Reflecting on a Year of Growth: Insights from the IONRP Team

In this special year-end episode of the Beyond Nurse Residency Podcast, host Nicole Weathers joins the Iowa Online Nurse Residency Program team—Jessica Ociepka, Amanda Bruscher, and Jill Gillespie—for a candid conversation about season highlights, lessons learned, and favorite moments. 

Together, they revisit impactful discussions from Season 2, including navigating the emotional transition cycle for new graduates, addressing burnout, and fostering a sense of belonging. The team shares practical strategies for nurse leaders, emphasizes the importance of preceptor development, and explores why well-being must be a system-level priority. 

Whether you’ve been following along all season or are tuning in for the first time, this episode is your guide to the most insightful conversations from Season 2—and a perfect starting point for discovering which episodes to queue up next. 

Supporting nurses is our priority. Visit https://nursing.uiowa.edu/ionrp to explore our resources for new graduate nurses and beyond.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Team Introductions
• 4:40 Defining The Transition Cycle
• 12:20 Well-Being As A System Priority
• 19:30 Burnout, Gen Z, And Lasting Shortages
• 26:15 Innovation At The Bedside
• 32:30 Belonging Versus Fitting In
• 39:10 Preceptors And Professional Identity
• 46:05 Culture, Social Media, And Presence

Transcript

00:00:01 Nicole Weathers 

You're listening to the Beyond Nurse Residency Podcast, an educational series where we interview experts on all topics related to the transition of new graduate nurses into practice and beyond. I'm your host, Nicole Weathers, director of the Iowa Online Nurse Residency program. Thanks for joining us. Let's jump in. 

00:00:25 Nicole Weathers 

As we wrap up the year, I wanted to take a moment to reflect not just on the work we've done, but on the conversations we've had throughout this Beyond Nurse Residency podcast. This podcast has brought together voices from across the country, leaders, educators, and innovators all committed to improving the transition to practice for new graduate nurses and supporting nurses in the practice setting. 

00:00:46 Nicole Weathers 

But today I'm turning the mic towards people who make this program possible. Our team, they've been behind the scenes of every episode, every pilot, every challenge and every success that we've had. We've talked about what we've learned, who inspired us and what advice we'd give to nurse residency coordinators and hospital leaders, navigating the complexities of workforce development. 

00:01:08 Nicole Weathers 

Whether you've listened to every episode or just joining us, I hope this conversation gives you insight, encouragement and a few ideas to carry into the new year. So today I have with me, our guests, IONRP or the Iowa Online Nurse Residency team. 

00:01:24 Nicole Weathers 

So I've got Jess Ociepka, Amanda Bruscher,  and Jill Gillespie. So why don't you each take a quick minute and just kind of tell our listeners a little bit about yourself? 

00:01:35 Jess Ociepka 

I can start. I'm Jess and I am one of the program coordinators with the Iowa Online Nurse Residency Program. I've been a nurse for 18 years now. 

00:01:43 Jess Ociepka 

And it is something that I still love to do every single day. I grew up in Maine and I've spent the last eleven years in Colorado. I continue to work clinically in a rural facility and I also teach at our local Community College and a fun fact is I was an online site coordinator for the program before joining the IONRP team. 

00:02:04 Amanda Bruscher 

I can go next. So my name is Amanda Bruscher and I am also a program coordinator with the IONRP and I have been a nurse for about 9 years now and it's crazy how fast it goes, but also kind of how short it builds up the same time. 

00:02:19 Amanda Bruscher 

And I have experience working at both large and small facilities and I still work clinically at an infusion center, which I really enjoy being able to still connect with patients. But I really enjoyed my role in that. The Nurse Residency program and similar to Jess. I do help with CNA classes at a local college to me and I live in a small town in northwest Iowa. 

00:02:42 Amanda Bruscher 

And I guess a fun fact I’ll share since Jess shared hers. 

00:02:44 Amanda Bruscher 

I was actually a resident in that the IONRP program quite a few years ago. So it's fun to kind of relate to the residents in that way and some challenges they face. I think I can help them through that a little bit more having been through it myself. 

00:03:00 Jill Gillespie 

And last but not least, this is Jill Gillespie. I'm the marketing coordinator for the IONRP, and I've been in this role for six years where I lead branding, marketing and social media strategy. 

00:03:14 Jill Gillespie 

I also contribute to our curriculum design for our residency program and our other course offerings. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Iowa and an Associate of Arts and Graphic Design. What excites me most about my work is the opportunity to design and learn new skills, whether it's learning web design. 

