Nursing Uncharted Ep. 106 - Embracing Change in Modern Nursing with Taniqua Mighty

Nursing is changing fast, and new degrees, more travel gigs, and bedside tech are all part of the ride. In this episode, we chat with neurosurgery nurse Taniqua about how to roll with these changes, spot new opportunities, and stay connected to what matters in nursing. If you’re ready to grow in your career and rethink what’s possible, this one is for you.

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Key Takeaways 

• Stay flexible: Change is nonstop in nursing—tech, treatments, even how we get certified. If you can adapt, you’ll succeed. 

• Try travel nursing: It’s not just about making more money. You get to pick up new skills, see new places, and meet people who change your perspective. 

• Own your expertise: Nurses aren’t just following orders anymore. Your insights and quick thinking are shaping patient care every day. 

• Little things make a big difference: Upgraded scrubs and self-expression help nurses feel confident and bring their best selves to work. 

• Set boundaries with patients: It’s okay to say, “I’m here for your health—not to fix the TV.” Clear expectations help you focus on what matters. 

• Get out of your comfort zone: Whether it’s chasing a new degree or working in a new city, that’s where real growth happens. 

Timestamps

[02:31] Taniqua shares how she got into neurosurgery and talks about her next step to become a nurse practitioner.
[05:45] From paper charts to apps: how tech is shaking up the daily grind in nursing.
[08:16] Faster advanced degrees and open-book tests? Here’s what’s new (and what it means).
[12:59] Why more nurses are hitting the road, and how travel nursing opens doors and changes lives.
[20:30] Scrub talk—color codes, personal style, and how your work wardrobe can lift your mood.
[26:52] Setting patient expectations: what really matters when you’re juggling so much.
[30:33] Nurses have a bigger say—your voice matters more than ever on the care team.
[37:10] Taniqua’s parting wisdom: “Nothing grows in a comfort zone.”

About Our Guest

Meet Taniqua—a neurosurgery nurse who’s spent nine years making a real impact in hospitals. Originally from New York, she found her home in Texas thanks to a travel assignment, and now she’s about to jump into her first nurse practitioner role. Taniqua’s all about embracing change and growth, and her stories are packed with real talk about what it takes to adapt, push your limits, and create new opportunities in nursing today. Follow Taniqua on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nursemighty...

Resources & Links

• AMN Passport App: Download the app to view available positions, manage credentials, and track your impact.
• AMN Healthcare Learning Center: Access free continuing education units (CEUs) and certification assistance. Visit AMN Healthcare
• Nursing Uncharted: Learn more about the show and past episodes.

Transcript:

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:19:20
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Hey, guys. Welcome back to another episode of Nursing Uncharted. I am really excited about this episode. I met the my next guest Taniqua, just a couple weeks ago, and we had a phenomenal conversation. So I'm excited to get that out to the listeners. And for them to learn a little bit more about you.

00:00:19:20 - 00:00:20:11
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
So

00:00:20:11 - 00:00:22:21
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
without further ado, please,

00:00:22:21 - 00:00:26:13
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
tell the listeners who you are and a little bit about yourself.

00:00:26:13 - 00:00:32:18
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
guys. I'm Taniqua Mighty. I currently live in Houston, and, I've been a nurse for nine

00:00:41:18 - 00:00:48:10
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Right.

00:01:05:09 - 00:01:09:06
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Nice.

00:01:09:11 - 00:01:22:02
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Oh, nice. Are you. So you're originally from New York? I don't know if I, I didn't know. I'm from Pennsylvania. So you got that? We got the East Coast vibe.

00:01:22:04 - 00:01:34:05
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah. Oh, nice. And did you just, like, fall in love on your travel journey? Is that what? Yeah.

00:01:34:07 - 00:01:39:09
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Really? Oh, that.

00:01:39:14 - 00:01:53:12
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Oh, that's actually really cool. I didn't know that. My my brother. Fun fact. My brother lives in Texas. He lives outside of Dallas. But I've never. It was so funny. My Uber driver yesterday was like, I said something about Texas and people always running red lights in Texas.

