The Ritual Nurse
Join our journey where nurses learn to heal themselves first, combining holistic rituals with practical strategies to thrive in their demanding careers. We mix that with stories and humor in first of its kind short form, perfect for nurses busy schedules. Each episode has our favorite coffee and crystals segment that everyone raves about. Curl up with your cat, or pop an earbud in during a ten minute break, and during the commute - this podcast is exactly what you need.
TLDR: This podcast offers short, impactful episodes filled with transformative tools, real-life stories, and a touch of magic to help nurses reclaim their well-being.
The Ritual Nurse
The Anchor Crew: Friends Who Gag Together, Stay Together
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Two of my closest friends and healthcare veterans join me to explore how our decade-long friendship has kept us sane through chaos, unending workloads, and the pandemic's darkest days.
• Why healthcare friendships are survival gear; self care lifelines OUTSIDE of work
• How our friendship began with an unexpected spider encounter and a well-placed slap
• Weathering the pandemic in different healthcare roles while maintaining our connections
• The isolating effects on healthcare professionals during COVID and how our friendship helped us cope
• Using the CALM skill (Center, Assess, Level, Maintain) for effective healthcare communication
• Sharing ridiculous hospital stories including the infamous "decomp plus" patient encounter
• Finding balance through shared interests outside healthcare like gaming and nerd culture
• Crystal prescriptions for emotional balance: Morganite, Howlite, and Turquoise
• Tarot guidance on authenticity, patience and managing healthcare transitions
Tag your anchor crew this week. Send them this episode and tell them why they're your people. If you don't have one yet, maybe this is your sign to start building that circle.
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Welcome back to the Ritual Nurse Podcast. Season two is all about rise. First, and today's episode is one I've been dying to record because sitting with me are two of my favorite humans on the planet. We have survived nursing pharmacy personal disasters and more questionable cafeteria food than I care to admit. First is Joe, my pharmacy bestie for over a decade, who has seen me at my most caffeinated, probably my most dramatic and definitely my most exhausted. He's the one I've called at ridiculous hours for advice, laughs or just to scream internally about mixing pressers or where the antibiotics are. Oddly enough, before I knew it was him actually until the second hospital we didn't realize we worked together at our first hospital together until we started talking about it. That gave me a laugh because unfortunately he got all of my new grad nurse shenanigans.
Speaker 1:And then Eric, my nurse best friend, also in my life, for over a decade. And then Eric, my nurse best friend, also in my life for over a decade, who's been through the trenches with me. He has kept me sane in more codes, family meetings and sheer chaos moments than I can count. We've been nurses together, executives together and absolute miscreants as well. We didn't meet during the pandemic. We go way back. But the pandemic tested us in different ways. We were in different hospitals, different roles and different states of burnout, and yet this friendship has stayed one of my anchors. We are all also nerds and geeks together at epic levels, which I think is really important to our sanity on the healthcare side. Oh and small fun fact Joe actually performed my marriage ceremony to Mr Ritual Nurse, and Eric was one of his best men. Guys, why don't you introduce yourselves and tell everybody a little bit about yourselves?
Speaker 2:Joe gosh, it's been. I think we've known each other. Now going on, when is it 10 years, now 15?
Speaker 1:Well, actually knowing that we knew each other 10 years, but probably longer than that, because I think you were at the first hospital with me. I think you were at the first hospital before I was.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and that was really my first healthcare job before that, oh sorry for all the trauma.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:No, it was eyeopening. Basically I had reeducated into going into pharmacy work and everything and right out of tech school, worked at going straight into the clean room mixing IVs, things like that, and then a lot of the times being the main pharmacy, fielding calls from all the floors and the nurses. I'm sure on so many occasions it was probably you and I never knew it.
Speaker 1:I don't think we knew until we talked about it at the second place, when you had said where you worked, and I think I kind of was like oh God, oh no, because by the time we got to the second hospital I was experienced as a nurse, experienced as a cardiac ICU nurse, wasn't asking as many dumb questions. You may differ, but I, the first year and a half at least, I called pharmacy almost every shift, guys, as a new grad in the ICU and just trying to figure out how that system worked. And then when I did my open heart training again, I mean just constant, constant reliance on that. You guys as a team, I and I know I mean I know it wasn't just me like all of the nurses and I see you were calling pharmacy all the time. But how do I mix this? It says it's, it's compatible, but what line do I put it in and where?
Speaker 2:right, you know all those things, and so those were early, those are these days, and then, yeah, as far as me, I've been a nerd forever, ever and ever so, since the earliest days, my parents set me on that path early. My kid and me are starting with the intellivision atari and so so, yeah, I've always done that, and so I've just gravitated toward the people that have that same interest and I don't know when I'm in my comfort zone, I'm silly and I'm a happy person, things like that, but just as me as a person otherwise, just cautious, things like that.
Speaker 2:So yeah it takes a bit.
Speaker 1:You are different at work than out of work yeah you are, you are all business at work yeah, yeah, that's funny to think about very differently between between the two, the two months. Yeah and I think later I introduced myself to him in a very strange manner at work that we'll maybe get into later. I don't, I don't, uh, I don't advise making best friends this way, but I couldn't help it. So, okay, okay, eric.
Speaker 3:Hello, hi everybody, I'm Eric. I'm a seasoned nurse of 30 years plus. Done many different forms, but mainly ICU.
Speaker 1:I met Ms Rhea at the second hospital, the second hospital. I'm like I'm all anesthetized names. No, no, no names here yeah.
Speaker 3:Names shall not be spoken basically met you through joe in a way, but we kind of knew each other before then and so we became friends in no time flat yeah, we're the same kind of maliciously compliant and maliciously compliant that is the term that I would use. Yeah.
Speaker 1:I don't know if that's an ICU thing or I don't think it is an ICU thing.
Speaker 2:I genuinely don't know how long you guys spoke or knew each other there at the second hospital before we really did stuff together.
Speaker 1:I think we kind of like talked on and off and we worked together, we worked on the floor together, but I think I'm I don't remember. I would have to look at photos because I I think I have some pictures of yeah like the first games and stuff that we played together.
Speaker 1:Right, I don't think I was, I don't think I was there that long before, because I think I had said something about dr who and being a whovian and that was like the nerd beacon that went up and then it was like hey, hold on, you're a nerd the whovian thing was definitely a yeah yes, yes, that was.
Speaker 2:it's like oh hi, yeah, no, exactly, just through talking with other employees and stuff. They're like oh, you know who else likes that? Yes, all those things. And it's like yeah, eric likes those guys.
Speaker 3:Yeah yeah, that was really cool. And then we started talking about that and we found out you liked fantasy and we talked more about that.
Speaker 1:Yep.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and I was like, oh, this is pretty cool, we have a lot of interests. Interest, right, yeah, which I would never suspected right I. I am very different at work also yeah, we kind of have that professionalism, that professionalist attach detachment yes, from work versus when, when we're out, and about keeping that barrier, that boundary, yeah, is what keeps me pretty much same like apartmentalize everything.
Speaker 1:But yep, that's true for a lot of people as far as health care goes yeah, it's part of it's actually part of the reason that we have mental health problems but, and for me, for gaming is my, outlet is my yeah, yes way id uh compress and yep, we'll have to do a separate episode about that.
Speaker 1:Integrate, like how we integrate that, because I think there are a lot of nurses that healthcare in general, like healthcare people in general that may not know how to decompress. A lot of people use fitness, you know, but that could be a really cool kind of crossover episode in terms of gaming and decompressing and like that whole creative side of things I think that'd be a really interesting thing to explore.
Speaker 1:Joy comes from. Yeah, speaking of how we met joe, yeah, so actually meeting you and semi-introducing myself to you in a way, what was your first impression of me? And you can be honest, I mean there's, I'm in a hole in pharmacy.
Speaker 2:Yes, 80% of my day and I come to peek out to go do medications, things like that, to help nurses out on the floor. So I get bombarded whenever I go out. So I know meeting the nurses and seeing them a lot of the time it was all at once experience, meeting the nurses and seeing them a lot of the time, it was all at once experience. And I know I probably interacted and spoke with you on more than one occasion before I really clicked, even with Eric and Reba, just who, who these people were, and it's usually I got a no nonsense, let's just get, let's get shit done. That kind of thing.
