Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Did you know that first year nurses experience the highest turnover of any group?
That reality is staggering, but it also tells us something important.
You are not alone and your growth matters.
Welcome to the All One Nurse Podcast, where we are bridging the gap between the stethoscope and the soul through real nursing stories and nursing conversations.
Here, our mission is simple. To get back to the human side of healthcare.
I'm your host, Nurse Chanel Tompkins, and I'm also your mentor and nurse educator. And this space was created just for you to breathe, to learn, to grow, and most importantly, feel supported no matter where you are in your nursing journey.
So take a deep breath and let's step into your next breakthrough. Hey, friend. Welcome Back to the All1Nurse podcast where I'm your host, Nurse Chanel Tompkins, and we are continuing to bridge the gap between the stethoscope and the soul and getting back to that human side of healthcare, literally, together.
And today, I believe this episode, or this conversation is one that you need to hear as we acknowledge what men's health for the month of June. And with that, did you know that according to the cdc, men in the United States continue to have a shorter life expectancy than women and that many men report having poor or okay health?
And so I think that that's enough for us to really start investing more in our men, because men's health deserves more honest conversations, support and safe spaces to be seen and for men to be heard and encouraged. And when we talk about men's health, we're not only talking about, you know, annual checkups or blood pressure readings, heart health and screenings, which are all important, but we're also talking about identity, emotional wellness and spiritual benefits, purpose, representation. Right. And the pressure that many men carry in silence. Before we get started, we're going to talk about, of course, nursing, purpose, creativity, men in health care, and what it means to walk boldly in the lane that God has called you to. But before we get into the conversation, go ahead and click that subscribe button so that you'll let others know that this awesome space exists and you'll never miss another episode. So today, we are bringing that conversation into the nursing space as I sit down with my guest, Dravius Richardson, who is a nurse, a creative storyteller, musician, content creator, and he continues to do work that impacts others far beyond the bedside. And he's a true advocate. And so much so that Dravius was also recognized with three awards where he was honored for his creative impact in nursing, receiving recognition, in short, Film, video creation, performing arts, and collaborative content creation. And so I'm so proud of him. And he is just truly himself. And I love how he blend his nursing machine, music and storytelling to inspire and educate and advocate through creative platforms like Instagram. And so I am so glad that you're here, and I pray that he speaks to you in his own story, his own nursing journey. And also, don't forget to stick around to the very end so that you can hear what Tradius is up to as well.
And. And if this conversation resonates with you, if it challenges you, if it encourages or inspires you, please share this episode with someone else. A new nurse, a male nurse, a friend, or a man that may need to hear this as some encouragement for him as he find his way into and his purpose. So let's get right into this conversation with Dravius Richardson, our registered nurse. Hey, Travious, thank you for being on here today.
[00:04:49] Speaker B: What's up? What's up? What's up? Thank you for having me.
[00:04:52] Speaker A: Yes, yes. Now, you know, here on the All One Nurse podcast, we always start out with your origin story, because the origin story tells us more about you and it allows us to really appreciate you for who you are. Right? And so with that, Travious, before we even talk about your work, talk about your creativity, take us back to you to the beginning. Like, what even brought you on this journey of nursing, music, content creation, and so much more. But we can start with nursing.
[00:05:28] Speaker B: Okay, I think I can cover all of that. Okay, I think I can cover all of this. So I'm from Marion, Alabama, right. And it's this small city of 3,000 citizens. The most poverty stricken city in Alabama. Maybe top 10 in the entire country, but a lot of history, very powerful. It's a reason why it's like that. It wasn't always like that. It was. I think it's been manufactured to be the way that it is because of the greatness that stemmed from there.
[00:05:58] Speaker A: Come on.
[00:05:59] Speaker B: Coretta Scott King is from there.
[00:06:01] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:06:02] Speaker B: Yeah. Her.
Her and Martin King were married there.
[00:06:07] Speaker A: Come on.
[00:06:07] Speaker B: History.
Yeah. And the actual march, the civil rights march, began in Marion after this guy named Jimmy Lee Jackson was shot and killed by the state trooper named James Fowler in 1965. And that stemmed the march from Marion to Selma, then from self, Selma to Montgomery.
[00:06:27] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:06:28] Speaker B: Yeah. Everybody always hears Selma to Montgomery.
