A Nurse First
A Nurse First is a podcast about firsts—stories from nurses who have been there, done that, and have lived to tell the tale, so to speak. It explores the world of nursing from all sorts of unexpected angles, sweeping you along in stories and giving you pause to think, “What would I do if it were me?”
Episodes
63 episodes
Fields of knowing
Roxana Chicas is turning personal history into powerful advocacy. As the first Latina on her research team, her journey weaves lived experience with scientific insight to uncover the human toll of heat on farmworkers and illuminate how listenin...
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Season 6
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Episode 5
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17:12
Endless June
Riley Horner’s life froze on 11 June 2019, after a concussion left her memory resetting every two hours. She defied the odds through resilience and family support, reclaiming her future as a nurse and proving recovery is possible even when time...
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Season 6
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Episode 4
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13:02
Bent rules
A three-hour bus ride, a two-hour walk, and a last-minute chance to take the nursing exam changed everything for Tameka Duncan-Baker. This pivotal moment of support and opportunity transformed her life and career, leading her to become Jamaica'...
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Season 6
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Episode 3
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15:44
Mission: Heal
Regina Yuen took a leap of faith when she accepted her first mission with Doctors Without Borders, stepping into the unknown in South Sudan. Faced with a new culture, limited resources, and the challenges of humanitarian nursing, she quickly le...
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Season 6
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Episode 2
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15:36
From the start
For Lucas M. Davis, serving as Sigma’s new CEO means honoring a century-long legacy while paving a transformative path forward. His steadfast belief that nurses are truly "first"—the first to care, the first to lead, and the first to drive chan...
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Season 6
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Episode 1
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12:10
Embrace the unexpected
The beauty of embracing uncertainty lies in the potential for serendipitous discoveries. Each step Ronald Hickman took, whether through mentorship conversations or pursuing postgraduate education, opened doors he had not anticipated. The unexpe...
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Season 5
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Episode 6
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18:03
P.U.R.P.L.E.
Witnessing a fellow caregiver succumb to the very issues she worked to treat as a psychiatric nurse was a profound wake-up call for Sheryl Garriques-Lloyd, reminding her that mental health challenges can affect anyone, even those trained to car...
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Season 5
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Episode 5
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14:12
What you keep
The thrill of her first nursing paycheck seemed like the promise of financial freedom but quickly led Renee Carter down a path of hard lessons and surprising discoveries about money. With relatable stories and practical tips, Renee reveal...
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Season 5
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Episode 4
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12:01
The storm
Jamla Rizek's journey into disaster preparedness began with a pivotal deployment during Hurricane Sandy that solidified her desire to contribute more significantly to this field. As she's learned, preparing for disasters proactively now is not ...
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Season 5
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Episode 3
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13:10
Stay the course
When faced with adversity and inequality, Patricia Coleman-Burns had the choice to accept the status quo or take a stand and work toward change. In her case, the injustice she experienced in the workplace fueled her passion for advocacy and bre...
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Season 5
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Episode 2
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21:23
Audacity to believe
Starting a business can be daunting, but with the right mindset and belief in yourself, anything is possible. That's Farah Laurent's take, and one huge leap of faith later, she's helping nurses level up in their careers and find their dream job...
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Season 5
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Episode 1
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10:22
There for everything
Lindy Finch has wanted to help people her entire life. When it was her family who needed the help, the kindness, reassurance, and empathy shown by St. Judes' nurses had a profound impact on her—so much so that it changed her career path and her...
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15:05
Create space
From creating a groundbreaking peer mentoring program to navigating leadership roles with strategic focus, Benita Chatmon's story is a testament to the power of mentorship in achieving long-term goals. By prioritizing her time and commitments b...
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Season 5
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Episode 5
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9:55
A hunch
Jyu-Lin Chen began her nursing career with a passion for working with children, which led her to a pediatric ICU. Her curiosity and commitment to evidence-based practice shifted her focus to researching obesity trends among Chinese American imm...
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Season 5
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Episode 4
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17:06
Footmark
Out of 800 applicants, Jitana Benton-Lee was one of 30 selected to participate in a digital innovation boot camp, a collaboration between the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and Apple. The proposal? A visionary app to track nursing ...
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17:37
The wind phone
Allison Young’s diverse background in East Asian studies, the role she played translating Japanese news bulletins after the 2011 tsunami, and her doctoral study in thanatology unexpectedly converged when she discovered an article online about a...
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Season 5
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Episode 2
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17:00
10 years
Higinio Fernández-Sánchez's story begins in Tyler, Texas, where he migrated with his family from Mexico at a young age. Determined to pursue his dream of becoming a nurse despite being undocumented, Higinio made the difficult decision to return...
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Season 5
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Episode 1
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15:50
BONUS EPISODE | A career grounded in service
In this bonus episode of A Nurse First, Sigma president Sandra C. Garmon Bibb shares her incredible career journey and the many firsts she has experienced along the way. From making tremendous decisions to facing challenges head-on, Sandra's st...
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Season 4
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Episode 7
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22:07
Helper of mankind
Sigma's new president Sandra C. Garmon Bibb always knew she wanted to be a nurse. Finding out at a young age that her name meant "helper of mankind" solidified the decision for her. Little did she know then though how full circle it would all c...
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Season 4
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Episode 6
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16:49
Living your truth
Katie Foster believes authenticity in healthcare goes beyond personal identity; it is about embodying professionalism, empathy, and dedication to patient well-being. When she reconnected with a patient who didn't recognize her after her transit...
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Season 4
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Episode 5
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11:43
Out of determination
Facing challenges and limited funding, Jerry John Nutor's determination and passion for improving healthcare led him to create the Africa Interdisciplinary Health Conference—a platform for healthcare professionals to come together, share ideas,...
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Season 4
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Episode 4
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15:52
The missing element
In nursing, it's not just about being clinically smart, but also emotionally intelligent. The COVID-19 pandemic robbed countless nursing students of their clinical experience—and as an NCLEX tutor, Laura Habighorst has seen the impact on her st...
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Season 4
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Episode 3
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14:40
Standing in the gap
To address the mental health crisis head-on, Greg Jones opened the first mental health peer respite center in the Pacific Northwest. His theory is this: If as nurses we have the opportunity to make a difference, we are obliged to because nursin...
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Season 4
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Episode 2
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18:32
Built from the ground up
Anthony Silva dropped out of high school to help his mother pay bills and worked various jobs, including being a medical assistant, before finding a mentor in Dr. Richard de Asla, a foot and ankle surgeon. He offered Anthony a full-time job—and...
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Season 4
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Episode 1
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13:08