Nursing school can teach the skills, but what happens when the patient is no longer a simulation? Nursing instructor Jenny Hill, MSN-Ed, RN, joins Voices of Vital Care to explore the transition from the classroom and simulation lab to real-world nursing clinicals, where students begin learning how to think like nurses. Drawing from 20 years as a registered nurse and 15 years at the bedside, Jenny shares what it takes for nursing students to build confidence, develop clinical judgment and recognize subtle changes in a patient's condition. She talks about students freezing under pressure, the difference between being “book smart” and being ready at the bedside, why asking questions matters, and how instructors balance giving students room to learn with protecting patient safety. The conversation also comes full circle as Jenny reflects on seeing former nursing students become colleagues, charge nurses and Daisy Award recipients. It’s a look inside nursing clinical education and the experiences that help transform a student completing a checklist into a nurse capable of seeing and caring for the whole patient. Voices of Vital Care explores the people, careers and experiences shaping healthcare and allied health. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, stance, or position of Pima Medical Institute. #NursingSchool #NursingStudent #NursingClinicals #NursingEducation #RegisteredNurse #NursingCareer #PatientCare #NurseLife #HealthcareCareers #VoicesOfVitalCare 00:00 When Nursing Students Start Thinking Like Nurses 00:44 Welcome to Voices of Vital Care 01:31 Jenny Hill’s Journey From Bedside Nurse to Instructor 02:35 The First Code: When Nursing Gets Real 03:31 What a Simulation Can’t Prepare You For 04:23 How Nursing Students Respond Under Pressure 05:20 What Nursing Clinicals Are Really Like 06:40 Book Smart vs. Bedside Smart 07:45 What Happens When a Nursing Student Freezes? 08:16 Learning From Mistakes in Clinicals 09:16 The Instructor Who Changed Jenny’s Approach 09:45 When Should a Nursing Instructor Step In? 10:46 What Clinicals Teach That Textbooks Can’t 11:50 Why Nursing Students Need to Ask Questions 12:39 Developing a Nurse’s “Sixth Sense” 13:22 Becoming the Nurse You’d Trust With Your Family 13:52 When Nursing Students Become Colleagues 14:56 The Ultimate Test: Caring for Someone You Love 15:20 Watching Former Students Win Daisy Awards 16:03 What Jenny Hopes Students Take Into Their Careers

What is travel nursing really like beyond the paychecks, new cities and social media highlight reels? Travel nurse Cori Hughes has spent years taking nursing assignments across the country, from Mississippi and Texas to Virginia, Arizona and beyond. In this episode of Voices of Vital Care, she shares what she has learned about building a nursing career around freedom, flexibility and the life you want to live. Cori opens up about the difficult first assignment that taught her how quickly travel nurses are expected to adapt, the confidence it takes to walk into a new hospital, and why asking questions may be one of the most important skills a traveling nurse can have. She also gets candid about the less glamorous side of travel nursing, including loneliness, finding community in a new city, navigating housing and compensation, choosing the right recruiter, spotting assignment red flags and knowing when it may be time to walk away from a contract. She also shares how the Travel Nurse Takeover community has become an incredible resource for nurses in the field, helping travelers find housing, compare assignments, learn about hospital culture and connect with people who understand the unique realities of life on the road. The conversation also explores how much nursing experience you need before becoming a travel nurse, how 13-week contracts can create greater control over your schedule, what to consider when choosing assignments, and why Cori believes the most important question isn't simply where you want to travel, but why you want to travel in the first place. Whether you're a nursing student, a working nurse considering travel nursing, or simply curious about what the career and lifestyle really look like, this is an honest look at what it takes to build a nursing career that can move with you. Voices of Vital Care explores the people, careers and ideas shaping the future of healthcare. