Episode 14: NCLEX Next Generation

This transcript was generated automatically. Its accuracy may vary.

Cara Lunsford

Oh, hey, nurses. Welcome to the Nurse podcast. Giving nurses validation, resources and hope. One episode at a time. Oh, Today on Nurse Dot podcast.

Abby Rose

It was after clinical one day that I looked on my desk and I thought, I don't know how you do this. Just because you pass the test doesn't mean you're competent, nurse. Just because you feel the end clicks doesn't mean you're not a competent nurse. Right. Nursing dot com is here to help and to give you hope.

Cara Lunsford

Joining us today, Abby Rose, a registered nurse and a beacon of support for all nursing school students currently maneuvering at the forefront of nursing dot com. Abby remains relentless in making sure nursing students never feel alone in their journey. Making sure you're not only ready to survive nursing school, but also prepared to conquer the next gen and class.

I'm your host, Kara Lunsford, registered nurse and VP of community at Nurse Macomb. Oh. Abby Rose, I had the incredible opportunity to meet you at the NSA and a conference. What month was that?

Abby Rose

That was in April.

Cara Lunsford

April? My God. Time flies, doesn't it?

Abby Rose

It really does.

Cara Lunsford

Oh, my gosh. I mean, I think when I met you, you were not wearing the leotard.

Abby Rose

But yes.

Cara Lunsford

Later you were wearing the full, like, anatomy leotard.

Abby Rose

I thought about wearing it today. I did.

Cara Lunsford

But you should have. I mean, back.

Abby Rose

Then, it was kind of nice. Now it's too hot. But yes, the flush suit.

Cara Lunsford

The flesh suit. Yes.

Abby Rose

Lovingly. Call it here at Nursing Icon is the flesh suit.

Cara Lunsford

First of all, I would say like elephant in the room. I love. I just love that your name is nursing Bcom. And our name is Nurse dot com. I mean, nurses and nursing students. We have a lot to do. We don't have time to remember names. We have to make it easy.

Abby Rose

Completely agreed. Let's just find exactly what we need and call it what it is.

Cara Lunsford

So if anybody's wondering, just think of it this way. If you were in nursing school, you need nursing bcom. If you are already a nurse, you probably can get what you need over here.

Abby Rose

I completely agree. I'm a nurse and I need nurse Dot. Exactly.

Cara Lunsford

So we're in it. We just. We make it simple for you. We make it super simple. I'm really excited to learn from you a little bit more. Just. I mean, tell us a little bit just about yourself and how you kind of came to be with nursing dot com and maybe a little background on nursing dot com would be awesome.

Abby Rose

Yeah, absolutely. So nursing dot com did not have a choice in hiring me. Once I got my license that was that was really that's the long and the short of it and we still joke about it now. And so yeah I started nursing school in 2016 and well, I wasn't in the nursing program yet, but went all through pre rex and then, you know, did okay through the first semester.

And then by the second semester I was failing out of nursing school and I did not know what I was going to do. And a friend of mine, her brother John Hawes, had started a website called Interest in G, and it started with podcasts and a really simple app that he just basically had had such a hard time himself through nursing school.

He wanted to make sure that other nursing students around the country didn't have to encounter the same hardship he did in not having really succinct, clear, concise explanations for these really complex topics. And it was funny because Tammy had told me, Tammy is our marketing director, John sister, and she had told me about it a couple of months prior.

But I thought, I do not have time for yet another resource. Write all of the books, all of the assignments, everything had just gotten so overwhelming and I have ADHD, so I was just all over the place. And it was after clinical one day that I just I looked on my desk and I thought I don't know how I'm going to do this, how am I going to survive nursing school?

And I saw a clipboard that Tammy had sent me from interested, and I thought, I am going to check this out. I just want to see if this website will write my care plan. It always comes back to care plans.

Cara Lunsford

And this was prior to I. You just wanted to see if that website would write your care plan. Now nursing students are like, Can Jenny I write my care plan?

Abby Rose

I have Jenny. I write my final project, right? Yeah. So, yeah, this was all before all of that. And I got on the website and one of the first videos I found was a cardiac video. And the way that John broke everything down on this video, I just remember the lights going on. And mind you, by the time you're in second semester of nursing school, this is probably like the fifth or sixth time you've heard this stuff, right?

