This episode dives into one of the most pressing issues in healthcare today: the "Practice-Readiness Gap." While nursing school prepares students to pass the NCLEX, does it truly prepare them for the realities of the hospital floor?

We are "breaking the wall" between academia and clinical practice. Our guests discuss the disconnect that leads to new-grad burnout just six months into the job and explore why the traditional 1:1 student-to-patient clinical model might be doing more harm than good. From the impact of Magnet status on hiring to the "secret weapon" of having worked as a nursing assistant, we examine what it actually takes to transition from a student to a high-performing RN.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The NCLEX vs. The Bedside: Why preparing for a high-stakes exam often comes at the cost of clinical reality.
• The Reality Shock: Understanding why new grads are leaving the profession and how "practice readiness" can prevent early-career burnout.
• Post-Pandemic Challenges: How the decrease in clinical hours since COVID-19 has reshaped nursing education.
• Solutions for the Future: Strategic shifts like engaging bedside nurses as faculty, moving from 12-hour to 8-hour precepting shifts, and aligning curricula with the new AACN Essentials.

Whether you are a nursing student, a clinical instructor, or a hospital administrator, this episode is a roadmap for how we can think differently about training to ensure the next generation of the "Hive" is built to last.

Take the Next Step in Your Career

Earn While You Learn: We know how valuable your time is. That’s why select episodes of Hive Nurse | Inside the Hive are eligible for Continuing Education (CE) credits. Enhance your practice and stay compliant with your board requirements simply by listening to our expert interviews and completing a brief post-episode evaluation. Look for the "CE Eligible" tag in the episode titles to start earning credits today.

Connect with the Hive:

• Follow us on Instagram: @HiveNurse
• Join the Conversation on LinkedIn: Hive Nurse
• Visit our Website: HiveNurse.com

Love the show? If you found value in this episode, please leave a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your support helps other nurses find our "Hive" and grow our collective impact.

Share the Buzz: Know a nurse who needs to hear this? Forward this episode to a colleague and help us evolve the profession together.

Production Credits:

• Hosts/Executive Producers: Elizabeth Walters Miller, Ashley Kellish
• Audio Engineering & Sound Design: An...

Why pursue a doctorate in nursing now? And why choose to do it at UNC Pembroke? In the second half of our special series, our inaugural DNP graduates pull back the curtain on the "why" behind their journey.

Nursing at the doctoral level requires a unique blend of clinical expertise and a passion for systemic change. In this episode, our guests discuss the motivations that drove them to advance their education amidst a challenging healthcare landscape. We also explore the unique draw of UNC Pembroke—a university rooted in community and service. From the faculty-student bond to the program’s focus on rural health and leadership, find out what makes a "Brave" doctor different.

Key topics include:

• The Drive for Excellence: The personal and professional "whys" that lead a nurse to seek the highest level of practice.
• The Power of Place: Why these students chose to make history at UNCP rather than elsewhere.
• Community Impact: How earning a DNP locally allows these practitioners to better serve the diverse populations of Southeastern North Carolina.
• Advice for the Next Cohort: Wisdom for those considering following in their history-making footsteps.

Take the Next Step in Your Career

Earn While You Learn: We know how valuable your time is. That’s why select episodes of Hive Nurse | Inside the Hive are eligible for Continuing Education (CE) credits. Enhance your practice and stay compliant with your board requirements simply by listening to our expert interviews and completing a brief post-episode evaluation. Look for the "CE Eligible" tag in the episode titles to start earning credits today.

Connect with the Hive:

• Follow us on Instagram: @HiveNurse
• Join the Conversation on LinkedIn: Hive Nurse
• Visit our Website: HiveNurse.com

Love the show? If you found value in this episode, please leave a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your support helps other nurses find our "Hive" and grow our collective impact.

Share the Buzz: Know a nurse who needs to hear this? Forward this episode to a colleague and help us evolve the profession together.

Production Credits:

• Hosts/Executive Producers: Elizabeth Walters Miller, Ashley Kellish
• Audio Engineering & Sound Design: An...

In this historic episode, Elizabeth sits down with her students the first Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) cohort at UNC Pembroke—the first students in the university's history to earn doctoral degrees. Our conversation dives deep into the emotional and professional journey of the last few years.

The transition from student to "Doctor" is more than just a title change; it is the culmination of rigorous clinical hours, scholarly projects, and personal sacrifice. Our guests share the specific, often raw experiences that defined their time in the program—from breakthrough moments in patient care to the late-night realizations that shifted their perspective on nursing leadership.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Weight of being "The First": What it feels like to set the standard for future doctoral candidates at UNCP.
• Impactful Moments: The specific clinical or academic encounters that fundamentally changed how these students approach healthcare.
• The Finish Line: The immediate emotions of completing a terminal degree and what "Doctor" means to them and their families.

Take the Next Step in Your Career

Earn While You Learn: We know how valuable your time is. That’s why select episodes of Hive Nurse | Inside the Hive are eligible for Continuing Education (CE) credits. Enhance your practice and stay compliant with your board requirements simply by listening to our expert interviews and completing a brief post-episode evaluation. Look for the "CE Eligible" tag in the episode titles to start earning credits today.

Connect with the Hive:

• Follow us on Instagram: @HiveNurse
• Join the Conversation on LinkedIn: Hive Nurse
• Visit our Website: HiveNurse.com

Love the show? If you found value in this episode, please leave a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your support helps other nurses find our "Hive" and grow our collective impact.

Share the Buzz: Know a nurse who needs to hear this? Forward this episode to a colleague and help us evolve the profession together.