00:01:53:12 - 00:01:58:07
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah. And and he was like, have you ever been to Houston?

00:01:58:07 - 00:02:09:08
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
It's amazing. And I'm like, no, I never did. So just ironic for these conversations.

00:02:09:10 - 00:02:18:08
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Oh, nice. Oh that's amazing. I have to maybe maybe my travel journeys in the future. One will take me, one will take me there.

00:02:18:08 - 00:02:31:05
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
the whole pedes aspect. I know that that's something that when we first talk that was, like, really special. Special to you. But where? Remind me again. Where are you working right now with specialty.

00:02:31:09 - 00:02:40:18
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Neurosurgery. Oh, wow. Yeah. And then there's something that is coming up soon, right? They are starting. Starting something new.

00:02:46:01 - 00:02:48:23
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah. In.

00:02:57:01 - 00:03:15:13
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
That's so. That's so exciting. And congratulations. I feel like a lot of the people I'm meeting, you know, through doing this podcast, are advancing their degrees. And that's just something that, you know, it's I think back to when I started my nursing career and I'm like, maybe I'll do that one day. And then all of a sudden it's like just what people are really

00:03:15:13 - 00:03:16:12
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
going for.

00:03:16:12 - 00:03:24:03
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
So and it's a lot of hard work. So I, you know, congratulations. That's exciting.

00:03:24:05 - 00:03:30:19
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah. Yeah.

00:03:31:00 - 00:03:49:21
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah I know, and it's it's so crazy out like people ask me all the time. Well, how long have you been doing this. And I have to, like, take a second and be like, oh, I don't want to say that number out loud. I'm just aging myself and. Yeah, it's been it's been ten plus years. Yeah. I think that's a good a good place to stop.

00:03:50:03 - 00:04:00:17
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
And I think about like the when I was a baby nurse, you know, starting and someone's like, I've been here ten years now. I'm like ten years. I can't imagine.

00:04:00:21 - 00:04:01:18
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:04:01:18 - 00:04:04:21
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
So something really that we like to hold true,

00:04:04:21 - 00:04:15:23
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
on this podcast is really highlighting what your passion is. So, you know, what is what is something that's just, like, weighing on your heart or just, like, making you excited. Like, what is that passion that you, you have about nursing?

00:04:53:00 - 00:05:04:01
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:05:04:03 - 00:05:20:09
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:05:20:11 - 00:05:23:17
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:05:23:17 - 00:05:31:09
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
you know, almost like you don't even need much at the bedside to get your advanced degree now, which is

00:05:31:09 - 00:05:41:15
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
crazy to think, like, to think about, because, you know, I started this back in 2009 and things have just changed so, so much.

00:05:41:15 - 00:05:45:18
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
And, you know, and something with I remember is that

00:05:45:18 - 00:06:00:11
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
the important thing about nursing is you have to be like, you have to adapt. You have to adapt to these changes because medicine is ever change. And, you know, there's always going to be changes in medical treatments, in whatever, but that those changes are

00:06:00:11 - 00:06:06:03
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
bigger than what I remember.

00:06:13:02 - 00:06:16:16
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:06:16:18 - 00:06:24:14
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:06:24:16 - 00:06:43:15
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah. And with the with the phones even I remember we had, like, before I started traveling. We had like a power outage and it was a generator failure, and it was terrifying. And the lights went off like there were no lights. And they were like, you're not allowed to have your cell phone. Your cell phone has to stay in your locker.

00:06:43:20 - 00:07:02:07
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
You know, and listen. And thank goodness we didn't listen because we were able to have the flashlights on our phones. So, you know, and that and now it's like, oh no, we use our phones like use your phone to look things up. You have your, you know, like the like to look up medications. They, you know, hospitals give you the, you know,

00:07:02:07 - 00:07:05:23
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
promo code whatever to download that app to be able to look things up.