But when you get into the nursing program, now it's nursing philosophy. It's not gross anatomy and just points, in fact. Right. And the way that John put it, it really worked for me. And that was literally the turning point. And when I said, okay, maybe I won't quit nursing, maybe I will continue through nursing school. And long story short, graduated with honors, spoke at graduation, just really helped me.

I had this backing with this website, this subscription that just broke everything down so perfectly and really helped me hone in. And, you know, after graduation I was in this. It's called a critical care internship at the University of Utah here in Salt Lake, where I live, and had the immense opportunity to work through all of the excuse in the emergency department in that hospital system.

And it got to a point that I needed to take a break from the bedside because I landed in critical Care Nursing in March 20, 20 when the global pandemic broke out and it just ended up being way too much. And the long and the short of it. I just I reached out to nursing dot com and they said, you know, I had this background in teaching and you all helped me through nursing school.

I want to do that same thing for nursing students. I want to join your vision, join your mission to end the nursing shortage. And it's funny because I was actually working for the company that I had worked for before college, and I just happened to be in the area where nursing dot com headquarters are. And I said, Whether you like it or not, we're going to have some coffee and you're going to hire me.

Cara Lunsford

Wait, a manifest weight and manifest. Abby So whether you like it or not, you're going to hire me. Yes.

Abby Rose

Yeah, I was like, I know you all like coffee. Let's go get some coffee and let's open up this conversation because I need a break from the bedside. But I still want to be in nursing. And this passion that I have for teaching and education, it just it really married well. And I'm so grateful because this is a company that man anyway, I can't say enough.

Good, but.

Cara Lunsford

I love it. One of my questions is, does John have a license plate that says Nurse Angie?

Abby Rose

He does.

Cara Lunsford

He he doesn't like optics.

Abby Rose

Well, we drive the same car, but.

Cara Lunsford

Are you kidding me? That's like a classic license plate right there.

Abby Rose

Yeah. You know what? I'm going to pass that on. He's got a new task.

Cara Lunsford

He's welcome.

Abby Rose

And, you know, and it was it was interesting at first and then, you know, just a couple of years ago, I think it's about three years now we've been nursing bcom. So it's been a little bit clarified. But yeah, he needs to pay homage to the O.G. and put it on his car.

Cara Lunsford

Yes. First of all, let's just state of fact, nursing school is really hard work. It's really hard no matter where you go, whether you're getting your Aiden or your BSN or you're trying to go straight for your MSN, which I don't know why anybody wants to do that, but I was like, I don't know. I feel like you kind of have to get a few years under your belt and then say, decide you want to go back and get your MSM.

But that's personal opinion. But it was really I mean, I was in nursing school, I went to County, I went to county nursing school. Now County nursing school is kind of known for we went to I went to LSC, USC School of Nursing. They had been graduating nurses since the turn of the century. A Literally when there's like pictures, yeah, when there's pictures of like the classes that came before you, there were actually classes at like 1898 and it was like three nurses that were standing there in all white, you know, with the, the hat and the thing.

And we did all of it at the county hospital, county General, which basically looked like it had gargoyles outside, like it was so old. And there was like six people to a room. It was very ward based. It was oh, it was no joke. No joke. I mean, one of my first wound patients, one of the first patients I ever took care of actually had six bullet hole wounds.

She'd been no, I'm sorry, seven. She'd been shot five times in the back one time through what is called the thinner eminence. Look that up if you don't know what that is. And then once through the bicep and then five in the back by her boyfriend who she was planning to go back to, you know, like as a new nursing school student who was having to do my wet to dry dressings, which is now a very archaic form of doing dressings.

But at the time, that's what you did and 16 years ago. So I had everybody looking at me. I had all the other nursing school students looking at me. I had the patient screaming at me and calling me all kinds of names. And I had Ms.. Mwangi, my instructor, who was like very stoic and looking at me, just, you know, a boring through me and making sure I did not break my sterile field.

It was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. And I definitely needed resources. And I wouldn't say that 16 years ago there was a whole lot of resources there. I mean, just not what there is today.

Abby Rose

No.

Cara Lunsford

For sure Not what there is today.

Abby Rose

No. Oh, my.

