Nurse Dot Podcast

Continuing into the second half of this special two-part series, Cara, Bryan, and Cynda explore the overlap between Greek tragedies and the shared experiences of nurses who made the decision to leave their profession and those who remained but faced burnout. The discussion delves into the transformative potential of embracing mistakes and acknowledging our thoughts, highlighting the profound impac...

Cara engages in a discussion with Dr. Cynda Hylton Rushton and Bryan Doerries, Artistic Director of Theater of War Productions, as they delve into their collaboration on The Nurse Antigone. This innovative project, tailored for nurses, aims to facilitate guided discussions on the unique challenges they faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bryan shares the inception of Theater of War and its profoun...

Cara sits down with Aerin Glaser, a vibrant and creative young woman who is currently battling alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a type of cancer commonly found in the limbs. Candidly sharing her journey, Aerin discusses the challenges of undergoing chemotherapy, grappling with the intricacies of medication management, and exploring alternative treatments. Together, Aerin and Cara discuss the profound, p...

In this episode, Cara is joined by Rebecca Love, RN, BS, MSN, FIEL, who recently launched the Commission for Nurse Reimbursement which aims to transform the way Medicare reimburses healthcare systems for the invaluable care that nurses provide. Rebecca discusses the historical background of nurse reimbursement and shares how the changing legal landscape, wherein nurses are now facing criminal char...

Cara is joined by Tracy Lynn Rodgers, RN, BSN, WCC, Legal Nurse Consultant Certified, to delve into Tracy's harrowing car accident in 2011, which resulted in traumatic injuries and a four-year journey of recovery. Tracy reflects on the humbling experience of being cared for by nurses after spending her career caring for others and how she has been able to find silver linings from one of the mo...

Cara is joined by Lora Sparkman, RN, BSN, MHA, to discuss the evolution of healthcare education from classroom-based learning to implementing the use of virtual reality training software. Lora walks listeners through the different categories of extended reality training, what they could look like in an educational setting, and the positive impact it has on knowledge retention. The pair talk about...

In this week's episode, Cara is joined by Cat Golden, BSN, RN, owner and founder of Nurses Inspire Nurses, to discuss the evolution of the nurse community, media, and peer support over the past several years. Cat opens up about how her initial vision of creating a sanctuary where individuals could embrace their true selves grew into a vibrant nurse community. She highlights the importance of f...

Cara is joined by Sarah Gaines, MSN, RNC-OB, and founder of the Six Figure Travel Nurse community which focuses on mentoring and providing education to nurses so they can experience the freedom that comes with working less and traveling more. Sarah shares how a personal loss led her to leave a toxic work environment and pursue a life-changing career in travel nursing. The pair discuss the stigma a...

Cara interviews Marla Barthen, RN and Executive Director of The Nurses' March and Memorial, to discuss the toll and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the nursing profession. Marla shares her motivation behind organizing the National Nurses March and Memorial in May of 2022 and the role it played in the expression of grief within the nursing community. The pair discuss how nurses feel now that...

To mark National Nurses Week, the NurseDot Podcast is featuring a special mini-series, "I'm Your Biggest Fan.” The mini-series features celebrity guests, including Michael Bublé, Nick Hexum, and Cheryl Hines, who share inspiring stories about the positive impact that nurses, including host Cara Lunsford, have had on their lives. Through personal and intimate conversations, the guests discu...

To mark National Nurses Week, the NurseDot Podcast is featuring a special mini-series, "I'm Your Biggest Fan.” The mini-series features celebrity guests, including Michael Bublé, Nick Hexum, and Cheryl Hines, who share inspiring stories about the positive impact that nurses, including host Cara Lunsford, have had on their lives. Through personal and intimate conversations, the guests discu...

To mark National Nurses Week, the NurseDot Podcast is featuring a special mini-series, "I'm Your Biggest Fan.” The mini-series features celebrity guests, including Michael Bublé, Nick Hexum, and Cheryl Hines, who share inspiring stories about the positive impact that nurses, including host Cara Lunsford, have had on their lives. Through personal and intimate conversations, the guests discu...

To mark National Nurses Week, the NurseDot Podcast is featuring a special mini-series, "I'm Your Biggest Fan.” The mini-series features celebrity guests, including Michael Bublé, Nick Hexum, and Cheryl Hines, who share inspiring stories about the positive impact that nurses, including host Cara Lunsford, have had on their lives. Through personal and intimate conversations, the guests discu...

