April 16, 2025 • 29 mins
TXT us your feedback!! <3 your fayce!
The past few weeks, we've had those clinical days — the kind where you laugh so hard with your students that you’re crying in the break room with mascara halfway down your face and someone might have a chux pad stuck to on a shoe.
But between the chaos, the giggles, and gagillion mg K+ home remedy (>>??)… something clicked.
This episode is for the nurses, the students, the exhausted preceptors, and everyone in between who forgot that resilience is born in the mess — not in the module.
We’re talking:
- What nursing school never taught us — and how we learn anyway
- Why laughter is a survival skill
- The difference between failure and becoming
- And yes… that one time I almost had to call a code because a med pass turned into a slip ‘n slide. 😬
But we’re also holding space for something serious — because it’s Black Maternal Health Week, and this platform is about advocacy, truth, and care that includes everyone.
🖤 Black birthing people are 3–4x more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes in the U.S.
Not because of biology — but because of systemic bias and racism in healthcare.
This is our lane. And it starts with awareness, with listening, and with doing better.
🎧 If you’re a nurse who wants to show up with both humor and heart — hit play.
🌿 If you’re ready to mix medicine with magic — hit play.
🩺 And if you’re tired of dry, boring nursing podcasts that make you feel like you’re in a conference you didn’t sign up for — you already know what to do.
✨Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Black Mamas Matter Alliance
- SisterSong
- National Birth Equity Collaborative
- Irth App – Birth Without Bias
🎉 BONUS: Don’t forget — our free download “The List” is live!
Check the Birthday show for your special birthday bonus code (hint: it’s hidden in that episode 😉)
🖤 Ready to laugh, reflect, and maybe cry into your coffee?
Hit play. Then share this episode with your nursing bestie, your preceptor, your patient care tech, or that one classmate who keeps you sane. We’re building this community together.
Hey! Make sure you subscribe to stay connected. Love a nurse? Who doesn't! Share with all the nurses you know. The more we reach, the more we help. We feel like no one deserves center stage focus more than nurses and our mission is to reach the millions of superstars out there. We'd love to hear your stories, your adventures, your wins, and especially your needs and questions! Email us at hello@ritualnurse (dot) com. Also, you can send us fan mail! Use the link at the beginning of the show notes. Resources, classes, blogs, and podcast info can be found on our home site at TCTH.org. The Ritual Nurse Podcast is part of The Code Team educational platform.
Love your FAYCES!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Welcome to the Ritual Nurse where healing meets humor
, science and a touch of magic.
Hi, welcome back to the RitualNurse where we mix science,
spirit and a shot ofespresso-soaked sarcasm to help
nurses finally put themselvesfirst.
I'm your host, reva nurse, wildwoman, ritualista, advocate,
(00:32):
educator.
It's amazing how versatile weare in this profession, I think.
Okay, so I need you to knowthat I literally cried from
laughing so hard over the pastfew weeks.
Know that I literally criedfrom laughing so hard over the
past few weeks.
My students, wild, beautifulchaos, I swear.
(00:54):
Nursing education is 50% tryingto keep a straight face while
someone charts with one fingerand 50% praying that they pick
the right orifice for the tubein their hand.
These times.
These remind me of why I loveteaching and also why this
podcast exists, so let's getinto it.
So let me paint the scene ofsome of the tales in the last
few weeks.
Of course, some have beencombined and others admitted to
(01:15):
protect privacy.
I have students handling a bedcrisis with the patient stuck up
in the air like five feet high,one under the bed trying to
find the plug to reset it so itwill finally lower instead of
just climbing.
The student keeping the patientin the bed is giving helpful
advice.
Hey, unplug the gray one, thestudent under the bed.
(01:38):
Okay, I got.
And no, no, no, don't unplugthat one.
As the patient sinks slowly inthe bed as the air mattress
deflates, the students explainedthey were terrified that the
patient was going to fallthrough the bed now, not
realizing that the bed is asolid sheet of metal under the
air mattress.
While other students aredealing with the frenetic family
(01:59):
member that we're all familiarwith, one is therapeutically
listening and encouraginglynodding and smiling, despite the
person being practicallyunintelligible, until suddenly
realizing that the conversationis actually a serious one,
apparently, and requires theserious therapeutic face.
So she deadpans and immediatelydrops into concerned and
(02:21):
therapeutically nodding.
The other two are trying topull their best nurse face as
they hear the miraculous out ofthe box thinking involving like
five packs of liquid IV ingestedat once, and while recounting
this to me, the student,straight face, turns and says
totally saved her, to which Ialmost spit out my coffee.
Their earnest and legitimatedesire to be supportive and
(02:45):
helpful and good nurses in themidst of like the three ring
five alarm fire circus sideshowthat is the everyday Wednesday
afternoon in nursing isendearing, incredibly brave and
actually hysterical.
Like all of us, the studentsand myself have been laughing at
their adventures and theingenious ways that they managed
(03:08):
to solve every single one ofthem.
The chaos is familiar, thelaughter is cathartic.
Every single one of us walkedthrough this before.
In fact, we still do.
Every time we take on a newspecialty, a new degree, we go
through the same motions ofbeing that new grad all over
(03:30):
again, of feeling like thatstudent all over again, and I've
been sitting here thinking thisis the good stuff, not because
it's perfect, not because it'spolished, but because it's real.
It's perfect not because it'spolished, but because it's real.
We laughed so hard at one pointabout a med pass moment gone
sideways that I had actual tearsrunning down my face, and
(03:52):
that's when it hit me Like thisis part of resilience.
It's not a module you take.
It's not a PowerPoint, not somedry ass CEU that you wade
through.