Cara Lunsford

Gosh. If you're in nursing school nowadays, you're not always going to get the hands on training. You're not always going to get the clinical you're not going to get sometimes you're not going to get everything that you need to feel really, really well prepared Once you get to the end class. Speaking of the influx, other elephant, the other huge elephant in the room.

So there's a new and clacks the next gen. Okay, so for those of you who don't know, tell us about the next gen. Tell us about this new beast.

Abby Rose

Oh, man, this beast. So it's funny. I love this beast. It's for one. It's the biggest change to the N collection over 30 years. The biggest. There have been changes there have here and there. There's been some tweaks. It became computerized. You know, all of that jazz. It's gotten a little savvier. But this is by and large the biggest change in 30 years.

And in my humble opinion, I think it's the best change to the N clicks. It is a far more accurate evaluation of a test takers ability compared to the passing standard, of course. And their ability is gauging whether or not they're going to be a safe or competent nurse. Right. That's that's the whole thing. You you have to hop over the end clicks in order to get your license.

And next gen has new scoring rules, new item types. And the big focus is exhibiting or the test taker proving that they're able to make clinical judgment according to and I have to say this slowly, because I always followed up the nursing clinical nursing measurement. Oh my gosh, I can't even remember it. Nursing Clinical judgment measurement model. Thank you.

Cara Lunsford

That is a mouthful.

Abby Rose

I had the letters in my head and then I was like, Wait a minute, I got to organize those. Yes. And so it's these six steps that really have been tripping up educators and students all over the place. But what it really is, is ad pie. And that's what I tell people when they ask about next generation and clicks and of course, is a supplemental company and as you know, a company that we have and Plex Prep, we talk in clicks all day.

So we've been a big player in all of this next generation and clicks is traditional and clicks with a few more accessories and really just newly formatted. Select all that apply questions and better scoring roles. That's next generation and clicks. And of course, let's not forget the case studies case studies, whereas previously when I took the end clicks, when you took the clicks, every question was a one off patient scenario.

So now there are at least three unfolding case studies in each test takers set of questions. There's new minimum, new maximum. So now instead of 75 to 145, which were the adjustments for COVID when we took it, the maximum was 265 questions, which there are people that sit for all of those questions. I'd rather die. I'd rather fail than sit for all of those.

But that's my personality type. Now it's 85 to 150 and so still computer adaptive. We still have the maximum time rule. So there's still a five hour time limit, There are still research questions. So like when I took the and clicks the end of it, there were 25 questions that were completely underscored and it was all next gen.

So I had the each hour. It was an unfolding case study and I just remember taking that thing and being like, Holy crap, I don't know if I just passed what I just took, but I don't know that I would pass this. But now that I know more about it, I honestly think it's so I wouldn't say easier because I think that's a misnomer.

I think it's a more accurate way for a test taker, a candidate to show their ability. And the test itself is a more accurate evaluation as well.

Cara Lunsford

So I'm going to ask you a tough question then. Yeah. Okay. There's people that have learned how historically have learned how to take the class, read this. They've studied Kaplan or they've studied like great and they've learned how to test take or they've learned how to they've done enough of the questions that somehow they've been able to pass it.

But it doesn't necessarily mean that they're an overly competent nurse or that they're going to be a competent nurse. And that has happened, right. Like they go they they manage to pass the test and then they get in and boy, they just can't hack it. Okay? Now, it's not always on them that they can't hack it. This is a very, very difficult environment and climate that we are in today.

And I would not say that that is always their fault that they can't hack it. There's lots of other variables involved, including a lack of preceptorship, a lack of mentorship, a lack of staffing, a lack of having enough experience on a floor so that it's not just everybody who has two years, but it's got a fair amount of people with decades of experience versus a brand new person coming in.

It's lots of contributing factors to why people won't necessarily be able to continue in the field even if they pass the influx. That being said, do you think that this new next gen will make it harder? Could we have less people entering the field?

Abby Rose

I think it's definitely possible, especially because it's such a massive change. I think there's a possibility. I haven't looked at past rates yet. I admit I've been procrastinating that I'm very curious to see, you know, traditional versus next gen. But, you know, we're only what, couple of months, three months and couple of weeks into this thing actually having been delivered.