00:03:36 Jill Gillespie 

Or exploring podcast editing. I love the challenge of bringing fresh ideas to life and finding new ways to connect with our audience. Outside of work. I live in North Liberty, so I am the closest to the college. 

00:03:50 Jill Gillespie 

I live with my husband and my 2 teenage sons and my crazy border collies, and I'm grateful to be part of a program that supports nurses as they grow in their professional journey. 

00:04:01 Nicole Weathers 

Awesome. Well, thanks Jess and Amanda and Jill for being with us today. As we sort of take some time to reflect on. 

00:04:11 Nicole Weathers 

This past year in the program, the things that we've learned, the conversations that we've had. So I think the first question I would love to explore with you guys is about just that, right. What's one thing, maybe you've picked up personally through either our work or? 

00:04:30 Nicole Weathers 

Through a podcast conversation that's really began to kind of shift the way that you think anything that stuck out or any new ideas that were sparked that you'd like to share. 

00:04:40 Jess Ociepka 

I think for me, the episode with Dr. Judy Duchscher discussing the transition cycle and the emotional journey that new graduates have, was a conversation that has really stuck with me. I think we see this cycle in our nurse residents, and we've probably even felt it in ourselves. The frame that she used with those pivotal self reflection questions, the 1st is can I do this that the new graduates experience around that shock phase and later the do I want to do this around the 6th months. 

00:05:12 Jess Ociepka 

I think that offers such a clear lens and understanding the disengagement or the uncertainty we often observe and our nurse residents around that time and understanding that it's not burnout, it's not disinterest, but it's that developmental milestone in their professional identity formation. So when Dr. Judy described this. It was sort of this aha moment for me. I think I feel better prepared to have those conversations with new graduates and I feel better prepared to support them during this time. 

00:05:44 Nicole Weathers 

I mean, I really think that like reinforcing the importance of that theoretical framework and guiding what we do, that there is a method to the madness that there is actual research that underpins the experience for the new graduate nurse and then the interventions. 

00:06:03 Nicole Weathers 

We're laying on top of that in this program. 

00:06:06 Nicole Weathers 

I personally felt that conversation was just one of my favorites. I think from the year and was such a great way I think to kick off the season and the episodes of the podcast. I've gotten so many comments from people over the year about that episode in particular and how they there were a lot of things. 

00:06:26 Nicole Weathers 

And just like you, Jess, that I hadn't really thought about it this way. Or maybe when I read her research, I wasn't interpreting it. Maybe the way that she explained it. So actually having the opportunity to have her explain. 

00:06:40 Nicole Weathers 

And that research was just so amazing. 

00:06:43 Amanda Bruscher 

I was going to share something that I personally learned this year and it kind of relates to that talk about the transition cycle and then also the podcast we had with someone talking about well-being. It just made me reflect on that this last year with residents and I had a few that. 

00:07:00 Amanda Bruscher 

We're just a little, it seemed a little more challenging, but when I really took the time to like check in with them and they started to open up, they had a lot of things going on in their personal life. 

00:07:10 Amanda Bruscher 

And it was just a good reminder to me too, like as leaders, we need to remember like they are a whole person. And I think we try to do our best throughout the program to talk about, like, work life balance. And you know, you try to keep life separate from work, but it does all tie together. And I think as leaders, it's important to maybe recognize some of those signs and. 

00:07:30 Amanda Bruscher 

Check in a little more frequently. Ask how how are things going at home? And I I had one resident just share that she was really thankful for how I supported her professionally, but also personally. 

00:07:41 Amanda Bruscher 

As well and. 

00:07:42 Amanda Bruscher 

That it meant a lot to me, and that she noticed that, and especially in the virtual setting. And I feel like Jess and I, we try our best to do that, but it is more difficult. So it was really cool to hear that from the residents. So I think whether you're virtual, you're in person with those residents just being really intentional with checking in on them and how they're doing as a whole. 

00:08:01 

You. 

00:08:02 Nicole Weathers 

Yeah. I mean, I think when I think back to this year and the things that I've learned, you know there's so many things that keep coming up and I think so many common themes. 

00:08:10 Nicole Weathers 

Throughout the podcast. 

00:08:12 Nicole Weathers 

And not just that pertain to new graduate nurses and what we're doing in this program, but pertain to me as a a human and an individual as well. So you know that well-being episode with Dr. Cory Church was like kind of hit at a really important time for me personally after, you know, graduating the DNP. 

00:08:32 Nicole Weathers 

Program finding out that we were awarded the Edge Runner by the American Academy of Nursing and just reminding me the importance of kind of slowing down. 

