you shouldconsider it.
So I was like you know what?
I'm going to give it a shot.
And I went into nursing schooland it was weird Cause our
(04:42):
school had like this, likeEastern was its own school and
then next to Eastern was thisitty bitty little college called
Lakeview College of Nursing andyou could like basically like
segue into this Lakeview thingand that's what I did.
So I was able to transfer mycredits over there and it was
like a.
It was like a two to three yearbridge program, essentially to
(05:02):
get your BS in.
So that's what I did.
And before I went intohealthcare I had worked on
storage units.
So I worked at a storage unitfacility and I fixed doors and
then I was like a mower and Imowed people's grass and like so
I had no idea what I was doingat all.
Ashley (05:16):
I love to the visual of that like silver thing on the
doctor's.
Where did that even come?
Have you ever seen one of thosein real life?
I have not ever seen it is anophthalmologist, isn't it?
I guess.
Brock (05:26):
So I don't even know, I'll tell you where it came from
or where I got the idea?
As a kid is I used to play thatgame, super Smash Bros.
You ever heard of that game?
Yes, and it's that onecharacter named Dr Mario and I
always thought he was so cooland he had that on his head so I
was just like on his head.
So I was just like I guess thisis what doctors use, you know?
Ashley (05:43):
So it's so funny.
You know this is actually acool segue and I was going to
save this for later, but let'stalk about it now.
Misconceptions in medicine,right, misconceptions about what
people do Like in our headthat's what doctor means.
I mean, we were little, ofcourse.
Now we're older and we're inmedicine.
We know that doctors have othergizmos and gadgets that they
use.
But for you especially, haveyou run into misconceptions in
(06:05):
your work and what I don't know?
What would one of those looklike?
Brock (06:11):
Well, yeah, I mean, obviously I'm a male nurse,
which obviously is a hugemisconception, like right off
the bat.
Ashley (06:17):
Yep.
Brock (06:18):
You know, and like I mean , it's just a female dominated
profession which is, I mean,that's a whole nother topic with
a lot of history to it and um,I'm a male nurse, you know, so I
feel like when I walk into theroom, people always think I'm a
doctor.
They're always like oh, thedoctor's here, you know, and I'm
always like okay, he'll hey,time out you know, I'm actually
your nurse today.
Some of our PAs are more like myage, so I'll walk in with them
(06:41):
and they'll like start talkingto me like I'm going to like be
their provider.
And I'm just like pointing overlike you want to talk to her
and I feel bad because like Ifeel like maybe subconsciously
they're kind of like irritated,you know, and I get it because
it's like I'm sure I mean you'rea woman.
You get it Like it happens.
Ashley (06:59):
It does, it does.
But you know this is a greatconversation in medicine.
Obviously we have to have asense of humility and we do have
to have a sense of humor.
Obviously you have the bestsense of humor, and patients
have an idea of what they expectnot just who they're expecting
to treat them, but also howthey're expecting to be treated,
and so I think it's just areally easy example of managing
(07:23):
patient expectations.
As soon as you walk into theroom, you know it's a vast.
It's a vast network of teammembers that serves these
patients, and it's fun to seethe roles that everybody plays.
I'm sure the PAs just giggle andsome days I'm sure they'll say
Brock, take it away, this one'syours.
You know, another thing thatyou might have realized or
recognized or experienced is thepatients will behave one way.
(07:44):
This one's yours.
You know, another thing thatyou might've realized or
recognized or experienced is thepatients will behave one way
for you, and then a PA, md, do aPT, ot, whatever, we'll walk in
the room and the patientbehaves in a totally different
way.
And you know it's somethingthat I don't think we address
that often.
Do you have you experiencedthat?
Brock (08:04):
A hundred percent.
Yeah, and I think, now that youmentioned that, like it's like
people choose who they want totrust, you know, it's been both
sides where I've had people whohave had negative experiences
with physicians and they feellike they can trust a nurse, you
know, and so they're likefriendly buddy, buddy with you,
and then the doc comes in andthey're kind of more closed off.