Speaker 1:I don't know who you're talking about.
Speaker 2:The thing is it was both with you and with Eric. I think I have a good BS meter.
Speaker 1:And so.
Speaker 2:I never got that from either one of you guys, so it takes me a while to feel people out. As far as do. I actually want to have conversations with these people and all that kind of stuff, so that was pretty easy early on with you guys.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think my earliest memory of actually like directly interacting with you outside of, like asking questions about meds or you showing up to a code with meds and stuff like that I am severely arachnophobic for those that don't know like wildly arachnophobic, and Joe used to wear light blue, like baby blue, scrubs at the other place and I didn't really I knew he was in pharmacy because of the scrubs he was wearing and you know I'd kind of interacted with him but had never actually I don't think just formally introduced myself to you. But we were walking down the hallway and I was behind him. Joe, I'm like five, five and a half five, six. Joe is easily way taller than me and a pretty buff guy and I'm walking behind this man and at his neckline, on his scrubs, I see what looks like a black widow and I in panic because I don't want it to bite him, but I also would rather be anywhere in the universe besides, like a foot or two behind a spider, panic, and I don't think I meant to assault you but went to like get it off of his collar and end up really slapping the shit out of this man from behind, trying to get the spider off of his collar, it was just a ball of thread. It's not a spider. And he turns around and looks at me, but with the he's unflappable, like I don't know how to describe him.
Speaker 1:At work he's. He always has a pleasant expression on his face but he's kind of unreadable. He's just, he's unfazed by things and stops and turns around and I'm looking up at him like, oh God, I, there was a, I swear there was a spider on your, and it probably sounded like schizoaffective or something. Because I just couldn't. How do I explain that? I just assaulted you. Hi, I'm Reva. I've been a nurse here long. Yeah, I'm Reva. I've been a nurse here long, yeah, and I don't even remember how the rest of the conversation went, but thankfully he was incredibly good natured about being absolutely.
Speaker 1:I'm a pretty strong, trick chick, trick, funny. I'm a pretty strong chick and I smacked him pretty hard Just out of. I just remember like oh my God, I don't know how to, I have to touch it. If I just remember like oh my god, I don't know how to, I have to touch it. If I, I have to touch the spider to get it off of him and if he, if I tell him he's going to reach back there and I didn't. Oh my god, I have to get it off of him. Oh my god. And yeah, so it was like one of those like panic slap kind of things, yeah, and we've been friends ever since and see lasting friendships has to do with brute force, right?
Speaker 3:you know?
Speaker 1:I just apparently like I don't advise that's how you make best friends, but you know, um somebody today right, although I don't think I smacked you. No, no, no, yeah. So what was your first impression of me?
Speaker 3:well, mostly all professional kind of standoffish. A little unapproachable at that time. But I kind of like said well, whatever, I'm usually one of those easy-go-lucky kind of go with the flow and if they want to talk to me, and then they'll talk to me. If not, well, I'll just go on my mere that way. And, and I think it's just funny, when you lit up with the whovian that it became like oh, she has a personality after all not just a stone-faced like yeah this is not common to see people, I mean even in conversation, just anything in that realm.
Speaker 2:it's like oh, okay, okay, okay.
Speaker 3:That's good. Yeah, I'm sure people think of the same thing as me as standoffish or reserved for the most part.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think we I think all three of us kind of have the same game face. My face, I think is far more expression, like I have more expression on my face, I think, than you two do, just because my I don't know my RBF is usually my concentration face is very RBF and it always has been. Even if I'm not constant, like if I'm not even looking at somebody, but I'm just concentrating on something, it is very RBF. But the WTF part of my face is I can't control it, so they need to make a different kind of Botox for it. But we're very straightforward and professional and we've got to get shit done.
Speaker 3:Yes, like, yeah, that's what we do, I know for Joe. We just kind of like had a little friendly banter back and forth.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, it was. I was talking with other nurses and then they were similar yeah, eric likes that sort of those similar things too. So, yeah, I know, start talking with you and it's like, hey, you guys, you like dd or you like the star trek and all these other things, and so that was just an easy end to conversation.
Speaker 3:So that was good yeah, I kind of eased in and we always kind of razz each other and have fun with that I can remember you guys like teasing each other at the pixis always yeah, yeah, you were loading something and he was like yeah, man like I got med pass.
Speaker 1:Do let's get going you know like do you need help with that? And you know he just kind of chuckled and I was like don't piss off, joe like oh god like let him load it, because if he leaves with them we can't function he will take them.
Speaker 2:It's more effective than the follow through. Okay, great, oh my god.
Speaker 3:It's more effective than the follow through. Okay, great.
Speaker 1:Oh my.
Speaker 2:God, that was the funniest thing ever.
Speaker 1:So some years ago we were talking about phrases and stuff that we say in the hospital, that are very polite euphemisms for other things, and we were laughing about different phrases and what they mean. And one of them was like okay, great, you know, for basically like f you or all right, buddy, or you know piss off, or something like that. And joe was laughing about it, like oh yeah, okay, okay, great. And out of nowhere I hear Eric, hey, wait a minute, you say that to me all the time and Joe just starts laughing. All of us were laughing at that point and I'm like okay, great.
Speaker 1:Still use that to people at work, nobody knows. Okay, great.
Speaker 3:They might know now. They might know now they might know now.
Speaker 1:But yeah, you know, and I think it was from like a meme list or something of you know phrases that you you can see the hr phrases that you can say that actually mean other things. When you guys think about crazy you know shifts or experiences that we've had, Are there any experiences or shifts that like kind of stand out to you guys? For me stuff always blends together. I mean I can think of one at the third or second hospital that not the first one, but the second one that we worked together at.
Speaker 3:That I think both of us are probably won't go into, but I can remember I had many shifts that kind of really stood out for me actually, kind of gave me nightmares, even to this day, yeah, yeah, definitely so you want to talk about horror stories, is that?
Speaker 1:Just kind of things that you think about and you know and we'll talk about like the pandemic later, but maybe from our early years we I mean even at the first second hospital for us but first hospital that all three of us are at we had a really really pretty good flow I think as a team, just in general. You know the kind of facility that it was. We had. You know really high acuity a lot of the time and moderate, you know, step down, and I think we I don't know, I just remember us having a really pretty good flow in terms of how we operated on the floor. You know, I think administration, administratively there was enough nonsense, but I think on the floor we pretty much, we pretty much flowed pretty well.
Speaker 3:We had our in the hospital, things like diversions and stuff like that yeah, yeah oh yeah, so many stories there's some good stories about diversion back in pharmacy too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but even just working at the second hospital with you guys it was I could usually tell, like my shift at work, the nurses that were going to be on staff, how well my day was going to go, and pretty early on go, and pretty early on just if. If I needed to block out time for the needy ones or just double make sure they knew exactly where everything is, so phone calls didn't come in later, things like that.
Speaker 1:So how many orders for zosyn would be on the floor, because we always had to call him to mix the stupid shit. Yeah, oh yeah oh my god, or if there were things missing and then coming out and showing you guys what was the thing that we always had you come out and do, because we would fill the bubble, the bag, with air bubbles oh, was it just the, the mmo, or?
Speaker 2:it was a thing he would mix and he would be able to get it to mix those little bags that you actually puncture the, the medication file, with, and it had the solution and you had to break the neck of it in order for the.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you would do the zosyn one for us because we could never get the cement out of the stupid container. But there was another one that you used to mix all the time and he would do it in like two seconds. He would crack it and mix it and do something to it and it would actually like go into solution, whereas when we tried to do it, we would it the specific solution. When it would, the admixture would combine, would make bubbles, it would get. It was like it looked like soap bubbles. What the fuck was that?
Speaker 2:so soon probably. I mean tapto, sometimes not troubles you know what I'm talking about. I know what you're talking about right and you should drive us nuts because then on cephapine and he would like two seconds.
Speaker 1:He'd be like, yeah, give me that and we sometimes I would go back instead of calling him out of the firm. You know I'd be like here, do the thing, do this please yeah but yeah yeah, we mixed it up and it was always foamy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was always foamy and I don't, I can't remember, I can never remember the name of it. But that and zosyn like oh wait, if I, if I ever had worse for those, I was like go get you, notoriously forever I got a technique now for that, but the other one that takes forever to actually go out of bubbles is daptomycin.
