Vet Techs Are Nurses? Exploring Our Titles & Roles

I wanted to share something really personal with you—my keynote presentation from the AWHONN Convention in Orlando, FL. In this talk, I open up about two moments that completely changed my life: being banned from donating blood in nursing school for being gay, and having my first panic attack after a long shift in the ICU.These moments could’ve broken me. But instead, they lit a fire. One pushed me to start Banned4Life and help lift the FDA’s gay blood ban. The other led me to create my Nurse Blake social media accounts as a way to share my story & overcome burnout. Life gives us moments—some beautiful, some painful, some totally unexpected. My hope is that as you listen, you’ll look at your own defining moments and realize: they don’t have to hold you back. You have the power to take them, shape them, and turn them into something meaningful.___________I hope to see you later this Fall during my But Did You Die? Comedy Tour! Tickets on sale now at: nurseblake.com ___________I want to shoutout AWHONN for selecting me to be their Keynote and to everyone who attended my session!

Are vet techs nurses? It’s a hot debate across social media, and in this episode, I’m diving into both sides of the conversation. We’ll break down the education, licensing, and responsibilities of veterinary technicians vs. nurses—and spotlight some surprising skills you may not know vet techs have. I’ll also share your comments & hot takes. Spoiler: this isn’t about who does more—it’s about credentials, respect, and keeping it honest in both the human and animal healthcare worlds.💬 Join the convo and send me your thoughts for a future episode!

I’m back!! Welcome to Season 2 of the Nurse Blake Podcast! To start, I’m going on a whole new comedy tour, BUT DID YOU DIE?! Presale starts Wednesday April 23rd at 9am local with presale code: NURSE and general sale opens Friday April 25th at 9am local. VIP packages also available. Tickets: nurseblake.com I’m so excited to be back! Thanks for all your love & patience, the past 2 years have been crazy, divorce, rehab, hospital hook up stories! But I’ve learn a lot about myself and feeling better than ever! Wanna leave a comment, questions, or story, call the podcast hotline and leave me a message: (904) 586-8174🫶 Nurse Blake Ps NurseCon at Sea Jamaica is 70% sold out! Book fast to lock in early bird pricing: nurseconatsea.com

I’m back with my husband Brett with Two Ts aboard NurseCon at Sea ‘22, the inaugural sailing of the most EPIC nursing conference. Listen in while we sail away somewhere in the middle of the ocean! Brett and I presented the show in front of a live audience on the third night of the conference. This special live recording was just one small part of an incredible week! I share why I wanted to create NurseCon at Sea following my own experiences at other nursing conferences. Why not make them more fun?? I also talk about what it feels like to finally put on the event, and you get to hear Brett and I's reactions to everything that has gone down so far. Expectations were definitely exceeded, and we loved seeing all the nurses make connections and make the most out of the experience! What are we looking forward to next? Could we live on a cruise ship? After asking ourselves some fun questions, we answer some questions from our live audience. It was a blast and I’m already so excited for next year! NurseCon at Sea 2023 registration opens this Friday 6/3 at Noon ET!! SUPPORT THE PODCAST BY SUBSCRIBING

Happy New Year! I’m sad to say I will be taking a bit of a hiatus, so this will be the season finale for The Nurse Blake Podcast. I appreciate every listener, but I have a lot of other exciting things planned for 2022. Stay subscribed because I’ll be back for NurseCon at Sea in April! As usual I’m with my husband Brett with two T’s, and I’m going over all of my favorite things this past year. I share my favorite thing this week, which is artificial turf for my pups! Then, Brett and I recap our winter break vacation in the British Virgin Islands. We spotted Jeff Bezos’ mega yacht, and we ran into a bunch of nurses! We also talk about our favorite songs, tv shows, and movies we watched in 2021. Brett and I reflect on some major milestones from 2021, and our goals for this year. I also cover trends that may shape the nursing profession in 2022. After that, we play a game that quizzes our knowledge on what was searched the most on Google last year. To wrap up I am reading a BUNCH of shout outs, thank you all for your submissions! Only a few rooms left on NurseCon at Sea! https://nurseconatsea.com/ Stay tuned for more show dates! https://nurseblake.com/ Thanks for listening!

