Episode Overview

As space exploration transitions from small, highly trained government crews to larger civilian populations, the need for operational, bedside care off-world is becoming critical. In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Glenn A. Barnes, the coordinator for Texas A&M’s groundbreaking DNP Extreme Environment Nursing Program. Drawing on his extensive background as an Army Green Beret, Navy nurse, and disaster response expert, Dr. Barnes breaks down why nurses are the missing link in aerospace medicine—and how terrestrial wilderness medicine is the ultimate training ground for the final frontier.

Key Takeaways

• The Paradigm Shift in Space Medicine: Why the current "concierge" model of physician-led aerospace medicine won't scale for long-term lunar or Martian missions, and why operational bedside nursing will become essential.

• Holistic Problem Solving: From the physics of administering IV fluids in microgravity (where bubbles mix evenly throughout the bag) to the logistical challenges of biological needs in space, we discuss why the nursing perspective is critical for keeping crews healthy.

• Texas A&M’s Extreme Environment DNP: An inside look at the new hybrid doctoral program designed to teach nurses survival skills and how to build and manage remote clinics in the desert, arctic, jungle, and eventually, space.

• Prolonged Field Care (PFC): How military special operations have adapted fundamental nursing principles for prolonged casualty care behind enemy lines, and how civilian nurses can leverage these exact frameworks.

• Getting Started: Actionable advice for clinical nurses looking to break into extreme environment medicine, including starting with wilderness medicine, disaster response, and trauma care to build self-sufficiency.

  Mentioned in the show:

  • Texas A&M Online DNP in Extreme Environment Nursing
  • Connect with Dr. Barnes on Linkedin!
  • The Wilderness Medical Society
  • Beat Dr. Barnes at eating plants!?
  • Stay up to date on the next CommHIT event
  • Learn your patient! How microgravity affects the body and EARN NURSING CE with The Orbital Patient short course!

When healthcare organizations roll out shiny new tech, frontline nurses are usually the last to know and the first to bear the administrative burden. In this episode of The Space Nurse Podcast, we sit down with Anas Abidrabbu—a frontline ICU nurse turned health system leader and the builder behind KION. We dive deep into the current workforce shifts, exploring exactly why so many clinicians are jumping to non-traditional roles and how to start designing an unconventional career path through small, sustainable steps.

We also explore the AI hype in healthcare, discussing actionable strategies for organizations to implement new digital systems as actual co-pilots without annoying their nurses—starting with making sure clinicians are actively included at the decision-making table from Day 1. Plus, Anas unpacks the reality of "transition shock" and shares how his approach to somatic leadership coaching helps nurses slow down and listen to their nervous systems, ensuring they don't just carry their bedside burnout into a brand-new environment.

In this episode, we ask:

• Why are so many nurses jumping to non-traditional roles, and what are the very first steps to making that pivot successfully?

• How can healthcare organizations implement AI as a clinical co-pilot—rather than a data-entry chore—by including nurses from Day 1?

• What exactly is a healthcare influencer, and does that mean Anas knows how to dance?

Connect with Anas on LinkedIn and check out his podcast, Uncharted Narrative, on YouTube and Spotify.

Check out his company KIYAN also mentioned on the episode.

Ready to make your pivot?

• Get the Guide: Subscribe to The Space Nurse LLC newsletter to get exclusive access to the technical roadmap and resume translation guide.

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In this very special episode of The Space Nurse Podcast, I’m joined by my twin sister, Catherine Rincon, LMHC! Catherine is the founder of Happy Thoughts Mental Health, a practice specializing in trauma-informed care, somatic therapy, and decolonizing mental health.

Today, we are bridging the gap between terrestrial mental health and bioastronautics to discuss a critical hurdle in human space exploration: power dynamics in isolation.

We dive into the research behind our upcoming paper on Isolated, Confined, and Extreme (ICE) environments, exploring how rigid hierarchies foster conflict and abuse, and why the old "Right Stuff" mentality of emotional suppression is a danger to future missions. We also break down our proposed framework for psychological safety in space—including decentralized leadership and peer accountability—and explain how the principles of group therapy on Earth are the exact tools astronauts will need to survive the trip to Mars.

In This Episode, We Cover:

• Bridging the gap between rural/low-resource health and space medicine.

• The impact of chronic power imbalances on the nervous system and the threat of the "Right Stuff" mentality.

• Why rigid hierarchies and isolation in ICE environments can lead to mission failure.

• Our proposed framework for spaceflight: psychological crew selection, rotating leadership, and embedded support.

• How terrestrial group therapy builds agency, normalizes stress reactions, and provides a blueprint for crew cohesion.

• A look at the future of AI monitoring and why it must be a supplement, not a replacement, for human connection.

Resources & Links Mentioned:

• The Daily Show Skit: Check out the hilarious and informative segment featuring Dr. Maria Santaguida and Dr. Simon Dubé discussing their Kinsey Institute research and the space suit that facilitates intimacy in microgravity. Here is the article we mentioned that highlighted that interpersonal relationships could be a problem. A very eye opening article about the experience and subsequent blackballing of Judith LaPierre

• Happy Thoughts Mental Health: Learn more about Catherine’s private practice, group counseling, and mindfulness training.

• Healing Couch: The group therapy firm Catherine works with, offering expanded support in somatic treatments, EMDR, and sex therapy.

• Shoutouts: A huge thank you to the researchers and theorists we mentioned in this episode, including Dr. Suzanne Bell (NASA), Irvin Yalom, Carl Rogers, Dr. Kostukina, and Dr. Devjoy Dev.

Your Technical Roadmap Starts Here: Subscribe to The Space Nurse LLC newsletter to receive my Resume Translation Guide—a step-by-step breakdown of how to rewrite your clinical experience so you’re seen as a necessity, not an afterthought. [Insert Newsletter Link Here]

(And as always: Lupe Fiasco, the invitation to come on the podcast is still open!)