Speaker 1:It's a nightmare you might have been dapto. Yeah, I might have been dapto. So fast forwarding to 2020. We're in different hospitals, different roles, and we're all kind of watching the world fall apart. Joe, what did those early pandemic days look like for you in the pharmacy world of things?
Speaker 2:Well, that was leaving hospital to where we were at and moved on to it was basically a closed door pharmacy for me, okay, and it was mind numbing, it was a job and it was filling medications for nursing homes, long-term care facilities and I was their only person to do their IV admixtures. Oh, okay, and then every week I would go out and fill med machines for places in the Carson City area, gardnerville, minden, that kind of stuff. That was the highlight of the week because I actually got cranking out medications and just doing that kind of stuff. But getting out now and again was nice, but it was those times where it just kind of closes in on you.
Speaker 1:There wasn't a lot to go out and do.
Speaker 2:So much isolation there was, I was just happy that I could actually go to work and was employed. So many people just couldn't do it anymore. I mean, they just lost their positions or just had to hunker down at home. Yeah, but at least I was able to go out and do that portion of it and then us um doing things together. That saved a heck of a lot of sanity. So but yeah, my, those couple years it was, yeah, it was. It was not the best time for me really yeah, I think it was.
Speaker 1:It was really isolating. It was really isolating and I think the levels of like fear and stress around coupled with the isolation, you know, gosh man, and it was almost like so overwhelming that, like when we did get to spend time together because I was commuting so much and so far, we didn't want to get into that, you know what I mean. It was like we compartmentalized at Olympic levels. I think, at that point in time.
Speaker 3:It was the most terrifying thing that I ever went through in my whole entire career. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:And you guys saw much. I mean the worst of it more than that. I was behind, I was in a closed pharmacy, I didn't get to see the patients or the day-to-day where you guys got to see all of that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, there was quite a few people got very, very ill.
Speaker 1:And you were at a different.
Speaker 3:I was actually when the pandemic first came out. I was in clinical documentation improvement at that time an administrative job, and when the pandemic happened we were not prepared for it. I don't think anybody was prepared for it.
Speaker 2:No, Nobody was. It was going to be done in a couple weeks.
Speaker 3:Constantly being short-staffed, not enough help. Oh my God, supplies, supplies, oh my God, supplies, supplies, oh my God, supplies, yes. So I decided that I wasn't going to sit on the sidelines in my comfy little desk job. Part of an unemployment at that time too, I think, a couple weeks where I couldn't go to work. Anyways, long story short, I went back to the floor. I decided to be part of that and help out as much as I can. And boy, what an eye-opener Wild. It was a wild ride.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was really unrecognizable, I think, to all of us, like, regardless of where you were, you know the things we were running out of. Yeah.
Speaker 3:And self-care became extremely difficult during that time as well. I mean, you're isolated from the community. You're working all the time.
Speaker 1:I don't know what I would have done, like the isolation piece that you were talking about, like for you, like that's I don't know how you did it, but I'd had to work in that kind of you know what I'm saying Like if I had to work in that kind of isolation don't know how you did it, that's, that's incredible to think about yeah, going through it's.
Speaker 2:Yeah there's, it's kind of mind-boggling, it's easy block. So much of it out, right, and yeah, just to get through it yeah, I mean days turn into weeks, turn into months like where you're years barely like making it through like maslow's lowest.
Speaker 3:You know, food, shelter, oxygen yeah, it was kind of more like more of like a robotic sense that you were just going through the motions, just doing the job.
Speaker 2:It's your ability and I mean I, from my end of things, I can. Usually I can get on just fine for long periods and just not have anybody around. I'm just I'm an introvert, so that portion helped insulate a little bit. But there comes a time where it's just like you want to go out and actually do stuff with other people and just it was a time which is not possible.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And that would just became so frustrating.
Speaker 3:So yeah, yeah, and the constant aura of fear. Fear, that's the thing that struck me the most too. Yeah, there was always a level of fear, even though some people in the community thought it was all hoax.
Speaker 2:Oh man, that's a whole just being in health care in general and seeing that is disappointing. But that.
Speaker 1:yeah, I think that was the first time in healthcare, looking around me, that it just made me want to lose my mind, like I just.
Speaker 2:Just basic practices. You wouldn't go into a surgery and be unmasked. You wouldn't go into do so many things With. These are just proven basics.
Speaker 1:Yes, like just yeah, the politicization of science and healthcare like really important, hit hard and has never let up. I don't think and I think prior to that it was a talking point but it wasn't ever actually like screwed with and for some reason, the fear mongering and the politicization of it at that point in time like solely for political movement and political gain political movement and political gain I couldn't I?
Speaker 1:and in the scientific method, like we know how the scientific method works. We don't know what this is. We're studying it as we learn more. We adjust policies and protocols as we learn. That's what science does. So no, it isn't lies and misdirection. I'm going to have to edit my mouth face. My mouth works.
Speaker 2:There's so much more to be said, so much language.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, you could have a whole tar podcast Literally actually that would have to be like the Patreon supporter version or something, so that I don't get blown out of the water. But I think in SAC, in downtown SAC, it was wild and I mean, I had my sister with me, who I had nursed with in the first hospital that you and I worked in, who's she's a better nurse than I will ever be. She's so phenomenal, she's so incredible. I think that was those pieces of those anchors, you know. Of course you know we have our families, our loved ones.
Speaker 1:Mr Rich Warners, you know, keeping my children safe while I commuted a few hundred miles to do what I was doing allowed me to survive. I can remember being afraid, like wanting and needing to get together with you guys, like all of us as a group, but at the same time also being afraid like what if I have it and get them sick, which was something I had never thought about before Like I'd had cold, like normal people, like we'd had colds before, and like, yeah, I don't know, man, I'm coming down with something, I'm fine, let's throw together a game, and you know take a day cool or something.
Speaker 1:Just not even thinking about it. And then you know being so run down and exhausted and like, am I sick or am I just exhausted? Like am I feeling under the weather because I'm literally running on fumes or do I have something? And then what if I meet with them? What if we get together and like, I get one of them sick or something? You know, because we had no idea at least in 2020, what the I had 80 year olds walk out perfectly fine and their 30 year old daughter that came in with them because the whole family got sick, died.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And you would know that they got the same meds. They got the same treatment. The 80-year-old had way more comorbidities, the 30-year-old had zero comorbidities, but she's the one who died. What Facilitating families coming in and you're trying to? You had no idea, oh my gosh. You had no idea who, how people were going to react to it or what was going to happen. We literally had no idea, and I don't think the public knew that. We're. We're not lying to you, we're not making this up, we're not being indecisive, we're not, we're not doing any like. We actually don't know which one of you is going to die.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so take the precaution.
Speaker 1:Like we. We literally could not tell you in any kind of good faith. If you do this, there's a 90 chance that you're gonna. We don't, we didn't have any science to tell you that, so I don't know if you're gonna die and your 92 year old grandmother's gonna be fine, or if you're both gonna die or neither one of you are gonna die.
Speaker 3:I literally can't tell you yeah, the first strain of covid was so virulent that and then we would get weird ones.
Speaker 1:It seemed like, okay, maybe it's adjusting. I mean, as viruses adjust, they shift and drift with their genetic components and whatnot. A virus's whole goal is to shift into a form that is not eradicated, that is not eradicated.
Speaker 1:So viruses by their very nature, pathologically shift away from the most virulent strains, because if the host dies, they die. It's not like they're conscious creatures that are thinking of this, but that's just epidemiologically like how they work from a 30,000 foot view and I'm also not an epidemiologist. So, but that's my understanding of the basic pathology. And it was shifting and we're like, okay, you know, it's like every 10 weeks or 12 weeks or something, this virus is able to shift so fast and so much of the population is affected that it's shifting in strains in swaths of groups of people around the entire world, that there's, like, you know, a thousand different things that all of these world organizations are trying to track as they're shifting and the comorbidities that they are causing, enhancing, affecting, impacting, you know, and it's like, okay, so are we. Is it now getting to the point where it's less so? So maybe we're not so deadly.