00:07:05:23 - 00:07:19:17
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
So it's like right there, you know, at your fingertips. So I think it's fun. I think this will be fun to like dive into this more and talk about those changes and like, you know, highlight the pros. Maybe some cons that we see. And like, you know, I think that I think it's a fun

00:07:19:17 - 00:07:23:10
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
conversation to know that these changes are happening and

00:07:23:10 - 00:07:33:05
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
what, what that's doing.

00:07:33:06 - 00:07:43:23
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah. There's always going to be cons and everything. So you know. Yeah. And like, you know just like a huge change. My very first job was paper charting.

00:07:43:23 - 00:07:48:22
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
it was we had like paint, like paper charts. And then the doctor would write in this like,

00:07:48:22 - 00:07:54:07
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
flip thing, and that's how we would get our orders, like, just, you know, and now that's unheard of.

00:07:54:07 - 00:08:09:08
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
And like, people coming, like the new nurses coming out of nursing school. Like what? And I'm like, I'm one. I'm not that old. So it wasn't that long ago.

00:08:09:10 - 00:08:16:10
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah. We just don't charge built our downtime. Yeah.

00:08:16:12 - 00:08:44:09
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
I sure. Yeah, yeah. And I think a really interesting one is what you, what you start like started with, with your passion is these advanced degrees are faster and like what does that look like and why. Like what is the why behind that.

00:08:54:16 - 00:09:11:18
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:09:11:19 - 00:09:24:06
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:09:24:08 - 00:09:28:19
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Oh, wow. Yeah.

00:09:37:02 - 00:09:42:07
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
That is mind blowing to me.

00:09:44:10 - 00:09:48:11
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yes.

00:09:48:13 - 00:09:55:13
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yes.

00:09:55:15 - 00:10:15:05
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Which which is good, because, I mean, there's. I think there's good and bad with that. Like one. How is it monitored? Like, how do you how do you prevent the, you know, referring back to your notes but also like I the big thing is test anxiety. And in nursing school you get a little tested that I know a lot of programs.

00:10:15:06 - 00:10:28:03
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Your clinical aspect is two exams. You have your midterm and your final. And then the clinical aspect is like pass fail. And that's a lot of pressure. But so you have to go into a room,

00:10:28:03 - 00:10:34:11
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
feel like basically you're in trouble or like you're you're doing something wrong and then take something that you've worked

00:10:34:11 - 00:10:37:23
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
X amount of years for to potentially fail.

00:10:37:23 - 00:10:41:04
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
And like, I'll raise my hand. I failed the first time I took the end class.

00:10:41:04 - 00:10:55:19
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
I was so nervous. I stayed up all night cramming like I took every single question and I was like, I failed. I know I did. And then when I took it again, I was like, this is so easy. Like, how did you know?

00:10:55:19 - 00:11:13:05
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
But it's the anxiety and that mind that, you know, you just you're so afraid to fail because this is what you've worked so hard to do. And allowing the people that have that really strong test anxiety to maybe this be a more comfortable

00:11:13:05 - 00:11:14:20
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
way is is a good thing.

00:11:25:09 - 00:11:27:15
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Oh.

00:11:28:21 - 00:11:38:12
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Open book test. Yeah, yeah.

00:11:38:14 - 00:12:01:20
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah. Yeah. Oh my gosh. Yeah I know, and maybe that just made me think like I have my, RNC because I do neonatal ICU, so, I got certified a couple of years ago, and that is a really stressful test. I didn't even tell the guy was dating at the time that I took the test. Or my parents.

00:12:01:20 - 00:12:15:16
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
No one knew I was taking it because I didn't want that extra anxiety to be like, today's the day you're gonna do great. You know? Like, I just was like, I'm going to go, I'm not going to tell anyone, and I'm going to see, you know, if I pass. But those questions, all of them were right,

00:12:15:16 - 00:12:20:04
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
but you had to pick, like the best one or like the one that made the best.