And I think that part of the risk is that there really wasn't a lot of preparation, even though this thing took. Well over five years to launch. I think the risk of there not being as many nurses entering because of the test is just fear. I really do. Because when you really look at the scoring rules and the item types, I think the test is actually better at someone who's not a great test taker to be able to show their ability.

So in standardized testing, that's problematic in general. I mean, that is a poor catch all. And like you're saying, just because you pass the test doesn't mean you're competent. NURSE Just because you fail the end clicks doesn't mean you're not a competent nurse. Right. But I think that the fears surrounding the unknown and those that are getting out and having to, you know, get in and take it, I think that that poses a risk.

It really is hard to say. And and to pass an actual I mean, I have opinions, sure. But in order to say anything for sure, the data is what I would need to pore over.

Cara Lunsford

I think quality. I think it's always important to consider quality over quantity, because if I had, let's say ten nurses, right, and those ten nurses, they pass the end clerks or the next gen and clerks because they were competent, they were able to show their competency. Then when they get into the actual nursing field, the chance that they're going to stay is higher, right?

Because the more competency you have, the more confidence you feel to do the job and the more likely you are to stay in that job. I would say that I'd rather have ten pretty confident, competent people who pass then to have 25 people who pass but don't necessarily have that confidence and that competence to be able to go and and stay in the career for what we would hope would be decades.

So that kind of quality over quantity I do think is really important.

Abby Rose

It is. And I think that that is the aim of next generation and clerks is to pass out the ones that are more competent because that's what the nursing clinical judgment measurement model is supposed to do. Can you pass clinical judgment on this whole case? You know, that's what I love about the unfolding case studies. It's more like real life nursing.

And so I think that that is the aim is to figure out what's the actual quality of this person as a nurse as opposed to can they pick it out of ABC and even select all that, apply questions like that's like you're saying they can teach a computer to take the clicks and pass it 1,000% based on strategy alone, not necessarily nursing knowledge.

And that's where next generation is trying to shift the evaluation. Can you think like a nurse? Can you think like a nurse? Because if you have like a nurse, you're going to be more confident in your competency. Right? And if you're more competent, you're more likely to stay and to be a good nurse because that's really what we do see too.

That's the issue. We get a ton of people out there passing the checks and then they're staying a year or less in the profession. Right? It doesn't help at all.

Cara Lunsford

No, it doesn't. It doesn't help patient outcomes. It doesn't help with the hospital turnover, attrition. It like that has its own cost bringing somebody in, training them and then losing them. That is a cost to the system. And if it's a cost to the system, that money is not then being passed along to the nurses and to the health care workers that are staying, you know, because there's this loss that's happening.

So we have this responsibility to really put the best and the brightest into the field. And it really is on as to make sure from a nursing school perspective that they're getting the best education, that they're getting, the best clinical opportunities, and that they're getting the absolute best resources from third party providers such as nursing. Com so that they're supporting the nursing school journey and then additionally helping you to prepare for this test that you are going to have to take and then hopefully be there to support you as well throughout the rest of your nurse career.

Abby Rose

And stop when you get past on your on your candidate. No, it doesn't. Doesn't stop there.

Cara Lunsford

No, the learning doesn't stop.

Abby Rose

And if you think it does turn around and don't even pay for the end, don't take it. Don't don't pay for it. Drop out of nursing school. Because. Exactly. I tell educators this all the time. We collaborate and we talk about this. This is a life learning career. And if you're not up for that, you probably shouldn't join the ranks because it evolves, which is again, why Next Generation came out because like nursing practice evolves so much, the test to evaluate whether someone's ready or not for that profession.

And so you know, and that's directly from the NTSB and that was their impetus behind creating this new test. You know, they're the reason everything's evolving and because everyone learns so differently, too. That's another reason that standardized testing is a poor evaluator. It's what we've got. So at least it's getting better. And again, this is I am a big fan of next generation and I'm that might be a very unpopular opinion, but I just I do think it's a more accurate evaluation.

And I think that that's an important message for nursing students and nurses alike that not one size fits all never has, never will. Yes. When you're in conversation with a nurse, you have this, like, strange understanding, right? Even the person I'm seeing right now, he's a nurse. And I'm like, we just have this like baseline where we just understand each other differently than, you know, we're I with someone in another profession.