To mark National Nurses Week, the NurseDot Podcast is featuring a special mini-series, "I'm Your Biggest Fan.” The mini-series features celebrity guests, including Michael Bublé, Nick Hexum, and Cheryl Hines, who share inspiring stories about the positive impact that nurses, including host Cara Lunsford, have had on their lives. Through personal and intimate conversations, the guests discu...

To mark National Nurses Week, the NurseDot Podcast is featuring a special mini-series, "I'm Your Biggest Fan.” The mini-series features celebrity guests, including Michael Bublé, Nick Hexum, and Cheryl Hines, who share inspiring stories about the positive impact that nurses, including host Cara Lunsford, have had on their lives. Through personal and intimate conversations, the guests discu...

Cara is joined by Jim Reeves, VP of Enterprise Accounts at Relias, who acts as a full-time caregiver to his 19-year-old son who has down syndrome, oppositional defiance disorder, and disruptive mood dysregulation disorder. He also cares for his wife who was recently diagnosed with frontal temporal dementia. The two discuss the trials and rewards that come with caring for an individual that needs 2...

Cara sits down with Ted Meyer, Artistic Patient Advocate, to discuss how his history as a pediatric patient with a rare and untreatable disease led him to be an advocate for patient care. The two review the importance of acknowledging patients' stories and goals and how it allows nurses to provide quality patient care and advocacy. Ted references his numerous experiences in the healthcare indu...

Cara sits down with Amy Loughren, trauma, ICU, and ER nurse, also known as the "Good Nurse" for her part in the arrest and prosecution of American serial killer, Charles Cullen who may be responsible for as many as 400 deaths over a period of 16 years. Amy describes her relationship with Cullen and how after his arrest, she overcame the guilt and anxiety of knowing that one of her closest...

Cara is joined by Dr. Jeffrey Becker, MD and Dr. Dushyant Viswanathan, MD, to discuss how integrative medicine is an essential part of overall health care, combining the best of conventional medical treatments with evidence-based complementary or alternative medicine therapies. Dr. Becker and Dr. DV share how they first got involved with the integrative medicine field and how they use it to take a...

Cara is joined by Lumify co-founders CEO Anthony Scarpone-Lambert, BSN, RN and COO Jennifferre Mancillas, BSN, RN, RNC-NIC to discuss their revolutionary uNight Light product. Anthony and Jennifferre discuss what motivated them to start their company and how their product has had a positive impact on patient and night shift workers. The three discuss their experiences with working the night shift...

Cara is joined by Terry Foster, RN, and President of the ENA, to discuss violence in the workplace and how it has drastically impacted the nursing profession in recent years. Violence has always been present in the nursing profession, but in recent years, it has become significantly more prevalent. Terry and Cara share their experiences with violence along with the factors that have contributed to...

Cara sits down with Kimberly Dunker, Doctor of Nursing Practice, CNE, CNECL and Dean of Nursing at Pacific Union College, to discuss today's nursing education system. Cara and Kimberly explore the nature of today’s nursing education, how it has been affected by the pandemic, and the impact all of this is having on the size of the nursing workforce. The pair discuss how universities are encoura...

Cara sits down with Dr. Bonnie Clipper to discuss technology and how it will play a role in the future of healthcare. Since 2020 patient utilization of telehealth has surged and become an integral part of healthcare, but there are still questions surrounding its validity and how it impacts patients and healthcare systems. Bonnie shares where she sees virtual nursing going and what the positive and...

Cara is joined by Dr. Rola Aamar, PhD, to discuss the key differences between burnout and moral injury. Many people unknowingly group these two emotions into one category. However, they are uniquely different in how they impact an individual and handled from a mental health perspective. Rola details her experience with both emotions and how nurses and nurse leaders can work together to reduce the...

Cara sits down with Dr. Catie Harris, PhD, MBA, RN, and owner/CEO of NursePreneurs, to discuss her entrepreneurial journey. What started as a blog in 2016 focusing on teaching new nurses how to transition into nurse practitioner roles has since evolved into a thriving business with over 14,000 nurses, 175 podcast episodes, and 250 businesses launched. Catie shares the fear, inspiration, and person...