It's laughter in the mess.
It's not a PowerPoint, not somedry ass CEU that you wade
through.
It's laughter in the mess.
It's connection in the chaos.
(04:12):
I shared with them.
You know some of my own nursingstories from being in school,
some of which you probably heardon the podcast last week.
One of my favorite ones on thepodcast last week the entire
penis on your gloves situation.
Some more stories about being anew grad.
I went right from nursingschool into the ICU as a new
grad.
In sharing those stories andsharing to them, this is what it
(04:37):
taught me.
This is the preparation that Ilearned I needed to have while
going through these learninglessons and both laugh, crying
my way through them, because theinsanity is a real thing.
I know.
Last week we discussed the showthe Pit on the podcast and the
(05:02):
chaos is a real thing.
So if you're listening to thisand you're not a healthcare
provider or a nurse, I love it,because everything that we go
over is is wildly helpful foryou as well.
You don't have to be a nursefor this to help you, but this
isn't an exaggeration.
A lot of the things that wetalk about and a lot of the
things that we discuss, unlessyou're a nurse and you're
(05:23):
experiencing them, might bethings that sound exaggerated,
sound like hyperbole, and boththe funny and terrifying part is
that they're not.
They're actually just real.
So here's the thing Nursingschool gives you drug guides and
(05:43):
patho charts and a millionthings to memorize, but it
doesn't teach you how to livethrough the work.
It doesn't tell you what to dowhen you feel like a failure
because you forgot a bloodpressure or mixed up a med.
It doesn't teach you thatsometimes you'll cry in the
supply room and then laugh fiveminutes later because someone
(06:07):
put a chucks pad on backwardsand now you're slipping, sliding
through the day like a literalmessiah of body fluids.
Or maybe you inadvertentlymight have snapped open a chucks
as you're laying it down andmanaged to, you know, towel snap
your CNA in the forehead.
These things may or may nothappen.
(06:28):
All I have to say is that ifthat situation did indeed happen
, that at least it was brand newand it was clean right.
But what I realized today isthat our laughter is part of
medicine.
It's medicine for us.
Our chaos is sacred, our gross.
(06:49):
That's happening in real time,even when we feel like we're
flailing and can't find purchase.
This is a lifelong endeavor oflearning.
In fact, I'm a student.
Right now.
Still, I'm finishing my FNPDNP.
I'm very close.
I'm so close it's almosttangible.
I was making my own professorslaugh as I transition from acute
(07:11):
medicine to family medicine andthe absolute 360 that my brain
is doing trying to accomplishthis.
I know for a fact that I'mmaking them laugh.
Now they do the same thing thatI do as an instructor and they
may chuckle that they're keepingthat nursing instructor face
kind of intact, but because I'man instructor I know that I am
(07:35):
absolutely making them laugh, asare my fellow colleagues.
With our transition from acuteto family it's a really
different perspective as apractitioner and our go-to
triage and thinking and you knowthe stuff we're comfortable
with, the things that we thinkwe know, uh, aren't the answer
(07:58):
Like where are you going to geta troponin at in your family
practice out there, what?
What troponin is this thatyou're ordering for your patient
that has come in with a classicheartburn symptoms?
So just just things like thatand changes in thought that are
all part of that learningexperience that we all continue
(08:20):
to go through in stages.
So it's not just our nursingstudents that, or us when we
were nursing students, thatstruggled to get through this
and nope, no, it still continuesto happen as we learn and it's
part of the growing process,part of what builds resilience
in us in handling the chaos andlearning to create space for
(08:45):
that.
That's the one missing piece innursing school that none of us
got.
None of us got the piece abouthow do you intentionally create
space to develop emotionalintelligence, to develop your
resilience, to debrief withyourself.
In the very early episodes ofthis podcast I have a lot of I
(09:10):
don't want to say instructionalpodcasts, but going through some
actual skill sets, breath work,debriefing, more along the
lines of trauma-informed care.
That's self-applied, if youwill, and of course the podcast
is largely based upon that.
So there's going to be more ofthat, of course, coming in
(09:31):
future content.
But those are the pieces.
That's the piece that we missedin nursing school.
We got all the chaos.
We even left with some momentsand memories that we can laugh
at, thankfully, in surviving theentire ordeal.
But we missed the whole pieceof how to thrive after the
ordeal and through it.
(09:52):
So these moments, the oh dark30 moments, the crying and
laughing at the same timemoments, they're a release of
trauma, they're a celebration ofsurvival.
It's a bond that we forgetogether.
Now, trauma bonding is not themost positive coping mechanism.
(10:13):
Is it something that nurses doregularly?
Yes, because we are traumabonding, because we're surviving
the exposure to secondarytrauma, the actual trauma, ptsd,
the anxiety, all of it.
We're surviving all of thattogether at the same time, and
there's many other disciplinesthat do as well.
But the trauma bonding has toalso contain a recognition of
(10:39):
what it is that we're doing andwhy it is that that coping
mechanism is being utilized,because there isn't any space
created for a healthy one.
So we have to do that, andthat's a huge part and parcel of
what I'm imparting to you guysin this podcast.
Podcast is how to create thespace we were never taught to,
(11:03):
how to give ourselves the skillsets and the tools to debrief,
to recover, to recognize, tohave the emotional intelligence
to recognize in ourself whenthose things are needed in order
to restore that equilibrium andthat resilience.
So that, while we're laughingat this chaos, that it's genuine
(11:28):
laughter and humor andcelebration of the things that
we've made it through.
And yes, yes, naturally alittle bit of trauma bonding,
but that that's what it is.
