175 - Randy Marmolejo: A Smile is a Choice

Join current student and Kennewick, Washington native Honored Guest Randy Marmolejo as he vibes about being in a satellite classroom, his recent medical missions trip, developing healthy coping mechanisms, having empathy for others, why he chose nursing as a profession, what he loves most about nursing school, his plans after graduation including his desire to take the NCLEX in some random place in the world, opening up about imposter syndrome, the importance of keeping it real, and more!

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Transcript

0:01

Hello and welcome to this episode of the Feeding Our Young® Podcast. one of the wonderful things that has stemmed from this little project of mine has been the ability to create a presentation uh that I come and I'll be a motivational speaker. I've had the honor of doing that down in Alabama and at WAZZU a couple times. Not a whole lot of places yet. I've got a couple other things in the works and hopefully it'll work out. But. What I love about it is that it gives me a chance to interact with students one-on-one, like face-to-face and in the classroom setting, which obviously I would love to do. Today's Honored Guest reached out to me and was like, hey, I to be on the podcast. Like, awesome. And so I assumed that he had heard from a previous Honored Guest, who you will have heard by now, one of the instructors there, where he's at. And it turns out that was not the source of referral. It was the fact that I got to speak to his class and his cohort and he was like, man, there was something you touched on there that I definitely want to talk about. So we are going to get to that. But before we do, let's introduce you to the man himself. Ladies and gentlemen, the one, only Randy from Tri-Cities. Randy, how you doing today, man? I'm doing good, I'm doing good, how are you? Oh, I am honored to make your acquaintance, to meet you, and to chat with you. ah So Randy, I'm going to dive right into these opening questions so we get to know about you. Why don't you tell people what's your name and where's home for you? So, my name is Randy Marmolejo. I'm from Tri-Cities, Kennewick. Born and raised. Born and never lived in Washington most, all my life actually. um Yeah, that's pretty much. That's it. is a great, it's a beautiful state. It's a beautiful state. Granted, I do live in Eastern Washington. It's more of a desert than it is as green. Spokane, right? Spokane is a little bit more green, but it still beautiful. was still very beautiful. Still very beautiful. I love it. awesome. Yeah, same thing here. Washington boy, born and bred, lived on both sides of the state and the west side, of course, being much greener than anything anywhere that we have here on the east side, y'all. Well, awesome. So that's home for you. And I kind of let the cat out of the bag. So you're currently a student. So where are you studying and what degree do you hope to obtain? So I'm a J1, which is the first semester of uh nursing school. I am currently doing it in WSU Tri-Cities, the local campus here. Yeah, and I'm hoping to graduate with my BSN in nursing. That's the goal. That's the goal. Thanks. Thank you. Thank you. but... That's a little bit, yeah. So being in a, I'll just kind of dovetail off for a second here, but being in a satellite clinic, you know what I mean? How do you, what do you like about that and how big is your cohort in where you're at? I believe it's 28 students, if I'm not mistaken. Shout out to them, good people. And the question is, how is it, right? How is it being in a satellite? ah It's weird, but in a great way because I feel like it gives me or gives us an opportunity to kind of come together as a class. And I think that's the beauty of it because like, obviously when there's like a professor or an instructor, like people act a little different, you know, they're a little bit more timid, but like when it's like kind of like, hey, like. Like, I know, I feel like it's like less supervised, at the same time supervised, because obviously we still have instructors. Not like we're going crazy, but it's like, it gives us more opportunity to to talk to each other, interact with each other without judgment, without, you know, without having to play a part. And I think that's one of the reasons why I believe our cohort is really together. They're very united because like when those cameras goes off, we're talking, we're, you know, we're not waiting for the instructor to leave, you It's like we're interacting with each other and uh in a sense too because of that I feel like it gives us more opportunity to depend on each other, right? Because once the camera is gone, it's like, hey, what did you catch? What do you, hey, obviously we can't just walk to the instructor. So in that sense, I think it gives an opportunity to come together. I appreciate you sharing that because a lot of people, there's some people that do better with distance learning or satellite classroom, others don't. And so I've heard some of the negatives just in general in life, as