(08:24):
But I've definitely had it theother way too, where the doctor
will say something that you saidlike six times.
They're like this is the firsttime I'm hearing this.
You're just like gosh.
Like I told you, it's like fivetimes.
Ashley (08:34):
It brings up a really excellent point.
It's a great cautionary taleand a really great
recommendation to these patients.
If you feel like there issomebody on your medical team,
that you are jiving with,somebody that you trust,
somebody that you respect,somebody that feels like they
really are listening to you, getwith that person.
They are going to advocate foryou, whether they're a nurse.
Brock (08:55):
Oh, you're talking about from a patient side, from a
patient standpoint.
Ashley (08:58):
Yeah, absolutely yeah, from a patient standpoint.
You know, if you feel like yournurse is listening to your
concerns, let them know that andsay hey, can you advocate for
me?
We are all working as a team,you know, with their best
interests in mind.
Oh my gosh, so good.
Okay, wait, I want to pivotagain.
Um, you mentioned med surgeovernight.
That's where you started.
Brock (09:17):
Yep.
Ashley (09:18):
Wild.
Okay, was that hard.
I mean is that?
Is that a normal thing fornurses to jump into straight out
of school?
Brock (09:24):
Yeah, man, they're typically hardest to staff.
I think, you know, because Ithink like med surge is like
it's just such a weird, itreally it's a hard unit and it's
not like a lot of like fancycritical medical stuff.
But what happens is is you know, like you send people up from
the ED and they have no specificdiagnosis.
So a lot of like older folks gothere and they're there for
(09:46):
pneumonia or they're there forlike failure to thrive, you know
, but these patients have likevery, very high needs.
So it's like, well, it's notlike like medically like
difficult in terms of liketreatments and stuff.
It's just a lot of hands onwork.
Ashley (10:00):
A lot of work for you guys.
Brock (10:01):
I would imagine yeah imagine, yeah, totally, and they
all sun down at night andnights on med surge is just like
a mad.
It's like a zoo, you know,because it's like 9, 30 comes
around and it's like sweetlittle grandma who was in the
bed is now like jumping up anddown and like it's just, it's
like okay, so sorry, I'm gonnapivot a little bit too.
It's like when I got intomedicine, that for me was like,
(10:23):
and I was like what is going on?
Because I had never beenexposed to it.
I didn't even know that peoplecould do that.
You know what I mean.
Like you turn, it's like DrJekyll and Mr Hyde, like
overnight.
Like you turn into like thisdifferent person because you're
I don't really know the sciencebehind it like your brain is
just doing this to you and then5 am comes around and it's like
(10:44):
sweet little Susie again Like,and you're just like Susie.
Do you remember?
Like last night you were likeyelling at me and grabbing me
and all this stuff and they justhave no clue.
But yeah, a lot of, a lot of newnurses started on med surge,
which I was really thankful for.
I was not great at school and,like I said, no medical
background really.
So it was a good likefoundation, good starting ground
.
So I was there for like twoyears.
(11:04):
From there, I went to.
I went to Mayo Clinic inMinnesota and that was a really
cool experience.
So they had like a really umthorough like rehab facility
there.
Like a lot of people when theythink rehab you think like
nursing home, but you've got tothink in terms of like this is
Mayo Clinic, so they're going tomake like this amazing one.
So it was a stroke and spinalrehab and it was really really
(11:26):
neat.
It was a cool experience, likebecause you're just working with
really debilitated strokepatients or spinal cord injuries
.
I did that for a few years.
So that was sad, but also likevery rewarding at the same time,
because the patients would stayfor sometimes like months and
you know, some of them saw likea lot of progress.
Some of it was more like hey,this is your life.
Now we got to figure out how tomake this work for Um from
(11:51):
there.
I was like I want to trysomething else.