00:12:20:04 - 00:12:37:11
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
So maybe that which I think would be harder at like the end exam in that aspect would be harder. So maybe that was a really good point to bring up.

00:12:37:13 - 00:12:41:10
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah, yeah, I know, I know.

00:12:41:10 - 00:12:52:16
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah. More to come on that. And maybe it'll make people still like wanting to go and do it in person, because it might not be as difficult. I don't know, we'll have to. We'll have to see. Yeah.

00:12:55:12 - 00:12:59:20
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah. I mean, I don't even know which one I would choose, to be honest. I think.

00:12:59:20 - 00:13:18:07
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah. And then another thing with like, you know, advancing the degrees sooner, but I think more nurses are traveling. That's something that I see because for me, with my specialty, there's a lot of competition like and, you know, and it's and it's stressful because I never thought that I would be

00:13:18:07 - 00:13:21:11
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
finding it difficult to find a job, you know.

00:13:21:17 - 00:13:33:10
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
And then that has happened in the travel world. And I wonder if that's because of this huge influx of travel nurses.

00:13:33:12 - 00:13:40:06
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:13:56:01 - 00:13:59:05
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:14:08:11 - 00:14:20:04
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:14:20:06 - 00:14:22:07
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:14:27:21 - 00:14:30:14
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah. And and I've talked about that,

00:14:30:14 - 00:14:38:06
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
on this with, you know, other people, like, even through amn, like recruiters and, like, what they're seeing and, you know, there there's always like these,

00:14:38:06 - 00:14:44:05
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
you know, up and down balancing of, you know, what the travel industry is. And I think it's kind of

00:14:44:05 - 00:14:48:02
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
remained pretty high from what I remember like from the conversation.

00:14:48:04 - 00:14:48:20
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
But like

00:14:48:20 - 00:14:53:21
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
something I mean, you said it in introducing yourself, you're in Houston now because

00:14:53:21 - 00:15:13:12
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
you traveled and you fell in love with the new place. Like, that's so cool. Like not many people in your career path have that opportunity to to do that.

00:15:13:14 - 00:15:18:20
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:15:18:22 - 00:15:24:03
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:15:24:05 - 00:15:29:22
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah, I got yeah. Call me. I'll get my referral. Yeah yeah yeah.

00:15:45:14 - 00:16:06:01
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah. And and even where I, you know, I'm in Southern California and I'll run into nurses on travel assignments, even at the job that, you know, I work at now, where they'll do a travel job in addition to their part time job. And just, like, get people to cover their shifts for them, you know, use vacation time and that, like,

00:16:06:01 - 00:16:10:01
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
that just allows for a financial flexibility for, for families.

00:16:10:01 - 00:16:36:21
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
I mean, Southern California is now known to be you can't afford to live here. So, you know, people are having to be creative, and it gives opportunities for people to get into a better financial situation. And I think, you know, we always talk about, oh, travel nurses are paid so much. But you know, if you look at that from a positive side, sometimes it really helps people get back on their feet that were maybe struggling or going through life changes that they're like, what do I do?

00:16:37:02 - 00:16:44:02
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
And it allows for that opportunity.

00:16:48:21 - 00:16:58:01
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yes. Which is amazing. Like congratulations.

00:16:58:03 - 00:17:02:22
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:17:03:06 - 00:17:24:05
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
It does. And I think, you know, so we're like getting off a little bit off tangent, but like to highlight the travel nursing like that is something that is always the stigma we don't want to talk about is like our pay packages and our money. But like if you look at that and it just kind of came to me like during this conversation, it's like if you look at that from like the benefit side of it and, you know, like

00:17:24:05 - 00:17:26:20
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
juggling two jobs at once to get

00:17:26:20 - 00:17:31:10
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
in a better spot, like that's I think that that's a huge plus.