00:08:43 Nicole Weathers 

Taking that time that you need, I mean nurses are and based on the introductions that we had, nurses are wired to be like productive workhorses, right? Like we are trained to solve problems. We want to move quickly. We want to get things done. We typically there's a lot of nurses that probably don't just have one job right. They have two and three. 

00:09:03 Nicole Weathers 

More jobs that they're doing and it's just something about who we are. 

00:09:08 Nicole Weathers 

And so I think kind of some of these reminders about, you know, that underlying experience and then just the importance of kind of caring for the caregiver or caring for yourself and that personal well-being, I just I think that these conversations have really helped me just me personally and professionally as well as kind of shape what we're doing with our new graduates. 

00:09:32 Jess Ociepka 

One of our residents recently shared an app and it's. 

00:09:36 Jess Ociepka 

Called I am. 

00:09:38 Jess Ociepka 

And it gives you positive affirmation sort of throughout the day which. 

00:09:44 Jess Ociepka 

At first I wasn't quite sure. 

00:09:45 Jess Ociepka 

About but I but I did download it and I just while you were chatting the call, I got today's positive affirmation and it's. 

00:09:53 Jess Ociepka 

I know it's OK if I don't figure out everything today, and I felt like it just went along so nicely with what you were just saying that it that it's OK. We don't have to have all the answers. We don't have to do all the things. 

00:10:05 Nicole Weathers 

Well, and I think taking the time to really slow down and recognize how far you've came, whether you're a new graduate nurse or you're a leader of a hospital or you're leading a a residency program. I mean, we just got back a couple weeks ago from the American Academy of Nursing where we were recognized as an edge runner and. 

00:10:24 Nicole Weathers 

You know, it was one of those things on my To Do List that, you know, we had to go out to Washington DC get this award. Yes, it was exciting. But I think being able to take a few days and that and really just soak that all in I think is is really impactful for an A number of reasons. 

00:10:41 Jill Gillespie 

I think what stood out to me. 

00:10:44 Jill Gillespie 

Was well, first of all, this staggering statistic that 91% of new nurses have reported burnout since the pandemic. And I think it reframed everything I like viewed about our program because I was. 

00:11:01 Jill Gillespie 

I think people thought COVID happened. We've come out of it, but there's still an issue there. So I don't think COVID was the issue. I think it just highlighted the issue. 

00:11:12 Jill Gillespie 

And so 100%, we're like ohh this is a thing. 

00:11:17 Jill Gillespie 

That's always there and I love when we he kind of we kind of talked about it from a generational standpoint, Generation Z so. 

00:11:27 Jill Gillespie 

That, I mean, I'm the oldest in our group. I'm Gen. X and to hear the Gen. Z and just learn about ohh my gosh and how different it is for them. And like you said I mean we take on so much more and we utilize our 24 hours so much different than we did 20 years ago. I can't imagine. 

00:11:48 Jill Gillespie 

Coming into health care. 

00:11:50 Jill Gillespie 

And feeling that way, it's such a young age, so he just had really good points. He was fun to listen to and I it just really hit me like, wow, this is important work that we're doing. 

00:12:02 Nicole Weathers 

There's so much I think around this COVID. No, you know, we the impetus of COVID we say that all the time. 

00:12:09 Nicole Weathers 

But yet so much of this was happening before, and actually, when you look at workforce things I did a presentation few years back. 

00:12:16 Nicole Weathers 

And I I found this workforce study that was done. I don't know if it was like in the 40s or 50s about why we had a nursing shortage and it came down to a lot of the same reasons why we have a nursing shortage today like as much as there's been so much change, so much remains the same. And I think from a generational standpoint. 

00:12:37 Nicole Weathers 

The these newer generations are just speaking. 

00:12:39 Nicole Weathers 

Up about it. 

00:12:41 Nicole Weathers 

I think historically there's the than the mentality of like it's just the way it is. And so we just have to deal with it and they're saying we're not going to deal with it. And so I think generationally we can learn a lot from that as far as. 

00:12:53 Nicole Weathers 

As you know, slowing down, taking the time to recognize what we're doing again just highlights the importance of rest and focusing on our own personal well-being so we can continue to show up and do that work that we need to do as a nurse. 

00:13:07 Amanda Bruscher 

That just reminded me of a conversation I just had, I think yesterday, with a resident during a check in, and she was I I always just asked like, how are things going personally, professionally. And she was sharing that that a couple months ago. She was feeling very burned out. She was like, I feel like I live at work, I feel like. 