So that's that. As far as history, that gave me my inspiration to make me believe that, okay, if this woman from this city touched the world, I can do the Same exact thing, you know, I mean, it's just. And history always repeat itself. It's like she, she. She fought for civil rights in the entire nation, and now it's like, I'm advocating for health healthcare across the entire nation. That's how I look at it. Yeah, but how did I get into nursing, man? My great grandmother had 19 kids, right?
[00:07:06] Speaker A: 19.
That's the most I done heard.
[00:07:09] Speaker B: 19 kids. I think it was like five sets of twins.
[00:07:13] Speaker A: Okay, that.
[00:07:15] Speaker B: Yeah. But out of, like, those 19, two or three of them had cancer while I was in from. From my seventh grade year of high school to 12th grade. And I was just seeing those stages of cancer, and I would visit their houses and give them care. You know, in my early stages of life, like, I was basically nursing before I became a nurse. I just didn't realize it. I didn't think I would be doing it. I honestly went to school for athletic training my first semester. But, man, I made an if so quick my first class. Cause I was so accustomed to, like, I was the valedictorian of my high school class, right?
But I did not study at all in high school. Like, I was just doing it. And I brought those habits into college. I was like, man, you know it's gonna be the same thing.
Nope, hit me quick. Reality hit me quick. So I was like, all right, all right. I messed up this first semester. Let me hit the restart button next semester, right? So then I transitioned into majoring into nursing. And it was. It was up here. From there, it's God's. God's written our story, not mine.
[00:08:22] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:08:23] Speaker B: I swear. I swear. And then as far as the music, I had always been doing music, always been around music. My granddad was in this band named the Alabama Tones of Joy, right? Yeah. And they traveled the nation, like, just doing music. And I would hear them playing music all night long, two, three o'clock in the morning, you know, before school or whatever. And it just always stuck with me. I told my mom, I was like, man, I want to. I want to learn the instrument. So she got me a trumpet, right?
And at my school, let me see. I would play. I played the trumpet for like two weeks. And the school told me, yeah, the school told me, hey, you got a choice. You can either do band or pe. I said, damn, the trumpet. I want to play basketball. So I put it down. But it always stuck with me. Like, I remember the first song I could ever recite. It was 50 cent in the club.
[00:09:19] Speaker A: Oh, Lord.
[00:09:20] Speaker B: Yeah, man. I recorded it off a tape Recorder. And I remember all the lyrics. And I went to school, we had, like, this talent show, and I performed it in front of the entire school. Like it was my song. And it's just like that feeling I got from that. I don't know. I can't describe the feeling I get from music. It's. It carried over to the day. My love for it still remain. Took it from there to. I was managing the artist while I was in college. Cause I'm like, okay, let me focus on nursing, but let me still be around the scene.
After I graduated, that kind of ended. And I was like, okay, now I got a source of income. Let me invest in myself.
[00:09:58] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:09:59] Speaker B: So took that, took that to my producer up here in Atlanta whose studio I'm in right now, and we started working, and it's been murder All She Wrote. Come to find out, his granddad was in the same band as my granddad. Stop crazy.
[00:10:14] Speaker A: Are you serious?
[00:10:15] Speaker B: I swear. And I ain't found this out to this year. We've been working together since, like, 2014.
Yeah. Cause he moved to Washington, D.C. when we were younger, so I ain't really grow up around him. But he's from his mom now, from the same city I'm from. But he then moved away, so I didn't really know him. But a artist where I'm from was doing music, an older artist who was real hot in the city, and he turned me. He saw the potential in me and turned me on to him.
Yeah. But he moved from D.C. back to Atlanta, and then I was emerging with my nursing career. I went from working at the VA in mental health, then transitioned to med surg in the Birmingham va. Then Covid hit. I'm like, okay, let me go get some of this Covid, man. And I got my butt to Atlanta, but, oh, I got a whole story about that. That transition ain't go too far. I'm just not trying to get too carried away with the question. I know we just. On question number one, I can.
[00:11:18] Speaker A: We are all ears right now. Because you just can't say that it did say oh. Then say oh. Well, no, let's just end there. No, let. Let's hear it. What happened with co?
