Welcome back to At The Nurses’ Station, the podcast for nurses about everything except the patients 🩺✨

In this episode, Kelly and Sam fully embrace the realization that they are… not young anymore. And honestly? That’s kind of the point.

This conversation bounces from early internet nostalgia and T9 texting, to working Thanksgiving shifts, to inventing the greatest holiday tradition healthcare has ever seen: Trash Giving. Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Fast food, queso, candy salad, and zero guilt.

From there, things go exactly where you’d expect nurses to go: Facebook scams, online dating horror stories, and the humbling realization that technology has moved on without asking our permission.

The heart of this episode is an honest, funny look at how technology has changed nursing. From Voceras and medication pumps to the skills we used to rely on daily, we talk about what tech makes easier, what it makes worse, and what it might be quietly taking away.

It’s funny. It’s a little unhinged. It’s incredibly relatable if you’ve ever counted drip rates, worked a holiday, or realized you trust coworkers way more than the internet.

If this episode made you laugh, nod along, or feel seen at all, make sure you’re subscribed here on Substack so you never miss a new episode, show notes, or behind the scenes thoughts from At The Nurses’ Station 💬🎧

This week on At The Nurses’ Station, we went fully off the rails, and honestly? It was perfect. What started as a rant about workplace thermostats (because somehow we are still fighting temperature wars with grown adults) turned into a full conversation about cold + flu season, kid sickness culture, and the unrealistic expectations we put on our bodies.

Inside this episode, we break down:

Why parents think kids “shouldn’t” get sick this often

Spoiler: they should. Preschoolers are cute little germ sponges. They are meant to catch things — and it doesn’t mean anything is wrong.

What “sick” actually is (…and what it isn’t)

A runny nose?A cough lingering for a month?A random toddler sneeze that makes someone cancel a whole birthday party?We talk about the difference between being ill and simply being alive with a respiratory tract.

The culture of fixing everything FAST

Why we’re obsessed with “getting unsick” as fast as possible — and why that might be making things worse.

Elderberry, zinc, fire cider… do they matter?

A discussion that manages to be both respectful and brutally practical.

The real “immune booster” most people ignore

(Not a supplement. You already know.)

RSV + newborn care

A quick, honest look at the anxiety of winter viruses (especially with tiny humans), without fear-mongering.

And of course, we sprinkle in:

* Expert-level sarcasm

* ER-nurse realism

* Several moments of “what even is happening right now?”

* A few stories featuring CT, lost labs, and IV-related nonsense that every nurse has lived through

If you’re a parent, a nurse, a human, or someone who’s ever wondered why everyone suddenly thinks sneezing is a medical emergency — this one’s for you.

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This week’s episode dives straight into the deep end — grief, birthday parties, musicals, foster parenting, emotional whiplash, and what it really feels like to be the “emotional head of the household.”

It’s one of those episodes that’s tender, hilarious, chaotic, and painfully real… all at the same time.

We talk about the kind of weeks where you go from saying goodbye to a family pet, to running an eight-year-old’s Wicked-themed birthday party. And just when the emotional tank is already blinking “empty,” life asks for more.

This conversation is for anyone who’s ever carried the invisible emotional load at home, for the foster moms and foster-adjacent moms, for the nurses who know that whiplash is sometimes the most accurate emotional diagnosis, and for every parent trying to walk through big emotions with small humans.

We also get into books we’re reading right now, why some writing makes you want to scream into the void, and why not all rom-com audiobooks are created equal.

It’s honest. It’s comforting. It’s a little messy. And it’s exactly the kind of conversation we love to have here at The Nurses’ Station.

If you enjoy this episode, make sure you’re subscribed here on Substack so you don’t miss the next one. Your support truly helps keep this community going. 💛