Speaker 1:Still, you get really sick, awful If you have heavy duty comorbidities. You know you're at higher risk, our normal approach in pathology. But then all of a sudden we would get a wild zinger that was like came in day one, respiratory issues. Yep, they're positive, different symptoms from the other one before Day two. Now they're on full support, drowning on dry land. We're trying to turn them. Pharmacy is like every drug they can possibly throw at this or pump out, or now. This is the new regime that has to be, you know, made ready to go. The one we were using two weeks ago isn't quick pivot. Do you even have the materials? Can you even get the saline to mix the? You know, because we had so many shortages and then it was like day three, they're gone yeah and what the hell?
Speaker 1:I thought we, just we had the, you know, we had all these people that had the same symptoms that it, that weren't dying, we were able to treat. We thought, okay, I think we got a grip, I think we've got a, you know, and with everybody panicking, it was just like misinformation, vomit central.
Speaker 3:Pretty much. That's the part that disappointed me the most was the misinformation.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I can totally empathize with the like we're coming from it from a standpoint of knowing the science, the pathology, the epidemiology, the medicine, the. We have that education. I completely empathize with the public who they're not supposed to know those things. That's not their job. They didn't go to school for that. They're depending on those of us in healthcare to do our jobs because we did go to school for that. That's what our certifications are. So I completely empathize with them being doubly terrified because medicine and science and healthcare for a moment there sounded like we were sundowning. What is coming out of your face. You just said this six weeks ago. Now what's happening you know, but it's a scientific method, it's we just had to do it in real time super fast. It worst game level ever of anyone's life. Like I don't, that's a boss fight I don't ever want to repeat with the holy crap.
Speaker 3:I think the CDC did a fairly good job overall, although they did drop the ball a few things, but I think they and also the World Health Expo organization. I think they both worked pretty well together.
Speaker 1:Yeah, as best as they could as best, as they could, and with the other organizations around the world, against not just the pandemic but the politics yeah you know, because we saw other countries where politics weren't a factor and what their ability to achieve was in terms of pandemic levels and safety and implementing, you know, the correct safety policies, in comparison to countries where it was stupidly politicized. And what happened, I think you know, even though our daily chaos didn't match, I think one of the I think what kept us close was that we didn't have to explain the weight of it. I think that you know, we already knew each other's work, each other's capacity, and we could really skip to the part where, you know, we were like, okay, this is killing me, without having to have a single paragraph of context. And I think being able to accept each other in that space sometimes wordlessly, like not, I'm not explaining this, like we just know and being able to share space and kind of carve out space was how, was part of how we survived.
Speaker 3:Very much so, I think, keeping it out of our little group for the most part. And when we got together, we got together to enjoy each other's company, right.
Speaker 1:Just for me, it was just being able to be in your guys' airspace and not be there, you know not to.
Speaker 2:To be together and to do something completely separate from healthcare. Yes and just yes. Detach from that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, just all of that was outside. Yeah, over there, and we could be here and not have any of that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, this little horror show is going to pass. We going to be all right, we're going to stick together.
Speaker 1:yeah, um you actually did yeah, yeah, you know, I think everybody came out of it with different, you know, in the years ensuing as it's become endemic, we all kind of then then had to okay, now I have all these boxes, there's all these boxes of bullshit. In my first season I talked about there's an episode called Stop Shoving Shit in Boxes, and I talk about the compartmentalization and the boxes leak, make you physically sick. You know depression and anxiety. So, even though we're not actively dealing with the contents of them, I think we've all seen, like in the ensuing years, how it's affected us physiologically and mentally and how we've kind of had to, like, deal with that. I know, for me it was really kind of a punch in the face and started.
Speaker 1:2020 was when I started researching nursing mental health in my graduate semester, and in 2021, when I was injured and, as part of the workers' comp, had to see a therapist that I was incredibly indignant about, realized that, oh shit, I am everything I'm researching, like this physical injury. This is just I can't, I can no longer pretend, you know, and being diagnosed with PTSD and all of that, and I remember how enraged I was when she diagnosed me with it, not at her, she's doing her job, like I recognize that. But because there was such a stigma in healthcare, we all had to do our jobs and be fine and look fine and perform and there could be no whisper of you know, we were very honest about the failings of the healthcare system but it still wasn't okay for us in healthcare any aspect, whether it was pharmacy anywhere.
Speaker 2:It's a weird double standard, because people will come to us with their problems and we didn't help, but on the other end of that it's showing that or having an outward display of it is just.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And I think there was a lot of disciplines like different genres of health care that didn't have anywhere to kind of be vocal, nurses were pretty vocal. When you piss nurses off as a whole, like we get vocal, like our part of us as nurses is advocacy and learning how to be advocates. And for many of our colleagues you know, like in pharmacy, gosh man, I've even heard stories from vets and veterinary medicine that just killed me that you didn't have any outlet, you know, and it was like they're not okay, but we're, we're being loud because we just we are and we're yelling about wearing trash bags for PPE and the healthcare system itself. I know, sorry, he's, eric is a certified infection control prevention specialist, so I, that was. He almost blew up out of his chair, but yeah, I mean, I think you know there wasn't a up out of his chair, but yeah, I mean I think you know there wasn't a. There wasn't an outlet for our colleagues to even voice their needs or what they were going through.
Speaker 1:You guys were forced to continue to do your part. We, we no drugs, no, no helpie cannot help you if I do not have the things from pharmacy in complete isolation, like I just yeah, you know, and that's that's one of the reasons that I'm I'm really pushing for a this podcast as a vehicle to connect with as many healthcare professionals, nurses out there, but the curriculum itself none of us were taught any of these skillsets and I think anybody going into healthcare and I think anybody going into health care this should be mandatory, because learning how to do these things, I think it wouldn't have made it not happen, it wouldn't have made it not suck, it wouldn't have made it not overwhelming and you know, all of those negative things still would have been there. And also, having skill sets to protect our mental health as much as possible or heal as we're going, I think there would have been a lot less suicides and I think there would have been a lot less fallout for us as professionals that we're still recovering from.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, it's the whole point of this podcast really.
Speaker 3:Which I'm grateful for this podcast. This podcast was greatly needed.
Speaker 1:I am, I'm hoping to. It took a lot of years of research to make sure that and I'm still it's not like it's a done thing you know it'll be ongoing and changing and whatnot but to really have it actually be evidence-based techniques and tactics and theories that drive the skill sets and the education, so that it's sound, so that it's real. You know, if you're listening, this is your pause button. Hello, hello, nurses, get water, stretch, breathe and come back ready because we are going to go over the Rise Skill Calm after the musical break, and a lot of this was both banter and fun and heavy discussion in the first part. So if you need a breather as always you know this is our dance break, so come back. After the music we will have skill discussion. We will, of course, do our favorite coffee crystals and divination, and both of my besties are good at both things actually, so should be a really fun segment. So we will see you after the musical break if you would keep me waiting.
Speaker 2:I would wait a lifetime in tricky situations. I will be your lifeline. I will be your lifeline. Nobody's meant to be fighting alone. That's why I'm taking you home. I never felt something like this before. No, keep coming back for you time after time. Maybe I'm losing my mind, but I know I'll never leave you behind.
Speaker 3:No, Baby, I got you when you feel like falling, I'll be there to prove.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that baby, I got you. When you feel like falling, I'll be there to prove. Yeah, that baby, I got you. No matter the distance, no matter the hoops. Yeah, baby, I got you when you feel like falling.
Speaker 1:I'll be there to prove. Yeah, that baby, I got you, no matter the distance, no matter the hoops. Yeah, all right, welcome back. And hopefully you were able to hydrate and stretch, get ready for the next segment. So we are weaving in the rise skills in this second season. So the RISE skills are real practical tools for nurses and healthcare pros to help you guys stay grounded, protect your mental peace, your health and your physiological health.
Speaker 1:Today's skill that we're talking about is CALM, from the communication and boundaries category. So CALM stands for C center yourself before you speak. A assess the situation and urgency. L, which is level your tone and language. M, which is maintain boundaries without losing empathy. So, neurologically, centering interrupts the fight or flight surge. You're signaling to your brain's prefrontal cortex that you're safe enough to think, which quiets the amygdala's panic sirens. So leveling your tone regulates not just you but the people around you. Boundaries do keep you from absorbing the full emotional hit, which is protective against burnout.