[00:11:30] Speaker B: Okay,
[00:11:35] Speaker A: Before we continue, I want to pause for a quick faith intermission.
And one thing that keeps standing out in this conversation is the power of walking in the fullness of who God has created you to be. Sometimes we try to separate our gifts, right? We tell ourselves, I can only be this, or I have to hide that part of me to be taken seriously. But God doesn't waste anything, right? He can use all of you. Your story, your creativity, your personality, your profession, and your pain and the very thing that you thought that did not belong in the room.
So I want you to meditate on this scripture, Romans 12:6, which reminds us that we have different gifts according to the grace given to each of us. And that means that your gift may not look like someone else's gift. Your assignment may not sound like someone else's assignment. Right? But your path will. Will unfold in the way that God intended it to. And that's okay. Because for the nurse who feels different, for the man who feels unseen, or for the nurse that's trying to find your voice, for the creatives who are wondering if your gift belongs in healthcare, God is still reminding you, even in this moment. He did not call you to be a copy. He is asking you to be faithful with what he has placed inside of you. And I have to tell myself this daily.
So, yes, you can be professional and you can still be creative. You can be strong and you can still be growing and healing. Right? You can be a nurse and still have dreams beyond the bedside, as evidenced by myself. As evidenced by Dravius here in this episode. So take the moment today to ask yourself, what part of me have I been hiding that God may actually want to see me use? Because when you stop shrinking, someone else gets permission to breathe. Like, who's waiting on your. Yes, because it gives that person the courage to show up or to keep going within themselves and to really walk in their God given lane as well.
Because you become that bridge for someone else, whether it's through healing, confidence, or purpose. So just remember that and ask yourself that question.
But let's get back into our conversation with Dravius.
[00:14:25] Speaker B: So yes. Bam. In Tuscaloosa, I got a possession of marijuana charge.
[00:14:30] Speaker A: As a nurse.
[00:14:31] Speaker B: As a nurse, it was a 0.5.
But this what happened though. So I got off work. I was working night show, got off work. My sister said she needed a ride to McDonald's to go get some breakfast. She ain't have a car at the time. So I went and picked her up. And so she my sister, but not my sister, you know how that goes. But one of her cousins from Memphis was. Was with her, right?
So we ride in that dog's, get the food, whatever, we pull up to the gas station and we getting ready to go home. Like all this within two, three minutes. Like we not far from the house.
[00:15:03] Speaker A: That's how it happens.
[00:15:04] Speaker B: Man, we leave out the gas station, right? I got my headlights on every. Everybody got their seat belt on, everything, man. These police pull up, hit the lights and pull us over. I was like, why you. Why you pulling me up? Your passenger look like a suspect. She was, yeah. And they was talking about her cousin from Memphis.
[00:15:22] Speaker A: Oh, my God.
[00:15:23] Speaker B: Yeah. Black guy with dread.
[00:15:26] Speaker A: I was just about to say that.
[00:15:28] Speaker B: Yeah. And man, they found like 0.5 gram of marijuana in the car, man. So went to jail, got out. I immediately hit over lawyer this round of time. I said Kofu was getting ready to hit, and I had just got my multi state license. Well, I was about to apply to get my multistate license.
[00:15:46] Speaker A: Gotcha. Got you.
[00:15:47] Speaker B: I was like, should I go ahead and apply right now or should I wait?
[00:15:51] Speaker A: Right. With all that going on?
[00:15:53] Speaker B: Yeah. So he was like, go ahead and do it right now. Cause it may not show up. It shouldn't show up. It's too quick. And I applied for that license, that thing popped up, boom. Alabama Board of Nursing salt. I had to pay like 4 or $5,000 for a.05 gram of marijuana. And I had to be on probation for one year. I had to do random drug tests like twice a month. I had to do community service. And, yeah, I had to pay court fees and Alabama Board of Nursing fees. So did all that for a year. That's why I ended up going to Birmingham VA instead, instead of Atlanta then. So during COVID I'm like. I'm like, man, this money missing me, man. I'm in. I'm in. But at the same time, I get my med surge experience. Because I was mental health, I wasn't tripping too hard. But yeah, when that happened, me and one of my nursing friends working with me, she was like, yeah, I'm thinking about going to Atlanta. I'm thinking I'm finna make the jump. I was like, forget it. Me too. Right? Both of us applied. Both of us applied at this hospital. Both of us get accepted. Both of us get the same start date. Both of us get up. So we got our stuff. I done turned in my two weeks. I done left the other job. It's the Monday coming up to work. And them people called me Sunday, was like, yeah, I'm sorry, we can't take you. They're not accepting this hit on your license.