00:13:27 Amanda Bruscher 

I don't enjoy going to work because I'm always there, so I can't even enjoy going there because it feels like I'm always there. 

00:13:33 Amanda Bruscher 

So she shared that she talked with her leaders on site and they cut back her hours just a little bit. And she also, I love what she said. She took some time to, like, reflect. And she's like, I love my job and I love what I do, but I just don't enjoy going there right now. So she she's like, I know it's not necessarily the place or the unit, but it's just something else. 

00:13:53 Amanda Bruscher 

Going on, so I just, I I told her I was like, I'm so proud of you for taking that time to reflect because I feel like a lot of times people will get burned out and they're like, oh, it's got to be better somewhere else. So I'm just gonna quit, and I'm gonna go somewhere. And then they find that they're having the same. 

00:14:07 Amanda Bruscher 

Issues. So I just really thought that was neat that she. 

00:14:10 Amanda Bruscher 

Took the time and she's like, yeah, and it. And it reminded me of that transition cycle that you talked about at the beginning of the program. And I was like, yeah, that's why we talk about it, just so know that it is coming at some point. 

00:14:31 Nicole Weathers 

So we, I mean, we've already kind of jumped into this and we started talking about some of the great guests that we've had on the podcast. But do you guys have a favorite episode from this season? Any like things that stood out to you in particular? So maybe a quote or an insight that was shared by one of them? 

00:14:39 Jess Ociepka 

I really enjoyed all of the podcasts and all of the guests this year, so I think this is a really tough. 

00:14:44 Jess Ociepka 

Question to me, one of the more memorable episodes was actually on innovation and how nurses are transforming healthcare through creativity and leadership. Allie and Molly, who are the guests the episode shared a powerful reminder that nurses really are the last set of eyes, hands, and brains before anything reaches the patient, whether that's. 

00:15:05 Jess Ociepka 

A product or. 

00:15:06 Jess Ociepka 

Policy. A medication, really everything passes through the nurse's hands last, and they also emphasize how nurses are working across multiple teams, whether it's physicians, therapies, consulting teams, and often innovate what's available to meet the patients needs. 

00:15:23 Jess Ociepka 

And I think that perspective really resonated with me being a nurse for so long because we have been innovating for a long time. But I think we just always don't give ourselves credit for it. 

00:15:35 Jess Ociepka 

And in our residency program this past year, we introduced an innovation exercise and we're working to build that concept into our curriculum for new graduates. So I'm excited to see how that continues to grow and shape the way our new graduate nurses are approaching patient care. 

00:15:50 Nicole Weathers 

I mean innovation I think is like when we start thinking about the future. 

00:15:56 Nicole Weathers 

This is going to be a huge piece of it. I think historically, we've always been innovators. You go back all the way to like Florence Nightingale, right. And we could say it started with Florence. But if we're going to again keep up with the pace of change and the demands that are getting placed on these nurses, innovation is going to be a huge piece of that. So building that into our curriculum. 

00:16:16 Nicole Weathers 

Empowering nurses to view their work as innovation and giving them the tools to do something with those ideas, I think is going to be huge. 

00:16:26 Amanda Bruscher 

I am similar to Jess than that I enjoyed basically all the episodes this year. I think there's just so many takeaways, but one that I really enjoyed was actually the most recent one from October about belonging and inclusion in the workplace, and I really enjoyed the conversation of the difference between fitting in versus. 

00:16:46 Amanda Bruscher 

Belonging. I've never really taken the time to think about the difference of that. Honestly, I don't know if I really thought there was a difference. So it was really good to hear them talk about that. 

00:16:57 Amanda Bruscher 

And I just love how they, like, emphasize the importance of being able to show up as you are not changing yourself to fit in. And I think I related so closely with it because when I started as a new nurse, I was in a large facility and it felt very clicky. Like all the units were kind of in their own click. And if you went to a different floor, they kind of looked at you like, who's this New Girl? What are you doing? 

00:17:19 Amanda Bruscher 

Here and it wasn't like ohh, we're so happy to have you here or what unit do you work on? It didn't feel like you were very well. 

00:17:28 Amanda Bruscher 

So I think I relate to that because I had that feeling of like ohh what do I need to do to fit in here? Like do I need to go and get further education or get new skills or I don't know what I needed to do. But I think that conversation too is really important to have with new grads because I think too there's so many. 

00:17:47 Amanda Bruscher 

Different generations going into nursing and they touched on that in the podcast too, and I love they. I think they talked a little bit about using the term like baby nurses and trying to avoid that because we have a lot of older nurses going into nursing for the first time. But. 