I've grown up and all the things, but there's a lot of positives, like you just said, there's a lot of positives to be found too. So I'm already asking all the questions here, but let's continue with the normal opening questions. yeah. granted, I am going to say this, but I do have a tendency to always look to the positive. So to find the negatives, yeah, you could always find the negative in everything, right? But it's easy, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's easy. But it's also a choice. I love it. No, is. It's easy to see the negative and sometimes we got to work to focus on the positive, right? Oh yeah, perspective. Yes. Yes, I agree. with that perspective in mind, what were the three words that you chose to describe nursing school? Uh, interesting, uh, transformative, And my third word was challenging. Yeah. ah Can't wait to unpack those at the end of your episode. What are three of your favorite songs in life right now? So I uh like the bad bunny. It's the viado mamas fotos, means should have taken more pictures. Just because it's a beautiful song. It talks about like... Like sometimes we don't know when we're in a good moment until it's too late. And it's like, it kind of regrounds you. like, hey, like every moment is a good moment. never, like it's like, I, and that's a lesson I've learned at a young age is like, there was, I caught myself a lot of times like, man, do you remember those good old times? Like, dang, like they just flew by. And now that because of that repetitive situ, repetitive thoughts and maybe even more grounded. And I think that song highlights. that it's like you know it's like hey you should have taken more pictures saying like stay present appreciate the moment you know what I mean appreciate today and then I have the other song is just it's just it's just it's more of a vibe song but it's Alone at Prom by Tory Lance. I just like the vibe. I heard it and I was like, I like this vibe. It's chill. I like chill. As you're gonna witness, very zen. ah And then my third choice is uh the Sailor song by Keggy Perez. I'm a uh hiker. It gives you hiking vibes. gives you like... Just take me, take me to let's do it, let's just go. I love how songs can capture spirits. You know what I mean? I've got those songs I love to run to. I've got songs I'm listening to when I'm trying to power out a oh paper for my degree. All that business. And that's what the powerful thing is about music. I gotta know, then, are you a big football fan? Did you get to see the Bad Bunny halftime show? yes, yes, I did. Yes, I'm a football. Yes, I'm a Seahawks fan uh And yeah, and yes, I listened to the Bad Bunny. So I was hoping he played it. I think he did play that song. But you know how it is during football, Super Bowl, people are talking, people are eating. It's in the background, you know, but I liked it. I enjoyed it. Yeah, you can't focus. it as well. Yeah. uh Yeah, that's one thing about me. I'd rather stay present with the person. I could always replay the halftime. Nice. Nice. So you talked about how that third song makes you kind of want to hike right now and you love hiking. What are some of the other hobbies, things you do when you're not so dialed in on uh studying? Gym, the gym, oh, 100%. Yeah, no, it's, that's for sure one of my health, like it's like my stress reliever. You know, obviously it has a byproduct, right? Like, you know, if you work out eventually, you know, muscles come out, right? But I do it for, I genuinely do it because it's a great stress reliever. And the gym, I like to read too. Lately, I haven't been reading because I do enough reading for school, for nursing school. So I've been trying to give my eyes a break. uh travel, traveling. But once again, I haven't really been doing that. I got a chance to go to Seattle for spring break for a couple of days, which was nice. uh I have a really bad travel bug. I actually want to go to Patagonia this summer. That's the goal. to go hike Patagonia. So we'll see. Yeah, so let's see if that plays out, but we'll see. But yes, yes, that's what I like to do. Those are my hobbies other than my study hobbies, my out of study hobbies. If that sounds about right. Yes, it does. Yes, it does. Now rumor had it you might have gone on a medical mission trip in your travels. Was that true? Yes, yeah, yeah. So I was blessed to go with one of the, we have an orthopedic surgeon, retired orthopedic surgeon. I believe he used to be the orthopedic, one of the orthopedic docs for Gonzaga basketball. his name is Dr. Staley, John Staley, really, really, really wonderful or not just person orthopedic surgeon. And he would go to Dominican Republic. and he will go do pro bono surgeries over there for years. uh he invited me one year because I spoke Spanish and that's always been in my heart is to go and give. And uh yeah, I did that for like five, six years in a row. Very blessed, very blessed. you you... You start to understand, we live in a bubble. We live in a bubble. We live in a bubble. And in some places, it's a bubble within a bubble within a bubble. once