Production Credits:

• Hosts/Executive Producers: Elizabeth Walters Miller, Ashley Kellish
• Audio Engineering & Sound Design: An...

What happens when the skills you mastered at the bedside—advocacy, critical thinking, and rapid problem-solving—are applied to the world of business? For many nurses, the leap into entrepreneurship is the ultimate cure for burnout, but it also requires a complete reimagining of what it means to be a "healthcare provider."

In this episode, we sat down with Sara Aleem, CEO and Founder of Elysian Medicina Digital Marketing to explore the transition from clinician to creator. We discuss the unique advantages nurses bring to the marketplace and the common hurdles they face when trading a steady paycheck for a startup dream. We aren’t just talking about business plans; we’re talking about a identity shift. Whether you are in the "just curious" phase or you’ve already launched your venture, this episode offers a roadmap for navigating the rewarding, often messy, and deeply fulfilling path of the Nursepreneur.

If you would like to reach out to our wonderful guest - Sara Aleem, CEO and Founder of Elysian Medicina Digital Marketing - you can reach her on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/saraaleem/

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For more information, check out our website:

www.hivenurse.com

Follow us on instagram, tiktok, facebook:

@HiveNurse

What does the transition from the classroom to the "real world" actually look like in 2025? In this episode, we sit down with recent graduate Alexa Wojnovich to discuss the highs, lows, and unexpected turns of finishing her degree and entering the workforce.

Alexa shares her "boots-on-the-ground" perspective on everything from the modern job hunt to the psychological shift of leaving campus life behind. Whether you’re a fellow graduate looking for solidarity, a student preparing for the leap, or a hiring manager wanting to understand the next generation of talent, this conversation offers a refreshing and honest look at the start of a career.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Graduation Transition: Alexa’s personal experience moving from full-time student to young professional.
• The Job Search Journey: What worked (and what didn’t) when navigating today’s competitive landscape.
• New Grad Expectations vs. Reality: The biggest surprises Alexa encountered during her first few months out of school.
• Advice for the Class of 2026: Practical tips for those following in her footsteps.

In this chilling episode, we pull back the curtain on the hidden dangers lurking within our healthcare system. While hospitals are places of healing, they are also sites where serious, sometimes terrifying, accidents occur. We explore the high-risk reality of patient safety, focusing specifically on the grave impact of patient falls—why they happen, and the catastrophic consequences that follow. We also delve into the broader world of critical safety events, those frightening mistakes that lead to severe harm or even death. Tune in as we discuss the systems, the statistics, and the steps needed to confront these true-life healthcare horrors head-on.

We often talk about the need for "healthy work environments," but what does that actually look like in practice? How can a nurse, a manager, or a new hire spot the difference between a high-functioning team and one that's just masking deep-seated issues?

This episode gives you the essential framework for assessing the health of any nursing team or unit, moving past surface-level metrics like low turnover to examine the quality of the daily human interactions.

We’ll break down the measurable signs of a truly healthy team, focusing on the five critical behaviors you should be looking for:

• Skilled Communication: No More Triangulation. Learn how healthy teams confront issues directly, use assertive language, and actively listen rather than gossiping or avoiding conflict.
• The Culture of Questioning: A hallmark of a healthy team is one where junior nurses feel safer to ask questions and admit mistakes than they do on a toxic one. We explore how to measure this psychological safety.
• Shared Ownership of Outcomes: Identify teams where every member, from the charge nurse to the newest graduate, feels a genuine sense of accountability and autonomy in decision-making and patient care.
• The Power of Peer Support: We look at how teams leverage informal networks for emotional decompression and professional debriefing, ensuring that compassion fatigue is addressed collectively, not alone.
• Authentic Leadership and the "All-Hands" Model: Crucially, we discuss how nursing leaders must engage and participate when the team is in crisis. We'll share examples of leaders "going to the bedside" during surges, actively covering assignments during short-staffing, and making themselves visible and approachable to ensure frontline needs are immediately addressed. This tangible presence builds trust and validates the team’s struggles.

Whether you're a leader looking to gauge your unit's success, a nurse searching for a supportive new role, or simply aiming to improve your current team, this episode provides the critical lens you need to diagnose team health and start building a better future.

Tune in to learn how to measure the health of your team with more than just a staffing report.

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The nursing floor is often a place of high stress, heavy emotional labor, and profound challenge. But what if it could also be a place of profound support, psychological safety, and professional flourishing?

This week, we move beyond just identifying problems and dive deep into actionable strategies that both frontline nurses and organizational leaders can use to actively cultivate a truly Healthy Work Environment (HWE). This isn't just about morale; it's about reducing turnover, preventing errors, and ultimately, improving patient outcomes.

In this episode, we explore the fundamental pillars of a resilient and supportive nursing culture, including:

• The Power of Authentic Leadership: Discovering how leaders can move from being task-masters to genuine advocates who model skilled communication and emotional intelligence.
• The Art of True Collaboration: Learning how nurses at all levels can foster shared decision-making, respect, and effective teamwork across all disciplines.
• Creating a Culture of "Speaking Up": Strategies for establishing a psychologically safe environment where every nurse feels valued, heard, and empowered to voice concerns without fear of retribution.
• The Non-Negotiable: Appropriate Staffing and Meaningful Recognition: Why systemic support and genuine appreciation are the bedrock of sustainability, not just a bonus.

Cultivating a healthy workplace is not a one-time initiative; it's a shared responsibility and a continuous commitment. Tune in to learn how you, regardless of your role, can become a driving force in making your unit a true sanctuary for healing—for both patients and caregivers.

If you enjoyed this episode make sure to subscribe and follow us on our Instagram, Facebook