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, stance, or position of Pima Medical Institute. #TravelNursing #TravelNurse #NursingCareers 00:00 Be Intentional About Travel Nursing 00:17 What Travel Nursing Really Looks Like 01:22 Why Cori Chose Travel Nursing 04:27 Her First Travel Nursing Assignment 05:24 When the First Shift Goes Terribly Wrong 07:45 How Travel Nurses Adapt Fast 09:29 The Confidence Travel Nurses Need 10:43 Why She Kept Traveling 12:26 The Reality Behind the Travel Nurse Lifestyle 15:13 Finding Your Travel Nurse Community 17:46 How Travel Nurse Takeover Helps Nurses 19:10 Travel Nursing and Work-Life Balance 20:51 Adapting to New Hospitals and New Cultures 23:21 How COVID Changed Her Perspective 25:01 Staying Present in a Stressful Nursing Career 26:43 How Much Experience Do Travel Nurses Need? 27:10 How to Choose the Right Travel Nursing Assignment 27:50 Know Your “Why” Before You Travel 28:34 Travel Nurse Pay, Housing and Expenses 30:51 Travel Nursing Red Flags to Watch For 32:00 When It’s Okay to Quit a Travel Nurse Contract 33:20 What Happens When a New City Feels Like Home? 35:28 Can You Travel Nurse With a Family? 36:49 What Travel Nursing Taught Her About Life 38:20 Closing

Cosmetic nursing can look glamorous from the outside: injectables, lasers, beautiful results and a career that seems tailor-made for social media. But what does it really take to become an aesthetic nurse, and what happens when the reality of the profession looks very different from the highlight reel? In this episode of Voices of Vital Care, host Nohelani Graf sits down with registered nurse, certified cosmetic laser technician, medical esthetician and public health professional Holly Mueller from Med 44 for an inside look at the rapidly evolving world of cosmetic nursing and medical aesthetics. Holly shares the unexpected career pivot that led her from nutrition and public health into nursing and aesthetics, what she wishes more aspiring cosmetic nurses understood before entering the field, and why becoming truly skilled requires much more than learning how to perform a procedure. The conversation also explores the growing influence of social media and AI on beauty expectations, the responsibility providers carry when a patient sits in their chair, and the moments when good care may mean making a decision a patient doesn't expect. For anyone considering a career in cosmetic nursing, aesthetic nursing, medical aesthetics or allied health, this conversation pulls back the curtain on a healthcare specialty that's growing quickly, changing constantly and may be far more demanding than it appears. About Voices of Vital Care: Voices of Vital Care explores the people, careers and real-world experiences shaping allied health and the future of patient care. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, stance, or position of Pima Medical Institute. #CosmeticNursing #AestheticNurse #AestheticNursing #MedicalAesthetics #NursingCareers #AlliedHealth #HealthcareCareers #VoicesOfVitalCare 00:00 The Truth About Cosmetic Nursing 00:22 Inside the World of Medical Aesthetics 01:11 Holly Mueller’s Path to Aesthetic Nursing 02:52 Finding the Right Healthcare Career 05:54 From Nurse to Business Owner 07:21 Is Cosmetic Nursing Really Glamorous? 09:03 What Patients Really Want 10:16 When an Aesthetic Nurse Has to Say No 12:17 The Psychology Behind Cosmetic Treatments 14:29 Social Media, AI and Beauty Expectations 16:36 Building a Career in Cosmetic Nursing 17:29 Anatomy and Safety Before Artistry 18:49 What Employers Look for in Aesthetic Professionals 20:40 From Medical Assistant to Aesthetic Nursing 21:05 What Makes a Great Cosmetic Injector? 22:13 Why Training and Mentorship Matter 24:11 Cosmetic Nursing Requirements and Credentials 24:57 The Reality of Becoming an Aesthetic Nurse 25:56 How Technology Is Changing Medical Aesthetics 27:17 Allied Health Careers in Aesthetic Medicine 28:52 What Really Helps You Age Well 30:04 The Biggest Myth About Cosmetic Nursing

For millions of Americans, getting dental care isn’t as simple as making an appointment. Cost, limited insurance coverage, provider shortages and other barriers can put routine dental care out of reach, allowing manageable oral health problems to become much more serious. And because oral health is closely connected to overall health, the consequences can extend far beyond someone’s teeth. In this episode of Voices of Vital Care, host Nohelani Graf sits down with Dr. Ken Snyder, Executive Dental Director at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, to explore America’s dental care access gap and what happens to patients who have nowhere else to turn. Drawing from decades of experience in community dentistry, Dr. Snyder shares what he has learned caring for children and adults who have gone years, and sometimes much of their lives, without consistent dental care. The conversation examines the rising cost of dentistry, the relationship between oral health and overall health, the role of nonprofit and community dental clinics, prevention and the growing demand for affordable care. It also looks at an important piece of the access-to-care conversation that is