Speaker 1:Communication that shows skill sets that are in acronym format or short STEM format are easier for people in crisis mode or like highly emotional situations, overwhelm to remember and latch onto and to integrate. Visuals really help. Infographics really help. Acronyms are something that we in the medical and healthcare community communicate in all the time. I think we kind of have a semi-pseudo-ish, paramilitary kind of style of communication, no matter which area of healthcare I think you're in, so the acronyms really help. Area of healthcare I think you're in, so the acronyms really help.
Speaker 1:So having an acronym like CALM to remind yourself of each one of these steps as you're entering in or hit by a really highly emotional or traumatic or urgency even if it's not immediately emotional, it's just a sense of urgency urgency can really help you approach it and navigate it from a very grounded perspective, without, I think sometimes we go into it and we flip on like production mode. You know, like all systems are online, analyzing algorithms, doing what we're supposed to. You know we, we go into that kind of machine mode of knowing what we need to do, knowing what algorithms are out there, what has to be delivered, responded to, but we're doing that without any shielding. So we're still physiologically responding to the situation at hand and all the context around us. But because we switch into that mode so quickly and automatically, because we're assessing the situation, we're taking in what's happening, still performing and doing what we're doing. That's why everything starts getting shoveled in boxes to be dealt with and analyzed later Because it's such an immediate, you know code goes offacy is responding with what they need, not sure of, like what's going to what the code is.
Speaker 1:We're responding doing the code. Things and family, the patient, the context of everything around it is all happening around us and we're taking that in. While we're on function mode and this skill set is meant to give us that brief moment of mentally working through these steps, we're still going to switch into the same mode, but now we have physiologically allowed ourselves to kind of have shields up because our neurotransmitters, our fight or flight response, isn't what's driving that mechanized kind of like move and do mode that we all kind of move and do move and do that, move and do mode that we kind of get into.
Speaker 1:So thinking about this skill set and thinking about like environments that we would use it in, joe, can you think of a time, maybe even with me, when communication and chaos could have gone sideways, but you managed to keep it calm?
Speaker 2:Typically when we would work the closest together. As far as when that's happening is during a code yes, the crash car would come out. People are asking for pressers, people are asking for whatever's needed at the moment, and then pharmacy's, pharmacy's gonna quick, you know, open up the crash cart, mix whatever's at hand, hand it over that kind of thing. It's the communication and the. Yeah, I've never seen it really go sideways in that instance, because it was drilled in and people were just ready for what was going on there.
Speaker 1:And I think you guys, the pharmacists that worked with us also all of you guys were always calm.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And just able to pick up from the situation what we needed. We're out of that bee. We're out of whatever it is that we're futzing.
Speaker 2:The chaos of the moment.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and that I think helps keep people grounded, because people code in different ways. And there are some where it's almost the level of communication is so quiet and calm that it's almost conversational. And then there are others where I can remember stuff flying everywhere. People are like yelling almost. Do you know what I'm saying? There's very different. Individuals handle that very differently. You guys have always been calm. I never remember you guys ever responding to help us and you've always been calm. You've always been calm. I don't know if you can think of where you've.
Speaker 3:For me, in a cold-type situation, when you feel that person ramping up, where you start seeing they're starting to almost in a panic, you have to sit there and talk to them and say, okay, what are our steps? What is our next thing we need to do? Let's focus on that, right, you can do this. Just focus on what you're doing, right. Yeah, I understand that everything, all shit's breaking loose whoops, this podcast?
Speaker 1:I that's not a.
Speaker 3:This is not a kid's podcast, that's okay it's all breaking loose, but to to stay calm, to stay focused. Yes, I'm putting it in a box, but I can deal with that after we're done with the code, after we're done with stabilizing, absolutely yeah, when we debrief.
Speaker 1:Debriefing is another skill set in RISE. Some hospitals are good about debriefing, some aren't, and debrief as a skill set and rise is focused on us doing exactly that being able to, outside of the moment, later in the day, after the shift, whenever, actually unpack some of that and deal with it and put it away and be able to debrief and not have it become psychosomatic trauma response. That is patterned.
Speaker 3:I've never had a hospital yet. That knows how to debrief properly.
Speaker 1:I hate you.
Speaker 3:Debrief is usually a sidebar, with nurses talking about well, what could have been done better, how did things go awry? What could have been done?
Speaker 1:better. How did things go awry? It's supposed to be informative, but I can remember more times than not leaving one code and either going directly into another one or just immediately walking right back into the room I came out of and finishing whatever had been interrupted. You know, patient and family care wise, without hesitation.
Speaker 3:Just you know, know off you go. So I know I've been told I'm too calm at times. So people say it's just anything phase you. It's like, well, let's see being in the military, working in the floor seeing about everything going through the pandemic. No, nothing really phases me anymore.
Speaker 1:Right, you know, you're just kind of even keel and I think you guys are better at it than I am. I think I've seen both of you have the ability to pause before responding, like to?
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, you're really good, you're really good, you're really good no, you gotta stop and take a look at the situation, assess what's going on, before you act yes, if you act before de-assessing the situation. You're going to make mistakes, yeah. So taking just a step back, taking that few seconds to look at the situation and say, okay, this is what we need to prioritize, this is what we need to prioritize, this is what we need to do. I don't know, was that a problem? For?
Speaker 2:you From pharmacy perspective, it was just give it a pause before you even really even speak. As far as you know, funny that I know.
Speaker 1:I know exactly why you're laughing.
Speaker 2:You know the job is done, but it's just. The other perspective is from the nursing side of it, trying to see it from their side. They have a lot of patients, they're, they're overtasked and you're going about everything. And if you have to search an extra minute for a medication, if you have to be going through the PICS system, whatever it is, and the medication's depleted or there's a miscount, or you know you have to do an extra narcotic check at the end of the night because the counts are off or things like that, it's frustrating and it just seems like a lot of times pharmacy is a safe place to vent.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean that's something that I think is taken for granted and not really exploring. You know whether or not you guys have the emotional runway for any of that with your own stress that you're dealing with, Because I think you guys do get the brunt of it. You know, one more person calls you and asks where the damn antibiotic is, and it's in the fridge.
Speaker 3:Never done that Totally.
Speaker 1:Never done that, never. You know. It's eight and two, 50, not four. What are you doing? That you know? I think that perspective and I think with colleagues too, that you know I think that perspective and I think with colleagues too, that's a lot of it. It's not just patients and families and care. You know their support systems and whatnot. It's it's colleagues, a lot of our communication. Your tone, like being grounded before you speak, is really what keeps communication actually open and I think both of you guys are really good at that. I've seen both of you guys in stressful situations. I know that you guys have worked with colleagues that have just been a stressful situation just by their very existence, and you guys are both very good at really demonstrating the skill set and action.
Speaker 3:It really helps too. At least my second job was the second hospital.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:I would say second job, that's like the 15th job, Anyways my second job, the second hospital yeah, or second hospital. Pharmacy was always such a great support for us yeah, I think it was our most supportive pharmacy that I ever worked with, which made our jobs 10 times easier.
Speaker 2:And if you can talk to them freely like that, it diffuses a lot of the situation. To begin with because you know it's not going to be confrontational when you call Correct.
Speaker 1:You know it's not going to be curious about something, or hey, hey, help, I don't know how to do this.
Speaker 2:Can you run these things together? How does this mix, how does this work, that kind of thing? And you're not going to get a dejected sigh from the other call or the other end of the call or anything like that. It's actually you're going to get some help, you're going to get these things done and just going to be better and safer for the patient because you aren't hesitating and be like okay, well, I think it's this, I don't want to bug pharmacy, let me just run this. And you avoid so much when you know you can actually call and get sound advice and not feel like you're putting something on the other team.
Speaker 1:Yes, absolutely. I think facilitating communication like that diffuses the situation and when we diffuse the situation contextually, for our bodies physiologically it lowers the threat threshold. For our bodies physiologically it lowers the threat threshold. So our fight or flight response isn't constantly activated. It activates when necessary. We use skill sets to keep it at bay and continue functioning and our body doesn't process and store that, as this is the mode we have to be in to function and it reverses so much of the physiological damage that we've been running in normally in healthcare up to that point. It's kind of like low humming anxiety, that low humming kind of level of always being hypervigilant, of waiting for the code to go off or waiting for the situation to escalate or, you know, even confrontational, you know conversations with a colleague that's scheduled that day. You have that kind of under the. You know it's just right under the surface, like that, that low humming anxiety level.
