Nursing Uncensored is a nurse-created podcast, blog, and other content featuring topics that range from educational to explicit, from scholarly to scatological.
NU will make you laugh, make you think, and might even make you blush with bold opinions and dark humor about everything from career moves to pet peeves.
Listen right now.
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At Nursing Uncensored, the mission is to empower, educate, and validate the experiences of nurses by sharing unfiltered, authentic stories from the front lines of healthcare. Through candid conversations, humor, and a deep commitment to advocacy, we create a space where nurses can feel seen, heard, and supported.
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You can hear every episode on:
Spotify
Apple podcasts
Audible
iHeartRadio
Deezer
Spreaker
or here on the site player![there may be platforms not listed here]
Start with a laugh
Adrianne is starting season 8 and ending 2022 with a Bang! She’s welcoming fan-favorite Nurse Blake hot off his PTO Comedy Tour to talk about the exalted and dreaded New Year’s Resolutions.
You all have been waiting for this - even demanding it - the fourth installment of the Nursing Pet Peeves series. We’ve all got ‘em - those universal irritants of nursing. The things that we all deal with that dance on our last damn nerve. Adrianne welcomes back nurse, educator, SANE, and all-around badass Mackenzie Kane to back and forth with their current priority peeves.
In this episode, Q the Nurse (Swardiq Mayanja) is back to talk with Adrianne about dark humor in nursing - the good, the bad, and everything in between! Despite talking about all that spicy humor, they keep it pretty clean. Still NSFW.
Q and Adrianne spend tthis episode talking about a hot topic this time of year. That’s right, they’re talking all about setting 2020 Goals. Adrianne and Q are entirely different people when it comes to setting and achieving goals. Can you guess which of them is a planner and which is not?
In this final installment of Adrianne’s marathon chat with flight nurse and author, Robert P Harris, they are
on a roll. Despite heading into hour three, there is no shortage of things to talk about.
In this episode, Adrianne is joined by Q the Nurse. They talk about Q's path into nursing, pet peeves, and the things that make it all worthwhile.
Adrianne is joined again by Craig of the popular nursing brand Keep It Real RN. They're back to teach you how to go from massive poopstravaganza to squeaky clean patient with as little stress as possible for everyone involved.
This episode is gross, funny, informative, and destined to make you a poop cleaning superstar.
By poopular demand, Adrianne and Craig bring you the long-awaited episode on an inevitability of bedside nursing: cleaning up poop.
This discussion is not for the weak-stomached, but if you appreciate some good poop puns, turd tales and fecal follies you're in for a treat.
This is the third installment In the longest three-part special ever. Adrianne and Dan finish their drinks and this conversation that, in real time, was almost 4 hours long. We’ve distilled it down as much as we can with any talk we have…not much.
In this conversation between Adrianne and old pal Andrew Craig they topic-hop, as usual. They discuss the horrors of calling a patient by the wrong name, more comparisons between day and night shift (since Andrew has officially been working days), relationships with management, and personal preferences in getting and giving report. If you've been paying attention, you will also know that they talk about a hundred other little things along the way.
Andrew is back from his internet hiatus to join Adrianne for a discussion that is as all over the place as a confused patient in a low bed. They topic hop from designer scrubs and the social and professional implications, their favorite tools on the unit, plans for a poop-tastic future episode, and the ever-serious topic of drug diversion by nurses.
We present you with episode 05: Nursing Pet Peeves Volume 2. We suspect this might turn into a series because we're so damn good at coming up with new things to add to our list.
Debriefing. Venting. Complaining. Whatever you call it, it can be therapeutic when done right -without malice or destructiveness. When someone or something is driving a nurse crazy, just having a colleague listen to them freak out about it for a second can make it all feel better for awhile. That's just one way to deal with the mind-numbing stress of 12-hour shifts.
Favs for Nursing Students
This week we’re shouting-out the magic of Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses with @TheNurseSam. She and Adrianne are bringing you the hot tea on this often-underappreciated group of professionals including what the LPN role entails, how Sam came to be a proud practicing member and, later, a successful entrepreneur helping countless nursing students.