sometimes overlooked: the healthcare workforce needed to provide that care. Dental assistants, hygienists, dentists, students and residents all play a role in expanding capacity, while hands-on experience with underserved patients can shape the healthcare professionals they become. Along the way, Dr. Snyder shares powerful examples of what can happen when a patient finally receives the care they thought might never be possible, why St. Vincent de Paul considers itself a “clinic of last resort,” and what he wants the next generation of dental and allied health professionals to understand about treating the person behind the diagnosis. About Voices of Vital Care: Voices of Vital Care explores the people, careers and real-world experiences shaping allied health and the future of patient care. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, stance, or position of Pima Medical Institute. #DentalCare #DentalHealth #AccessToCare #OralHealth #CommunityHealth #CommunityDentistry #DentalAssistant #AlliedHealth #HealthcareCareers #VoicesOfVitalCare #SVDP 00:00 The Clinic of Last Resort 00:14 Why Dental Care Is Out of Reach 01:36 Who Is Being Priced Out of Dental Care? 03:50 Why Oral Health Is Overall Health 04:23 What Happens When You Can’t Afford a Dentist? 05:51 Who Turns to Community Dental Clinics? 07:15 Going Decades Without Seeing a Dentist 09:06 The “Clinic of Last Resort” Philosophy 10:20 When a Patient Has Nowhere Else to Turn 12:03 How Dental Care Can Transform a Life 15:33 Closing the Dental Care Access Gap 17:29 The Dental Workforce Behind Access to Care 19:37 How Dental Assistants and Students Make an Impact 22:16 Teaching the Human Side of Dentistry 24:01 The Reality of Demand for Affordable Dental Care 25:19 What Will It Take to Close the Gap? 26:37 How Dental Professionals Can Be Part of the Solution 27:58 Why Volunteering Can Change Your Career 29:10 When Helping Patients Changes You

Loving animals might make you consider a career in veterinary medicine. But what does it really take to become someone an employer wants on their team? In this episode of Voices of Vital Care, we bring together the education and employer perspectives with Dr. Katherine Kerr of Pima Medical Institute and Daria McKay of Humane Colorado. Together, they pull back the curtain on the transition from veterinary student to working professional: what happens when classroom learning meets the realities of a clinic, what employers notice that students may not expect, and why the experiences you have before graduation can shape what happens after it.  The conversation also raises an important question for anyone comparing veterinary training programs: Is getting through school faster always the best way to prepare for the career waiting on the other side?  And when two new graduates walk into an interview, what might give one an advantage that has nothing to do with technical skill?  If you're considering becoming a veterinary assistant or veterinary technician, researching veterinary training programs, or wondering what a career working with animals is really like, this is a conversation worth hearing before you take your next step. About Voices of Vital Care: Voices of Vital Care explores the people, careers and real-world experiences shaping allied health and the future of patient care. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, stance, or position of Pima Medical Institute.  #VeterinaryAssistant #VeterinaryCareers #VetAssistant #VeterinaryTechnician #VetTech #VeterinaryMedicine #AnimalCareCareers #CareerTraining #HealthcareCareers #VoicesOfVitalCare 00:00 What Veterinary Employers Really Look For 00:28 Becoming a Veterinary Assistant: Where Passion Meets Preparation 02:00 What Working in Veterinary Medicine Is Really Like 05:50 How Pima Prepares Veterinary Assistant Students 10:45 Why Veterinary Medicine Is a Team Sport 13:05 From the Classroom to Real Clinical Experience 16:03 Why Coachability Matters in Veterinary Medicine 18:24 How Clinical Experience Builds Student Confidence 20:26 When an Externship Changes a Student’s Career Path 21:39 Fast vs. Ready: Does Accelerated Training Prepare You? 24:08 Why Supervised Clinical Experience Matters 25:26 Do Veterinary Credentials Matter to Employers? 26:34 What to Look for in a Veterinary Assistant Program 29:20 How Clinical Partnerships Can Lead to Veterinary Jobs 30:00 The Challenge of Finding Your Own Externship 33:20 Is Your Veterinary Externship Really a Job Interview? 35:05 What Makes an Employer Want to Hire You? 37:03 Technical Skills vs. Soft Skills: What Matters More? 39:35 The Real Impact of Veterinary Assistants 42:22 Where Can a Veterinary Career Take You? 44:15 Advice for Future Veterinary Assistants 46:45 How to Know You’re Ready for a Veterinary Career