Speaker 3:You're always on red alert always.
Speaker 1:Just with our impassable faces. I think the entire time that I have known the two of you, I've only seen each of you upset like genuinely upset once. I mean, we've talked about it like on off time, you know being upset about things or being what, but in a professional context I've only actually seen the two of you upset once.
Speaker 3:It's pretty ugly.
Speaker 1:My tongue you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no. When you're being flippant and you're going to put a patient in danger, I'm going to freak out on you. Who does that? Who does that, who does?
Speaker 1:that, yes, I love it, oh my gosh. I think what a lot of people miss is that friendships and health care aren't just nice to have. You always have your work besties, but they're survival gear, and you two have been my life rafts more times than I can count. Joe, for you, what do you think is one way that our friendship has made your job easier or more survivable?
Speaker 2:There's a relatable baseline. I can talk to you without having to have so much backstory into it. That just helps right off the bat as far as not having to catch somebody up to speed.
Speaker 1:Yes, or explain the nuance or context right yeah, you're speaking even the same shorthand language.
Speaker 2:Yes, all those things, and it's just not that you can't do it with another, another, other friend groups or other people, but it's just it's so much faster and, to the point, the conversations are easier. Yes, and just. You have someone who can not. I mean, you can have anybody who could just sympathize with you in conversation, but to really empathize with your situation and have a shared experience with that is just so much more meaningful. Yes, in the conversation, because I'm like the other party gets it.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 2:They've lived it, so that's a huge part.
Speaker 1:Eric, what about you?
Speaker 3:Same thing. I mean when we go through our case studies together. It really helps me. How can I say this? It helps me understand why I did what I did or how I could have done things differently, and through that I'm a better nurse. So, and with that friendship you know, like Joe, just kind of repeating to Joe, you don't have to go through the whole entire gamut of backstory to get to your point.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I agree, I think for you guys, I had to go through a lot of growth in going from floor nurse to house supervisor and you know, then as an executive and I think it was a lot of personal growth for me in learning communication.
Speaker 1:I know like I put myself through communication training as a house supervisor because I didn't realize at first communicating like an ICU nurse or an ED nurse doesn't work in leadership. The very direct kind of blunt approach to things doesn't work in leadership. Being so much better at being focused and responding calmly to things in many instances kept me like able to follow, able to follow that lead, if you will. And talking with you guys about stuff over the years afterwards and hearing your feedback about things and how you approach things kind of allowed me to see things from a perspective of tempering my not losing passion for things but just tempering how I express it or like even my expectations of people. And you know what not to like. Let bother me Really. You guys are really you guys are really good at that you guys are really good at like I don't let that bother me.
Speaker 1:really you guys are really. You guys are really good at that. You guys are really good at like I don't let that bother me. Like I I'm focused on this and that's their problem. And that's something that I have learned from you guys over the years. And just handling people in healthcare because it's always high stress, you know, when we worked together in an executive capacity, watching how people may or may not function or follow policies and directions, really kind of helped me see different ways to communicate about it instead of being so direct. I mean, I'm pretty good at professional communication, but it has to be tempered with not being so direct.
Speaker 3:I don't know. I still have a problem once in a while because I'm a little too direct.
Speaker 1:That's just if people aren't doing what they're supposed to be doing. If they're doing what they're supposed to be doing, then there's not a problem.
Speaker 3:We've talked about this in the policy. This is in the procedure, that part, don't you?
Speaker 1:understand. Yes, I don't know how many times I've seen him say the same thing too. This is not how you do that. There is an actual algorithm for this. Actual steps for this.
Speaker 3:It's not up for interpretation, it's spelt out. It's been proofed about 15 or 15 billion times. Don't change the wording, yeah don't change the thing.
Speaker 1:So, because this is the ritual nurse, do you guys have like the funniest or most ridiculous thing that you've ever seen me do, whether work or outside of work?
Speaker 3:funny or ridiculous thing. Yes, oh, it would have to be the story of that guy but the patient with oh, when you beat your pants, yeah, but that's beside the point. That would be the most oh my gosh. Uh, funny ridiculous thing other than that, maybe it's when you're trying to eat our Indian friends' cooking and it was extremely spicy. Oh, to have a spice level. That is unbelievable.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I came out of the break room, looking like I had had lip injections.
Speaker 3:Those are the two that stand out the most.
Speaker 1:I mean, I think we can anesthetize the other story in terms of HIPAA and whatnot, but that's a pretty wild story. That's a pretty wild story.
Speaker 2:I would remember just as roaming the halls and delivering medications and things. It would typically be overhearing conversation and you having a look of you really again.
Speaker 1:You guys are so good at controlling your face.
Speaker 2:My even during the pandemic, the mask was not enough, because my eyebrows, if I don't have enough botox, literally can spell what the fuck yeah, oh, there's time my falcon eyebrow goes up and it's like really yeah, it's seeing those on the with you guys and stuff just in passing and just communicating with other people and just having the what the fuck moment just on your face, just with the patient or with another colleague or something like that, and that would always make me, that would make me smile inside.
Speaker 1:Yes. It would make me smile inside, yes, inside, mr.
Speaker 3:Ritul, nurse is over there laughing right?
Speaker 1:well, it's because there isn't one over the top half of my face that is keeping me.
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah, yeah, I remember that infection control issue. Somebody sneezed in my mouth. I don't have to worry about that. Well, if you're wearing your mask, how do they sneeze and why are they close your mask? How do they sneeze in your?
Speaker 1:mouth, and why are they close enough to you that they can sneeze in your mouth? I have so many questions about this situation right now and I can only ask maybe one or two of them professionally.
Speaker 3:How close were you and why was your mouth open?
Speaker 1:To the patient. Yes, exactly, these are, yeah, some, yeah, some of the things that we have.
Speaker 3:Sorry that's yeah. Oh God, Figure out.
Speaker 2:WTF rated lung toxin Actual.
Speaker 1:I mean, I don't yeah.
Speaker 3:That'll have an expressionless face. It'll be just like.
Speaker 1:You're out. Of all of us, he is the best yes at that, and also those of you that are nerds or whatever. Both of these guys have happened to be gms in in games and stuff, and I think that's one thing, that joe being so able to be not expressionless. You don't have a flat affect. You always have a pleasant expression on your face, but it's like unreadable, keeps us in constant like oh my God, like what is he actually doing? What is he actually meaning?
Speaker 3:So you're going to do that, right Decided.
Speaker 1:I'm not going to do that, decided I am not. No, sir, I decided that that is not a good idea. I'm not going to touch the door. I'm going to sit down and make something to eat. Oh okay, you are Nope. Suddenly, I'm not hungry. I don't know why you said it that way. Why did you pick up things? What are you doing?
Speaker 3:Why are you rolling dice back there? I have to admit, as a GM, I once in a while will do that. Just pull dice for the hell of it yeah, just to screw with us.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you did that in that other campaign. I'm like why is he?
Speaker 3:rolling. What did you? What are you doing?
Speaker 1:what happened?
Speaker 3:I'm just screwing with you?
Speaker 1:yeah, just just messing around with things. I think, eric, I can tell your eyes. You know you always have like a calm expression, but if I see your nostrils, flare. That's the tell that's a tell, I know is oh there's shenanigans afoot, yeah there's either shenanigans afoot or he is not saying the things that he wants to say because he's professional.
Speaker 3:Yes, the nose is the talent. I can't control it yeah.
Speaker 1:Or his eyebrows go up and I'm like oh.
Speaker 3:I think there's only, like you said, one time that you saw me turn red or I saw red. Yeah, I think there was one other time, but you weren't there, I don't think, and that had to do with a state surveyor. That totally tipped me off. I was almost quite ready to quit nursing at that time.
Speaker 1:No, I wasn't there for that one.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, when I see red, I see red and there's nothing you can do about it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that is very rare with both of you. Like I said, I've only seen you guys actually upset once at work with both of you. Like I said, I've only seen you guys actually like upset once at work.
Speaker 2:That's it. Most of it's explainable. Most of it's.