But we do all learn a little bit differently. And there's some trends in nursing. Nursing tends to attract a lot of neuro divergent personality types. There's lots of ADHD in nursing, lots of visual learners, tons of kinesthetic.

Cara Lunsford

Which specialty do you feel like people lean towards with ADHD? Yeah. Do you think it's more of like an emergency room, like very fast paced? Do you think it's more of that?

Abby Rose

That's a good question, because I think it depends too. I mean, there's so like we've just been talking about you. There's such a spectrum to so many different diagnoses, too, right?

Cara Lunsford

Yes, yes, yes, of course.

Abby Rose

You know, when I think about my ADHD, the emergency room is a frickin nightmare For me. That would be a nightmare. Whereas where I did work, where, you know, once I got out of the internship and found the unit that I parked on for a bit, I was on the cardiovascular ICU. Of course, since it was the ICU, I have to make sure to mention that I worked there.

Now that was a good one for my ADHD because I could hyperfocus on stuff and really sit and work it out. And sometimes you had to do that. I mean, if you're up against a device or some real big hemodynamic issue, you have to be able to hyperfocus on it. I think that it depends. Whereas, you know, and then I think about all the all the people that I knew on the C, the ICU, and I did meet so many people in the ED having rotated there for a few weeks through this internship.

And I think there's just a lot of ADHD in nursing in general, but.

Cara Lunsford

Well, it's because we also if we if we get bored, we can go, you know, you can go somewhere else.

Abby Rose

So I'm going to go to the cath lab. I'm going to go to GI.

Cara Lunsford

Yeah. There's so many places you never have to worry about getting bored. So, you know, the reason I bring this up is not to necessarily shine a light on any type of neurodivergent arts. But I do think that it is really, really important that when we're talking about studying, when we're talking about learning, that we acknowledge that people learn differently and that there are Do you have to be labeled?

Not necessarily, but do you want to know how you learn best? Yes, it's important that like that doesn't mean that you necessarily have to have a label of ADHD or ADHD or or anything, but truly understanding yourself and knowing, you know what, I'm more of an auditory learner or I'm more of a visual learner, or I just love to read.

If I read, I can read a page and I absorb it and boom, I've got it. For me, I'm one of those people that I have to talk something out. So like if I am in a group where I get to do a study group and I'm working it out and I'm talking about something with people, if I have to be the one who gets up and writes it on the board, it sticks.

If I have to sit back, if I have to sit back and just listen, I'm like, Dude, it's really, really like it just there you go. And I'm off.

Abby Rose

Oh, everything else so noisy. But if you're talking that I feel the same way, I can definitely identify with that. Yeah. Learning by teaching and what a great tool for nurses. What a strength for you as a nurse because we are teachers, we're educators as nurses. I was onboarding some students to nursing got called the other day and I said that, you know like get in a study group and teach each other because if you can teach it, you forget, know it.

And just like you said, if you're competent, you're confident, you're confident you're going to be, you know, and not the confidence that we've seen before, the scary confident. So I know it all because those are this really scary nurses that's different confident in I can show up, do what I need to do and find my resources.

Cara Lunsford

Exactly. It's always important to ask questions and to feel like you can be vulnerable. And it's a dance. It's a balancing act, right? Like it's you don't want to walk into a room with a new patient who is really nervous and tell them that you've never done something before. You know? So there's ways I used to when I was presenting, I used to tell people I'd say, okay, look, this is what you say.

If they ask you how many times you've done something or you just feel like inclined to provide them of a false sense of security, this is what you say. You say you wouldn't believe how many times I've done this, and that is my go to because the answer might be zero. But they don't need to know that.

Abby Rose

And they wouldn't believe it if you told them. And that's.

Cara Lunsford

You know, because you go in and you just kind of wear that confidence like a jacket and you make the patient feel comfortable and you make them feel confident and maybe you're holding it inside and dying inside and scared to death, but you're there to make them feel comfortable that you've got them and they're going to be safe.

Abby Rose

So joy of nursing.

Cara Lunsford

Yes. Yes. That's the joy of nursing. So I. Is this something I'm curious So with nursing dot com and you know, if you don't do it, that's fine. But you know, if you do start doing it, you have to give me some credit. Do you do is this do you do kind of like assessments or help people to understand what ways how they best learn so that you can help give them the best packages?

