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Cara sits down with Amy Loughren, trauma, ICU, and ER nurse, also known as the "Good Nurse" for her part in the arrest and prosecution of American serial killer, Charles Cullen who may be responsible for as many as 400 deaths over a period of 16 years. Amy describes her relationship with Cullen and how after his arrest, she overcame the guilt and anxiety of knowing that one of her closest friends was a murderer. Cara and Amy discuss how poor risk management systems allowed Cullen to continue killing and how the repercussions of these failures impact the healthcare system today.

Cara is joined by Dr. Jeffrey Becker, MD and Dr. Dushyant Viswanathan, MD, to discuss how integrative medicine is an essential part of overall health care, combining the best of conventional medical treatments with evidence-based complementary or alternative medicine therapies. Dr. Becker and Dr. DV share how they first got involved with the integrative medicine field and how they use it to take a holistic approach to health, addressing and treating the whole person, body, mind, and spirit. Dr. Becker shares the new ways that integrative psychiatry is increasingly being used to treat mental health issues.

Cara is joined by Lumify co-founders CEO Anthony Scarpone-Lambert, BSN, RN and COO Jennifferre Mancillas, BSN, RN, RNC-NIC to discuss working the night shift in healthcare and the unique challenges that come with this particular setting. On top of the stress and strain of their existing job, night shift workers have to balance various life responsibilities and somehow maintain a healthy sleep cycle, which inherently impacts mental and physical health. Cara, Anthony, and Jenn discuss their experiences with working the night shift and how other healthcare workers can adjust their lifestyles to accommodate their job in a healthy way.

Cara is joined by Terry Foster, RN, and President of the ENA, to discuss violence in the workplace and how it has drastically impacted the nursing profession in recent years. Violence has always been present in the nursing profession, but in recent years, it has become significantly more prevalent. Terry and Cara share their experiences with violence along with the factors that have contributed to its rise in the workplace and what nurses can do to protect themselves and pursue justice against the perpetrators.

Cara sits down with Kimberly Dunker, Doctor of Nursing Practice, CNE, CNECL and Dean of Nursing at Pacific Union College, to discuss today's nursing education system. Cara and Kimberly explore the nature of today’s nursing education, how it has been affected by the pandemic, and the impact all of this is having on the size of the nursing workforce. The pair discuss how universities are encouraging instructors to show more grace towards students who are struggling. But there is growing concern that if there is too much leniency, it will be a rude awakening once nursing students reach the workforce.

Cara sits down with Dr. Bonnie Clipper to discuss technology and how it will play a role in the future of healthcare. Since 2020 patient utilization of telehealth has surged and become an integral part of healthcare, but there are still questions surrounding its validity and how it impacts patients and healthcare systems. Bonnie shares where she sees virtual nursing going and what the positive and negative side effects are of implementing the practice. The pair further discuss artificial intelligence and what nurses can do to take advantage of its expansion across the healthcare industry to further their careers and provide better care for their patients.

Cara is joined by Dr. Rola Aamar, PhD, to discuss the key differences between burnout and moral injury. Many people unknowingly group these two emotions into one category. However, they are uniquely different in how they impact an individual and handled from a mental health perspective. Rola details her experience with both emotions and how nurses and nurse leaders can work together to reduce the negative impact they have on healthcare professionals and patients.

Cara sits down with Dr. Catie Harris, PhD, MBA, RN, and owner/CEO of NursePreneurs, to discuss her entrepreneurial journey. What started as a blog in 2016 focusing on teaching new nurses how to transition into nurse practitioner roles has since evolved into a thriving business with over 14,000 nurses, 175 podcast episodes, and 250 businesses launched. Catie shares the fear, inspiration, and personal development she experienced over the years and how it made her into the businesswoman she is today.

Cara is joined by April Kapu, DNP, APRN, ACNP-BC, FAANP, FCCM, FAAN, to review the various career growth opportunities available to nurses, specifically in the Nurse Practitioner field. Together they discuss the positive impact that advanced practice nurses have on patient health and how out-of-the-box medical models supported by these nurses can contribute to reaching a more proactive healthcare system. April shares how nurses can advocate for healthcare reform within their state legislatures to help further their careers while simultaneously improving patient care.

On this week's episode, Cara sits down with Dr. Chris Recinos, PhD, RN, FNP, NEA-BC, to discuss nursing from a completely uncensored perspective. Dr. Recinos candidly shares how various life experiences motivated her to pursue nursing and set her on a path to create a mental health app for teens, Hello Harmony. Together, the two discuss how nursing has contributed to their finding purpose in life and how they honor that purpose by acting with intention, setting boundaries, and leading by example.

Cara sits down with nurse influencer and board-certified acute care nurse practitioner, Katie Duke, MSN, AGACNP-BC, to discuss how nurses can better protect their mental health and create sustainability in their practice by creating professional boundaries. Together, Katie and Cara share strategies on how to feel empowered to draw those boundaries, while also speaking to experiences in which they wish they had said “no” and how those experiences impacted their careers.

Cara is joined by Ben Porbeni, a hospital administrator in Chicago, IL, to get a behind-the-scenes look at how the healthcare system works. How much does an administrator really need to make? How do you balance business and managing costs with providing compassionate care for patients? What can you do differently to build a better work environment that provides nurses with stronger benefits and mental health resources?

In episode 4, Cara sits down with Charlie Shields, CEO, and Amy Peters, CNO, of University Health Kansas City, to talk about what it means to create a safe, sustainable, and supportive environment. As previous winners of the 2021 HOLLIBLU Strive to Thrive award — an award that is given to facilities by their nurses — Charlie and Amy provide valuable insights into the importance of servant leadership and providing staff members with the resources, support, and equipment to do their jobs safely.

On today's episode, Cara is joined by Bonnie Barnes, FAAN and co-founder of The DAISY Foundation. Together, Cara and Bonnie discuss how the foundation got started and the impact The Daisy Award has had on the medical community. After looking back over its history, Bonnie shares where the foundation is headed and what they hope to accomplish with their new awards, The Daisy Award for Ethics in Clinical Practice and The Daisy Award for Ethics in Leadership.

Cara sits down with Shalla Newton, MSN, RN, NE-BC, and Monette Chiarolanza, RN, to discuss caring for repeat patients (aka "frequent flyers") from both a personal and professional perspective. Throughout the episode, they discuss how divisive healthcare inequities played into Shalla's 10-year journey for a medical diagnosis and how getting to know patients on a more personal level impacted Monette’s drive to provide compassionate care.

On the first episode of the NurseDot Podcast, Cara sits down with previous DAISY Award Winner Sona Daldumyan, a Pediatric Hematology Oncology Charge nurse with over 21 years of experience. Together, they discuss Sona’s history of devastating personal loss and grief, and how she was able to draw from a deep well of empathy to better connect with and support her patients. As Cara observes in this episode, being a nurse can really “affect someone’s life in a really extraordinary way. In a really meaningful way.

NurseDot Podcast is a brand-new weekly podcast dedicated to providing nurses with validation, resources, and hope, one episode at a time. Every week host Cara Lunsford, RN, CPHON, and VP of Community at Nurse.com, will sit down with a new guest speaker to share inspiring stories of resilience and empowerment, building a space where nurses can speak candidly, feel valued, and discover tools and insights that can benefit their profession. Nurses are a community that plays a critical role in frontline healthcare, and this is a community that Cara and the NurseDot Podcast team strive to support. Connect directly with Cara and podcast guests in the Nurse.com app to share your nursing stories, request topics, and provide feedback on recent episodes!