[00:17:05] Speaker A: Oh, my God.
[00:17:07] Speaker B: Yeah. So I was in Atlanta, man, about three, four months without a job.
During COVID During COVID Three, four months without a job. Yep. So I just started. I started selling water. I Was selling. One of my partners started this water company, and Boosie ended up picking up on it and he bought to the partnership. So I just started selling water. Selling water.
I was door to door. Every bid. I was man, making a dollar any way I can. Yep. Yep. That's how I ended up in Atlanta. Now, as far as. As far as the content, I was just doing music. Cause at this time, I was making content, but when nobody calling it content.
[00:17:48] Speaker A: Right, right.
[00:17:49] Speaker B: It was a music video. It was a photo shoot. It was a day in the life. It was a preview of a song.
It was everything but content. And then my team, my producer was like, you know what? You need to, like, accept and own who you are. Like you showing people everything you do. Except for nursing. All my content at the time was just strictly music. It was. I was never in scrub.
[00:18:15] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:18:16] Speaker B: Never. So nah. Made one video, did all right. Made another video. Did all right. Made another video. Another video. As I ain't know, I made one. Just. Boom. Went viral.
[00:18:26] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:18:27] Speaker B: Okay. Made another boom. Went viral. All right. It might be on or something.
[00:18:32] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:18:33] Speaker B: And just kept creating, you know, some. It be hit or miss. I'm on. Hit some on this, but. But through it all, I notice, okay, people are noticing you. Companies are noticing you. Just keep. Keep shooting for the star.
[00:18:47] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:18:48] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:18:48] Speaker A: Being who you are allows people to find you. They. They get. Become attracted to you and you don't have to make anything up. Like, being you comes easy because just being who you are, that what makes it easy for.
[00:19:04] Speaker B: Yeah. You know, I. I be speaking at conferences and content, you know, at content creator workshops and up and coming content creators, nursing creators, always asking me, how do you. What do you do? What do I just be you?
[00:19:18] Speaker A: Be you. Yeah. That was one of my questions. You know, when we talk about. When I have interviews, I always ask about your origin story because people love who you are at a certain level, but nobody really can appreciate who you are until they know where you came from, because. Cause everybody want to be in the light, but nobody wants to do the hard work.
Nobody want to walk somebody's shoes.
[00:19:41] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. People only want the shine, the highlight. But everybody got a testimony.
[00:19:48] Speaker A: Everybody.
[00:19:50] Speaker B: Yeah. A lot of people stray away from it, bro. I'm just one of them people. I'm like, it is what it is. Like, I'm not perfect. You not perfect either.
[00:19:57] Speaker A: Right.
[00:19:57] Speaker B: I'm just bold enough to tell my story while you still trying to hide your skills.
[00:20:01] Speaker A: Right. And somebody needs to hear that. When I reached out to you about it being Men's Health Month. Who better to speak towards men's health than an actual man?
And you're an actual nurse who takes care of everyone.
But as a black man, you. You can speak to that. I can't get anyone else, whether they know mental health, whether they've taken care of plenty of African American men or men in general, like Travious can speak to the lived experience as well as the occupational side and even the issues with the police. Like, that's another thing.
[00:20:39] Speaker B: It's another thing.
[00:20:40] Speaker A: That's a whole nother thing.
[00:20:42] Speaker B: It's another thing with the general public, but it's definitely another thing for a black male figure in America. Like, I be trying to express that through some of my content. Some people get a little uncomfortable.
I'm like, hey, bro, we gotta have these tough conversations to move forward. As a people. Like this, not the only thing I want to discuss. But it's also not something I'm willing to ignore just because the world ignoring it. You know what I mean?
[00:21:11] Speaker A: Right.
[00:21:12] Speaker B: Like, if we as a people feel as though we need to have these type of conversations behind closed doors, like, why not have it in the general public?
[00:21:21] Speaker A: Yep. Because it's not what you say, it's how you say it.