00:18:02 Amanda Bruscher 

Like they said, whether you're 50 or 20, you have lived life. You have experiences and you're not a baby. You you have experiences that you can bring to the table and share different insights. So I really loved that reminder too. 

00:18:16 Jill Gillespie 

I agree it's hard to pick. 

00:18:20 Jill Gillespie 

My favorite episode and I feel like I've said this before, but every season there's such a thread that gets woven through each one and they kind of connect so. 

00:18:31 Jill Gillespie 

Obviously I really like the well-being one, but I also really liked the first episode with Judy Duchscher. I felt like she just explained everything so well and it actually helped me understand what we're doing, so it helped me to like up my game as far as like marketing our program it. 

00:18:51 Jill Gillespie 

Just really connected everything in my head and I know Nicole, you kind of touched on that, but I definitely and I think her episode was the most listened to as well, so that's for sure one that people need to listen to no matter what. 

00:19:06 Nicole Weathers 

There are a lot of threads. I think that kind of tie these episodes together and that was never intentional like I think when we start identifying guests and who we want to have on the podcast, there is a little bit of rhyme and reason, but also not really a rhyme or reason. And as I was kind of thinking about reflecting on this podcast. 

00:19:26 Nicole Weathers 

To record this episode, I came across a quote about, you know, if we want to build systems that last, we have to care for the people who hold them. 

00:19:35 Nicole Weathers 

And that is really what each of these podcast episodes serves to remind us, right? Is that it's about kind of caring for the caregiver. Like, what are we doing? So whether it's understanding that theoretical framework, whether it's helping to intentionally build professional identity in our nurses, giving them the tools that they need to impact? 

00:19:56 Nicole Weathers 

The work that they are doing, that idea of agency over my work, so we talked about innovation, we talked about evidence-based practice. 

00:20:03 Nicole Weathers 

We talked about just carrying, you know that well-being piece that we've brought up already, but then also we dove into talking about preceptor development and then also caring for the people who care for the nurses or who help them throughout this transition experience. And so there were just some really important things I think also shared by Dr. Beth Ulrich about. 

00:20:23 Nicole Weathers 

Preceptor development and you know one of the greatest things that we can do. One of our biggest contributions to nursing is really helping that next generation kind of come along up into the profession and I think we couldn't do that if we did it. 

00:20:40 Nicole Weathers 

Have that foundational knowledge, foundational experience. If we didn't have people caring for us and it's and so this healthcare system is all about the people who are part of it. And so I think, you know, one of the sort of big takeaways are big sort of threads throughout. 

00:21:01 Nicole Weathers 

This season of the podcast, Everything that we do in this program. 

00:21:05 Nicole Weathers 

Is about just. 

00:21:06 Nicole Weathers 

That right, making sure that we're getting the tools, the resources, the support to the people who need it so that they can provide that exceptional patient care, so many of our listeners are nurse, residency coordinators, hospital leaders. 

00:21:20 Nicole Weathers 

Maybe we could share some practical advice that they could take into the new year. 

00:21:25 Nicole Weathers 

Any ideas? Small changes that you think could have big impact or that you think maybe organizations could really look into adopting as maybe they formulate their own goals for the new year. 

00:21:37 Jill Gillespie 

I feel like this is a good coming off of what you just said, Nicole. 

00:21:42 Jill Gillespie 

Our episode, like two of my favorite episodes is nurses week and then nursing professional development week. And so I think it's really important for our coordinators and our leaders to listen to those because they get such great feedback from people using our program. And I know it's more than. 

00:22:03 Jill Gillespie 

Maybe not even about our program, but just what they're doing in their facilities to make nurse residency work. 

00:22:10 Jill Gillespie 

And the nursing professional development week, Brian Bedoun from Unity Point Health Trinity, I thought that was a great listen and it kind of touches on what you were just seeing. I think preceptors and educators are so important right now, but we've lost a lot of preceptors, a lot of like. 

00:22:33 Jill Gillespie 

Nurses that have been in the field for 40 years are retiring, and they're there's a lack of preceptors, so they're taking a lot of these newer residents that are maybe two to three years in and they're having to precept. And he talked, Brian, talked about that. He's like, I don't. I'm not like this nurse. 

00:22:53 Jill Gillespie 

20 years experience but and then he admitted he self admitted that he was a residency dropout and he's like and then all of a sudden they're like, well, you're gonna be the nurse educator. And he was like, well, then I'm gonna make it how I would have liked it and what? 

00:23:08 Jill Gillespie 

Would have kept me in it so. 