Adrianne hops on the mic to give you more of her tried and true tips for surviving the semester ahead. Nursing school may be the hardest thing you've ever done, but that doesn't mean there aren't things that will make your life way easier. Adrianne covers mindset, time management, ideas, and tools to make your day-to-day so much better.
In this episode, Adrianne and Jillian throw down their best tips, tricks, and motivational advice for those of you venturing into online classes this semester. COVID-19 isn't fading away any time soon, so we might as well arm ourselves for success despite it.
Adrianne sends this episode out to all of the nursing students who are suddenly finding themselves thrust into online classes as a result of the global Covid-19 pandemic. She runs through her top tips and routines for doing well with 100% online instruction.
Welcome to Season 4 of Nursing Uncensored! In this episode, Adrianne embarks upon a conversation with pal and co-worker, Jillian. Jillian has just graduated from Nursing School and is awaiting boards at the time of this recording. She’s got a lot of great stuff to say which is why this talk at NU Headquarters was so dang long.
The conversation winds around and through topics such as
-finding out “who you will be” after nursing school
- podcasts and other resources for learning
-anxiety from nursing school skills test outs
-and more!
If you're an incoming nursing student, you already know the benefits of working ahead. In this episode, Adrianne presents some things you should think about while sitting by the pool or hiding in the air conditioning between now and the end of August. (These tips wouldn’t hurt you returning students either!)
Now that Adrianne has helped you fill up all that extra memory on your iPhone with the previous 18 apps, she's got 9 more for you! In part three, she shares the last nursing-related apps in her folder.
Adrianne digs into her iPhone to share her 20 favorite, must-have iOS apps for anyone taking college classes.
Adrianne hopped on the mic in the middle of the night to bring you this Nursing Uncensored Quickie of her top 10 tips for making yourself a better nursing student. These aren't the only things that will keep you afloat as we head into another semester, but they are Adrianne's most helpful, off-the-beaten-path pointers.
Featured Blog Posts
Welcome to the nurses' station, the bustling hub of any hospital unit where nurses come together for shift change, to chart, take breaks, and catch up on the latest gossip. It’s also the place where a lot of noise, personalities, and chaos all come together in a very tight space. While the rules of nursing practice are well established, there are also some unwritten rules which govern the behavior of nurses in this space to preserve the delicate professional and social homeostasis. In this post, we'll explore the "unwritten rules" of nurses' station etiquette.
Adrianne is bidding farewell to the last year by reflecting on the wild ride that was 2023. Check out this timeline to learn who she met up with, what life-altering changes occurred, and how she’s looking to the future.
If you're someone who works night shifts, you know how challenging it can be to maintain a healthy sleep schedule and keep up with self-care. In this blog post, we'll be discussing 5 practical self-care tips that can help you improve your quality of life while working those long 12-hour night shifts. By implementing these strategies, you can take control of your physical and mental well-being, manage your sleep cycle, and improve your overall health. So, whether you're a nurse, a security guard, or any other professional working the night shift, this post is for you!
This elder millennial is late to the party when it comes to Tik Tok - It’s only been the last few months that I’ve dug into the platform and fallen head-over-heels with #nursetok, as it’s been aptly named. In this post, I’m going to drop my top 30 nurse-run accounts (no shade to the MDs, PAs, and other providers of the interwebs).
Incredible Health Talent Advocates and Registered Nurses Molly Rindt, Erika Haywood, and Jack Kluesner took some time to answer questions on the pressing issue of retaining experienced nurses in patient care roles.
In this blog post, we’re going to address ways hospitals can do just that, and how those of us still on the units and at the bedside can have an influence on this as well.
“My goal, when I began my book Nurse Papa, was to capture and describe what I could of the rarified and impactful moments which occur within these hospital rooms – the good and the bad. What it turned into was an emotional exploration of the lives of these children and a journey into the complicated and nuanced experience of parenting to a child with cancer. It occurred to me very quickly that there was so much to be learned and cherished from these children and their families.”
Welcome to this collaboration blog between Nursing Uncensored and Jami from the popular nursing podcast First Do No Harm. Adrianne joins Jami on her new podcast The Neurodivergent Nurse to share her ADD symptoms and how she deals with them on shift. Product and affiliate links are provided.
