Nurse Essentials: A podcast focused on caring for you

Send us Fan Mail Patient care nursing assistants provide invaluable care at the bedside alongside clinical nurses. “I’m very passionate about our PCNAs, especially on medical-surgical units,” says Barbara Zinner, DNP, RN, NE-BC, CENP, Vice President, Chief Nursing Officer at Cleveland Clinic Marymount Hospital and Marymount Sports Health. “I’ve put some focus and some energy into making sure that...

Send us Fan Mail While lung cancer is among the top three most common cancers in the United States, research has led to new understandings of the disease and new treatments for it. During her two years in thoracic medical oncology with the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center, Alexandria Jordan, PA-C, has treated many of the same patients – some who have lived with metastatic lung cancer for a d...

Send us Fan Mail The first year in nursing practice can be awe-inspiring and joyful, but it’s also mentally and emotionally taxing. In this episode of Nurse Essentials, Kathryn Stuck Boyd, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, Nursing Education Manager and Nursing Residency Director at Cleveland Clinic, shares strategies for new nurses to help smooth the transition. “The nurses that really thrive are curious and coach...

Send us Fan Mail During her 40-plus-year nursing career, Sue Behrens, DNP, RN, ACNS-BC, NEA-BC, has cared for patients in their most vulnerable moments, including running medical clinics in Haiti and working in a homeless clinic in Illinois. “What fills my cup is helping others that are truly in need,” says Behrens, Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest and Mentor...

Send us Fan Mail Angela Milosh, DNP, APRN-CRNA, FAANA, calls the nurse anesthesia practice the “epitome of critical care nursing.” It combines technical skills, critical care knowledge, critical thinking and judgement in a dynamic, rapidly changing environment. Dr. Milosh, program director of Cleveland Clinic's Nurse Anesthesia Training School, explains what it’s like to be a certified regist...

Send us Fan Mail Many nurses are influenced by family members to join the profession. Amanda Hancock, a pediatric clinical nurse at Cleveland Clinic main campus, is no exception. Her mother is Kelly Hancock, DNP, RN, NE-BC, FAAN, Chief Caregiver Officer at Cleveland Clinic. “Hearing all her stories and the impact she’s made on people throughout almost 35 years of being a nurse was really inspiring...

Send us Fan Mail Surgical nursing can be daunting, whether you're a student exploring specialties or an experienced nurse seeking a new position. The role demands efficient teamwork in a fast-paced setting to achieve optimal patient outcomes. But it’s also incredibly satisfying. “I've seen patients who have been turned away from another institute, come here, have a successful surgery, an...

Send us Fan Mail On the third anniversary of the Nurse Essentials podcast, Cleveland Clinic’s Chief Caregiver Officer Kelly Hancock, DNP, RN, NE-BC, FAAN, discusses the health system’s power of purpose movement. She shares the importance of understanding why caregivers choose their professions, how the ‘why’ changes over time and the connection between individual purpose and an organization’s miss...

Send us Fan Mail Tim Tibbitts, BSN, RN, became a clinical nurse at age 55 after spending time as an English teacher, freelance writer and stay-at-home parent. During the COVID pandemic he thought, “There’s got to be something more I can contribute.” He enrolled in an 18-month accelerated BSN program, then joined the inpatient solid tumor oncology unit at Cleveland Clinic main campus after graduati...

Send us Fan Mail Healthcare is inundated with new technologies, from workflow and documentation tools to virtual patient companions and AI-enabled medical devices. “We’re seeing technology evolve faster than ever, and nurses are right at the center of that change,” says Matthew Shesko, MSN, NI-BC, NE-BC, Nurse Manager for Nursing Informatics at Cleveland Clinic. In this episode of Nurse Essentials...

Send us Fan Mail Nurses are devoted to caring for others, but they often neglect their own wellbeing. In the latest episode of Nurse Essentials, Holli Blazey, CNP, APRN, shares advice for prioritizing self-care and making good decisions about nutrition, sleep and exercise. “We have to learn to take care of ourselves,” says Blazey, APRN/PA Manager in Occupational Health at Cleveland Clinic.

Send us Fan Mail The Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute is constructing a 1 million square foot building set to open in January 2027. “The building is very much designed with the patient in mind,” says Andre Machado, MD, PhD, Chair of the Neurological Institute. “And our nursing colleagues were really instrumental in being the voices of the patient in the design, not only from the patient exp...