00:23:10 Jill Gillespie 

I thought that was really interesting that we realize, oh, maybe that's not a bad thing, that some of these preceptors are only 2-3 years in because they remember how it felt and they're like, God, I wish someone had my back. I'm going to have their back. And so we're kind of saying, hey, this is a new way of dealing with, you know, new grads. 

00:23:30 Jill Gillespie 

Your nurses. So I just think that that really was a great episode. It's really fun to listen to and I think it would be a great intro for any of our coordinators. 

00:23:41 Nicole Weathers 

I mean, because that time has changed, right? And so we can continue to just talk about how we've lost this experience or we can begin to think about it differently and how could we instead of seeing that as a challenge, how can we leverage that as a really important sort of possibility of like, how could this actually? 

00:24:01 Nicole Weathers 

Help us instead of hinder us. I don't know if that makes sense, but I I like where you're going with that, Jill. 

00:24:06 Jess Ociepka 

Using innovation, I also really like that Dr. Beth Ulrich when she talked about the value of precepting that idea of not everybody can or should be a preceptor. I think that's a really powerful thing to keep in mind. So maybe that nurse with 40 years of experience, even though they're very experienced nurse, isn't the best person to be to be that preceptor. 

00:24:31 Nicole Weathers 

Well, I think going along with that. We're talking about tips for or advice practical advice for leaders, the importance of preceptor development so you know, I know we've talked about this. We have a course that we have available because we've seen the impact of that and the success of residency programs, but even throughout this year we've been working on a research study. 

00:24:55 Nicole Weathers 

Around the challenges with transition to practice with Dr. Mary Harper at the Association for Nursing Professional Development and like preliminary data, looking at the data, we haven't published anything yet. 

00:25:07 Nicole Weathers 

But one of the things that rose to the top was about the importance of the preceptor piece. And so that was so interesting that, like, yes, anecdotally, we've seen that. We've got Dr. Ulrich that's talking about that, but also in the most recent study around the challenges with getting a transition to practice implemented that's also. 

00:25:27 Nicole Weathers 

One of the top things that are a challenge for residency coordinators, so I know that initially we think residency is separate but receptors are kind of what hold up residency and what help them translate it back to the practice setting. 

00:25:36 Amanda Bruscher 

I am going to add it kind of relates to this conversation too and kind of like what Jill said about sometimes those preceptors are only a couple of years into their practice. So they're kind of like, oh, am I able to be a preceptor? 

00:25:57 Amanda Bruscher 

And reminding me of the podcast with Dr. Nelda Godfrey. 

00:26:00 Amanda Bruscher 

When she talked about that professional identity and what she talked about, nurse as a leader, reminding us that all nurses are leaders. So even if you are a new nurse, you're still a leader in an aspect. So maybe you're not in like the priest after role specifically, and maybe you're not quite ready for all of the requirements that come with that, but still. 

00:26:21 Amanda Bruscher 

Being aware of how you're showing up to work and how you are being professionally because you never know who is watching you or who's learning from you, and I know personally I've had when I worked at a smaller facility. I remember working with a nurse that I'd worked there for many years and she was getting close to. 

00:26:37 Amanda Bruscher 

Retirement and she just always told me she's like Amanda. I'm just always learning from you. And I just appreciate all you do to help me. And. And I felt the same way to her too. So and here I was at the time, I felt like a very new nurse. And I was like, oh, that's really cool that she's feeling like she's able to learn from me and me learn from her as well. 

00:26:59 Jess Ociepka 

I think that idea was also embedded when Dr. Lindell was. 

00:27:04 Jess Ociepka 

On professional identity and discussing the formation when she mentioned the importance of leadership and that empowering our nurses, so the idea of leaders recognizing that nurses even new graduates are leaders, they're human beings, they need to thrive. So how can we empower them? How can we respect them? How can we make sure they're heard? 

00:27:25 Jess Ociepka 

And I think. 

00:27:27 Jess Ociepka 

It is interesting that it’s sort of a common theme that's been woven through a lot of the different podcasts and the podcast guests. 

00:27:35 Nicole Weathers 

And Dr. Joseph talked to you about sort of culture and how culture can kind of drive professional identity. And so we think about this in terms of inside our healthcare organization walls. 

00:27:47 Nicole Weathers 

And how? How that culture impacts that. But then also she briefly got into kind of talking about outside of the hospital, right or outside of the healthcare organization and what's happening on social media and how nurses are portraying themselves on social media and how they're, you know, we talk about professional identity, values, knowledge, nurse as leader and then our professional presence. 