Speaker 1:No, it's always explainable Like that, for sure, I you know. Given what I know about the situations, I probably would have been. You would have seen me upset a lot sooner actually. But yeah, maybe I'll I'll have to tell the story of the other incident. I don't know if you were at the hospital that day when I had to get new scars. I mean, I think you were working at the hospital when we had the situation because you guys had to get stuff from overseas for this person, because we didn't have anything in the country that there was sensitivity to.
Speaker 2:Oh, God, that one, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:And myself and a colleague had gone in to provide care for the patient. Very difficult situation for the patient and trying to do so, obviously with the utmost respect, and I was horrified, still am horrified, by what happened Nurses that are listening to the podcast or other medical professionals. Gi bleeds can be pretty bad, but there are worse things than GI bleeds. As soon as I shifted the patient and it kind of broke the surface tension around the patient, surface tension around the patient, the physiological response for both myself and my colleague was actually uncontrollable. Despite how horrified I was, I would never, ever, ever do anything like this around a patient of voluntary nature. But it was so forceful I was gripping the side of the hell rom to stay upright. I could not control it could not control like my diaphragm could not control my response and I've never made a sound like that in my life and I was gritting, clamping my teeth together to keep it from coming out, but also panicking because it was happening so fast that I couldn't inhale and I was afraid I was then going to face plant into everything happening in front of me and my colleague was doing the same thing, also had to throw up in the trash can behind them and as soon as I would unclench my teeth to try to say anything help the person's name, something, anything the sound that would erupt out of me was like 10 times louder than the sound I was making with my teeth clenched and I couldn't, and I eventually just stopped trying to say anything. The person in front of me was doing the same thing, but also just incredulously, like didn't know what to do, like didn't know how to. We don't even know what to do. Finally, somehow I don't know whether muscularly, like I, my, my body just couldn't do it anymore or whatever, but we were able to stumble out of the room into the main, you know, the main hospital corridor, completely drenched in sweat, like actually, just like my curls were matted to my head, both of us had peed ourselves. We come out into the hallway to colleagues absolutely laughing so hard they can't breathe. When I tell you, the sound that was coming out of us was so ridiculous apparently you could hear it all the way on the other side of the hospital wing, and these were long wings that were kind of like in a semi V, and I didn't, I couldn't, I've never had anything like this happen and had, you know, get new scrubs, put my hair up in a ponytail and do the mask trick of the mask and Vicks and toothpaste on the outside of it, and then a second mask, like sandwiched on top of that one, so that it was just like this wall of Vicks and hospital toothpaste in between the masks. This was before the pandemic, so I didn't have a respirator on me, which I don't think would have helped in that instance, but it was the most ridiculous situation I've ever, professionally, that I've ever had happen in terms of. I mean, I can handle everything except for respiratory mucus, because that will make me absolutely gag. Everything else I don't care. Like whatever, you know, you see it all in the ER. It's not a problem. I don't know what it was Physiologically, and my colleague, their face.
Speaker 1:They looked like a raccoon. Their mascara was just like down their face totally drenched in sweat. I mean we walked out of there. I can't even imagine what we must have looked like walking out of there after you jerks hearing the and our colleagues were like no, we're not going in there. What? No? Like same. You know it wasn't a code situation. There wasn't anything happening to the patient whatsoever. It was just us two that, for whatever reason, our physiological response to that was just immediate evacuation.
Speaker 1:I've never since then before then okay, well, I can think of one other time, but that wasn't home but I have never had that happen with such force like that. I did aspirate once at home and that was another funny story by itself and immediately texted all three of these men. I just peed in the kitchen. Don't even I just peeing is not a normal thing that I do, it's just these two situations like I just can't explain it. Okay, if you have ever gagged that hard or had a gag reflex hit you that hard, it's just kind of like a no Like. When I aspirated and actually was in danger of dying because of aspiration until I cleared my airway yeah, that was the second time and, of course, immediately texted them. Text your friends. Things like this out of nowhere in the middle of the day on a Tuesday. I don't know. You reevaluate your bestie status because these guys get hit with it all the time.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm reading that text going. She peed in the kitchen.
Speaker 1:Why are you peeing in the kitchen Right Like totally they were nonplussed Like really, what are you doing? You know, like she's up to her shit again. Like what are you doing? Like no, I just aspirated, I literally just aspirated and managed to clear my airway barely, like I this. This was almost an actual sentinel vent in my kitchen, but yeah, that was. That is the most ridiculous that I think I've. I've been at work that you jerks laughing in the hallway.
Speaker 3:Yeah, well, yeah yeah, but no, 95 wouldn't work on this patient. Whatever gases that this patient was expelling, totally no, it just smelled like decomposition worse than like normal decomp, though.
Speaker 1:I mean, we've smelled decomp and it didn't you? You innately do, I think your body just physiologically does gag when it comes to decomp. But there was something, it was Decomp plus Right Decomp plus.
Speaker 2:Oh my God. Oh my God Decomp plus.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was such a forceful physiological reaction my colleague almost couldn't stay upright and I was holding on to the hill wrong because it was pulling me up on my toes and not being able to inhale in between the contractions I was like I'm going to pass out and face plant into whatever this is and the panic of that. And also I was so horrified by what, because it hit so fast. I was so horrified by what was happening. I would never you know patient respect and decorum and I would never you know what I'm saying Like you just would never. Oh my gosh, it would never treat. Yeah, you know what I mean. This is decorum that you try to treat patients with and the respect you try to treat them with.
Speaker 1:And I could not with any fiber of my being, stop what was happening. I could barely. The sound I was making with my jaw clenched closed was loud enough to go all the way around the hospital wing, but when I opened my mouth to try to say my colleague's name or help or something, it was 10 times worse and it was the most ungodly sound. Our respiratory therapist was almost passed out. They were laughing so hard.
Speaker 1:They were like what am I going to do in there, like they're, you know, and again, there wasn't anything physiologically happening to the patient. They were perfectly fine, there was not a single thing. It's not a rapid, it wasn't a code, there wasn't anything needed. It was us two idiots in there that I don't know what the heck hit us that happened. But yeah, or scrubs, completely wash or like had to pull my hair up, like no, did the mask thing and went back in and cared for the patient and, you know, got everything taken care of, but and the patient, just so everybody knows, was completely not aware of an excuse me, not aware of unfazed.
Speaker 1:They were comatose, that they weren't aware of anything, so there wasn't. They wouldn't have been able to hear anything or know anything. Anyways, they were genuinely not conscious. But yeah, yeah, I agree that is definitely one of the most ridiculous things that I've ever done professionally. Now we are going to get to our coffee crystals and divination segment, which is our favorite course. So, first up, we're going to talk about go-to drinks. So, uh, what is on deck for you guys in terms of your favorites right now or what you're you know? Like I gotta have this at work.
Speaker 3:This is my go-to me it's still soda or pop, depending what location you're from, Coke whatever. I'm greatly reducing that Now I'm trying to switch over to coffee. I remember way back when Lempton Tea made a chai tea latte powder and ever since then it was gone and I was really sad because that used to be my it's my text alert.
Speaker 1:I'm so sorry. It's a cat. So you actually were hearing a cat. You were not having a stroke.
Speaker 3:I feel like I was going.
Speaker 1:I know, sorry everybody, let's see, I'm on the second floor of Mark Billy.
Speaker 3:My text alert is a cat, one of my children.
Speaker 1:And Eric was assessing himself really quickly to see if he was having a stroke because he kept hearing a cat.
Speaker 3:So yes, I'm so sorry he's going, but he used to always have like a. Really it was delicious, it was a nice caffeinated team, but now they don't make it anymore so we gotta find you a new one I gotta find a new one okay, okay what? Yeah, I'm trying to get away from the sodas and go to something different, but okay, well, one step at a time.
Speaker 1:I mean, at least you're hydrating and you know you kind of have your go-to. What about you?
Speaker 2:I have to have in the morning. It's either depending on the season if it is in the wintertime, fall, that kind of stuff. It's my lattes. I love my lattes. Their lattes are so good, they're my favorites. That's always my go-to. You can add French vanilla to it or whatever, but that's my go-to. And then in the summer times, cold brew coffees. Yeah, I have one right now. That gets me up in the morning. I get up ungodly early as it is, but that just helps me get moving. So I have to have that even at work, if it's a second cup moving on.
Speaker 2:But yeah it's a must.