And then it isn't a way for usto cover up our feelings and our
needs by dismissing them, ifyou will, under the guise of
(11:54):
trauma bonding and camaraderieand laughter.
So, now that we've reached ourmidpoint, our famous musical
interlude pause to either usheryou back into your shift or
signal that the hydration breakis approaching and keep your
spot waiting.
Just hit pause during the musicand you'll always know where to
(12:15):
come back to.
But, as always, we will be herefor you after the shift and
we're sending you all the smoothvibes and happy orders If
you're sticking around and getto spend the whole episode with
us right now, go get your water,your snack, get comfy and get
ready for the rest of thepodcast.
(12:49):
Okay, we are back.
So, before we shift intocrystals and coffee and
divination our favorite segmentI do want to take a moment and
say something that mattersdeeply, because while we laugh,
(13:10):
while we grow, while we become,we also witness.
We witness the realities ofhealthcare that too often get
brushed under the rug.
Right now, it is Black MaternalHealth Week, and I cannot let
this week go by without namingsomething that every nurse and
(13:30):
every human should care aboutBlack birthing people in the
United States are three to fourtimes more likely to die from
pregnancy related complicationsthan white people.
Not because of biology, butsolely because of bias, because
of systemic racism, because ofhow we fail to listen to and
(13:53):
believe black voices inhealthcare, and if you're a
nurse, a nursing student,someone just finding their way
through this profession.
You need to know this isn'tsomeone else's problem, this is
ours.
Every patient we see deservesto be believed, deserves to be
(14:15):
safe, deserves care that isequitable, culturally humble and
fiercely human.
I know, if you are a podcastlistener, that you have heard me
say that equality is nothingwithout equity.
Equality means that we've madethe doorway a little bit wider
(14:39):
so, technically, everybody canwalk through it.
Equity means that walkingthrough it means they're going
to be treated the same andreceive the same care, no matter
who they are that walkedthrough it.
So I'm asking you, not justthis week, but always to listen
(15:00):
harder this week, but always tolisten harder, to advocate
louder, to reflect deeper.
If you're not sure where tostart, I'm going to link some
resources in the show notes.
And if you're a black nurse, ablack parent, a black birth
worker, black healthcareprovider, I see you, I honor you
(15:28):
and I see you, I honor you andI support you.
I also want to say to mystudents and to you out there,
that's listening, you are notbehind.
You're not a bad nursingstudent, you're not going to be
a bad nurse, you're justbecoming and yeah, it is messy
as hell Spoiler alert, itdoesn't ever stop being messy,
(15:50):
but it's yours, it's ours, and Iam so proud of you, I am so
proud of the work that you'redoing.
So now let's breathe.
I want you to drop thoseshoulders, unclench that jaw,
relax your forehead.
Let's get into crystals, coffeeand divination.
(16:11):
So today's crystal prescriptionas always, we are going to use
the crystal portal uh Oracle.
Crystal portal, uh Oracle.
And I am going to live draw,like I always do, and then see
what we get.
Oh, I guess I have to flip overthe card from last week so that
(16:32):
I can shuffle it back in there.
Um, again, one of my all-timefavorite decks to use for this,
just because the cards areabsolutely stunning.
And one came flying out oh,unbelievable.
So lunar intuition Now, we'vehad this card before and lunar
(16:53):
intuition is In that it's bothinsight and intuition with
calmness.
So when the lunar intuitioncard appears, it is a reminder
to listen to your inner voiceand trust your intuition.
(17:14):
Just as the moon goes throughphases, your life experiences
will ebb and flow.
Amethyst holds a deepconnection with lunar energy,
enhancing your mental andspiritual insight.
Trust your instincts and allowyour intuition to guide you on a
path of profound spiritualgrowth and illumination.
Now, look, I know that we havelisteners from all over and
(17:38):
everywhere, but you know, tarotmay not be your thing, oracle
cards may not be your thing,heck crystals may not be your
thing.
I can't claim to understandthat, as I have every pretty
shiny rock that I can get myhands on but I want you to think
about it this way you don'thave to espouse those ways of
thinking in order to benefitfrom the message, and the
(18:01):
message is really this in orderto benefit from the message, and
the message is really thiscycles are thing and are natural
.
They're part of life, they'repart of biology, and so what
you're going through right nowis part of a cycle.
And setting aside the space,you know, crafting it with
intent, which is the definitionof a ritual, is how you utilize
(18:26):
that insight and develop thatself-awareness to learn from the
phase of the cycle that you'rein to transition into the next
one and be ready.
So hopefully that gives you themuch needed insight and some
guidance for the week ahead.
(18:47):
Also, the amethyst isphenomenal at the bedside in
terms of clarity in sleep,really helping with that third
eye in intuition sense, whileyou're sleeping, so you can keep
it by your bedside as well.
Uh, some people actually findthat, uh, the lucid dreams that
(19:09):
they have, depending on the sizeof the amethyst next to the
bedside, can be a little bitmuch.
So just having it maybe outsideof the bedroom or in the space
where you have your morningcoffee, um, might also do the
trick.
If it is a little bit too, howdo you say high vibration?
(19:30):
Let's say, uh, right by yourbedside.
So our drink pairing of the week, all right.
So I fell down this insanerabbit hole of the Sonic drink
fandom, somehow, of coursedragging my husband along with
me, and this group is nothingbut Sonic drink recipes, which I
have been mocking some of themup at home in various ways.
(19:51):
I know I've talked to you guysabout my pseudo coffee shop that
I turned my downstairs into,and I have a water bar you know,
flavor bar, whatever with abunch of syrups and things that
I love.
So I've been mocking a few ofthem up in various ways.