00:17:31:10 - 00:17:38:18
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
It's not just, you know, running after the most money. It's really just to like, better yourself or get into a better situation. Buy a house,

00:17:38:18 - 00:17:48:23
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
have a great Christmas with your children. You know, like just things like that that you know, I think are overlooked is is a nice thing to highlight.

00:17:49:01 - 00:17:54:11
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
And I do these.

00:17:54:15 - 00:18:04:10
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah. And I think, you know, it's, it's funny because I'm very I'm a very open person. I'm open on this podcast. I'm open in my, in my real life. And I talk about this, you know,

00:18:04:10 - 00:18:11:03
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
people as a whole are struggling financially right now. I think it's just a really tough time in the, in the world.

00:18:11:03 - 00:18:17:06
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
in nursing, I feel like we have so much flexibility picking up over time, getting a second job.

00:18:17:08 - 00:18:36:12
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
A lot of nurses have a second job, either in health care or not in healthcare. And it's kind of crazy because we work so hard and we sacrifice so much of ourselves for others to then have another job on top of it is crazy, but everyone will hire a nurse. Like, if you think about that, like an employer, they're like, oh, she's a nurse.

00:18:36:12 - 00:18:43:23
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah, we'll hire her. Yeah, yeah.

00:18:44:01 - 00:18:47:06
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:18:50:13 - 00:19:12:03
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah. And that is nice. You have you have stability. You know, people are you we talk about I taking over which is another change in healthcare. But but you're going to need that person to still deliver the decisions or whatever AI is bringing to the healthcare industry. You're still going to need us.

00:19:12:05 - 00:19:17:12
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:19:17:14 - 00:19:36:01
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah. Right. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. But like, I mean, you think about that, like even physicians, they can work from home like you did. You did tell a nursing, but like, there's not as many of those opportunities for like physicians or radiologists to work remote because they don't necessarily

00:19:36:01 - 00:19:38:16
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
have to be that. I mean, to perform some of the,

00:19:38:16 - 00:19:39:12
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
like procedures.

00:19:39:12 - 00:19:52:14
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Obviously you have to be in person, but to make the medical decisions, look at our our PCP is everything's telemedicine.

00:19:57:12 - 00:20:06:18
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:20:06:20 - 00:20:07:14
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Oh yeah.

00:20:12:16 - 00:20:30:10
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah. Yeah. Which you know it's funny because we talk about changes and I know in our first conversation I was like kind of like oh the changes that I'd like oh my gosh I'm turning into one of those old nurses that doesn't want it change. But there are there are a lot of positives, even with the things that may be a headache at first.

00:20:30:12 - 00:20:39:03
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
You see the positive in that. And I think that's important for nurses to be adaptable to those changes.

00:20:39:03 - 00:20:47:21
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah, and I have to I have to laugh because I didn't tell you this in our first our first meeting. But one of the changes you brought up was,

00:20:47:21 - 00:20:52:01
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
specialties wearing the same color scrubs.

00:20:52:01 - 00:21:01:02
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
And when that happened in my hospital, we were so mad.

00:21:01:04 - 00:21:15:19
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:21:15:21 - 00:21:19:19
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
I was like that.

00:21:22:01 - 00:21:27:00
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:21:44:08 - 00:21:45:17
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:21:45:17 - 00:21:51:01
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
And I think that's probably why the why whomever came up with that idea

00:21:51:01 - 00:21:52:08
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
did it. Because

00:21:52:08 - 00:21:57:16
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
I think about I always go back to my, my parents and like thankfully my parents don't listen to every episode. I do

00:21:57:16 - 00:22:06:19
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
because I do talk about them sometimes. But like I think about them and, you know, they're getting older and they're having to adapt to these changes, but are probably unaware of all the changes.

00:22:06:23 - 00:22:29:11
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
And going into a hospital, they're lost, like they don't know where to go. And even as a travel nurse, you walk into the hospital, you're lost like you're you walk in and you immediately are lost. So you know. Yeah. So like, yeah. And like having, you know, obviously they're not going to like there's not like a key out like at the main entrance that are like, this person wears this color.