As nurses, we never stop learning, but that doesn’t mean it has to be boring. In this post, we’re going to focus on ten more Instagram accounts that make me think and teach me things. There are lots of other accounts I follow in the medical/nursing universe but these are just some more favorites, in no particular order.
Videos
![Life, Death, and What We Read Between the Lines: Nurse Papa Returns [VID]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5afbc1d8266c074c1ed672f9/1631115302686-VBRZNWQ23K1IDUTYD3KJ/Papa+2+Square.jpeg)
In this video episode, Adrianne is delighted to welcome back David Metzger and talk about his new book Nurse Papa: 16 Meditations on Parenting from a Pediatric Oncology Nurse. In this easy-to-devour paperback David shares stories, lessons, and perspectives about life through the lens of caring for kids facing their own mortality.
![The Path to Self-Advocacy for New Nurses with Deanna Mackey, RN [VID]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5afbc1d8266c074c1ed672f9/1626760524649-JT5UQ1C24JQEQOHVDYCQ/deanna+square+video.jpg)
In this video episode, Adrianne chats with the nurse and author Deanna Mackey about her experiences in the early days of her career in a variety of settings and a variety of ways she was subject to the old cliche of nurses eating their young. This conversation will provide new grads with some perspective on how they are deserving of respect even as learning members of the profession.
![How Attending a Convention Saved Lives During the Pandemic with Faith Lynch, MSN, RN, CNN [VID]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5afbc1d8266c074c1ed672f9/1626142893361-ER4E67NRMOCUCW85YN53/faith+square+video.jpg)
In this video podcast, Adrianne welcomes Faith Lynch, a clinical nurse manager, practice leader, a passionate hemodialysis nurse, former chair of the American Nephrology Nurses Association, mother, and wonderful woman to interview. They have a convivial discussion about Faith’s career as a dialysis nurse, discuss what dialysis is, how it affects patients’ lives but most importantly, they discuss a big change Faith catalyzed at her hospital.
![Surviving Cancer During a Pandemic: One Nurse's Story with Courtney Shihabuddin, DNP, APRN-CNP [VID]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5afbc1d8266c074c1ed672f9/1620769489538-0UVRMTAPK68R8A7HHUIY/IG+NP+Courtney+Video+version.png)
In this video episode, Adrianne welcomes Nurse Practitioner, educator, mentor, blogger, cancer survivor, and mom, Courtney Shihabuddin, DNP, APRN-CNP. She recounts her surreal experience being diagnosed with breast cancer just as COVID was causing the overwhelm and shutdown of healthcare facilities across the country in early 2020. She takes us through the timeline of her treatment, surgeries and complications very openly, candidly, and with just enough humor to keep us from losing our composure.
![Nurses with Migraines: A Chat with Nurse Isla [VID]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5afbc1d8266c074c1ed672f9/1618916160094-7W6W7AKV1AT4VJAUEX7F/Isla+YT+Thumb.jpg)
In this video episode, Adrianne welcomes special guest Isla, a General Practice nurse from Scotland. Isla and Adrianne met through Instagram and this interview is their first time speaking. Isla, like Adrianne, is a migraine sufferer. Adrianne welcomes Isla to share her long and intense experiences dealing with this chronic condition and how it has affected her personally and professionally.
![Nursing Pet Peeves: Vol 4 with Mackenzie Kane RN MSN CNL [VID]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5afbc1d8266c074c1ed672f9/1617703910361-E6CXY5C65JMXNYAXI7IZ/peeves+4+YT+thumbnail.jpg)
You all have been waiting for this - even demanding it - the fourth installment of the Nursing Pet Peeves series. We’ve all got ‘em - those universal irritants of nursing. The things that we all deal with that dance on our last damn nerve. Adrianne welcomes back nurse, educator, SANE, and all-around badass Mackenzie Kane to back and forth with their current priority peeves in this video podcast episode.
![Being a Nurse with Chronic Illness with Mikhayla Crawford, BSN RN [VID]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5afbc1d8266c074c1ed672f9/1611857376679-0P2K96ZXZO7GH75IH8FS/mik+yt+thumb.jpg)
In this episode, Adrianne welcomes old pal and fellow nurse, Mikhayla Crawford, to discuss her experiences living as a person, student, and nurse with an invisible autoimmune illness.