Speaker 1:Fuel for the second half. Yeah, this week I just discovered well, okay, this is new to me. People I'm sure those of you that have been to Dutch Brothers this is only like the second time I've ever gone to Dutch Brothers. But it's called a Golden Eagle by Dutch Brothers. It is so good. Even Mr Ritual Nurse likes the flavor of it and he doesn't drink coffee drinks. It's that good. So it's just coffee and caramel. Vanilla brevet. There's some caramel in it. I have it iced. I think you can get it hot. I don't know, I don't order stuff at dutch brothers, but the golden eagle is I. Yeah, I'm kind of obsessed with it a little bit, so I think that's probably going to be my go-to, that's actually sounds really good.
Speaker 1:It is really really good. That is probably going to be my go-to this week in terms of my you know, favorite coffee treat. Let's do the the crystal prescription for the next two weeks. I do it by using the oracle deck and we will live draw from that, and either one of you guys can do the tarot poll if you want. Sure, we have like a bunch of different decks over here and I also have the crystal one. So, or, yeah, the crystal stark tarot. So whatever you feel like, or you guys can both do it, it doesn't matter.
Speaker 2:Pick it Eric Go for it.
Speaker 3:Let's do the crystal one. Okay, let's keep it. Let's keep the theme.
Speaker 1:All right. Plus, I'm really curious so many yeah, these are so gorgeous, so absolutely gorgeous.
Speaker 3:Oh, all right, well, apparently that's it I think it's fun that you actually do this live too I like it.
Speaker 1:I. It always surprises me. These decks are sassy, but it always surprises me how accurate they are, and this is a stone that we have had before, I think, and I've been shuffling. It literally jumped out of the pile while I, or jumped out of my hands while I was shuffling. This is Morganite. So I think Mr Ritual nurse may have pulled this. Yeah Right, I've never seen Morganite before and it's gorgeous. It looked to me like a really pretty sunstone, but also wasn't. Was it? Tourmaline, citrine and topaz, that's that's what you were saying. So, however, I think this is really fitting for this episode.
Speaker 1:So morganite signifies alignment, emotional compassion. Embark on a cosmic journey of alignment with Morganite we're finding harmony means syncing up with the planetary rhythms of the universe. Just as this crystal radiates love and compassion, you too can attune your spirit to the harmonious alignment of the planets, surrender to the universal flow and allow its gentle guidance to lead you to emotional balance and your true alignment. Given that our skill set that we talked about was calm and that has a lot to do with being grounded, emotional alignment before responding to things or in context of the situation that you're in, this is a phenomenal crystal prescription for the next two weeks. I also think that being an emotional balance is really kind of the theme of what we talked about. As you guys, as my anchor crew, having these friendships that we've had and continue to have, is really what provides us emotional balance in keeping ourselves centered and grounded and able to to handle what we've what we've handled. Do you guys want to draw one?
Speaker 2:yeah, I'll do one.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'll draw one. I love these, I absolutely love these. And then eric will. Oh, how light patience. This is stunning. I don't know if you want to draw one eric, and then we'll draw tarot for our divination purpose.
Speaker 1:And, as always, you guys, tarot and oracles. It doesn't have to be something that you practice or you know, even something that you align with. These can be journal prompts, these can be mental sticky notes of concepts or ideas to think of. You can take it however works for you. Take what works for you and leave the rest. Ooh, authenticity, what? These are incredible, all right. So highlight signifies patience, rest, mindfulness and emotional freedom. This card is your gentle reminder to take a deep breath, relax and recharge. You may be feeling stressed and or have been pushing yourself to the limit lately, so slow down and find your sense of patience. Just like the sands in an hourglass take time to cascade down. Remember that great things take time to unfold. Take a step back for a moment, trust in the process and know that good things come to those who hustle hard and rest hard. That is an amazing one. Authenticity turquoise. I don't think I've ever seen this card before. Wow, it's almost like a mask.
Speaker 2:This deck is so.
Speaker 1:Isn't this gorgeous? It's just fun. Look at this Authenticity one. So Turquoise, authenticity, self-acceptance, strength and Communication. Take off that mask and reveal your true, authentic self. Just like this captivating stone, you are a unique masterpiece waiting to break out to be seen and heard. Turquoise boosts confidence for those that are shy and hesitant to speak, encouraging them to share their wisdom. It reminds us that speaking authentically adds value to the collective. It's time to break free from the constraints of conformity and allow your true self and voice to shine through. Trust in your worth. You are enough Right. Totally irrelevant. Totally irrelevant. Man, incredible. Draw Authenticity, patience and alignment in all of it is about emotional balance, communication, grounding, authenticity. This is incredible. So the stones for the next two weeks are turquoise. How light and morganite. What did we pull for divination?
Speaker 3:well for our divination, I think. Unfortunately, it's uh kind of feeding off my own energy right now that's okay okay. So I drew a nine of swords, which is anxiety, worry, depression. So this card suggests your fears and anxieties are weighing you down right now. Okay, Be careful, because the more you stress, the more likely you're going to manifest more of it into your life. Break the cycle. Instead of focusing on the things that are going wrong, shift your focus on everything else that is going right. So I'm switching to day shift here soon.
Speaker 1:Okay, so I'm quite nervous about it. Okay, I think this is a really apropos part of the conversation, though. So many people are feeling this way. Part of the conversation, though so many people are feeling this way, and not only does the skill set apply, but kind of what the oracle, the crystals, were telling us. Let me see the deck Are just validating that man, these are so pretty. Oh, it's lapidolite.
Speaker 1:What a gorgeous freaking stone they're just really validating the need for grounding and emotional balance and also acknowledging, at the same time, this isn't toxic positivity. You have changes coming up and anxiety is associated with that. The expectations, you know, the things that you need to take care of, you know, just switching to day shift, that's a that's a big difference.
Speaker 2:Day and night shift is two different animals.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, it is.
Speaker 3:I'm very aware of it. Unfortunately it's.
Speaker 1:The expectations, the dynamics are different it's, they're, yeah, the stressors apparently these have more to say god, and draw one more palette. I love it. Okay, so I had two come out while shuffling, so we will read through those really quickly. Queen of cups compassion, kind and nurturing. Larimar signifies tranquility, healing and compassion. The queen of cups is deeply nurturing, kind and can express feelings easily, since you have a deep understanding of what others need emotionally. Be careful to remain centered and to not take on any energy that isn't yours. Boundaries, be mindful of your own feelings. Excellent, excellent, excellent. It's the M part of calm. I love it. Two of wands yeah, these are some sassy cards sometimes. The two of wands is ruby fucsite I think I'm pronouncing that correctly Progress planning, discovery and Ruby Fuchsite is positive growth, inspiration and self-knowledge.
Speaker 1:You had that spark of inspiration. Now it's time to figure out how you're going to make it happen. You know what you want, so start making a clear plan and implementing a strategy before proceeding. Pause before doing your thing. Implement your strategy before proceeding. Let your passion guide you. The world is your thing. Implement your strategy before proceeding. Let your passion guide you. The world is your oyster. And then Joe pulled Howlite and the Hanged One man. These cards are so gorgeous.
Speaker 2:This deck is very cool.
Speaker 1:I had thought I was going to switch decks for season two. I just can't. I just love these too much. So the Hanged One is pause, patience and letting go, and Howlite is rest, patience and letting go. And how light is rest, mindfulness and freedom. Now is the pause and take a breather to gain a better perspective. You may need to reevaluate the path you're on so you can allow new meaningful opportunities to flow your way more easily. Good things come to those who wait. I love the message. Love the message. Come to those who wait. I love the message. Love the message.
Speaker 1:So Lepidolite, larimar, ruby, fuchsite and Howlite and I'll take a picture of these and put them up on socials so that you guys can see them and again, take what works for you and leave the rest. These are great prompts for journaling, for mental sticky notes, manifestation, for mental sticky notes, manifestation, conversation starters or guidelines or actual you know divination and crystal prescriptions for those that like that kind of thing. So this has been an awesome episode. I can already think of one or two more episodes that I would love to do with you guys that have topics that we've brought up today, and I so appreciate you guys doing the episode with me.
Speaker 3:My interest is good, thank you to everyone listening.
Speaker 1:I want you to tag your anchor crew this week. Send them this episode, tell them why they're your people. And if you don't have one yet, maybe this is your sign to start building that circle. And until next time, I love your faces.