00:22:29:11 - 00:22:40:10
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
But you know, as a, as a patient I would think like as the nurse, hey, you know, if this person comes into the room and they're wearing gray, like, for us, the nurses were gray at when I was,

00:22:40:10 - 00:22:47:05
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
at a facility that did this. It was like the I'm a nurse, so if I come in, please ask or ask that other person will be able to help you.

00:22:47:07 - 00:23:08:23
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
But if they're wearing this color, you know, they are environmental services or food services. And that is I think that that helps the patients, their families and loved ones, especially in the aging population.

00:23:09:01 - 00:23:13:17
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Who are you?

00:23:13:19 - 00:23:18:10
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:23:19:12 - 00:23:27:14
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah. It's funny though because I didn't tell you that I was like anti same scrub color because.

00:23:27:16 - 00:23:46:02
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah I know. Like your Halloween one. Your Christmas one. Yeah. Like yeah. It's it's it's so funny how like things scrubs have changed I mean let's talk about that. Like, you know the colors and the they fit you now.

00:23:47:04 - 00:23:54:16
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
You're not wearing a bag.

00:23:54:18 - 00:24:03:18
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:24:03:20 - 00:24:09:04
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah. Yeah.

00:24:09:04 - 00:24:33:02
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah. And they breathe and they move with you. There's some stretch I remember, like, going to, like, Walmart and buying my scrubs because, like, back in the day, I'm from a small town. That's the. We didn't have scrubs stores you know. Are you did they were really expensive. But you go and they were just horrible. And remember that was not that long ago.

00:24:33:04 - 00:24:38:06
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yes. Yeah. And that's what they like, you know, it's

00:24:38:06 - 00:24:54:14
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
like I think I said this, I was, I wanted to wear I was a, transport nurse, so I would have to wear a flight suit sometimes. And it was, it was off their flame, you know, they're flame resistant, like fireproof. So they don't breathe at all. And it's blue.

00:24:54:14 - 00:25:15:09
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
It's like a bag. They're made for men. So, like, you know, the the the inseam is down to your knees. Like it was awful. Like you did not feel beautiful, feminine. You didn't feel anything in them except like you're wearing a bag. So I went and got pink boots, flight boots to wear. And I wasn't allowed to wear.

00:25:15:11 - 00:25:26:11
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
I had to return them. They were too flashy. And now it's like, look at look. My shoes are like fluorescent colors now and I get compliments. So it's funny.

00:25:37:20 - 00:25:42:07
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:25:42:09 - 00:25:50:21
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
It does.

00:25:50:23 - 00:25:52:06
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:25:52:06 - 00:26:07:06
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
And it does. And, you know, people come in and, you know, certain certain brands we don't like to name brands, but like, they'll like these tops. And on some people I'm just like, that is so cute. I can't believe those are scrubs, you know? And it's it's nice. And like, as women, we

00:26:07:06 - 00:26:11:16
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
we tend to compliment each other, you know, and we care about those little things.

00:26:11:21 - 00:26:33:12
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
And it does it sets you up. It sets your mood better. And we deal with some heavy stuff a lot. And like just for those little, little changes that we've been able to sneak in and now take over, you know, do affects do affect our mood. And a happier nurse is better for a patient any day.

00:26:33:14 - 00:26:39:08
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:26:39:10 - 00:26:40:10
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah,

00:26:40:10 - 00:26:51:13
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
yeah, yeah. I mean, I care more about that now than I ever did as a as a baby nurse. You know, I'd roll in with the hair on my hair on top of my head. I'm wearing a bag. So what's it matter? You know?

00:26:52:06 - 00:27:28:01
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah. And then something. Something. I guess this kind of goes with the changes in healthcare. But you had brought this up, and I think it's important to talk about is the, like, the realistic patient experience and expectations. And you, you kind of brought up some things. So if you feel comfortable talking about that, I, you know, love to dive into that a little bit.