So I went into research nursingfor a very brief period of time
Um yeah, I mean you kind oflike when you're a nurse and all
you know is like bedside,you're like I'm going to try
something that's not bedside.
So I went into this researchthing and you're and I was kind
of like a, like a researchcoordinator you could say you
(12:12):
know so people going throughclinical trials and it's more.
It's a lot more of like anoffice job.
And I did that for just about ayear and I basically learned
like, okay, I actually reallyliked the flexibility of the 12
hour day.
I like being on my feet, I kindof like the hands-on care, so
did that, realized that wasn'tfor me, went back to bedside,
went to neurosurgery, post-opneurosurgery for about a year
(12:36):
and then that was again verysimilar to like the stroke thing
.
So a lot of those patients arecoming in with like crannies and
stuff, so they're like highknee high, like hands-on needs,
like they're like turns and theyhave trachs and they're tube
fed and all that, that stuff.
And then from there went to theER.
Ashley (12:55):
Which is where you are now.
Brock (12:58):
Which is where I'm at now .
It took me a while to get thereand, like, once I started in
the ER, I realized like I reallyliked it and my wife was even
like okay, like you definitelyshould stay here because you're
like a way happier person nowthat you kind of like found your
area, which I think speaks tolike nursing and medicine is.
It's like every area is sodifferent and you find one that
you like.
You're like oh, like this islike this might be my thing, you
(13:19):
know.
So I've been very happy workingin the ER.
I love it.
Ashley (13:23):
I'm so glad to hear that .
And gosh, there's, there is somuch goodness that you just told
us right there.
Um, particularly, not every bitof medicine is going to be for
every person, and that's okay.
I have some students that willcome and shout at me and say,
well, ashley, I cannot stand thesight of blood, I will pass out
.
That's okay.
(13:44):
There is a place for you inmedicine If you still want to
serve people in this capacitymaybe not working in the ER.
Let's discuss quality questions,and please keep in mind that
there's more interview prep,such as mock interviews and
personal statement review, overon shadowme nextcom.
There you'll find amazingresources to help you as you
(14:07):
prepare to answer your ownquality questions.
So Brock and I did not have achance to discuss a quality
question, but what he's talkingabout here brings up an
excellent point.
We often talk about thespecialties or roles in medicine
that we're drawn to, but thetruth is not every setting is
going to be the right fit foreveryone, and that's completely
(14:28):
normal.
So this is one interviewquestion.
I'd love to hear Describe asetting or situation in
healthcare that you think mightnot align with your strengths or
personality.
How would you navigate thatduring your training or career.
There's really no wrong answerhere.
It's more about being honestwith yourself and understanding
(14:50):
where you can grow or where youmight better thrive in a
different environment.
I want to talk about lateralmobility because you're
describing all of these verycool and also very different
jobs that you've worked over thecourse of at least a few years,
maybe 10-ish and lateralmobility is something it's like
(15:12):
a buzzword for PAs, likestudents love in interviews,
they love talking about.
They want to be a PA because ofthe lateral mobility, and
that's true, and obviously PAshave fantastic lateral mobility.
But tell me a little bit aboutwhat that looks like when you
switch from, you know, perhapsworking in med-surg to moving on
to the next one.
What is it?
Is it really difficult?
Is it really time consuming,stressful?
Brock (15:33):
Oh Is it really difficult ?
Is it really time consuming,stressful?
Oh man, I have a lot to sayabout this.
Okay, so, lateral, I think it.
I think it's like a it's bothgood and it's bad.
So there, and I'll unpack thata little bit, but, like,
obviously being a nurse is greatbecause you can move to
different specialties, you know,with that being said, there is
something very, very valuableabout people who stay in a
(15:53):
specialty and I feel like, asnurses have, you know, as we
have more travel nurses, as wehave more just like movement and
people staying in positionslonger, you're starting to lose
that a little bit, you know.