But also I absolutely had tostop and get a vanilla coconut
small milkshake, which wasstupid good.
That is a door I should nothave opened.
(20:12):
You order a small vanillamilkshake, add white coconut
syrup to it.
It's literally a coconut creampie in a cup without like the
pieces.
It's texturally smooth.
It's amazing.
So I want you to try a few ofthese next ideas on for size,
(20:34):
and you can use regular water,sparkling water, sprite Zero,
whatever works If you have anugget ice maker.
A, first of all, the jealousyis so real.
B, that's kind of the best wayto have this, so you can even
just get like a large cup ofSonic Ice and somehow escape the
drive-thru without ordering oneof these milkshakes.
(20:54):
If you have that wherewithal,go ahead.
But the first pairing is peach,vanilla and cream.
The second and Chobani makes asweet cream that has stevia
instead of sugar.
So this is the deal you can doany one of like water, sparkling
water, sprite Zero, any of thatkind of stuff and do sugar-free
(21:16):
peach, sugar-free vanilla andthe Chobani sweet cream like a
splash of that creamer that hasthe stevia instead of sugar for
an incredibly low calorie ketooption.
Really of a fun drink.
The second one is mango, cherryand lime, and also the same
cream situation.
(21:37):
You can omit the cream as well.
The flavors work perfectlywithout it.
Omit the cream as well.
The flavors work perfectlywithout it.
The blue coconut, twisted lime,extra cherries and cream is a
summer sonic concoction thatyou're really going to wish that
I didn't tell you, but you'realso going to drink it like it's
cool.
So enjoy, like, post some ofthese recipes in the comments on
(21:57):
socials or, better yet, betteryet, to use the text link at the
top of the show notes and sendme a drink order.
I will publicly post meordering and trying any that I
get and my reaction.
However, do not do your girllike dirty on this.
Like, send me some good ones.
Don't send me something gross.
Send me some good drink ordersto try and I will post them on
(22:23):
TikTok, on our Instagram.
Our Instagram is under the codeteam, by the way, so it's the
code underscore or theunderscore code underscore team.
At TikTok it's just the ritualnurse, no spaces.
So now, next, we have ourdivination poll.
So our divination poll is asister deck to the crystal
(22:43):
Oracle.
It's made by the same designer.
Absolutely.
I've I've posted them numeroustimes, I've tagged them.
I absolutely love their work.
So we're going to pull ourtarot card for our divination.
And again, I am actually I mayor may not actually be videoing
(23:03):
part of this podcast recording,uh, so that you guys can
actually see the live drawshappening in real time instead
of just maybe hearing them.
Maybe not hearing them, I don'tknow how much.
Sometimes my microphone picksup the shuffling of the cards,
which is so relaxing to me, kindof like an ASMR thing, uh,
(23:25):
without being creepy ASMR.
Okay, so I apparently, too, hada message for you this week.
Two of them the hierophant andthe emperor.
Oh, my goodness, those are someheavy hitters this week.
So this deck is absolutelystunning and I'm actually
(23:48):
holding it up to the recordingso that you can see it on TikTok
.
Lapis Lazuli is the Hierophantand the Emperor is Ruby.
So let's see what these have tosay, keeping in mind what our
(24:10):
lunar insight, our crystal, wasfor the week.
So the hierophant signifiestradition, wisdom and mastery.
Lapis lazuli, combined with thehierophant, signals wisdom,
clarity and intellect.
Weird, the hierophant bringsforth feelings of morality and
being ethical, black maternalhealth week.
(24:32):
Think of this card as the older, wiser teacher or counselor.
Also, what did we talk about inthe podcast?
Who will mentor you along theway?
It can be related to traditionsand convention, learning and
education, or mastering acertain area of your life.
That couldn't possibly be amore succinct summarization of
(24:55):
the past 24 minutes and 25seconds.
So the next one is the emperor.
The emperor is all aboutstability, structure and
protectiveness.
Ruby is vitality, knowledge andenthusiasm.
The emperor represents a lot ofstability, hard work, leadership
(25:17):
and discipline.
You have the knowledge andwisdom to do anything that you
set your mind to, so claim yourauthority as a leader Absolutely
incredible.
In order to do the things thatthe Hierophant is talking about
and utilize your intuition andself-awareness, you really have
(25:40):
to claim leadership over yourexperience and your engagement
with that experience.
And leading is how we definefor the next generation, by
example, how to do this.
Listening to this podcast isnot only beneficial for you guys
(26:02):
because of the skill sets in itand the camaraderie and the
community and things like that,but those of us in the field.
By doing these things, byactually leading by example, is
literally how we teach the nextgeneration to thrive through
(26:22):
their nursing profession and thechoices that they're making,
whether they're at the bedsideor not at the bedside.
In ways that we didn't get, inways that we didn't get I'm just
going to put a period on theend of that sentence in ways
that we didn't get.
So that is our incredibly,totally irrelevant divination
(26:46):
poll and our Oracle, our crystalprescription.
If you are still with me,bestie, thank you.
You could be anywhere, hidingin the med room, could be crying
in your car after a shift,rethinking your entire life at
2am, or laughing uncontrollablywith your best friends and
(27:07):
teammates.
You could also be peacefullyrelaxing in your protected space
and you chose to be here andthat matters.
That really matters to me.
If you laughed today or if youneeded to, I want you to send me
your funniest, weirdest andmost chaotic nursing student
story DM me.
(27:29):
Or new grad story, too, dm me.
Tag me or email me at hello atritualnursecom.
I want to feature your voice.
Next, and don't forget our freetool.
The list is available on thewebsite tcthorg completely free.