00:27:28:03 - 00:27:28:14
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:27:28:14 - 00:27:38:00
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
That's.

00:27:45:10 - 00:27:47:13
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:27:56:02 - 00:28:03:22
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
We're at home today.

00:28:04:00 - 00:28:09:16
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:28:09:16 - 00:28:10:11
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:28:19:13 - 00:28:23:09
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah, yeah. And I. And I think that it is.

00:28:23:09 - 00:28:39:11
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
You know, with me, it's different. I don't talk to my page. I mean, I talk to them. They just don't talk back. But, you know, I do. I do it for the families, but the families aren't always there. So I think back to, like, my brief stint in adult nursing and having to have like those,

00:28:39:11 - 00:28:50:22
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
not like it's like a stern talking to you, but not really, but like setting those expectations, you know, and and that's something basics is you know I hi I'm an I'm your nurse today.

00:28:51:04 - 00:29:25:21
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
I also have a few other patients down the hall. I need to pass out all the meds for the day. You know, if you need me, please call. But I will be back to check on you. Like those basic. Those basic expectations. But, you know, there's more to it. And you brought up something funny, like the TV being broken.

00:29:32:19 - 00:29:34:06
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:29:34:06 - 00:29:39:10
AMN Healthcare Podcasts

00:29:39:12 - 00:29:50:20
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:29:50:22 - 00:29:56:00
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
My dinner tray. Yeah.

00:29:56:02 - 00:30:03:07
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:30:03:09 - 00:30:05:19
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:30:05:19 - 00:30:15:04
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:30:17:18 - 00:30:33:19
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah. And and that hasn't changed. That's one of the that's one of the constant things. And if anything I think has gotten a little worse. Of what. Of what falls. Falls on us and, and I think too like something just this just came in my mind is that

00:30:33:19 - 00:30:40:08
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
before. Not that we didn't use our brains because I think we've always been critical thinkers and we've always tried to problem solve,

00:30:40:08 - 00:30:42:05
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
as nurses, that's what you're taught in school.

00:30:42:05 - 00:30:44:22
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
And that's, I think, why most of us do what we do.

00:30:44:22 - 00:30:46:16
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
But I think that even like

00:30:46:16 - 00:30:58:21
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
the medical team, like the doctors, the mid-level, mid-level providers, they're leaning on us a little bit to to be like, well, what did you see? Rather than just telling us what to do,

00:30:58:21 - 00:31:01:07
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
they're now wanting our input more than ever.

00:31:01:07 - 00:31:16:11
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
And I think that started with nurse led rounding and presenting. Go ahead. Yeah.

00:31:16:13 - 00:31:21:07
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:31:21:09 - 00:31:27:11
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:31:27:13 - 00:31:32:01
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:31:32:03 - 00:31:57:17
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
But it's nice though, right? Like, I think that that makes me feel like I'm a valued member of the team rather than just a task person. Like, okay, you gave me a list. Dun dun dun dun dun. Like, we're actually, you know, and I think that the patients rely on us for that to to know our answers and or to know the answers to their questions and to understand simple, simple pathophysiology or how medications work.

00:31:57:17 - 00:32:24:16
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
And, you know, they're trusting us that the medication that we're giving them is what is supposed to be and that we're looking it up and knowing that this medication can't be given with this one, like there is a lot of responsibility that falls on us that, you know, is is a trusting relationship.

00:32:24:18 - 00:32:28:18
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:32:36:07 - 00:32:43:14
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:32:43:16 - 00:32:45:06
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah, yeah.

00:32:45:06 - 00:32:47:12
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
It's a that's a that's a positive. Like

00:32:47:12 - 00:32:51:19
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
nurses matter change. Yeah.

00:32:51:19 - 00:33:02:19
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
I, I love that we had this conversation. I love that we kind of got off topic a little bit because we were able to really have, like a genuine, like sometimes forget I'm recording and I'm like, oh wait. Yeah, we're recording this, you know, and and yeah.