And so, like the people that arelike cemented in a unit, who've
been there for, let's say, 15plus years, like, those people
are few and far between, butthey're like highly valuable
people, you know because, evenif it's, like, even if you were
(16:16):
going from exact same specialtyto the same specialty at a
different hospital, there'sstill so many like little
nuanced things that are going tobe different that you need,
like, somebody who actuallyknows, hey, this is what's going
on Like, this is how this works, you know, because it's just a
new place, even if it's theexact same specialty.
So, that being said, I think itis awesome you get to move
(16:38):
around.
I think it like gives peoplelike time to okay.
So the process is is, once youstart a new job, usually they
put you on orientation and youbasically like shadow and work
with another nurse for aboutthree months.
Ashley (16:49):
Oh, that's longer than I was expecting.
Brock (16:52):
Yeah, usually if you have like experience going in,
they'll cut you down.
But, like most of my switcheshave been about the same, where
you're basically shadowing andbeing precepted for about 10
weeks to 12 weeks and you canexpedite that a little bit if
you feel like, hey, I'm gettingit, like I've done this or
whatever.
But it's a long process andthose three months are pretty
(17:12):
grueling for you as the learner,like it can be fun and it's new
, but it's really tiring.
Ashley (17:17):
It's overwhelming and it can be really stressful, and I
think a lot of the thoughts thatgo through your head are have I
made the right decision?
Is this for me?
Am I going to screw all of thisup?
Brock (17:29):
And that's kind of the role of the preceptor is like
you're just kind of like hey,listen, like we want you to
learn how to do this.
I'm just here to make sure thatyou don't make a monumental
mistake.
Ashley (17:36):
You know Exactly, Exactly.
It's a good.
It's good, it's it's teaching,it's very important.
Somebody taught you it's goodto.
It's good to lean back intothese, these newer hires.
Tell me about a day Like whatdoes a day on, what does a day
in the ER look like for you?
Brock (17:52):
Yes, I love talking about this.
So I view the ER as like we'reless like independent nursing in
our own silos.
We're like a giant machine, soto speak, and our job is to
serve this community with theirvarious emergencies and stuff.
So we're just like thischurning machine and it's like
we get tons of people come in.
(18:13):
So let's say, you start yourday, walk there and, um, I'll
get like my bed assignments.
So it'll be like hey, brock,you're gonna have beds one, two,
three, four let's just say one,two, three, four, you know.
And so as the day goes on,those beds are going to get
filled up with different things.
Either ambulances come in andthey drop somebody off, and or
somebody comes in the waitingroom, you know, and they come in
(18:34):
and you pull them back to aroom.
So pretty much the day justlooks like you fill up your
rooms, you do your assessmentson them, you get doctor's orders
and you start executing ordersand those people can be either
highly critical or they could besuper not critical at all.
Like they could come in withlike tooth pain, like
legitimately, like they'll cometo the ER with tooth pain and
(18:57):
you're like man, I really thinkyou should have gone and seen a
dentist for this, you know.
But like sometimes we'll givethem like antibiotics maybe
they've got like an abscess intheir mouth or something you
know but the on the flip side ofit is like you never know
what's coming in.
You know, like just the otherweek I remember I was in.
I was just walking down thehall and somebody burst out of
the lobby and they're likethere's a guy, he's unconscious
(19:19):
in his car.
Grab a bed.
When that happens, you're justlike fight or flight immediately
and you're like, oh my God, I'mscrambling around looking for a
bed like a cot.
Run this out to this guy's car.
He's coding in the passengerseat of his wife's car so that
we basically just hoist him outof there, toss him in this bed,
take him right back literally sowild, and he's probably in the
(19:41):
room next to the man with atoothache.
Yeah, right, yeah, you know whatI mean.
And like people it's funny too,because like patients down
there, like there's the roomsare very open, you know, and so
people down there can like see alittle bit like what's going on
and they can tell like, oh man,like somebody is not doing so
hot, because everybody's likefrantically like running past
their door and like grabbingcrash car and all this stuff.