![The Role of a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner with Mackenzie Kane, MSN CNL RN [VID]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5afbc1d8266c074c1ed672f9/1610952881145-TIBGPOW97T9P4E2E6TWI/Mackenzie+SANE+YT+Thumb.jpg)
By request, Adrianne welcomes friend, fellow nurse, and colleague, Mackenzie. Mackenzie is a bedside nurse, clinical educator, and sexual assault nurse examiner, which is the role they’ll focus on today. If you have an interest in this area of forensic nursing, check out this episode.
![Creating Safe Spaces for LGBTQ+ Patients with Jeannie Gainsburg [VID]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5afbc1d8266c074c1ed672f9/1607914256806-20HPMJMV26IIYDZP6B18/jeannie+vid+pod+square.jpg)
In this episode, we keep the allyship theme alive. This time Adrianne talks with social worker, advocate, and author of the book The Savvy Ally, Jeannie Gainsburg. Jeannie opens up about her call to allyship, what that means, and her desire to share what she has learned through her book, website, and educational videos. Join them as they open talks about creating safe spaces in healthcare for members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning community.
In this video, Adrianne reviews the Nursing School Study Prep App by Pocket Prep - specifically the NCLEX-RN review portion of the app. In this unsponsored video, Adrianne walks you through the user interface and features of the Premium version of the app, which Pocket Prep
![The Power of Our Collective Voice: Nursing One with Judith Kimchi-Woods, PhD, RN, MBA, CPHQ [VID]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5afbc1d8266c074c1ed672f9/1606100684008-3LQZAV7KSIK2IWDRNADO/Nursing%2BOne%2Bwith%2BJKW%2BYT%2BThumbnail.jpg)
In this episode, Adrianne welcomes Judith Kimchi-Woods, the President of the Chamberlain University College of Nursing Columbus campus and CEO of Nursing One, which will be the focus of today’s show. Judy talks about how she created the non-profit Nursing One from a desire to see a unified voice for all nurses to advance issues that affect nurses in all settings.
![When It's Time to Go: Life Beyond Nursing with former ICU nurse Yolanda Russell [VID]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5afbc1d8266c074c1ed672f9/1602505746757-ZTFSGXNH37G4DLFIKI8O/yolanda+squarespace+icon.jpg)
Many people say nursing is a calling. What if you’re no longer hearing that call? Adrianne welcomes former nurse Yolanda Russell to talk about her journey through nursing, her decision to leave the profession, and how she made the transition to entrepreneurship and her own business.
Collaborations & Features
In this post, take a peek at a list of online acknowledgments of Nursing Uncensored among some of the best nursing podcasts on the internet in 2023.
In November 2021, Adrianne joined a group of other nurse podcasters in Nashville, Tennessee for the first Nurses PodCon, an all-day event of live nursing podcast episodes, CEUs, and Q and As. This is Adrianne’s episode on the contributions of podcasts to nursing education.
Adrianne is a guest for this first part of 2 (released as separate episodes) with the Gritty Nurses Amie Varley and Sara Fung. Adrianne tells them the very interesting, complicated story of how she became a nurse.
Adrianne loves talking with Amie and Sara of The Gritty Nurse Podcast. In this one, Adrianne lays her real origins in healthcare on the table. Too much is at stake to be silent when it comes to reproductive rights. Thanks to the Gritty Nurses for being such fantastic hosts, as always.
In this episode, the two nurses discuss how nursing can be the perfect job for someone with ADHD, but also can be very difficult at times for the same reason. We are forgetful, we tend to lose everything, we are disorganized, and many more which often create complications as bedside nurses. Adrianne brings her best tips and tricks for being a more organized neurodivergent bedside nurse.
Digital Merch Shop
Looking for a fun, printable nursing report sheet for a single patient? Look no further than ours - complete with body system watermark details! Ideal for progressive/intermediate care to critical care patients, this 8.5"x11" sheet provides an in-depth head-to-toe report to help you stay organized and give and take better report.