00:33:02:22 - 00:33:06:01
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
And it's just a genuine conversation about, you know,

00:33:06:01 - 00:33:19:09
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
what what we feel and what we experience and what it's what it's like. And I and I love that. That's what I love about this, this podcast and this falling on my lap one day. You know, I'm just grateful to meet people, have these conversations because

00:33:19:09 - 00:33:25:06
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
you know, I always say that travel nursing, you become a better nurse because you learn how to do things multiple different ways.

00:33:25:08 - 00:33:45:04
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
And and I'm learning so much from everyone that I'm meeting. So like including you, you know, like those so many things spark in my brain during our conversation that I never really thought about before. And I think that that's special.

00:33:45:06 - 00:33:48:19
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:33:48:21 - 00:33:49:22
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Oh.

00:33:49:22 - 00:33:57:15
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:33:57:17 - 00:34:00:15
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Oh, thanks. Thank you. You're so sweet.

00:34:00:15 - 00:34:10:12
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Before before we wrap this up, I always like to kind of close with some fun things and something I like I'm curious about. And you can answer this however you want. But how are you feeling about starting your first

00:34:10:12 - 00:34:15:16
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
nurse practitioner job?

00:34:35:23 - 00:34:39:22
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:34:43:08 - 00:34:51:02
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:34:51:17 - 00:34:54:18
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah I.

00:34:59:04 - 00:35:14:13
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah. It's so cool.

00:35:14:15 - 00:35:21:10
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:35:23:10 - 00:35:28:02
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:35:28:03 - 00:35:42:04
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Now, can I just put the order in, like, sometimes that's. I'm like if, like, I need an X-ray. Can I can I just put it in as, like, standard and then you cosign me like, it's fine. So yeah, it's going to. I'm really excited for you. And I think that,

00:35:42:04 - 00:35:55:02
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
I really enjoyed this conversation. So I love to circle back with you, maybe later on in the year and kind of talk about what that transition looks like because I think, you know, you're like, you're right about to start and you're coming,

00:35:55:02 - 00:35:56:04
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
you know,

00:35:56:04 - 00:35:58:21
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
with like from the bedside nurse into that provider.

00:35:58:21 - 00:36:17:11
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
And I think that would be a really cool conversation to have after obviously after your feet wet after you form some genuine opinions.

00:36:17:13 - 00:36:31:19
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah. Given a hard time. Yeah. Yeah. You're going to definitely have a different, different perspective. And you know, but it's always you can always rely on that nursing degree. And I think that's so, so cool.

00:36:42:10 - 00:36:44:13
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:36:51:09 - 00:36:52:03
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Right.

00:36:52:03 - 00:37:10:10
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah. Oh I love that. What is so to wrap this up, what is one piece of advice you could give general nursing nurse practitioner whatever. Whatever you want. What is one thing.

00:37:19:06 - 00:37:26:13
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
I love,

00:37:26:15 - 00:37:31:21
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:37:31:23 - 00:37:40:06
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Love that.

00:37:40:08 - 00:37:44:06
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yes.

00:37:44:07 - 00:37:45:13
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Yeah.

00:37:51:11 - 00:38:01:03
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Over and over. Yes.

00:38:01:03 - 00:38:20:15
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
I love that is beautiful. And I. I get, like, I can almost, like, hear it in my head. That being what we take that is. That is amazing. And nothing grows in a comfort zone. I'm never going to forget that. So thank you for saying that. And thank you for coming on here. This has been great and I know I'm going to see you again.

00:38:20:15 - 00:39:00:14
AMN Healthcare Podcasts
Thank you for tuning in to Nursing Uncharted. You can learn more about this episode and our show on our website at AMN. Health care.com. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend and subscribe to our show on your favorite podcast platform. You can also find show updates and nursing opportunities on our Instagram at AMN. Nurse. Special thanks to Aman Healthcare for making this show possible.