[00:21:24] Speaker B: And it's a lot. It's a lot. It's a lot. We deal with, you know, work, life, balance, relationships, spiritual battles. Man, this institution we in, whether some people want to accept it or not. I can go on and on. Especially when you with somebody. Especially when you. Somebody with. With dreams and a passion and who do things outside of the hospital just as much you do inside the hospital.
[00:21:48] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:21:48] Speaker B: Like, a lot of people just work so hard.
Hey, that's what it is.
[00:21:52] Speaker A: Yeah. And they don't even realize it, you know, don't even realize it. Like, I have seen, you know, my husband, he mentioned a gentleman who was wrongfully convicted and he spent a lot of time in prison. And I can't think of his name. Forgive me, but in that, you know, I have found that sometimes freedom or being free is a state of mind. State of mind. And I see he may have been more free, locked, locked up than a lot of people are today in society. Out here in the free world. If I could say it like that, like, they don't even realize, like just in a box.
[00:22:25] Speaker B: And I see it, even with the Internet, I be at work, a lot of people licking my page. Oh, you doing this, you doing that. You, you, you, you, you, you, you. Like, bro, life could be so much more peaceful for you and I, we just stick to our lane.
[00:22:39] Speaker A: Yep.
[00:22:40] Speaker B: Don't worry about what such and such doing or got like. Don't get too locked in on the.
[00:22:45] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:22:46] Speaker B: Platforms of love.
[00:22:48] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:22:49] Speaker B: Stick to your lane.
[00:22:50] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:22:51] Speaker B: Stick to your lane. Don't feel like you should be here because they're there.
[00:22:55] Speaker A: That part.
[00:22:55] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. Everybody got, Everybody got their time.
[00:22:58] Speaker A: Yeah. That's okay with that. So you described your one word for. When I asked you to describe your one word for nursing. Your why you told me bridge in your. In the intake form. Help us understand what you mean by that.
[00:23:15] Speaker B: I said bridge. Right.
There's so many meanings I can take from that. I feel like I bridge healthcare and art, healthcare and culture. Giving us the platform to genuinely express ourselves as a people and us as black people. As a people. And giving nurses the chance to get away from this stereotype that the world perceives us that the world perceives us as having to move a certain way or act a certain way or be professional all the time. You got to put your professional face on all the time.
Live a little bit, be free. It's okay. It's okay.
[00:23:56] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:23:57] Speaker B: Know your other interests. You can be a nurse and be interested in so many more other things.
[00:24:03] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:24:03] Speaker B: And the nursing community is so supportive that I, I feel like nurses need to embrace that. I feel like a lot, a lot, a lot of us embrace that versus being against it.
[00:24:12] Speaker A: Right, right. That's true.
[00:24:14] Speaker B: And I think our generation just bridging that. I think we the bridge for that.
[00:24:19] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. And social media is like you could be between a rock and a hard place. So it's like you can't compare because comparison is a thief because it'll rob you of the things that you should be grateful for. But also in the same sense, it also allows you to show your authenticity and also reach others who are like minded for the value that you have to provide to them. Because you're not for everyone. And that's okay. I'm not. We're not for everyone. That's okay. But when your tribe finds you, you're in a place of influence, you're in a place of impact. But it comes from being authentically you.
[00:24:54] Speaker B: Authentic.
[00:24:55] Speaker A: And I love that about you, Tradius.
[00:24:58] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:24:59] Speaker A: And I thank you so much, so much for just getting on here, sharing a little bit about yourself because I know you are a busy man. Before we close, could you just tell us what are some things you're looking forward to coming up this year that my listeners can connect or be on the lookout for as well as the show. Like you've done so much. Just. Just drop it. Drop it all on us, man.
[00:25:22] Speaker B: I'm looking forward. I'm looking forward to connecting with more people who are alive with the energy we on right now. I'm looking forward to continue continuously creating. I'm looking forward to everything God got coming for me and my team. I'm looking forward to all of the. All of the flowers that being water right now that people don't see finally blossoming. And I know that's right around the horizon. I'm looking forward to. I'm looking forward to this film. We have a film. So we are creating a short film with 30 random content creators. Yeah, it's actually being filmed this week, but we broke them down into. Yeah, we broke it down into three. Three teams of ten and yeah, man, shout out to my. My squad, TSA network. They headlined this. They collabed with the cohort nyc. Okay, that's gonna be. Yeah, that's a different experience. You know what I'm saying?