Send us Fan Mail Before Cleveland Clinic Executive Chief Nursing Officer Meredith Foxx, MSN, MBA, APRN, NEA-BC, became a nurse leader, she cared for children with cancer. In this episode of Nurse Essentials, Foxx shares her experiences in pediatric oncology, as well as advice for nurses on selecting a specialty that’s right for them.

Send us Fan Mail With several generations working in healthcare today, it’s easy for misunderstandings to occur as we stereotype co-workers based on age. In this episode of Nurse Essentials, a senior director from Cleveland Clinic’s Mandel Global Leadership and Learning Institute shares thoughts on how to embrace generational differences and create strong teams.

Send us Fan Mail When nursing veteran Myra King, DNP, APRN-CNS, ACNS-BC, CCRN-CCS, was hospitalized following emergency surgery, she gained first-hand insight into what it feels like to be a patient. In the latest episode of Nurse Essentials, Dr. King shares the lessons she learned and insight into becoming a better caregiver.

Send us Fan Mail Earlier this year, the American Nurses Association revised The Code of Ethics for Nurses, the standard for ethical nursing practice. In this episode of Nurse Essentials, Julie Gorecki, MBA, BSN, RN, NEA-BC, Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer at Cleveland Clinic Fairview Hospital, shares how nurses and leaders can weave ethics into the fabric of their units and hospital cultu...

Send us Fan Mail Leading through change can be challenging, but it’s inevitable. “Change is ongoing, it’s continuous, and we have to be constantly reevaluating, measuring and understanding its impact so that we can make sure we are moving in the right direction,” says Kerry Major, DNP, RN, NE-BC, Regional Chief Nursing Officer, Cleveland Clinic Florida and Chief Nursing Officer, Cleveland Clinic W...

Send us Fan Mail Nursing retention begins before caregivers even accept an offer to join your team. It starts with how the organization presents itself in the community and on social media and continues through the interview process, into the first year of employment and beyond. In this episode of Nurse Essentials, Clinical Nursing Director Josalyn Meyer, MSN, RN, NE-BC, shares advice for retainin...

Send us Fan Mail Reviewing a patient’s allergies is a cornerstone of providing effective care across the healthcare continuum. Allergies can affect everything from the food and medications patients receive while in the hospital to the devices and implants used in surgery. In this episode of Nurse Essentials, Jeanette Kubicki, CNS, a clinical nurse specialist in Allergy and Immunology at Cleveland...

Send us Fan Mail Care management is a vital nursing specialty. “Our objectives are always to assess patients immediately when they come into the door, and then try to align what their discharge might look like,” says Mark Torok, MBA, BSN, RN, CCMC, Senior Nursing Director for Care Management at Cleveland Clinic Main Campus. In the latest episode of Nurse Essentials , Torok discusses the role of ca...

Send us Fan Mail Nurses don’t just care for patients. They also care for families, which may include patients’ children, grandchildren and siblings. Nurses need to be mindful of the needs of those children. In the latest episode of Nurse Essentials, Molly Gleydura, a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) at Cleveland Clinic Main Campus, shares advice on how to connect with children, ease their fe...

Send us Fan Mail In this compelling episode of Nurse Essentials, Cleveland Clinic's Associate Chief Nursing Officer, Carol Pehotsky, sits down with Danielle Crow, Nurse Manager of the Hospital Care at Home program, to explore a groundbreaking model of healthcare delivery. Danielle shares her inspiring journey from a 20+ year career in emergency nursing to leading an innovative program that pr...

Send us Fan Mail An innovative immersion program at Cleveland Clinic introduces high school students to the nursing profession. As the Howley ASPIRE Program nears its 10th anniversary, its director and a program graduate share what makes it so successful.

Send us Fan Mail Rita Pappas, MD, FAAP, FHM, was a clinical nurse for 10 years before becoming a pediatric physician. “I really believe being a nurse makes me a better physician,” says Dr. Pappas. In the latest episode of Nurse Essentials, she discusses the transition and shares advice for enhancing collaboration among caregiving colleagues.

Send us Fan Mail Simulation extends beyond working with manikins. Cleveland Clinic has used simulation-based learning to train caregivers on the sepsis response process, hone procedural skills,  perform mock operations using virtual reality and more. In the latest episode of Nurse Essentials, Senior Simulation Education Specialist Nichole Brown, PhD, MSN, RN, CHSE-A, discusses simulation and its a...