Uh, two episodes ago Iexplained in the in the birthday
special episode.
(27:49):
I explained how to use it andthe benefit, because it's
actually a super simple, nonoverwhelming system and the list
is the tool that goes with itthere.
The information on the systemis in the podcast.
It's not like a fake you outlink of.
I'm going to give you theinformation just to make you
(28:11):
click on something that costsyou money or any weird
subscribing nonsense.
It's literally the actualinformation on the system, why
it works, how to use it and thetool itself that you can get for
free.
There's also the birthdayepisode bonus code and that is
still going to remain active.
I know that there was like atime limit on it, but that is
(28:34):
active for the exclusive designsof the free tool which are
going to be showcased on the newShopify store that's coming
this week.
The WordPress setup on thewebsite was a holy terror to get
them displayed on, so the codeis being extended so that you
can use it freely on the Shopifystore with ease.
Keep an eye on socials.
Like I said, follow us onInstagram at the underscore code
(28:58):
underscore team.
So it's the code team.
Just put the underscores inbetween the words and TikTok at
the ritual nurse for when thatgoes live this week.
So until next time, take careof you, because the nurse that
you're becoming deserves aversion of you that's well,
whole and wildly loved.
(29:18):
Love your faces.
Welcome to the Ritual Nurse where healing meets humor
, science and a touch of magic.
Hi, welcome back to the RitualNurse where we mix science,
spirit and a shot ofespresso-soaked sarcasm to help
nurses finally put themselvesfirst.
I'm your host, reva nurse, wildwoman, ritualista, advocate,
(00:32):
educator.
It's amazing how versatile weare in this profession, I think.
Okay, so I need you to knowthat I literally cried from
laughing so hard over the pastfew weeks.
Know that I literally criedfrom laughing so hard over the
past few weeks.
My students, wild, beautifulchaos, I swear.
(00:54):
Nursing education is 50% tryingto keep a straight face while
someone charts with one fingerand 50% praying that they pick
the right orifice for the tubein their hand.
These times.
These remind me of why I loveteaching and also why this
podcast exists, so let's getinto it.
So let me paint the scene ofsome of the tales in the last
few weeks.
Of course, some have beencombined and others admitted to
(01:15):
protect privacy.
I have students handling a bedcrisis with the patient stuck up
in the air like five feet high,one under the bed trying to
find the plug to reset it so itwill finally lower instead of
just climbing.
The student keeping the patientin the bed is giving helpful
advice.
Hey, unplug the gray one, thestudent under the bed.
(01:38):
Okay, I got.
And no, no, no, don't unplugthat one.
As the patient sinks slowly inthe bed as the air mattress
deflates, the students explainedthey were terrified that the
patient was going to fallthrough the bed now, not
realizing that the bed is asolid sheet of metal under the
air mattress.
While other students aredealing with the frenetic family
(01:59):
member that we're all familiarwith, one is therapeutically
listening and encouraginglynodding and smiling, despite the
person being practicallyunintelligible, until suddenly
realizing that the conversationis actually a serious one,
apparently, and requires theserious therapeutic face.
So she deadpans and immediatelydrops into concerned and
(02:21):
therapeutically nodding.
The other two are trying topull their best nurse face as
they hear the miraculous out ofthe box thinking involving like
five packs of liquid IV ingestedat once, and while recounting
this to me, the student,straight face, turns and says
totally saved her, to which Ialmost spit out my coffee.
Their earnest and legitimatedesire to be supportive and
(02:45):
helpful and good nurses in themidst of like the three ring
five alarm fire circus sideshowthat is the everyday Wednesday
afternoon in nursing isendearing, incredibly brave and
actually hysterical.
Like all of us, the studentsand myself have been laughing at
their adventures and theingenious ways that they managed
(03:08):
to solve every single one ofthem.
The chaos is familiar, thelaughter is cathartic.
Every single one of us walkedthrough this before.
In fact, we still do.
Every time we take on a newspecialty, a new degree, we go
through the same motions ofbeing that new grad all over
(03:30):
again, of feeling like thatstudent all over again, and I've
been sitting here thinking thisis the good stuff, not because
it's perfect, not because it'spolished, but because it's real.
It's perfect not because it'spolished, but because it's real.
We laughed so hard at one pointabout a med pass moment gone
sideways that I had actual tearsrunning down my face, and
(03:52):
that's when it hit me Like thisis part of resilience.
It's not a module you take.
It's not a PowerPoint, not somedry ass CEU that you wade
through.
It's laughter in the mess.
It's not a PowerPoint, not somedry ass CEU that you wade
through.
It's laughter in the mess.
It's connection in the chaos.
(04:12):
I shared with them.
You know some of my own nursingstories from being in school,
some of which you probably heardon the podcast last week.
One of my favorite ones on thepodcast last week the entire
penis on your gloves situation.
Some more stories about being anew grad.
I went right from nursingschool into the ICU as a new
grad.
In sharing those stories andsharing to them, this is what it
(04:37):
taught me.
This is the preparation that Ilearned I needed to have while
going through these learninglessons and both laugh, crying
my way through them, because theinsanity is a real thing.
I know.
Last week we discussed the showthe Pit on the podcast and the
(05:02):
chaos is a real thing.
So if you're listening to thisand you're not a healthcare
provider or a nurse, I love it,because everything that we go
over is is wildly helpful foryou as well.
You don't have to be a nursefor this to help you, but this
isn't an exaggeration.
A lot of the things that wetalk about and a lot of the
things that we discuss, unlessyou're a nurse and you're
(05:23):
experiencing them, might bethings that sound exaggerated,
sound like hyperbole, and boththe funny and terrifying part is
that they're not.