Or is that something that you are working on?

Abby Rose

I love that. I think that's a fantastic idea for certain. You know, currently we don't have a formal assessment tool, but what the website does have what we call a multimodal platform so that it does address all learning styles. So it's there for you to find. Which again, in my case, I didn't realize that I was studying the wrong way.

And so then when I found nursing dot com the way that I was studying after getting to the website, it kind of fell into place. So I was one of the lucky ones that didn't have to take an assessment and all of that. But I think that's a great idea to be able to do that because if you don't know how you learn, then you don't know where to start.

Because I thought, okay, my instructor, I show up to class for this this lecture, and then I'm given this assigned reading. So if I show up and I do the assigned reading, I'll pass the quizzes, I'll pass the test, I'll learn how to be a nurse. And it wasn't the case because I don't read by comprehension or learn by reading comprehension, rather.

And so, you know, so what you bring up is a great point. And I'm glad that at least at first income, we do address those areas because it is important for you to have the resources in the form that works for you. Round hole, round Peg. Right. And I think that that is the issue in nursing education. And that's really, you know, when we created our our pedagogy, the core content mastery method, it was all about how it has to be broad enough to catch all learning types and we have to have those supplementary tools so that if someone does learn by memorization, there's a pneumonic.

If someone more of a visual learner, there's a cheat sheet with images and bullet points. You know, someone like me and kind of like you were talking to, I really need to be more of an active learner. And so, you know, teaching it back or what I used to do is I would transcribe the outline from the lesson into my notes.

And then while watching the video, I would take notes and it made me feel like I was more a part of the teaching. And that really helped to hone it in. And so while we don't have a formal assessment tool, the ability to find what you need in the way that you learn is there, which is nice, but when we create that assessment tool, Kara, I think we're going to call it the Carolyn's.

Cara Lunsford

Vertical, call it Do you care about learning? How did you Yeah, Did you pick up on that?

Abby Rose

Are you a father? Is that is that what you're telling me? But, Kara, I really appreciate that. And yeah.

Cara Lunsford

I think. Hey, do you care about learning? Then use the Kara tool. Okay, so I'm just saying the reason I asked it was because Ed nurse dot com, we are the parent company. Our parent company is relies and relies. We do all kinds of amazing things in the education world in terms of clinical competency and things that that people are probably very familiar with once they are a nurse and they have to do their competencies at work that it's sometimes it's reliant that you're you're doing.

So we actually have like an OB assessment tool, We have some stuff that's really trying to help to standardize care, make care more safe, and at the same time realizing that providers of care are very busy and they don't have time to learn things that they already know. So what we do is we have these kind of assessment tools where we're only going to give you your own link and a have to learn stuff you don't know.

So it shortens the amount of time. I think it's really interesting that you guys could potentially explore that, that whole idea of what do you already know? What do you not know how to fill the gaps and also how to get the best type of learning for you, whatever your type of learning is, you know? So yeah, don't worry, we'll work on it together later when we're not on this podcast.

Abby Rose

No. And bring up such a good point because like you said at the very beginning, nursing school is hard. And part of what's so hard about it is the amount that you have to know and that you have to learn. Just like when you get out into your specialty, even if you're in a specialty. From there, you finally have the time.

If you're a cardiac on a cardiac unit, you don't need to worry as much about OB But now you can really get into the nitty gritty of everything. Cardiac not just what you need to know for the end, right? And so you bring up such a good point. And I love that you talk about ways to assess because as humans we are so obsessed with categorizing.

How many quizzes have you taken online, Right? Because I want to know my color, my personality color type or my Instagram number or anything like that. And and it's super important. And when we bring it back to tools for education, I love that you're talking about how you can hone in on exactly what you need to know so you can stop spending time on what you already know.

And we talk about that a lot with your income. We have a custom quiz builder nursing practice questions and some clicks or simulated and clicks exams that these two tools, they actually return to the user on topics that they need to work on, for lack of a better word, your weakest areas so that you stop spending time on what you already know and you can hone in.

And I think that what you're talking about too, is that next level of, okay, so you know that you need to spend time in Oby and Karen and Barb now because you're a visual learner, because you took this assessment, Here are the lesson videos for you to watch, right? Yes. As opposed to read these articles if you're reading comprehension learner.

