TalkNursin2Me
Talk Nursing to Me is the go-to podcast for nursing students and new nurses looking for real, unfiltered insights into life after graduation. We dive deep into what really happens in the nursing world, tackling the challenges, triumphs, and lessons that come with the profession. From navigating workplace dynamics to overcoming common obstacles, we create a space for open discussions that connect new and seasoned nurses. Featuring guest nurse speakers from various specialties, we provide firsthand knowledge about different units, answer viewer questions, and share valuable advice to help you th
TalkNursin2Me
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Episode 1: Welcome to Talk Nursing to Me
In this debut episode, we introduce Talk Nursing to Me—a podcast created for nursing students, new grads, and seasoned nurses looking for real talk about the nursing profession. Get to know your hosts as we share our backgrounds, experiences, and passion for nursing. We’ll give you a sneak peek into the topics we’ll cover, from the realities of bedside nursing to career growth, mental health, and overcoming challenges in the field. Plus, we’ll highlight upcoming guest speakers and the valuable insights they’ll bring. This is just the beginning—tune in and join the conversation!
Welcome to Talk Nursing to Me
Speaker 1Welcome to Talk Nursing to Me . I'm Nurse V and I'm Nurse Mel , and welcome to this platform .
Speaker 2We're super excited to kind of tell you guys about our journeys and what we're trying to do or going to
What Is This Podcast About?
Speaker 2do . So first let's talk about what is Talk .
Speaker 1Nursing to Me . First , let's talk about what is Talk Nursing to Me . Talk Nursing to Me is a platform for nurses , nursing students and the general population . But it definitely targets more on what really happens in nursing school , what really happens when you transition from nursing school to the real life and actively being a nurse , and it really gives you that understanding of the general perspective , because people don't really know they just see what they see on instagram which is super , super fake uh , definitely fake where you see the nurses and they're like two paychecks to the vacation .
Speaker 2That is not true . You have to clock in a lot of hours to make the money and covid is what really sprung up nurses . So a lot of hours to make the money and COVID is what really sprung up nurses . So a lot of false advertisement which is making people want to join nursing . But the truth is , if you don't have a passion for it , you shouldn't do it . Yes , can we say that again ? You shouldn't , because it's a lot up and down . It's a lot of parts that people don't discuss and a lot of headaches and rough nights , long hours . So if you're not truly passionate about it , I wouldn't just do it for their fame or the vacations or whatever else that's being advertised out there .
Speaker 1You know what ? Let's even rewind back , let's take it back .
Our Nursing Education Journey
Speaker 2Okay , we're going to start from . Okay , so I'll just give you a background . I have a bachelor's in health science .
Speaker 1I'm originally from Brooklyn , New York .
Speaker 2Science I'm originally from Brooklyn .
Speaker 1New York and my sister's from Brooklyn .
Speaker 2You already know . So we I started off with my bachelor's and then we moved out to Philly In .
Speaker 1Philly . We both decided we can't get enough of each other because we work together all the time and we decided to go to school together , so we started off with getting our LPN because we both had to have full-time jobs . We started off with getting our LPN because we both had to have full time jobs . Yes , so we did evening weekend program , which took two years .
Speaker 2Yep Shout out to Eastern yes A year .
Speaker 1Yes , day program is a year , but evening weekend is basically two years . So shout out to Eastern for that Such a good LPN program if you guys are in Philadelphia .
Speaker 2Absolutely .
Speaker 1LPN program . If you guys are in Philadelphia , absolutely , um . And then after the LPN program we graduated and let's talk about that first , that's because you know it took some time and that's still a nurse . Don't let nobody tell you LPN is not a nurse . It states nurse at the end . So that's exactly what you are and you take that board .
Speaker 2And you take that board was very difficult as well .
Speaker 1Yeah , that board was difficult when we took that .
Speaker 2NCLEX don't take that NCLEX with your sister heads up . Listen , it was tough , that's all I'm going to say . It was tough , it was tough . It was tough , but thankfully we did both pass on the first try . Yes , thank God .
Speaker 1And it doesn't matter .
Speaker 2On what number you pass on either 145 , 118 , or 75 . A win is a win ?
Speaker 1Yes , absolutely , and C's get degrees All the way , Just saying Especially in nursing school . Yeah , so what did you feel like when
LPN Experience and Income Reality
Speaker 1? All right , boom , now we are nurses . All right , boom , now we are nurses . We graduated with our LPN . Yay , how did you feel with the income ? Wise , like , do you remember how much you made when you first become LPN ? And that was in 2021 , when we graduated .
Speaker 2Yes , so my very first instance job was $20 an hour From there . I think I stood there for a year but as I was doing that I was kind of going back to different other jobs and I made a decent amount doing travel nursing like RN status , if not higher than a lot of the RNs . The amount of money I was making it was a travel nurse position in Carlisle , pa , two hours away , um . That brought in a heavy , heavy income , um , and that was good . But if you have kids or you know a family in general , it's just not going to keep traveling , right .