00:28:09 Nicole Weathers 

And I think one thing I think as we move forward too and as we think about how we support people in the future is going to be about even our professional presence online. You know, we talked to our kids about this that you know be careful what you post online and you know maybe it following you into adulthood, but I think. 

00:28:29 Nicole Weathers 

Even as adults. 

00:28:31 Nicole Weathers 

The comments that are made, the things that we post about nursing, about healthcare, that all is a part of that professional identity piece too. And I think there's going to be so much to come around social media presence because that impacts the, the, the profession of nursing and the professional brand of nursing. 

00:28:50 Nicole Weathers 

And how society views nurses is based on what we're posting online. And so that's going to be, I think, a very important conversation too as we move forward. So since we're talking about moving forward and what's going to be important moving forward. 

00:29:04 Nicole Weathers 

What do you guys think? What are you excited about? What do you hope we explore next? Is there a specific topic you'd like us to see covered? Is there a specific dream guest? Maybe you would like us to have on? 

00:29:16 Jess Ociepka 

I think the world is trending in this AI field and I would love to hear more about that. 

00:29:24 Jess Ociepka 

I'm not sure what that would look like or how that conversation would go, but it would be really interesting to see how AI is influencing healthcare, clinically for NPD specialist I would just be really curious to hear a little bit more. 

00:29:41 Jess Ociepka 

I was going to say maybe it's the educator of me, but I also think hearing more, providing more information about perhaps advancing educational opportunities, whether that specialized nursing roles, ongoing education for nurses, I think. 

00:29:55 Jess Ociepka 

That would always. 

00:29:55 Jess Ociepka 

Be a great topic to explore too. 

00:29:58 Nicole Weathers 

Yeah, I think the AI or even just, like, informatics, just the technology piece and how we're leveraging technology and how new nurses are leveraging technology. And I think when we think about. 

00:30:12 Nicole Weathers 

I was just having a conversation actually with someone last week about this. You know, I've noticed it with my own kids. Like they're working on a math problem and they're like, oh, I got to check that to make sure it's right. And so they'll feed it into ChatGPT and ChatGPT. We'll tell if they did it right or not. And at what point do they trust that they know they have the knowledge to make that decision themselves? And so that's one thing that I think would be really interesting. 

00:30:34 Nicole Weathers 

To explore kind of at the intercept of new nurses to is, if they're using these tools. 

00:30:40 Nicole Weathers 

In their first year of nursing to provide better patient care. Great. But at what point do they know to trust that intuition versus rely on artificial intelligence to tell them what to do next? And so it's going to be an important conversation. I would love to have a guest to come on and talk about that. 

00:31:01 Nicole Weathers 

Because it's here, it's now we're using it. But also I think we need to. 

00:31:09 Nicole Weathers 

There's more. 

00:31:09 Nicole Weathers 

To that conversation that needs to be had for sure. 

00:31:14 Amanda Bruscher 

Yeah, I was just going to share. I agree that conversation around AI and I think how can we maybe have that conversation with our nurse residents too, because I'm sure they're going to continue to have maybe more questions come up around that. So I think it'd be great to educate ourselves a little bit more in that world as well. 

00:31:33 Amanda Bruscher 

And I think too, I know every season we have someone talk about well-being and I really like the belonging one. But I think too just continuing to have at least one guess, maybe that will continue to talk about that because I feel like well-being is always going to be an ongoing thing for nurses and healthcare providers. And no matter what role you're in. 

00:31:53 Amanda Bruscher 

And I think it's just a good reminder, I know I think we all kind of shared that we all always love that episode and it's a good reminder for all of us too. So I think just having a guest in that space again would be really beneficial too. 

00:32:06 Nicole Weathers 

You know, going back to your thought on AI, not only having conversations with the new grad about how it's being used and leveraged for patient care, but how do we begin to have those conversations with our patients. I don't envy providers who are up against the well I asked ChatGPT and this is what they said it was and. 

00:32:26 Nicole Weathers 

Or, you know, I don't need to be on that medication because, you know, I'm only at this level and ChatGPT told me that, you know, medications aren't supposed to be started. 

00:32:34 Nicole Weathers 

Till here like. 

00:32:36 Nicole Weathers 

I like I'm still. 

00:32:38 Nicole Weathers 

At this point that I'm not a provider needing to deal with that, but I think. 

00:32:42 Nicole Weathers 

As we support nurses that are out there taking care of patients, we need to equip them with the skills to have those types of conversations as well. And I agree, Amanda well-being is always an important topic and I think something that we continually it's a work in progress, right. And so having somebody come on and talk about that each year. 