Ashley (20:02):
I love it.
You know we have.
We have a phrase around here Um, that's uh, medicine is not
Grey's anatomy, right?
So, like, what you see on TVprobably isn't what is happening
in real life, but it soundslike in the ER.
Sometimes there is some gooddrama and uh, and you see some
really unique and um, totally.
Tv worthy things yeah.
Brock (20:23):
Yeah, totally, yeah, yeah , totally, yeah.
Like the, you're totally right.
Medicine, the tv shows areterrible.
The only one that wassemi-accurate for a little bit
was the pit.
Obviously everyone talks aboutthe pit, you know, and the pit
was cool because, like, you seethe treatments that they do and
you're like, wow, that's exactlylike we do it, like they did
their research.
My only thing against the pit Iactually made a post about this
(20:43):
but my only thing against thepit was just like the acuity
that the pit sees is insane.
You know what I mean.
Like it's like one day they'relike I remember the episode
they're doing like an emergencyfasciotomy and then the guy's
having a heart attack in thehall bed and you're just like,
okay, like this is, this is kindof outrageous here, but it's
drama, you know, it's like-.
Ashley (21:02):
It is.
It is.
Let's talk about your.
You mentioned your post, so youhave this amazing Instagram
TikTok presence.
Scrub Laddie, tell me what themost surprising and rewarding
aspect of doing this socialmedia thing that you do is.
Brock (21:18):
Sure, I'd love to.
So it's yeah, social media isfunny because you get popular on
it and you're just like, oh, Iguess, I guess I'm popular now
on social media and, um, Ioriginally like I remember it
was covid and that was when,like tiktok kind of was like
becoming a thing and it's covid,so you have nothing to do, and
I was like I'm gonna downloadthis app, you know.
(21:39):
So I downloaded it and I wasworking, by the way, through
covid you, but I download theapp, you start like scrolling on
it.
Ashley (21:45):
You're like oh, this is funny Like this is.
Brock (21:47):
you know you start to enjoy it.
And then I was like I'm goingto make some videos.
So then I made the most randomvideos you've ever seen, like
you know what I mean.
Just like stupid stuff, likeone time I made a video like my
wife like walking out on me.
It like my wife like walking outon me.
It was all mock scenario.
But she's leaving, of courseshe's leaving me and I go to the
fridge and I grab a beer andit's like the celebratory music
(22:09):
and like beer is my new wife,like that was my.
It's actually like one of myfirst viral videos I ever made
was that video and then soanyways.
I was just kind of I playedaround with it for a few years
and then like, honestly,honestly, the, the nursing thing
took off because I remember Igot my very first like very
successful videos.
(22:30):
I had to give a report to thisnurse who was like a pain in the
butt to give report, report tokind of like you tell them stuff
and they're just asking allthese questions that are just
really unrelated, like theyreally want to make some nurses
are like that we can talk aboutthat eventually, but like they
really want to make you feeldumb and like not great.
So I went home and it wasactually kind of like out of
frustration, it's like I'm justgoing to make a skit about this.
(22:50):
So I like made this skit and itjust like erupted.
Like people were like oh my God, like we, I know a nurse like
that, like that nurse sucks, youknow, and so that's kind of
where Scrub Laddie was born.
And then it just became likethese medical scenarios and my
goal was like I want to makethem funny and engaging, because
that's how that's people liketo watch.
(23:11):
That, you know, you have tolike captivate your audience,
but like at the same time I havelike these points and these
messages I'm trying to like getacross and it's just kind of
been like that.
So it's been like differentmedical scenarios where, whether
it's like some, some are sad,some of them are like really
realistic, some of them are justlike funny.
You know, like a supernon-compliant diabetic patient,
(23:33):
I have a character.
He's a fictional character.
His name is Rick and it's justlike oh, rick's back at the
hospital again because his bloodsugar is 8,000 and his, he's
going to get another toeamputation.