Speaker 1So yeah , all right , and but let's be mindful too . So , in order to have actually gotten money , cause 28 was generally if we were here in PA , and let's be mindful that as an LPN , we can't really get hospital jobs . So a lot of them were nursing homes and even traveling , or the nursing homes out here . The stuff that you go through it's not like you just get into the bag and okay , yeah , it's easy peasy . How many patients ?
Speaker 2do we have . It'd be anywhere from 20 to 35 , which is super unsafe . So I would say , you know , speak your mind , voice your opinions on what's not a safe assignment , right , it will take advantage and a lot of nursing homes they kind of see you , as they don't really have a lot of rn , so you are taking things that are not really in your within your scope of practice so very be mindful of that if you ever do go through that .
Speaker 2Absolutely so then now let's fast forward
RN School Challenges and Emotions
Speaker 2now . Now she graduated from her rn program , she passed her inquest and now she's working as an rn yes , I am currently in my rn program my last semester that is one heck of a story , I must say to basically follow the same footsteps . So I want to ask , actually , what's your experience like , how it's been , since it's been what like eight months , right , eight months how's it been ?
Speaker 1oh my gosh . So nursing school , first and foremost , is ghetto it will bring the I mean as you currently are in it .
Speaker 1And if you remember how I was when I was in nursing school for my RN , it was like you really had to be locked in . It was an emotional , abusive situation , like because if you pass it's good , but when you fail your exams it's the next and you're like literally battling through every exam just to get to your goal . But it was that determination , like I'm already in it . I have to pass because there's no other option .
Speaker 1And what kept me going , honestly speaking , was my prayers , and that's the same thing that I encourage you . So like . Honestly , I would recommend like , or if you're a spiritual person , but I feel like I definitely locked in more with God and just really had to focus on my studies and thank God , like you said , eight months later I found a hospital job , thank goodness . Now the difference . I am so happy I don't have to work in nursing homes if I don't want to , but they do pay more , and there were actual like .
Speaker 2Actually , another thing that I would say is like okay , the good thing with the nursing homes at least you have some CNAs , true health very true um , in the hospitals , you are the CNA , you are the honors , you are the everything .
Speaker 1Yeah , you know you might have PCTs and you'll probably have like four patients compared to 20 , but they're more critical so that you're like literally , it's just as busy , so you do everything yourself .
Speaker 2You are yeah , yeah , that's , that's something . And again , we're not saying that lpns do not work in hospitals , we're just saying that it's not too often you see them , correct , there's not many hospitals offering lpns a position and if you are , they're cutting you short with your money for sure , because of the benefits and experience . So you kind of give one thing and lose something else in the process . But if you're a new lpn , if you want to go to the hospital , I would say go ahead for the experience , right , you can't work out but the pay is probably just going to be trash yeah , but without experience .
Speaker 2It's taking a gamble on you , so you kind of have to work your way up right , I agree , I completely agree with that .
Speaker 1And then another thing that I've noticed like okay , so now that , remember my experience when I was in nursing school . Now for you , you're almost done . When January you got a few more months left , right , yeah , how are you feeling ? Actually , you go back to school tomorrow , yeah , so how are you feeling ? Like ?
Speaker 2oh my gosh , I'm thinking about the trauma in my head , like I've never been super excited yet emotional , because one minute you're happy , next minute you're crying . You feel like you can't make it in , you're not good enough and you get through it . You know , and I would say , even if somebody fails a semester , don't give up , just go back . And it feels like you won't , because I know I'm one of those people that's saying like nope , I'm not going back if I fail . So the truth is , after all that work , determination and money that you put into it , you will go back right . So anxious because I know what it's going to be , because it's just so much , but excited because that means time is running by and that means graduation is around the corner . Good , good , good .
Speaker 1I completely agree . So like do you have any particular like unit that you want to work in ? Do you have an idea ? Or are you kind of like , since you have , you know experience as a nurse already that you're kind of free to want to be anywhere ?
Speaker 2like , where's your thought process with that ? Um , so I had a couple . My original unit that I wanted to be in was the OR , but then I'm a person that's always cold , so that's not convenient . Yeah , then I was thinking maybe labor and delivery or ER lack of experience on my part , though I don't think I got into those . So I think I'm going to head to my church and a nurse residency program specifically .
Speaker 1I definitely recommend nurse residency program . That's how I got into the hospital and a lot of times , since our degrees are , you know , diploma program , you're still going to have to go to get your BSN . And why not get into a residency program and you gain more knowledge and everything , and then you have people by your side regardless . So I think that's a good idea to do that
Hospital Work vs. Nursing Home Reality
Speaker 1. So we got this All right . Just have faith , you know . So when you're transitioning right , do you have any excitement , like anything that you're ready for ? Do you think that there will be much of a difference as being an LPN now to RIN , or you're just more like yeah .
