On this week's episode, I do a somber reflection on what working as a nurse during the height of Covid-19 felt like, the impact it had on me as a nurse, as a person, and on our profession.

Working a global pandemic highlighted to need for nurses to prioritize their mental health.

Remember - you are more than your job. You deserve to be here and to be happy. If you are struggling, seek out help from your peers, do a debrief, get peer support, or seek out help from a therapist.

This episode was a doozy. Glad it was a short one!

Take care of yourself!

XO

Nicole

On today's episode, I interview Katy Raymond, RN, EOLD about her role as a Death Doula and her nursing business Wewillgetby.com.

Katy is a practicing RN. She has a degree in English from University of Washington and got a second degree in nursing from Duke University in 2005. After an 18-year career as an ICU nurse and a travel ICU nurse, she earned her certification as a Death Doula and End of Life planner through the Going with Grace program founded by Alua Arthur. She recently created her own Death Doula business named We Will Get By, LLC.

Katy talks about her views on death and how being a death doula can be so helpful in the transition to end-of-life care or "deathcare" outside the hospital. This is a super interesting episode and so helpful.

Thank you so much for being on the show, Katy! Go follow what Katy is up to on her Instagram @we.will.get.by!

XO

Nicole

On today's episode, I interview Kalen M. Knight, MSN, MBA, RN, CEN, SANE-A about his role as a medicolegal death investigator. You are going to want to listen to this episode - it's super fascinating!

Kalen Knight is a Forensic Nursing Specialist with the International Association of Forensic Nurses. He has extensive experience in clinical practice and education development from his prior professional experiences, including emergency, trauma, infectious disease, biocontainment/quarantine, nursing education, and forensic nursing. In addition to his role with the IAFN, Kalen practices as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner for Nebraska Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska as well as a Medicolegal Death Investigator for Pottawattamie County Medical Examiners Office in Iowa. He earned his BSN From Clarkson College in 2016 and his MSN and MBA from Nebraska Wesleyan University in 2022. He is a Certified Emergency Nurse and Certified Adult/Adolescent Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner. He additionally is an adjunct lecturer for the Masters in Forensic Nursing Programs Quality, Legal, Matters of Death Course and Clinical at Oakland University in Michigan.

This is a very interesting episode! Kalen gives us the rundown of what a normal call is like, how he processes the scene, as well as the follow-up as to where the decedent goes and whether or not autopsies are needed. He shares what he loves about the job, and how his views on death have changed since doing this work.

If you are interested in forensic nursing, this episode is for you!

Also, go check out Kalen's new podcast - Forensic Nursing: Beyond the Evidence with the International Association of Forensic Nurses here!

Thank you so much for being on the show, Kalen!