You know which you've seen?
patients like that you know, andI think sorry to answer your
question the rewarding part islike it's grown and people like
(23:54):
it and they the one thing thatnurses say to me all the time,
like they'll message me, it'slike hey, they're like hey, we
really appreciate what you do,because your videos make us feel
like seen and people are likethis feels almost like
therapeutic for them.
So then I'm like okay, that'spretty cool, because some of the
social media is just garbage,you know.
But it's like if you can, kindof in my mind, it's like if it
(24:15):
can be semi-educational, if itcan be therapeutic for people
like that's obviously like ahuge win and I just I think
that's cool.
Ashley (24:27):
Absolutely, and that's exactly how I found you in the
first place and why I just fellin love with your content and
you so much is because it is.
I mean, you're turning this,you're turning these very
realistic situations intosomething somewhat humorous,
although I'm sure many of themare just direct verbatim from
the exact situation as they werebut it does.
It's all very supportive ofhealthcare workers and it allows
.
It allows people to be seenthat otherwise might just feel
(24:49):
frustrated and, as we both know,that does lead to burnout.
And if you have a friend, evenif it's somebody that you follow
on Instagram or TikTok, thatyou can kind of laugh at with
them, thanks to you, it helps.
You know, it really does help,and not just in medicine.
I think this is, you know, Ithink this is across the board.
So thank you for what you'redoing with your platform,
(25:10):
scrubladdy.
It is just.
I love it so much.
Brock (25:13):
Appreciate you saying that.
I mean obviously it's a lot offun for me, so I appreciate that
you enjoy it.
I love doing the videos.
It's been super fun to be doingit for the last year or so.
Ashley (25:22):
And you mentioned cathartic too, and I think it is
so important for us to findthose outlets, whether it's
related to our job or not.
You with Scrub Laddie, me withShadow, me Next.
These are ways that we feellike we can continue to give
back in a capacity that is alsoreally enjoyable for us.
So I appreciate it.
Okay, last question, before wewrap up, brock, tell me one
(25:43):
piece of advice that you wishsomebody would have said to you
that maybe would have eitherpushed you one direction or the
other.
Brock (25:50):
I think I maybe like shadowing would have been
helpful.
It's funny, this is shadowingme next, perfect, yes.
Next, we're kind of perfect.
Yes, I think shadowing wouldhave been helpful and I should
have spent more time, I think,on the front end, going like
understanding on the front end,like okay, medicine.
All these different areas looksdifferent.
(26:11):
Every floor is different, youknow, and I should shadow and
see like which one attracts methe most, because I think my
advice to somebody would be likeyou're going to find the area
that you like, you like there,it exists out there.
It just like for me it tooksome time to get there, but it's
out there, you know, and likeyou'll find it.
And I'm in, like you know,people talk about like the 60 40
(26:33):
rule.
Like 60, enjoy your job, 40,don't like obviously, at the end
of the day, it's still going tobe work and it's not super fun,
but regardless, you still gotto go to work, you still got to
make money, you still got tosurvive.
So it's not super fun, butregardless, you still got to go
to work, you still got to makemoney, you still got to survive.
So it's like, just just give ita chance to find that area that
you actually enjoy because it'sout there.
Ashley (26:53):
I think that's perfect.
Oh, that was beautifully saidand absolutely correct.
Obviously, it's what we're alltrying to do Just showcase the
day in our life and a day in thelives of others, and, um, and
help others find their place andfind their role and find what
is is meaningful and whatthey're passionate about.
So thanks so much.
Brock Brock with scrub Lottie,you are amazing.
Um, I appreciate you taking thetime.
Brock (27:13):
Thank you for having me Good to meet you.
Ashley (27:16):
Thank you so very much for listening to this episode of
shadow me next.
If you liked this episode or ifyou think it could be useful
for a friend, please subscribeand invite them to join us next
Monday, as always.
If you have any questions, letme know on Facebook or Instagram
Access.
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You're always invited to ShadowMe Next.
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