First Best Nurse

How do we drive strategy and achieve goals in such a large, complex health system? At Advocate Health, it's simple math. Meet our force multipliers: Our divisional chief nurses Tami, Annmarie and Dre.

Dr. Carmen Shaw and Dr. Stephanie McDonald welcomed behavioral health nurses to the show for a rich conversation around behavioral health nursing and why this matters to you. As it turns out, every nurse is a behavioral health nurse.

Host Stephanie McDonald welcomes Dr. Luci New, a seasonednurse and educator, to discuss the critical topics of second victim phenomenon, workplace violence, bullying, and the power of peer support in healthcare.  Dr. New shared her journey from the OR to academia, her research on peer support programs, and actionable strategies for supporting colleagues after adverse events.  Special thanks to Dr....

Meet Tracy Breece, RN and VP of Innovation, AI and Emerging Technology at Advocate Health. She is pure inspiration and motivation. In this episode, Carmen and Stephanie dig into who she is, how she got here, and what she is focused on. It is a great episode for all. We would also like to thank our editor for the past year, Marcus Booth. Marcus is moving on in his career journey, but left his finge...

A first impression is usually formed within the first 7 secondsof an interaction (Harvard Study of Communication); it takes as little as 56 seconds to make a meaningful connection (Christina Dempsey, the former Chief Nursing Officer of Press Ganey); providers usually interrupt a patient within11-30 seconds of when they start speaking (2018 study published in the J ournalof General Internal Medicin...

This engaging episode features a conversation with Renee Thompson, Founder of the Healthy Workforce Institute.

Amy Peterson and Leeann Smith won the blue ribbon at the 2025 ANCC Magnet and Pathways Conference for the work they presented - hear all about it here!

Dr. Patricia Spada shares her DNP project aimed at improving maternal health through structured communication

Carmen and Stephanie presented at the 2025 NCNA convention on the topic of podcasting, and took the opportunity to record a conversation with the audience about AI. You get to listen in and hear from some wise nurses in North Carolina!

Our series concludes with Cathy Carson sharing about energy medicine, and specifically, things that you could do for self or others.

Touch therapy? What is that? Cathy Carson brings another episode showcasing touch therapy - what it is, how you can do it and what is the benefit.

Carmen and Stephanie chat with conference attendees about their experience.

Cathy Carson joins us again to discuss mindful practices.

Dive into holistic nursing with a 4-part series featuring certified holistic nurse, Cathy Carson.

In this episode, students from the Wake Forest School of Medicine Doctor or Nursing program asked leadership questions, and Giancarlo Lyle-Edrosolo, RN answered.

Are You Doing Bedside Reports Right? Hear from Victoria Cabasares, nurse manager at Atrium Health Peach, as she describes how she implemented I-PASS in her emergency department.

Join Stephanie in a conversation with a team from Atrium Health's Capacity Command Center. They highlight a position being trialed - the Universal Acceptor Nurse. This role is helping gain efficiencies while allowing nurses to work at top of license.

In this short burst, Stephanie interviews fellow podcaster, Steven Cuzmenco, about his podcast, Researched RN.

Dr. Meredith McSwain disseminates her important work on use of GutCheckNEC with SBAR. Her project aimed to empower nurses with the ability to detect signs of NEC early and communicate their concerns effectively to clinicians.

The Pearl is Advocate Health's new innovation district. Learn more about the Pearl and the vision for innovation in Advocate Health and for Charlotte in this episode.

August is Civic Health month, and in that spirit, we bring you a lively conversation with Dr. Kimberly Gordon, co-founder of Healing Politics. This organization is built with an aim to arm nurses with tools to increase their civic engagement, from simply voting to running for office. We know you will be impressed and inspired. Learn more about Healing Politics here: Healing Politics | Inspire. Mot...

In this short episode, you meet Meredith Wallace, RN, sepsis coordinator as she discusses the importance of timely, appropriate sepsis care.

When something doesn't go as expected in our nursing care, how do we know if the standard of care was followed? Was generally acceptable practice used? This episode takes a deep dive into a nursing event peer review process in place at Atrium Health, part of Advocate Health.

Recorded live at the Advocate Health Nursing Summit during nurses week, this episode features guidance and conversation around the use of social media.

Eden Lee, RN lives in 2 worlds as a nurse and an actress. Listen to this insightful conversation about how she balances both dreams.