you kind of get out of that bubble and you see the world for the human, the non-perfect, the realness. It not only doesn't make you appreciate, but it also gives you a sense of like, hey, like perspective matters because people could have less, but they always doesn't mean they don't have a smile. Doesn't mean they can't carry a smile. Doesn't mean they can't be happy. it's, you know, obviously here, you know, we, you we complain because we don't have the latest iPhone. Like that is enough to ruin your month. You know, it's just like, you know, I always tell people it's like a smile is choice. And kind of going back to always looking at the positive, like you could always find a reason. You know, for example, this weekend, I got a flat tire on Friday. I got a speeding ticket on yesterday. like, but it's just like it is what it is. but. why I'm still alive. You know what I mean? I'm still healthy. The people that I love are good. You know what I mean? But I smile as a choice. Very, very cool. Well, I want to touch back on that because I have a hunch maybe that might inform a bit of your future too. But the last question, just in this general sense, uh traveling, I imagine, is your family, whatever you want to share about them, are they near you or do you have to go travel to see them? No, they're near me. I don't have a big family. It's my mom, my dad, and my two brothers. So no, yeah, if anything, I encourage them to travel. No, but my extended family does live, so my extended family, most of my family lives in Guadalajara, which is in Mexico, and the ones that live in the state, the other half live in San Diego, which San Diego's beautiful. don't know if you guys ever been, you should. Expensive, but beautiful. yes, So let me, before we get on to talking about nursing, I've got one last question that kind of combines two of your responses here. And the questions about you, I'm loving, we're picking up on your vibe and all the things. And so I want to get to know you just a little better. And that is one, what is your superpower? And B, ah that kind of informs if you could have a meal with someone dead or alive, who would that be and why? Communication. I think that's my superpower. I'm a good talker. I feel like I could talk for days. I've been accused. I like the sound of my own voice. I'm not gonna deny it. I just think I'm funny. Okay, I watched the... I think Gandhi for sure, just because like his peace, his mindset, but Oppenheimer. Like I saw the movie Oppenheimer when it came out, or I saw it in theaters. just like, like these guys are talking a foreign language, right? These, these like Oppenheimer, he's, he's Einstein. Like these, there were people talking a language that hasn't, like they were inventing a language. And just understanding the psychology behind it, understanding how did it feel knowing what you know? Because obviously the atomic bomb was a byproduct of Oppenheimer's uh equation or whatever he had. it's just like having that. Like how do you, how do you, like there's a scene in the movie where he starts to like, he's like sleeping and it's like in the beginning of the movie and he's obviously very anxious and like I think he can't sleep and he's like rolling around in bed and I was just like thinking to myself like wow, like how would you feel knowing what you know and knowing that you're the only one that knows it? that could change human history, which I did, right? that's, just getting to know that, like, I don't know, I just find that fascinating. Like how, I don't know. I just think that's very, I don't know, it's very intriguing. I would just love to just pick in his brain and just know who he is as a person. You know what I mean? Yeah. how do you cope with it? How did he manage it? I don't know if this is true, but I remember in the movie he was very like, he has substance issues or he has some kind of, but what do you do when what you know could destroy the planet? What else can you do? I'm sure, no, there's other things to do. There's other things, yeah, that's why I find it fascinating. Well, and I'm glad you brought it up that way, because that does, you you talk about how did he cope with that, right? And one of the things I'd like to ask my Honored Guests is, you know, if you're, whatever you're willing to share, have you faced any challenges in life and maybe what were some of those challenges and how do you not necessarily cope, but work through those? Actually, I'm glad that we're having this conversation because actually that's one of the things I want to talk about too, right? It's just like learning how to develop healthy coping mechanisms. And yes, I've been through a lot. Like I have been through a lot. And that's why I like to, like I'm a byproduct of my own preaching. Like it's my house of choice. You could either be the victim or you could either be the victim or take it as a lesson. It's up to you. But both have different outcomes. One of the things, like anything, you go through endings of relationships, you go through failures, go through, go through life. You take risks. When