They're actually just real.
So here's the thing Nursingschool gives you drug guides and
(05:43):
patho charts and a millionthings to memorize, but it
doesn't teach you how to livethrough the work.
It doesn't tell you what to dowhen you feel like a failure
because you forgot a bloodpressure or mixed up a med.
It doesn't teach you thatsometimes you'll cry in the
supply room and then laugh fiveminutes later because someone
(06:07):
put a chucks pad on backwardsand now you're slipping, sliding
through the day like a literalmessiah of body fluids.
Or maybe you inadvertentlymight have snapped open a chucks
as you're laying it down andmanaged to, you know, towel snap
your CNA in the forehead.
These things may or may nothappen.
(06:28):
All I have to say is that ifthat situation did indeed happen
, that at least it was brand newand it was clean right.
But what I realized today isthat our laughter is part of
medicine.
It's medicine for us.
Our chaos is sacred, our gross.
(06:49):
That's happening in real time,even when we feel like we're
flailing and can't find purchase.
This is a lifelong endeavor oflearning.
In fact, I'm a student.
Right now.
Still, I'm finishing my FNPDNP.
I'm very close.
I'm so close it's almosttangible.
I was making my own professorslaugh as I transition from acute
(07:11):
medicine to family medicine andthe absolute 360 that my brain
is doing trying to accomplishthis.
I know for a fact that I'mmaking them laugh.
Now they do the same thing thatI do as an instructor and they
may chuckle that they're keepingthat nursing instructor face
kind of intact, but because I'man instructor I know that I am
(07:35):
absolutely making them laugh, asare my fellow colleagues.
With our transition from acuteto family it's a really
different perspective as apractitioner and our go-to
triage and thinking and you knowthe stuff we're comfortable
with, the things that we thinkwe know, uh, aren't the answer
(07:58):
Like where are you going to geta troponin at in your family
practice out there, what?
What troponin is this thatyou're ordering for your patient
that has come in with a classicheartburn symptoms?
So just just things like thatand changes in thought that are
all part of that learningexperience that we all continue
(08:20):
to go through in stages.
So it's not just our nursingstudents that, or us when we
were nursing students, thatstruggled to get through this
and nope, no, it still continuesto happen as we learn and it's
part of the growing process,part of what builds resilience
in us in handling the chaos andlearning to create space for
(08:45):
that.
That's the one missing piece innursing school that none of us
got.
None of us got the piece abouthow do you intentionally create
space to develop emotionalintelligence, to develop your
resilience, to debrief withyourself.
In the very early episodes ofthis podcast I have a lot of I
(09:10):
don't want to say instructionalpodcasts, but going through some
actual skill sets, breath work,debriefing, more along the
lines of trauma-informed care.
That's self-applied, if youwill, and of course the podcast
is largely based upon that.
So there's going to be more ofthat, of course, coming in
(09:31):
future content.
But those are the pieces.
That's the piece that we missedin nursing school.
We got all the chaos.
We even left with some momentsand memories that we can laugh
at, thankfully, in surviving theentire ordeal.
But we missed the whole pieceof how to thrive after the
ordeal and through it.
(09:52):
So these moments, the oh dark30 moments, the crying and
laughing at the same timemoments, they're a release of
trauma, they're a celebration ofsurvival.
It's a bond that we forgetogether.
Now, trauma bonding is not themost positive coping mechanism.
(10:13):
Is it something that nurses doregularly?
Yes, because we are traumabonding, because we're surviving
the exposure to secondarytrauma, the actual trauma, ptsd,
the anxiety, all of it.
We're surviving all of thattogether at the same time, and
there's many other disciplinesthat do as well.
But the trauma bonding has toalso contain a recognition of
(10:39):
what it is that we're doing andwhy it is that that coping
mechanism is being utilized,because there isn't any space
created for a healthy one.
So we have to do that, andthat's a huge part and parcel of
what I'm imparting to you guysin this podcast.
Podcast is how to create thespace we were never taught to,
(11:03):
how to give ourselves the skillsets and the tools to debrief,
to recover, to recognize, tohave the emotional intelligence
to recognize in ourself whenthose things are needed in order
to restore that equilibrium andthat resilience.
So that, while we're laughingat this chaos, that it's genuine
(11:28):
laughter and humor andcelebration of the things that
we've made it through.
And yes, yes, naturally alittle bit of trauma bonding,
but that that's what it is.
And then it isn't a way for usto cover up our feelings and our
needs by dismissing them, ifyou will, under the guise of
(11:54):
trauma bonding and camaraderieand laughter.
So, now that we've reached ourmidpoint, our famous musical
interlude pause to either usheryou back into your shift or
signal that the hydration breakis approaching and keep your
spot waiting.
Just hit pause during the musicand you'll always know where to
(12:15):
come back to.
But, as always, we will be herefor you after the shift and
we're sending you all the smoothvibes and happy orders If
you're sticking around and getto spend the whole episode with
us right now, go get your water,your snack, get comfy and get
ready for the rest of thepodcast.
(12:49):
Okay, we are back.
So, before we shift intocrystals and coffee and
divination our favorite segmentI do want to take a moment and
say something that mattersdeeply, because while we laugh,
(13:10):
while we grow, while we become,we also witness.
We witness the realities ofhealthcare that too often get
brushed under the rug.
Right now, it is Black MaternalHealth Week, and I cannot let
this week go by without namingsomething that every nurse and
(13:30):
every human should care aboutBlack birthing people in the
United States are three to fourtimes more likely to die from
pregnancy related complicationsthan white people.
