Send us Fan Mail

A single note can follow a clinician for years and in a courtroom, a comma can suddenly matter more than the patient in front of you. We’re Nicole and Kelli, two nurse practitioners with bedside backgrounds, and we’re reacting to a public case that’s hard to even say out loud: a mother kills her three children and then attempts to end her own life. We’re not here for politics or team sports. We’re here for what health care documentation, EMR templates, and real-world nursing practice look like when they’re put on trial.

We dig into the uneasy truth nurses live with every shift: if you don’t document it, it didn’t happen. But if you over-document it, you can accidentally create a story you never meant to tell. We talk about how “charting for the test” has replaced time to care for the human, and how checkbox medicine and mental health questionnaires can miss nuance, context, and rapidly changing symptoms. If the tool doesn’t fit, do you still get the right diagnosis and what happens when someone tries to prove a person’s mental state years later?

We also spend time on postpartum psychosis, medication changes, and what underfunded mental health care looks like on the ground. We share why these crises can be hard to recognize in the moment, why switching or stopping meds can be risky, and why the system often fails people who are already trying to get help. Then we turn the lens back on ourselves: the dangerous assumption that a patient who’s also a nurse will “know what to do,” even when blinders are on.

If this conversation hits you, subscribe, share it with a nurse or new parent in your life, and leave a review so more people can find it. What part of documentation culture do you most want to change?

This podcast is for informational, educational, and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute medical, legal, or other professional advice.

Listening to this podcast does not establish an APRN-patient or provider-patient relationship. Content on this show is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your personal, in-person healthcare provider—who knows you and your medical history best—with any ques

Thanks for tuning in to today’s episode!

Ready to take the next step in your health journey? Visit HamiltonTelehealth.com — your healthcare oasis.
Get care when you need it, where you need it. Don't forget to subscribe!