you choose to live life, you're choosing an opportunity to fail. And that is part of life. And I think that's the reason why I've taken it as it is. Maybe that's the reason why I was able to develop healthy coping mechanisms is because of all the failures I've had. But I've been able to fine tune it. how I've been able to, so what are my really good friends? Started catching myself. So my biggest thing is stay grounded stay present like with people and and experiences and and just in the moment try to stay present so I've noticed like so I play this game I play this video game with my best one of my best friends with my best friend and It's a first-person shooter game. called Rainbow Six. Anyways, there's moments of high stress and my buddy yells at me. He's like, I don't know if you're gay, but he yells at me here once in a while. And there was moments that you feel your heart racing because you don't want to mess up, right? And what I started to do is when in those moments of stress, I cross my arms and I see what I reach for. And whatever you're reaching for, that's your comfort. If it's food, if it's your phone, is it your Instagram, is it your social media, is it whatever, whatever you're reaching. Because you're trying to suppress the discomfort of letting the discomfort, whatever that is. If it's like in a video game setting, it the discoverer letting my friend down? Or if I'm out in public and I feel like somebody saw me weird or whatever and I'm reaching for my phone to take away that discomfort, or somebody's having a hard conversation and I'm reaching for whatever. So I cross my arms. and I pay attention. What is it that I'm reaching for? Where is my mind going? and then you reverse engineer it, right? uh So that's one thing I've kind of learned to practice. uh So how I deal with moments of how I cope is I use the gym. When I'm stressed out, I always tell my friends this. What I encourage people is you might feel like crap walking into the gym, but you won't feel like crap walking out. Because you feel good. You feel good. You get the natural endorphins, the oxytocin, all the good stuff, naturally, right? uh yes, the gym and activity has been my healthy coping mechanism, which I'm very blessed I've discovered it. Because I could have easily done something else, taken a left instead of a right. You know what I mean? Like, those choices between, you know what mean, these coping mechanisms like you just talked about with Robert Oppenheimer and like maybe choosing some other things that dulled the, you know what I mean, this big burden that he's got or choosing these maybe more healthier routes, I suppose for lack of a better term, right? Yes, but and this is where my empathy comes in because people only know what they know. And so and if they if what they know is that it's hard to break it. It's hard to break it. You have to really stay present. You really have to feel a discomfort and feel present with it, even with the discomfort, because you can't just be like you can't. That's part of life. that discomfort is part of life. I tell people this all the time, you know, if you go to the gym and you're trying to lift and you know, if you're trying to build new muscle, you're going to have to push your body to what is what you're to the next level and you're going to get sore. You're going to have some aches. You're going to because you're pushing. If it hurts, like you have to push through the discomfort, even when you're running, right? If you stop once it got uncomfortable, then you're not going to get far. ah That's not how you get better. That's not how you evolve. You have to kind of keep going through it. And that's one of the reasons not to jump the gun, but transformative nursing school. That's one of the reasons, because it's like you're pushing through those discomforts. You're pushing through the studying and everything that comes with it. So yes. and anyone out there knows nursing school brings its own set of stresses and challenges. That's for sure yes, yes, yes. No, I like, you know, even going through a discomfort, like, you know, I'm not saying I'm not gonna fall. I'm not fail. But like, if I fall, like I tend to I try to fall forward with the hope that my legs will catch me. Right. Like you can't. you can't fight, you can't ignorance with hate. And so you have to be kind. You have to be empathetic. Understand people only know what they know, right? But yes. brings me to who you are and I think maybe one of the one big reasons why you landed in nursing. So why nursing for you, Randy? So originally I wanted to do PA. But ultimately, my biggest thing is just I like to help people. And I know that I remember when during the interview process for WSU, that's one of the questions, like, why do you want to be a nurse? And I remember even saying this in the interview. was just like, I know this is a generic answer. but I genuinely like to help people. it's not, this is not theoretical for me, it's practice. Like I practice helping people and I wanna be able to learn a skill and build a scope that I'm able to give