Not because of biology, butsolely because of bias, because
of systemic racism, because ofhow we fail to listen to and
(13:53):
believe black voices inhealthcare, and if you're a
nurse, a nursing student,someone just finding their way
through this profession.
You need to know this isn'tsomeone else's problem, this is
ours.
Every patient we see deservesto be believed, deserves to be
(14:15):
safe, deserves care that isequitable, culturally humble and
fiercely human.
I know, if you are a podcastlistener, that you have heard me
say that equality is nothingwithout equity.
Equality means that we've madethe doorway a little bit wider
(14:39):
so, technically, everybody canwalk through it.
Equity means that walkingthrough it means they're going
to be treated the same andreceive the same care, no matter
who they are that walkedthrough it.
So I'm asking you, not justthis week, but always to listen
(15:00):
harder this week, but always tolisten harder, to advocate
louder, to reflect deeper.
If you're not sure where tostart, I'm going to link some
resources in the show notes.
And if you're a black nurse, ablack parent, a black birth
worker, black healthcareprovider, I see you, I honor you
(15:28):
and I see you, I honor you andI support you.
I also want to say to mystudents and to you out there,
that's listening, you are notbehind.
You're not a bad nursingstudent, you're not going to be
a bad nurse, you're justbecoming and yeah, it is messy
as hell Spoiler alert, itdoesn't ever stop being messy,
(15:50):
but it's yours, it's ours, and Iam so proud of you, I am so
proud of the work that you'redoing.
So now let's breathe.
I want you to drop thoseshoulders, unclench that jaw,
relax your forehead.
Let's get into crystals, coffeeand divination.
(16:11):
So today's crystal prescriptionas always, we are going to use
the crystal portal uh Oracle.
Crystal portal, uh Oracle.
And I am going to live draw,like I always do, and then see
what we get.
Oh, I guess I have to flip overthe card from last week so that
(16:32):
I can shuffle it back in there.
Um, again, one of my all-timefavorite decks to use for this,
just because the cards areabsolutely stunning.
And one came flying out oh,unbelievable.
So lunar intuition Now, we'vehad this card before and lunar
(16:53):
intuition is In that it's bothinsight and intuition with
calmness.
So when the lunar intuitioncard appears, it is a reminder
to listen to your inner voiceand trust your intuition.
(17:14):
Just as the moon goes throughphases, your life experiences
will ebb and flow.
Amethyst holds a deepconnection with lunar energy,
enhancing your mental andspiritual insight.
Trust your instincts and allowyour intuition to guide you on a
path of profound spiritualgrowth and illumination.
Now, look, I know that we havelisteners from all over and
(17:38):
everywhere, but you know, tarotmay not be your thing, oracle
cards may not be your thing,heck crystals may not be your
thing.
I can't claim to understandthat, as I have every pretty
shiny rock that I can get myhands on but I want you to think
about it this way you don'thave to espouse those ways of
thinking in order to benefitfrom the message, and the
(18:01):
message is really this in orderto benefit from the message, and
the message is really thiscycles are thing and are natural
.
They're part of life, they'repart of biology, and so what
you're going through right nowis part of a cycle.
And setting aside the space,you know, crafting it with
intent, which is the definitionof a ritual, is how you utilize
(18:26):
that insight and develop thatself-awareness to learn from the
phase of the cycle that you'rein to transition into the next
one and be ready.
So hopefully that gives you themuch needed insight and some
guidance for the week ahead.
(18:47):
Also, the amethyst isphenomenal at the bedside in
terms of clarity in sleep,really helping with that third
eye in intuition sense, whileyou're sleeping, so you can keep
it by your bedside as well.
Uh, some people actually findthat, uh, the lucid dreams that
(19:09):
they have, depending on the sizeof the amethyst next to the
bedside, can be a little bitmuch.
So just having it maybe outsideof the bedroom or in the space
where you have your morningcoffee, um, might also do the
trick.
If it is a little bit too, howdo you say high vibration?
(19:30):
Let's say, uh, right by yourbedside.
So our drink pairing of the week, all right.
So I fell down this insanerabbit hole of the Sonic drink
fandom, somehow, of coursedragging my husband along with
me, and this group is nothingbut Sonic drink recipes, which I
have been mocking some of themup at home in various ways.
(19:51):
I know I've talked to you guysabout my pseudo coffee shop that
I turned my downstairs into,and I have a water bar you know,
flavor bar, whatever with abunch of syrups and things that
I love.
So I've been mocking a few ofthem up in various ways.
But also I absolutely had tostop and get a vanilla coconut
small milkshake, which wasstupid good.
That is a door I should nothave opened.
(20:12):
You order a small vanillamilkshake, add white coconut
syrup to it.
It's literally a coconut creampie in a cup without like the
pieces.
It's texturally smooth.
It's amazing.
So I want you to try a few ofthese next ideas on for size,
(20:34):
and you can use regular water,sparkling water, sprite Zero,
whatever works If you have anugget ice maker.
A, first of all, the jealousyis so real.
B, that's kind of the best wayto have this, so you can even
just get like a large cup ofSonic Ice and somehow escape the
drive-thru without ordering oneof these milkshakes.
(20:54):
If you have that wherewithal,go ahead.
But the first pairing is peach,vanilla and cream.
The second and Chobani makes asweet cream that has stevia
instead of sugar.
So this is the deal you can doany one of like water, sparkling
water, sprite Zero, any of thatkind of stuff and do sugar-free
(21:16):
peach, sugar-free vanilla andthe Chobani sweet cream like a
splash of that creamer that hasthe stevia instead of sugar for
an incredibly low calorie ketooption.
Really of a fun drink.
The second one is mango, cherryand lime, and also the same
cream situation.