And I guess that we've just got to keep getting savvier and we can software. Oh, man. What I've learned about software.

Cara Lunsford

Technology is going to change the way we do everything. I mean, it already does. And now you look at VR and you look at how people are going to be learning to do procedures where they can practice on some, you know, on not a real person which I'm sure the general public is going to be thrilled that we will no longer be practicing on them.

Just kidding.

Abby Rose

We need to wait for body changes a few years ago.

Cara Lunsford

But that like, you know, that may be just maybe we could get better at something or more comfortable with something without having to practice it on, you know, our patient when we're in our second semester, you know? So it's it's nice to think that, you know, we are moving in the right, you know, maybe we're moving in a in a direction in that technology will be a lot will allow us to do things better and that maybe we will be able to provide safer care and that we will be able to provide more standardized care, health equity, you know, really getting.

Abby Rose

Equity.

Cara Lunsford

Know equity is a big thing. So before I let you go, there's a variety of people that are listening to this podcast, right? There's the people that are already nurses. There's the people who are nursing school students. There's the people that are just maybe general public who are thinking, maybe I want to go to nursing school or something like that.

Right. And what would you say is your biggest I don't want to say tip, but I guess it's like a tip. I don't know, like, what would you say is the best recommendation you could make for someone who is either in nursing school or thinking about going to nursing school? If you could go back and do it again for yourself, what is the one thing you wish somebody said to you?

Abby Rose

Oh, that's a great, great question. And I have to say there's two parts to it.

Cara Lunsford

Okay.

Abby Rose

And I think this is what made me a natural choice or like I like to think a natural choice for nursing dot com to hire. One of our biggest philosophies is the why behind the what why are you doing what you're doing? And I thought I knew why when I started nursing school, but I really wish that it hadn't been on the first day of the nursing program when I was already two years into my degree that I had really thought about why I wanted to do it.

And I think that that's a big thing that I think people really need to hone in on, because if it's just for the money, that's the wrong reason. It's understandable because it's a job. You're going to get a paycheck. But because nursing is so challenging mentally and physically and to your personal life and the limits are endless. So you've got all this opportunity, which is incredible.

But man, if you don't really know your why, you're going to have a hard time when the times get tough because they do. Like you're saying, you're going to be with your first wound patient in front of all of your peers, in front of your instructor, and thinking, why the hell am I doing this? Right? And so you want to know why.

And I think that's the biggest thing, the why behind what you're doing. And I, I apply that to anything that I do. Why am I here? Because if it's really superficial, I'm not going to put my all into it. I'm a very passionate person. And that also ties into when I started nursing. This is the joy that you're going to last.

I really thought that nursing was like, I bring you a warm blanket, I bring you some pills, I get to talk to your family for a minute and I'm a people person, so this is going to be great. I love the human body. I know where the eyes are in the ears. Like, I just I thought that knowing gross anatomy and some rudimentary physiology was going to get me through it.

If I had really known what nursing was and is before I started nursing school, I think that the approach would have been completely different. My mindset would have been completely different. And I think that that's a third part that I didn't anticipate sharing, but that is very important with nursing to the why behind the what what nursing actually is and then your mindset going into it.

I thought it was a freaking rock star. When I started nursing program, I was getting great grades all through pre rex, the first four pointers I'd ever gotten. And so I was like, Oh my gosh, the counselor's telling me that these nursing students are in her office crying. What weaklings? What are they in their twenties? I was an nontraditional student, so I also had this age list view of what it is to be a nursing student when you're not on your second career like I was and my mindset, I was so fixed that I knew it all, that when I found out I did, it was when I was going to quit everything.

And you have to be in that mindset that you don't know it all and that's okay. You are the novice at first and your experiential knowledge is something you earned. You don't get to just have it, you know, you were talking a ton about technology and there's so many resources and so much that that gives us. But I remember one of my favorite preceptors and someone who is still one of my dearest friends today, I just remember her saying that experiential knowledge is the only thing that you lack.

You have the drive, you want to do better, but you lack experiential knowledge and that's something that you earn. And I had gotten so frustrated that I wasn't the bomb. See the ICU nurse on month three when I hadn't earned a lick of that experience yet. Those are the things that you need to know before you go into nursing.