more because the more I know, the more I'm able to help. you know, it's like knowing what knowledge and what... Knowing what you can do and how much you can actually impact in other people's lives that don't have that knowledge, it makes a huge difference. I don't know, I'm okay with throwing a pebble. It's still gonna leave a ripple. I guess I was asking the obvious question because in the short time that I've gotten to know you as that we've gotten to know you here in these last 20 plus minutes, you know what I mean? It's obvious. Like you're like, man, empathy goes a long way. I want to you know what mean? I want to reach out to those that maybe you're making other choices than me. I want to help people. I wanted them to get better. I want you know what I mean? whether it's bringing someone to a better place of health or uh learning more coping mechanisms. Like, I just love that and I love that it just oozes out of you. So in nursing school, what do you love most about nursing school? uh The learning. Because I've been in the medical field for years, I like that everything's starting to click. I like how everything's kind of like, oh, this is why, this is why, oh, this is why. I think the nerdiness in me, you know, is like... ah Yeah, just that really because helping people I do, you know what I mean? So it's not like, oh, it's because I like helping people. I already do that. I didn't need to be a nurse or go to nursing school to help. know what I mean? So I think for nursing school it's the learning. And the instructors, I don't know. Because I work in the medical field and I've been there for years, I respect the crap load of my professors because we have instructors that are old ICU nurses or cardiac ICU and it's just like, it's not easy. It's not easy. They've been through their fair share of struggles and yet they're still there. know what mean? So, you're gonna make it through nursing school, you're gonna graduate, you're gonna get that diploma. ah What happens after that, Randy? What are your plans after graduation? Okay, so one of my buddies graduated nursing school last year. And he did his, he went to go travel and I kind of want to do this. He went to, uh he did his NCLEX in Taipei in Taiwan. Yeah, apparently there's like little, there's places that you can reserve. You could, you could take this exam because it's not like you could take it anywhere, but you, has to be like little testing zones. That's kind of what I want to do. I want to travel and do it. Take my NCLEX in like some random place in the world. And then, you know, as of right now, like, you know, there's I like ICU, like I think I work in PACU right now. Shout out to my PACU people. uh I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them. They're a reason why I'm here too. They're good people, good people. yeah, ICU ED, ah but I feel like that's such a dude answer though. I feel like that's such a dude answer. But honestly, I watched this show called, I'm sure you heard of it, How I Met Your Mother. Have you heard it? Have you heard of it? Okay. Well, there's a scene that Barney said that stuck with me until his day. He's like, if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plan. And that is like, you know, I could plan for it, but who knows, man? You know, like, who knows? And even just because I mean just just because it's a dude answer doesn't make it any less valid for you my friend I Love it. Oh, man. No, and so before we close in our traditional manner This kind of brings us to the doorstep of the reason why you wanted to be on the podcast So I'll turn the mic over to you. But um why did you want to? Sit down with me and have your episode recorded. What brought you here to my doorstep? Oh, that's a fair and great question. um So as you remember, you went to spoke you spoke to our class and I believe it was like our orientation. And there was something that really caught my attention. You were like, and it just gave me a different perspective. were saying how you were in nursing school and you were like a good test taker. And when you started doing your clinicals and you were going through it, like you started to develop imposter syndrome. Like you started to of be, you started to kind of like, oh, is this something like, the, it, everything that entails imposter syndrome. And I never even thought about it like that. Like the fact that like, was like, wow, like, cause I would have never looked at this, this market and been like, he doesn't, like, there's no reason he doesn't think he belongs here, but it just gave you a different perspective. I'm like, Hey, everybody's has their own struggles. And like, I get remember it was like the first week, the first week I want to say I've never seen school. You know, was especially the first month and a half, there was a lot of homework, a lot, a lot of stuff. But I remember it was like the first week and everybody was stressing, like my whole cohort was stressing, you know, it was just because, you know, it was very demanding, right? Your 25 plus assignments do weekly. And I remember I was