(21:37):
You can omit the cream as well.
The flavors work perfectlywithout it.
Omit the cream as well.
The flavors work perfectlywithout it.
The blue coconut, twisted lime,extra cherries and cream is a
summer sonic concoction thatyou're really going to wish that
I didn't tell you, but you'realso going to drink it like it's
cool.
So enjoy, like, post some ofthese recipes in the comments on
(21:57):
socials or, better yet, betteryet, to use the text link at the
top of the show notes and sendme a drink order.
I will publicly post meordering and trying any that I
get and my reaction.
However, do not do your girllike dirty on this.
Like, send me some good ones.
Don't send me something gross.
Send me some good drink ordersto try and I will post them on
(22:23):
TikTok, on our Instagram.
Our Instagram is under the codeteam, by the way, so it's the
code underscore or theunderscore code underscore team.
At TikTok it's just the ritualnurse, no spaces.
So now, next, we have ourdivination poll.
So our divination poll is asister deck to the crystal
(22:43):
Oracle.
It's made by the same designer.
Absolutely.
I've I've posted them numeroustimes, I've tagged them.
I absolutely love their work.
So we're going to pull ourtarot card for our divination.
And again, I am actually I mayor may not actually be videoing
(23:03):
part of this podcast recording,uh, so that you guys can
actually see the live drawshappening in real time instead
of just maybe hearing them.
Maybe not hearing them, I don'tknow how much.
Sometimes my microphone picksup the shuffling of the cards,
which is so relaxing to me, kindof like an ASMR thing, uh,
(23:25):
without being creepy ASMR.
Okay, so I apparently, too, hada message for you this week.
Two of them the hierophant andthe emperor.
Oh, my goodness, those are someheavy hitters this week.
So this deck is absolutelystunning and I'm actually
(23:48):
holding it up to the recordingso that you can see it on TikTok
.
Lapis Lazuli is the Hierophantand the Emperor is Ruby.
So let's see what these have tosay, keeping in mind what our
(24:10):
lunar insight, our crystal, wasfor the week.
So the hierophant signifiestradition, wisdom and mastery.
Lapis lazuli, combined with thehierophant, signals wisdom,
clarity and intellect.
Weird, the hierophant bringsforth feelings of morality and
being ethical, black maternalhealth week.
(24:32):
Think of this card as the older, wiser teacher or counselor.
Also, what did we talk about inthe podcast?
Who will mentor you along theway?
It can be related to traditionsand convention, learning and
education, or mastering acertain area of your life.
That couldn't possibly be amore succinct summarization of
(24:55):
the past 24 minutes and 25seconds.
So the next one is the emperor.
The emperor is all aboutstability, structure and
protectiveness.
Ruby is vitality, knowledge andenthusiasm.
The emperor represents a lot ofstability, hard work, leadership
(25:17):
and discipline.
You have the knowledge andwisdom to do anything that you
set your mind to, so claim yourauthority as a leader Absolutely
incredible.
In order to do the things thatthe Hierophant is talking about
and utilize your intuition andself-awareness, you really have
(25:40):
to claim leadership over yourexperience and your engagement
with that experience.
And leading is how we definefor the next generation, by
example, how to do this.
Listening to this podcast isnot only beneficial for you guys
(26:02):
because of the skill sets in itand the camaraderie and the
community and things like that,but those of us in the field.
By doing these things, byactually leading by example, is
literally how we teach the nextgeneration to thrive through
(26:22):
their nursing profession and thechoices that they're making,
whether they're at the bedsideor not at the bedside.
In ways that we didn't get, inways that we didn't get I'm just
going to put a period on theend of that sentence in ways
that we didn't get.
So that is our incredibly,totally irrelevant divination
(26:46):
poll and our Oracle, our crystalprescription.
If you are still with me,bestie, thank you.
You could be anywhere, hidingin the med room, could be crying
in your car after a shift,rethinking your entire life at
2am, or laughing uncontrollablywith your best friends and
(27:07):
teammates.
You could also be peacefullyrelaxing in your protected space
and you chose to be here andthat matters.
That really matters to me.
If you laughed today or if youneeded to, I want you to send me
your funniest, weirdest andmost chaotic nursing student
story DM me.
(27:29):
Or new grad story, too, dm me.
Tag me or email me at hello atritualnursecom.
I want to feature your voice.
Next, and don't forget our freetool.
The list is available on thewebsite tcthorg completely free.
Uh, two episodes ago Iexplained in the in the birthday
special episode.
(27:49):
I explained how to use it andthe benefit, because it's
actually a super simple, nonoverwhelming system and the list
is the tool that goes with itthere.
The information on the systemis in the podcast.
It's not like a fake you outlink of.
I'm going to give you theinformation just to make you
(28:11):
click on something that costsyou money or any weird
subscribing nonsense.
It's literally the actualinformation on the system, why
it works, how to use it and thetool itself that you can get for
free.
There's also the birthdayepisode bonus code and that is
still going to remain active.
I know that there was like atime limit on it, but that is
(28:34):
active for the exclusive designsof the free tool which are
going to be showcased on the newShopify store that's coming
this week.
The WordPress setup on thewebsite was a holy terror to get
them displayed on, so the codeis being extended so that you
can use it freely on the Shopifystore with ease.
Keep an eye on socials.
Like I said, follow us onInstagram at the underscore code
(28:58):
underscore team.
So it's the code team.
Just put the underscores inbetween the words and TikTok at
the ritual nurse for when thatgoes live this week.
So until next time, take careof you, because the nurse that
you're becoming deserves aversion of you that's well,
whole and wildly loved.
(29:18):
Love your faces.
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