Definitely thrilled about that. Also my art of health event in November. So that'll be popping off in November. High end, luxurious type of event to celebrate healthcare. All. All walks of healthcare.
[00:26:33] Speaker A: Yes. Come on.
[00:26:34] Speaker B: Be giving away the award. There'll be live jazz music.
Yeah.
Say art gallery, art showcase. That's the whole shebang, man. Giving us the time to. Giving y' all the time to let y' all hair down, put y' all elegant dresses on, you know.
[00:26:49] Speaker A: Yes.
I'm about to get it together over here.
[00:26:53] Speaker B: Yeah, you gotta get it together. Gotta get it together. Bring a friend, tell a friend to tell a friend and you know, we're gonna put on our tuxedo, long tail, top hats and. And just have a night of just celebration and love, man. For all our hard work and the blood, sweat and tears we put in day in and day out from our text to the secretaries, to the nurses, to respiratory therapists to doctors, to I ain't missing nobody patient experience, to directors, the chiefs, everybody, man, everybody. Come on, everybody.
[00:27:28] Speaker A: Everybody invited. I love.
[00:27:30] Speaker B: So looking forward to that.
[00:27:33] Speaker A: Before you go, how can my listeners connect with you?
[00:27:37] Speaker B: Man? All your listeners can follow me on all platforms at Travis Kendrick. It's at TR A V I U S K E A N D R I C. I'm looking forward to connecting and I'm looking forward to seeing you all at this gala for sure, live and in the flesh.
[00:27:58] Speaker A: Now what would you say to other men that's interested in nursing or would never thought about it? Because I know you are big on bringing other men into the profession as well.
[00:28:08] Speaker B: I'm huge on bringing men. I think men, all men, just bring a. A certain balance and a calmness to nursing that's missing on a lot of units. Yeah, it can be a. It can be very chaotic with just all women not saying all women can't do it. You know, I love y' all doing an extraordinary job, but I think that masculinity is needed, like, definitely needed. Like, imagine every shift having three or four male nurses on it, man. It'll be tall.
[00:28:37] Speaker A: It'll be totally different.
[00:28:39] Speaker B: Yeah. Even the physical part, though, you know what I'm saying? It'd be a lot more easy on y'. All. So I think men are needed. I think black men are definitely needed. I feel like we need to swap the numbers. It should be more. The numbers should be up higher in nursing than in prison system.
[00:28:56] Speaker A: Come on.
[00:28:56] Speaker B: Yeah, we need to reverse those. Yeah, yeah. Those statistics need to flip flop.
[00:29:01] Speaker A: Come on.
[00:29:01] Speaker B: So I'm always, always pulling for and recruiting our black men. If you lost in life, you feel like you don't know what your next step is, you know what the street gonna lead to. It's one or two options. So. Yeah, come on over here.
Yeah, come on over here.
Playing together.
[00:29:19] Speaker A: Yeah. Stack up that part.
[00:29:21] Speaker B: Keep your head level. Keep your head level. Be focused. There's a lot of women you working around. So that. That's what I'm saying, man. It. It's more than just getting into nursing. I'm getting a bag. You still gotta. Right. It's gonna be so many.
So many spiritual attacks from so many angles coming at you. Just gotta be conscious of. And I ain't have it all together when I got in, you know what I'm saying? It came with time and growth and me messing up, but if I can save somebody else from Mountain State, that's what. That's what Trevi is here for.
[00:29:51] Speaker A: Awesome. Well, thank you so much. We could keep going.
[00:29:55] Speaker B: I know.
[00:29:56] Speaker A: I know you in the studio already, so you're already doing Killing Two Birds with One Stone. And I just appreciate you.
Appreciate you.
[00:30:06] Speaker B: Stay tuned. New music coming out soon. I'll be putting on concerts soon, so all that good stuff, too.
[00:30:11] Speaker A: Yes. Well, you stay planted like you said, you know, you producing fruit. That is going to be fruitful, impactful, and basically showing other men that is more to it than just being in the streets and being in nursing is not that bad.
[00:30:28] Speaker B: I'm just saying it's not that bad.