feeling it. And I was kind of like in the dumps for a little bit. And I was talking to one of my buddies. he's a good guy. Shout out to Adam, cool guy. I remember talking, like he was sitting next to me. And I was like towards the end. And we were just talking. And he was like kind of like going over the things we should be studying or whatever. And I told him, he's like, bro, like. man, like, I feel it. I feel the imposter syndrome. And he was like, bro, me too. Like, like me too. And I was just like, and I was like, what? Like, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, And we were able to kind of get ourselves out of it, you know, together. But that conversation started with you. That conversation started because of you. Because like, never, if it wasn't how you normalized it, and it wasn't until you were just open about it and with your testimony, like, who knows? You know, like, I remember too, like, finding your why. Like, those little things make a difference. Like it's like, you know, if you threw a huge, you had an opportunity to throw a stone and it made a ripple because here I am right now, right? Talking to you. And if I'm able to even make a ripple with a pebble from someone that will listen to this podcast or whatever. That's cool. Even if nobody, even if nobody, even if it doesn't make a ripple, the fact that it's still the intent, the fact that I attempted it or tried it, that's all that matters, right? It's intentions. My intentions are there. Anyway. tell you right now, like, you've already made a ripple, because me getting to know you and you sharing your perspective on life, that is something that is imprinted on me. And so that's the first ripple, right there. And like, I can guarantee you, you with your cohort, your peers, Andy, everybody else, like, you guys are... constantly, you're throwing petals at each other. I mean, you're throwing these stones, you're making these ripples amongst each other. And that's what kind of tends to like strengthen things. You talking about this and bringing it back, like it's weird. Maybe we're just sitting in an echo chamber where I came and talked to your class and now you're telling me about this. And I'm like, well, that just made me have a different picture in my mind that I hadn't had. And that's like, we all have, right? Like, so to a certain degree. I genuinely believe that every single student like, man, I really suck at this or I don't want to ask this question because I'm terrified or I'm not good at this and everybody's going to know my weakness and everybody's going to know that I'm not good at this and all the things. But we are trapped in our own mind. So you're sitting there, right, Randy? And you're going, man, I'm feeling that imposter syndrome. But if you don't have if you don't say it out loud, you're just in here going, I've got imposter. I don't belong here. I'm not. that great I'm not doing good. But guess what? You're sitting alongside Andy, who in his mind is doing the same thing, not saying it out loud yet, and just going, oh man, Randy's gonna find out that I don't belong here, that I'm, you know what mean, I'm bad at this. And you got your other cohort, and this student, and that student, and you picture a whole classroom, everybody sitting next to each other, and everybody in their own little box going, I can't, oh, they're gonna find out, they're gonna find out I don't belong here. And you're all feeling it at the same time, at various times together and yet you don't know it's together till it comes out of your mouth. that's what I want. Anyone who's listening to this, cannot. Oh, please, please, please. If you don't take anything else away, my gosh, say the words, say the words that are terrifying to say. Speak those truths out loud because I promise you you're not the only one. And I also promise you you're not only one of. You're not gonna be only like one of three in a class of 70. There are so many, if not everybody that's dealing with it, right? Yeah, yes, yes, I agree. No, I 100 % agree with you. 100 % agree with you because like, and that goes back to, what I was saying, like, sit with the discomfort, say it. Like, what's the, what else? Who cares? Who cares? almost promise you if you're like, man, I'm not feeling comfortable with this, whatever, and somebody's like, oh, well, I've got it. You know what mean? I don't know who would say that, who would be such a rude whatever. But who'd be like, yeah, no, I don't know what your problem is. I've totally got it. They're compensating. There's no way. Like, I'm sorry. You know what I mean? Just be true. Like, sit with that truth, I think is kind of what you're saying, right, Randy? Ah. Ah. sit with it. yeah, there it is. It's right in front of me. Your sheet, I love how you said, being honest about where you're at. That's what we're talking about. Yeah. Randy, I love it, man. I wish I could talk to you forever. So let's close in our traditional manner. Before I do, is there anything else, any topic that we didn't cover that you want to make sure you talk about before we close this