Speaker 2So I was definitely one of those LPNs that , when it came down to it , it was like call the RN , call the RN . Nope , not doing it Above my pay grade , call the RN . I was one of those nurses .
Speaker 1Now you're about to be the RN Exactly .
Speaker 2I'm about to have a little bit of a rude awakening coming back to me with that , but I'm super excited about it because that's just the next step . But I wanted to ask you like , like , overall , are you at your dream unit ? How do you , how do you take everything , how are you embracing it ? And you know , it's like almost like surreal so like for me . What I would say is that originally surprisingly , I really wanted to be in a NICU .
Speaker 1I was just just like those little babies need me and working in the nursing home and stuff . I love my little old people . And you know we work with dementia patients all the time , our little dementia patients . But I wanted to shift you know what I mean and I didn't start there because at my job at the hospital they was like that's already filled .
Speaker 1So I said I need a unit that is gonna push me to have critical thinking skills . So I work at the stroke telemetry unit and I think it's really good . You know , is that my dream ? No , and I was very forward . In my interview I was like I want you to know um , this is not where I want to be , but yeah and I was honest and they were like that's okay .
Speaker 1You know , after a year you can transition however you see fit , so that's good . I am still glad that I'm still just getting that knowledge that I wanted , and it is definitely a critical thinking , like there's things that you know like oh my gosh , I have to do this and oh my God , so it's good . The only thing I would say is that I'm not trying to do bedside for long . I agree , I've noticed that a lot of the nurses that have been doing bedside for like 30 something years , 40 something years .
Speaker 1They can barely walk . They're limping . A lot of them are just very upset and miserable Not even that they're miserable , but it's just a lot . And we're very much short staffed and it's all over the country . We need nurses , we need more nurses . So a lot of them now is kind of like . I mean , you hear how I'm talking to and it's like you short staff , as there we don't have PCTs or we don't have anything , so you're doing everything and it becomes overwhelming .
Speaker 1So it's like , yeah , um , I'm gonna have to find a way and now I can understand when a lot of nurses leave like we have famous nurses that they get , or even on social media . They utilize social media in order to get out of it , because it is a lot and you're just being
Social Media Myths About Nursing Money
Speaker 1like torn down at that point and some people don't care and you can see it in their work , and when you're actively trying to care and do everything and you don't have the help , it just throws everything off it does .
Speaker 2That's why I like cringe at those posts that you see on TikTok or Instagram and it's saying like , oh , two more shifts to my place in Louisville . They might be talking about young kids that just got out of nursing school , live with their mom with no bills and responsibilities , that part that just keep their money to themselves because real adults deal with real issues . As a nurse , yes , and it is not that simple .
Speaker 1It is not it's it is so not it's it's fake .
Speaker 2Yeah , I don't know why I don't have my budget book ? Yeah , I don't know . I'm still talking about that , like that's fake .
Speaker 1It's fake , it literally . You really , I mean , unless you know some something that we don't know by all , but I feel like it depends on what you have . If you have children , you have bills . It's not one , two , three . Okay , let's make this check . There's times we used to do , we used to work , six 16-hour jobs . Yeah , the shifts Six 16-hour shifts .
Speaker 2Not that the money wasn't decent , it's just you work hard for it .
Speaker 1You will work hard for it . You will work hard for it .
Speaker 2It's not one or two checks and you get that little bag . It is shifts . You see those checks when people putting out there Look at the hours they're working . Sometimes it's 90 hours a week to get that . So don't listen to certain things . They're working doubles . It's not just three shifts and you get it . So I would say again guys , keep your minds open in general and not just think that this is going to happen off of a few checks .
Speaker 1And one last thing we're not going to keep it long because we want you guys to come back , but one last thing I'll mention before that yeah , taxes .
Speaker 2Taxes . You're going to be in a different tax bracket Yep More money , more problems .
Speaker 1So remember that .
Speaker 2So those overtime shifts , they're all being taxed . The government is looking at everything Right , they're all being taxed .
Speaker 1The government is looking at everything right and we will talk more about the taxes . We will have time for you and if you guys have any questions , if you have comments , please comment like subscribe . We want you guys to even say some ideas of things that you want to know about . Um , we have so much things to show like just to inform you on and just make sure you stay in tune , and nurse mel might not be here often since she is trying to get that degree , so you might have to just only deal with my voice , but know that she is still here .
Speaker 1She is missed and we are going to support her and pray for her as she continue this journey so she could get her big rn period yes , and I will be here as much as I can when I can .
Speaker 2For sure , yes , but it'll be over before I know it .
Speaker 1Yes , so make sure you stay tuned , thanks for joining .