Overnight Observations with Jen the R.N.

The week after Thanksgiving tends to be a bit slower than the others, with people recovering from overeating, and in some cases, drinking. I believe that the slow pace at which everything moves is also an appeal for introspection and reflection. So, I decided to bring a short and sweet episode to think about human nature, what we laugh at, and why we steal food. In this episode, I share a few experiences working on Thanksgiving and some post-holiday incidents at lunch break. We also discuss where the line should be drawn for first responders' dark humor and why we should avoid going for the cheap laugh. In This Episode, You Will Learn:We all had holidays we preferred to work and get out of the house (1:41)The missing turkey sandwich (2:48)Un unpleasant encounter on Facebook (3:51)No humor is meant to harm (4:54)Resources:Police Humor In Tough TimesFire Department Chronicles: Is Dark Humor Bad?Let's Connect!Overnight Observations website Email: OvernightObservations@gmail.com

Strolling through the hallways of my memory, I came across some good and not-so-good recollections of my childhood and teenage years watching soap operas. It all started with a contemptuous conversation about SOAP notes, an acronym representing a widely used method of documentation for healthcare providers. A practice I bet only old-school nurses keep alive; the rest of them might be using some fancy software. In this episode, I share my vision on SOAP notes, what they are suitable for, and why I prefer to stick with the good old bullet points during a conversation with a patient. I also travel back to my childhood, remembering my experiences with ice cream and hospitals. We also take a closer look at soap operas' history in America, from radio to TV shows. In This Episode, You Will Learn:It is good to take some things out of our chest (1:18)What does SOAP stand for in SOAP notes (2:27)From throat soar to undergo anesthesia at the Revere's Grover Manor Hospital (5:01)A bit of soap operas' history (6:22)Resources:Network Radio's Fateful Thanksgiving of 1960Let's Connect!Overnight Observations website Email: OvernightObservations@gmail.com

Usually, at the beginning of a dystopian movie where machines team up to wipe out humanity from the face of the earth, someone says something like: "I want machines to do what we want them to do, and I want us not to be enslaved by machines." The quote belongs to Thomas Reardon, CEO of CTRL-labs, regarding the impressive progress of using technology to treat patients with Parkinson's disease. Today's episode is precisely about that; not about the human extinction at the hands of soldiers with metal skeletons, but the progress of technology in the medical field. After a week of trick or treating the scale and finding out I might have added some weight, my mind wandered through some interesting facts about new equipment and technologies developed to make patients' and caregivers' lives easier. We discuss the imminent arrival of Alexa to hospitals and clinics to help patients connect with the care team and be entertained. We also talk about the use of VR for physical therapy rehab, Google's new tech to help diagnose lung cancer, and much more.In This Episode, You Will Learn:Some of the technological advances I've seen during my almost 25 years in the industry (2:19)Alexa, play some relaxing music to relieve the pain (3:13)A portable ultrasound machine (6:14)About Google's AI systems to detect lung cancer (7:47)Let's Connect!Overnight Observations website Email: OvernightObservations@gmail.com

These are exciting days for me as Halloween gets closer. It has always been my favorite holiday, even more than Christmas, even more than my own birthday. Unfortunately, as I haven't worked a single Halloween my entire life, I haven't had any first-hand experiences at the emergency room from this holiday. However, I do have to share some of my childhood memories "trick or treating" and a fascinating piece of research on how Hollywood horrors had depicted nurses through the years. In this episode, we travel back to some happy Halloween memories from my childhood, my father's sweet tooth, and his planned chocolate shopping miscalculations. We also analyze in-depth the three types in which nurses were represented in Hollywood horrors throughout cinema history. Finally, we look at the evolution of nurses' uniforms and costumes, from our friend Florence Nightingale's original design to the 2008's designed by Luis Vuitton in Fashion Week. In This Episode, You Will Learn:The doctor said I can't go trick or treating this year. Going anyways (1:45)About my father's planned miscalculations (3:39)How Hollywood depicted nurses over the years (5:38)The evolution of the nurses' uniform through the years (8:31)Resources: Nurse Advisor MagazineNurse BuffScreen RantAmeritech College of HealthcareLet's Connect!Overnight Observations website Email: OvernightObservations@gmail.com