up? Yeah, no, thank you for asking. I do. Going back to coping mechanisms, the one advice I would give everybody, find a healthy coping mechanism. Because me being in the medical field and you for sure, 20 plus years of nursing experience, I'm sure you could agree, having a healthy coping mechanism starts today. Because it doesn't get better. Mm-mm. And because life is not easy. Life is going to throw stuff at you. if you have some kind of anything, like anything that's not, anything that's giving you instant gratification. It's more likely not a healthy coping mechanism. And find your healthy coping mechanism. Because, you know, like for example, I can have a song that's to my professors. then I have a few buddies going to go talk to our class. They're CRNAs. And I was talking, I went out with them a couple weeks ago for dinner, last week for dinner. Yeah, last week. he told me, like, bro, should I tell your class? And I was like, dude, you're a CRD, you went to ICU. Everybody wants to be S3 RNA because how much you guys make and what they do and what they, you know. And I was like, but keep it real with them. Because some people want to do it because it sounds cool. And like imagine if there's a student or a graduate that wants to thinks they want to be SU, RNA, doesn't really know what it entails, goes to ICU or works in the ED because there's some programs that take ED experience. Things they want to be an ED nurse because that's going to get, or an ICU nurse because that's going to get them there. 20 minutes within their shift, their patient dies, or they get a peds code, or they get like real stuff, like real stuff, like things that changes fundamentally who you are. And if you don't have healthy coping mechanism, if you're doing it because like you think this what you want to do, and that's not a good way to find out. You know what mean? So I told him, keep it real with them. Don't just glorify it. Keep it real. Tell them what it is to be an ICU nurse, what it is to be an AD nurse. And I'm sure some will come in clinicals and do their practicum. But still, learn a healthy COVID mechanism. And yeah, so that's what I told my buddy, and that's what he's going to try to relay. yeah, so yes, but that, if that's the only advice I would give today from a J1 student. I love it. I love it. And it's so real and down-to-earth and definitely necessary man. All right. Well then with that you chose three words to describe nursing school I know you kind of already touched on one you can recap it if you want But what were the three words again, and why did you pick them? So transformative because it's kind of like pushing through that discomfort, right? It's like, if you're not growing, you're dying. That's what I tell my friends, if you're not growing, you're dying. And that is what nursing school is, is that you're constantly evolving. The new knowledge you're getting, the way you view, even just like, for example, just edema, right? And understanding the process of edema, right? You're just like, you see edema different. your views are changing. And that's just obviously just a little example, but everything that nursing school entails, everything that nursing school teaches you. So you start to change even habits, right? Like you're just like, oh man, maybe I should take care of myself. I'm like, oh man, don't want to, you know, maybe, you know, I'm on my path going to develop diabetes. Maybe I should do something. I don't want to look like this. I don't want to do this, you know? And it's transformative. Challenging was the other word, challenging. because it is very challenging. uh Not worth it. And interesting, just because everything you're learning, not just the medicine part, not just the nursing part, what it means to be a nurse, not just treating patients physically, but even meeting... emotionally needs and given the opportunity, like yeah, you're meeting people on their worst day. Like, you have an opportunity. Like, you have an opportunity for change. And I find that interesting. I find everything that goes with it, I find it interesting. Those are my three words. I love it. I love it. And then I think you've already hit this nail squarely on the head, but ah you can choose something else or stick and reinforce what you already said. But what is that one piece of advice that you want someone to walk away from your episode remembering for the rest of their lives? Learn a healthy coping mechanism. Learn something that is gonna help you feel good that is more likely not a instant gratification. And I think that's it. Awesome. ah It has been an honor to get to know you, my friend, and I greatly appreciate it. I know you've been like doing stuff all day today. This is the evening, you guys. He's like, yeah, I can do it any time after four. And here we are near the end of our day and you're still talking nursing so that you can encourage others. So thank you so much, And keep us posted on how things are going, okay? All right. uh Thank you. will. Well, thank you for having me. I appreciate it. Thank you for giving me this stage.