The front side features a written report by body system, with space for medical history, current illness, plan of care, and miscellaneous information. On the back, you'll find a diagram of the human body and a blank timeline for shift planning. With this sheet, you can draw out complicated wound patterns and write out IV infusion schedules to ensure you don't miss a thing.
When you purchase this download, you'll receive a .zip file with 5 .pdf files. You'll receive a blank single-patient brain sheet that is suitable for printing and making copies, a human body diagram page, a sample filled-in template to show you how both pages look in use (note: this is not real patient information). Lastly, you'll receive a tip sheet as shown in the gallery.
Please note that since this is a digital product, no physical item will be shipped to you. You may instantly download the file and print it from an accessible printer, making as many copies as you need for personal use only. This sheet is not for commercial use, resale, redistribution, or alteration. Thanks for protecting our hard work!
Keep your patient information organized and give great shift report with this comprehensive, condensed nurse brain sheet. Record the head-to-toe report on 1-4 patients (up to 8 if you make double-sided copies) and fold the 8.5"x11" paper into quarters and slide it into your scrub pocket for easy reference. No need to carry around multiple pieces of paper to fumble with and risk misplacing. Grab this template and make copies to keep on your clipboard or in your locker so you will never be without it on shift again.
Your purchase will include a .zip file containing 3 .pdf files. You’ll receive the 4-patient brain sheet without security watermarks. You will also get the sample sheet that has been partially filled out* for you to reference. Lastly, you will receive the tip sheet shown.
You may print the brain sheet on an 8.5” x 11” sheet of paper and use it to make copies for personal use only, please.
*All patient information is fictional and for demonstration purposes.
Our digital download is the perfect tool for nurses who need to keep track of tasks for 1-4 patients (and can even flex up to 8 with double-sided copies). This template allows you to plan your hour-by-hour tasks for each patient while keeping track of unexpected occurrences that you may not have time to chart in real-time.
Your purchase will include a .zip file containing three .pdf files. You'll receive a blank timeline without security watermarks that is suitable for printing and making copies. Additionally, you'll get a sample filled-in template to show you how it looks in use (note: this is not real patient information). Lastly, you'll receive a tip sheet as shown in the gallery. Stay organized and provide better patient care with our 12-shift timeline template!
Please note that since this is a digital product, no physical item will be shipped to you. You may instantly download the file and print it from an accessible printer, making as many copies as you need for personal use only. This sheet is not for commercial use, resale, redistribution, or alteration. Thanks for protecting our hard work!
• Made from neoprene
• Waterproof
• Dual-size customization
• Ribbed seams
• Regular 5″ × 4″ (12 × 10 cm), or slim 6.5″ × 3.2″ (17 × 8 cm)
• Spot clean as needed
• Blank product sourced from China and printed in the US
This product is made on demand. No minimums.
Swag Shop
Represent your favorite nursing podcast while directly supporting the show and being more eco-friendly with this reusable bag. When people ask you what the logo is for, you can tell them all about the sassy-mouthed nurse that interviews other nurses and shares it with the world.
• 100% certified organic cotton 3/1 twill
• Fabric weight: 8 oz/yd² (272 g/m²)
• Dimensions: 20″ × 14″ × 5″ (50.8 × 35.6 × 12.7 cm)
• Capacity: 6 gallons (23 l)
• Weight limit: 30 lbs (13.6 kg)
• 1″ × 25″ (2.5 × 63.5 cm) long self-fabric dual straps
• Open main compartment, flat bottom
This product is made especially for you as soon as you place an order, which is why it takes us a bit longer to deliver it to you. Making products on demand instead of in bulk helps reduce overproduction, so thank you for making thoughtful purchasing decisions!
These stickers are printed on durable, high-opacity adhesive vinyl, making them perfect for regular use and for covering other stickers or paint. The high-quality vinyl ensures there are no bubbles when applying the stickers.
• High opacity film that’s impossible to see through
• Fast and easy bubble-free application
• Durable vinyl, perfect for indoor use
• 95µ density
Don't forget to clean the surface before applying the sticker.
In this entertaining episode, Adrianne, an inpatient nurse, and guest Kevin McFarlane, an ED nurse educator, explore the often-challenging relationship between ED and inpatient nurses. The duo shares personal experiences and insights on the issue while discussing its impact on patient care.