The emergency room is definitely one of the few places where horror and humor can exist in the same space at the same time. However, it is not the only place where that can happen; a warzone is another excellent example, with the subtle addition of a thick sense of danger and an exceptionally high risk of getting a heavy wound or be killed. To Hunter Swan, our today's guest, humor will always make your life easier, even in an extremely violent and hostile environment like war. In this episode, Hunter Swan, a former U.S Marine who spent over 8 years in the army, shares some stories of his time in the military, and we talk about the importance of humor to endure heavy training and armed combat. Hunter also offers some advice for those interested in joining the army; he explains what a sugar cookie is, and tells us his grandfather's incredible story from when he stormed Normandie. Some Questions I Ask:How did you get into the Marines? (1:37)How long were you in, and what did you do? (2:57)What advice would you give for people enlisting in the army? (12:04)In This Episode, You Will Learn:About the kind of combat Hunter witnessed (5:16)A bad stomach and a hot truck going through the desert (7:14)Trading MREs (Meals Ready-to-Eat) for a goat (9:13)What is a sugar cookie, and why military people don't like them (16:52)Connect with Hunter:InstagramLet's Connect!Overnight Observations website Email: OvernightObservations@gmail.com

It might sound unbelievable after all we've suffered in the last couple of years, but many people seem to ignore the importance of washing their hands. After seeing people walking out the door instead of to the sink after using the toilet, I've decided it was time to do a little public service with today's show. This episode is dedicated to the good old (and lifesaver) habit of washing our hands. We travel back a couple of centuries to know Ignaz Semmelweis, a Hungarian doctor who suspected that doctors scrubbing in between the autopsy room and the birthing room might be the reason why many women developed fever or died after giving birth. We also explore different hand washing techniques, apps, and a curious yet entertaining incident at the Boston Garden ticket line. In This Episode, You Will Learn:A woman walks into a bar... and leaves the bathroom without washing her hands (2:38)One of my mother's pet peeves that inspired a song (3:26)About Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis observations (5:05)How long it took to the importance of washing our hands to catch on (8:03)A tiny spectacle before The Wiggles' show at the Boston Garden (9:33)Let's Connect!Overnight Observations websiteEmail:  OvernightObservations@gmail.com

Today, I have the pleasure of welcoming my first ever guest to the show, Pat Bocchino. I've known her since I was 15; she is my mother-in-law, mother of my ex-husband (so outlaw, I guess...), and one of the main reasons I became a nurse. Pat had a deal with her husband; after he finished his engineering degree, it would be her turn to do what she wanted to. So they did; when he graduated, he enrolled her in school himself. Pat graduated from nursing school at age 34 and retired over 40 years later. In this episode, we take a long walk through Pat's experiences as a nurse. She shared a bit of her story growing up in an Italian household and becoming a nurse to fulfill her mother's dream. We go through some of the funniest moments of Pat's career, like some situations at Danvers State Hospital or Frank's interactions with patients in the recovery room. We also reflect on the ability to use humor as an escape valve to the sad situations nurses must deal with daily and much more. Some Questions I Ask:Tell me a bit about yourself. Tell me about how you became a nurse. Why did you become a nurse? (2:58)When did you graduate from North Shore? And how was it different from today? (6:24)Would you say that humor and taking that step back and getting a laugh out of something is helpful? (16:34)From a humor standpoint, what advice would you give people in nursing in public service? (21:09)In This Episode, You Will Learn:About Pat's childhood and how she became a nurse (3:07)Some of the adventures at Danvers State Hospital (9:52)Full moon night shifts are something else (14:33)Families need as much healing as the patients do (19:20)Some stories from the recovery room. Frank was a bad boy (27:21)Let's Connect!Overnight Observations websiteEmail:  OvernightObservations@gmail.com

In the last episode, we spoke about civilians arguing about symptoms and diagnoses with doctors, which is both irritating and dangerous. Today, we touch on one of mansplaining's relatives, "medic-s'plaining," which I think is even worse. In this episode, we talk about the uncomfortable moments nurses generally go through with doctors and interns, trying to explain what we are doing wrong, even when we are doing it right. We also talk about some research I've been doing on humor. We travel back in time to ancient Greek and peep into their theory of the Four Humors: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. We also explore the meaning of laughter and the connection between humor and health.In This Episode, You Will Learn:The heel stick under the careful supervision of a doctor (5:05)Being questioned for questioning the intern (7:16)Some research on humor's origins (9:36)The Four Humors, their meaning, and application to medicine (12:06)Resources mentioned:Article: Maria Christodoulou - The Four Humours of Ancient Greek MedicineBook: Vera M. Robinson - Humor and the Health ProfessionsLet's Connect!Overnight Observations websiteEmail:  OvernightObservations@gmail.com