This week’s podcast will be the last one of the year, and it's all about the NCLEX. How is 2021 almost over?? My favorite thing this week is drinking around the world at Epcot! As usual, I’m with my husband Brett with two T’s and we break down our Epcot day with my family. We took my Nan, who has previously been a guest on this podcast and was the star of one of my latest videos. Go check out my TikTok documenting our Epcot trip! Congratulations to all the nursing students who have recently graduated! Unfortunately, you all aren’t nurses yet. You still have to take the NCLEX. I’m going over the basics of what the NCLEX is, the registration process, and when to take it. I’m also sharing the special trick to see if you passed or failed! Then, I go over the top tips for passing the NCLEX. It’s not like any test you’ve taken in nursing school. Brett and I also play some geographical trivia in honor of drinking around the world. To wrap up, I answer a “Dear Blake” question and read shout outs submitted on my website nurseblake.com/podcast. Each week we will take on a new nursing topic and bring up questions and stories submitted by our listeners. Only a few rooms left on NurseCon at Sea! https://nurseconatsea.com/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST BY SUBSCRIBING Thanks for listening!

What’s up everyone! For this week’s podcast I’m talking all about OB nursing with my husband Brett with two T’s. I’m also mentioning NurseCon at Sea, and the planning cruise I recently sailed on. It's going to be so much fun, and there are only a few rooms left for the sailing in April! Plus, I give a special shout out to the 2021 Nurse Blake Awards winners! Then I get into the different OB specialties like labor and delivery and postpartum OB nurses, the high pressure around the main event (the birth), and if eating placentas is vegan or not. Our game this week is all about cruising with some true or false Royal Caribbean trivia. I also read some day in the life messages from OB nurses who are NurseCon members. To wrap up, I answer a “Dear Blake” question from a nursing student. To close out we read shoutouts submitted on my website nurseblake.com/podcast. Each week we will take on a new nursing topic and bring up questions and stories submitted by our listeners. More giveaways coming soon through NurseCon! https://www.nursecon.com/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST BY SUBSCRIBING Thanks for listening!

I’m back!! This week I’m in the studio again alongside Brett with two T’s. All good things must come to an end, and the tour is officially over for 2021. Thank you to everyone who came out! My favorite thing is Adele’s new song OMG. I give an update on the Croc saga, I share who’s getting my tour bus next, and Happy Birthday to Brett! The nursing topic for this week is ER/ED nursing vs. ICU nursing. I go in depth on each specialty and share the similarities and differences. In the ER there’s a lot more unknown, because you never know who’s going to come through the door. I share my experience as an ICU nurse, which is more of a controlled environment. Which specialty would be the best fit for you? We also play a fun Netflix themed game, and I answer a “Dear Blake” question for a nurse that’s afraid to use her PTO. To close out we read shoutouts submitted on my website nurseblake.com/podcast. Each week we will take on a new nursing topic and bring up questions and stories submitted by our listeners. More giveaways coming soon through NurseCon! https://www.nursecon.com/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST BY SUBSCRIBING Thanks for listening!

Hey everyone! This week is a mini episode because it’s been a busy week with my PTO Tour. There are only a few stops left, and I’m sad it’s almost over for 2021! I’m in California today with my husband Brett with 2 t’s, and we’re taking a little self-care day. I have two favorite things, and one is Thai massages. I explain why they’re so cool! My other favorite thing is segways, and I talk about my first time riding up and down San Francisco with my best friend @FabulousRn. Thanks for listening! We’ll be back the week after Thanksgiving. Enter for a chance to win through the free NurseCon app, the ultimate nursing organization! https://www.nursecon.com/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST BY SUBSCRIBING

For this episode, I’m going in depth on nursing shifts and how 3 12’s affects nurses. I’m still on the road with my husband Brett with two T’s for the last stretch of my PTO Comedy Tour! We’re recording in Denver, which reminds me of some memorable hikes I’ve taken in Colorado. I have a few favorite things, including the breadsticks at Olive Garden and Insomnia Cookies! Sponsor us? After some bowel movement talk, I jump into different nursing shifts including the most common 3 12’s schedule. The appeal of flexibility has definitely changed over time, and is it safe? Sometimes shifts can stretch as long as 16 hours! Overtime laws vary by state, but there are a lot of nurses who are forced to work mandatory overtime. I get into short staffing, on-call shifts, and what nurses are currently going through at their hospitals. Advocate for patients and the nurses that care for them. To close out I’m reading shoutouts submitted on my website nurseblake.com/podcast. Each week we will take on a new nursing topic and bring up questions and stories submitted by our listeners. Enter for a chance to win through the free NurseCon app, the ultimate nursing organization! https://www.nursecon.com/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST BY SUBSCRIBING Thanks for listening!