[00:30:30] Speaker A: And you are needed. Ah, thank you so much.
[00:30:32] Speaker B: Thank you, Chanel. Till next time, all right?
[00:30:34] Speaker A: Okay. Next time.
[00:30:35] Speaker B: All right. Hold it down, man.
[00:30:38] Speaker A: What a powerful conversation with Dravius.
I pray that this episode reminded you that nursing is not one dimensional, that you can still be a nurse and still be creative, have a story, whether it's of healing, whether it's dealing with growing, learning, or walking into everything that God has called you to do. Because you never know the cars that you may be dealt with. We just have to learn how to play our hand accordingly, learn how to play it well.
But Dravius, Dravius shows us that when you stop trying to hide pieces of who you are, then your purpose has room and makes room for you.
And I love that. So whether it's in nursing or all the other things, including advocacy or mentorship, your life can still be a bridge for someone else. You know, as I've stated before, and before we leave, I want to speak directly to the nursing students here, graduate nurses and RNs that's listening right now.
If you are preparing to take the nclex, take a deep breath. You've worked hard to get here. Keep studying, keep practicing the practice questions and keep reviewing the rationales, whether you got the question right or wrong. And do not let fear speak louder than your preparation. Always say, write your vision, make it plain. If you have a study schedule, stick to it. If you don't, create one and write it down and stick to it.
And know that you don't have to know everything to be ready. You just need to stay focused and consistent and trust the foundation that has been built for you and that you've created for yourself and put yourself in the best possible position to pass your boards on the first try.
And to the new nurse who just passed boards or nclex, congratulations. And now it's time to start getting situated in your your new role as an rn.
So if nothing else, give yourself some grace. You're not expected to know everything on day one or at the end of week two. And be sure to ask questions. Now I always say don't ask the same questions. Get your notepad and write down answers to things that you know you're going to need the answer to, like the passcodes or some of your protocols. Like be sure to write those things down. But when it comes to patient care, always ask plenty of questions just to make sure even what you have written down is correct. Okay? And what I've seen as a staff development specialist is copy your preceptors rhythm. Starting out as you find your own rhythm because your preceptor is just trying to validate through how they're training because they don't have the time to teach you how to do something three or four different ways. So therefore follow their rhythm. Their goal is to train you well and to validate what you do know. And then give yourself grace as you start to learn your own rhythm. And you may go with another nurse when your preceptor's out or on a vacation and you may learn some things from that nurse that she may do, or he may do something that's the same with like a med pass, but may do it a little differently as far as their strategy.
And you can take that with you as well. So you're learning a little bit from everyone, okay? And just know that your confidence come comes with time period. And a good example of this no matter where you are in your nursing journey, if you think back to your first day of nursing school school to the time you graduated, you were a totally different person.
You were a much more informed and resilient individual. Maybe a little tired, but you were totally different. And then you think back to your first day of nursing orientation as a new nurse and your first year of being a new nurse. You were totally different.
And so just know that things get better with time and experience if you allow it. But be sure to stay connected to the right individuals in your own space. And you're always welcome to connect with me and the All One Nurse community on Facebook, the private group on Facebook All One Nurse under groups. And of course you're already here on the podcast and you can follow me on any of your social media platforms, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, one nurse.
Also make sure that you stay connected with Tradius and support his amazing work and all that he's doing and has coming up. He shared that he is continuing to create and connect and build with purpose and we love that. He also mentioned an upcoming short film which I believe has recently featured in theater in a select theater Correction in Atlanta, Georgia and the release date was June 25th, so be sure to check that out and support a lot of the other content creators as well. And Dravius also mentions his Art of Health event coming up in November, so be sure to check that out where everyone in the healthcare setting is invited and it's not just exclusive to nurses. That's awesome.
And he has some new music and feature concerts coming up, so be sure to check in with him and follow and support his work and keep your eyes open for what he is creating. Next, thank you so much for listening to the All1Nurse podcast.
If this episode again encouraged you, please subscribe, leave a review, and if you're listening on a podcast platform, share this with another nurse. And leave that five star rating so that we'll let others know that this space actually exists. Until next time, this is your host, Nurse Chanel, and you're listening to All One Nurse and keep letting your light shine.
[00:37:20] Speaker B: Sam.