Cara Lunsford

There's just time. It just takes time and you got to get those notches in your belt. It does not happen overnight. You have to be willing to be vulnerable and to be uncomfortable because, oh, is it uncomfortable? It's so uncomfortable and wrong. It's just to be transparent and to say when you don't know the answer and it's all those things.

And so I love what you're saying. All of that makes so much sense. It's such a spectrum. It's just like you start here and then you know, where you end up is so different. But I love how you explained that. I love how you answered that question. I think that that was perfect. I think it was perfect. Is there anything else that you want anybody to know about nursing dot com before we bring this fabulous episode to a close?

Abby Rose

Yes. Yes. I want anyone and everyone to know just how truly nursing icon is here to help and to give you hope. Like I was saying, man, when you're in nursing school and you are caught in the depths of dread, you get that quick score back, that test score back. That's not the right measure of you as a nurse.

That's just a blip. Just a blip in time. It's not the red sock in the white batch. It doesn't color everything, right? That's just a blip in time. And we are here to help close those knowledge gaps, To help bring it together, we get tagged as kind of symbol or, you know, easy nursing or whatever. But we do that intentionally to just make everything so clear and concise that you finally that light on.

And when you feel hope, you're projected up out of the depths of dread so that you can actually continue on and perform and we are humans. We are people. The people that I work with, we are humans just like our users, our subscribers. And we're here to help you. We've got your back. That's one of our taglines. We've got your back.

We know you can do this. And that's what I would like to share, is just that we're here to help and to give nursing students and even educators, You know, I work with educators in my position specifically, and you feel so alone sometimes, but that's the best thing about nursing is that it is a full on team sport and you've got a team behind you with Nurse Scone nursing icon.

I mean, that is and we could talk about nursing culture on an entire other episode. That's so true here to help to give you hope and to drive you forward.

Cara Lunsford

My gosh, Abby, you did not fail to deliver. You did. This was just a wonderful, wonderful episode. And I'm very, very excited for, you know, the nursing students who are out there, who are struggling, who have not exactly found their way, are contemplating leaving, that they feel that hope. Because one of the things about this episode or about this podcast is that providing nurses with validation resources and help one episode at a time, that's what we do.

That's what this podcast is about. And you closed it out with a beautiful piece of help. So thank you.

Abby Rose

So glad. Thank you. I mean, I am just so glad that we ran across each other at that conference and we're able to make this connection because that just I mean, you are name alone in common.

Cara Lunsford

We have a lot in common and you like to wear leotards. And I like to wear leotards, actually. I don't like to wear leotards. I hate to wear leotards, but it seemed like a fun thing to say. Now. I don't know. I don't know if you like it, but you Rockette, you did a great job in it. I have to give you that.

You did a great job.

Abby Rose

I was going to say, Carol, I've got an extra one. Oh, no. Do I need to ship it to you? Because that is a very big possibility.

Cara Lunsford

Is it a one size fits all?

Abby Rose

You know, they're from Asia, as you would imagine. And so it's an Amazon purchase. And so the large large that my 511, 140, £250 frame pretty well.

Cara Lunsford

All right.

Abby Rose

I'm trying to think about our body types. I think that size would fit you well.

Cara Lunsford

All right. Well, send it on over, Abby, and I will. I'll rocket and send a picture, and maybe I'll put it on social and tag nursing dot com, if you're lucky. If you're lucky.

Abby Rose

I am really lucky. So let's make this.

Cara Lunsford

All right, my love. Thank you so much again. Until next time.

Abby Rose

I can't wait. Thank you so much, Philip. Have a good one. Happy nursing.

Cara Lunsford

Happy. Nursing. Nursing. Oh. Oh. Interested in learning more about incredible promotions being offered by nursing dot com. Just visit nurse dot com forward slash podcast and check out episode 14. If you were a nurse who enjoyed this episode and you have an idea for future episodes, you can connect with me by downloading the nurse dot com app. Nurse dot is a nurse dot com original podcast series Production music and sound editing by Dawn Lunsford, Production Coordination by Rhea Wade, Additional editing by John Wells.

Thank you to all the listeners for tuning in to the Nurse Dot podcast. Until next time, keep spreading the love and the care.