00:33:02 Nicole Weathers 

Is definitely a great idea. 

00:33:05 Amanda Bruscher 

Yeah, that just made me think too of with patients. We always tell them not to Google their symptoms. But now I feel like it's going to amplify a lot with ChatGPT because it's so quick and it's just like your answer is right there. And it is a little scary to think about, like, what are patients going to do and or nurses. And yeah, I think just having further. 

00:33:25 Amanda Bruscher 

Conversation around that is really important. 

00:33:27 Jess Ociepka 

I for the last several years, my mom calls me and says Dr. Google told me so. Now it will just be Dr. ChatGPT told me, so I agree. I don't envy those providers either. 

00:33:40 Nicole Weathers 

Well, I mean it's so much quicker, right? It's so much quicker to go there than it is to try to get into this provider. And so I think another thing that's going to be coming up is, I mean even more use of things like telehealth and how do we get quick access to these providers. I mean, we're going to have to see some innovation I think in that area, if we're going to compete. 

00:34:01 Nicole Weathers 

The ChatGPT, or you know any sort of artificial intelligence like that, that will be coming up and be out there. 

00:34:08 Jill Gillespie 

I well, you know, I love promoting our facilities. So I would love to have one of our facilities on and talk about our Academy which. 

00:34:20 Jill Gillespie 

Has been doing so amazing, and for people that don't know, our Academy is really a precursor to a facility using our residency program. So they get to work with us one-on-one. 

00:34:34 Jill Gillespie 

And kind of figure out what their needs are and kind of tailoring the program to what they need at their facility. And a lot of them have one educator, some of them don't even have an educator. So kind of walking them through it and being a support for the educators and the site coordinators. 

00:34:53 Jill Gillespie 

I think is huge again, just kind of talking about support at every level. 

00:34:59 Jill Gillespie 

It's, you know, been something we've kind of just started in the last two years, and so we're finally like going through the process of working through the Academy and then having them have residents go through the residency. And now they're completing. So we're finally to that stage. 

00:35:14 Jill Gillespie 

Where I think we really need to. 

00:35:16 Jill Gillespie 

Talk about it. 

00:35:17 Nicole Weathers 

I think it would be great to maybe have somebody come on and share a little bit about the experience and how they found it was beneficial. How did they engage team members from their organization? 

00:35:27 Nicole Weathers 

Because I think sometimes when we approach people about doing this, there's a lot of uncertainty and whether or not they want, you know, to maybe participate. So that could be really helpful to just hear more about the experience from the lens of the participant versus us. Just saying, hey, this is something that's. 

00:35:44 Nicole Weathers 

That's good and important and that we maybe need you to do. 

00:35:47 Nicole Weathers 

Well, I mean, I have lots of thoughts about guests that I want to have on. I'm not going to name any names specifically because I do have some feelers out there. And so I think what I would actually really love to do in the new year is take a deep dive into the organizational framework and maybe invite a guest on related to each of the core. 

00:36:09 Nicole Weathers 

Components and kind of talk about how all of this builds into engagement, so. 

00:36:15 Nicole Weathers 

Talking about competency, talking about safety, talking about belonging, even esteem. So that is that is kind of one thing I would like to maybe work on some things around the AI piece informatics potentially coming back because this importance of the preceptors. 

00:36:34 Nicole Weathers 

Came back so up so many times and so I think there's some really cool things happening out there around preceptor research and how we can translate. 

00:36:42 Nicole Weathers 

That into practice, so and then of course some of our collaborative initiatives that we have going on. So you know checking in on kind of the SIM-Iowa pilot, maybe some of this work we've done with MCIRN to further enhance preceptor development. And so I think I mean you know. 

00:37:02 Nicole Weathers 

When we're thinking about, we do one of these a month for 12 months. I've got a list probably a mile long of guess that we could do something every single week, but that is maybe for another year and another day. So you know we've talked about a lot of great things. 

00:37:20 Nicole Weathers 

Today we've talked about past episodes, key takeaways, things that we've learned, maybe what we need to start thinking about into the future. But as you guys sort of reflect on this past year of nurse residency, when we think about workforce development, what's one strategy or approach that you've seen make a big difference this year that you really wish more organizations would adopt in the year ahead. 

00:37:46 Jess Ociepka 

I would go back to what Amanda chatted about related to belonging and inclusion, I also thought that was a really powerful conversation. I think I wish more leaders would start to start or continue to prioritize those human skills, those skills that we can learn, the idea that belonging is not fitting in. 

00:38:06 Jess Ociepka 

Belonging doesn't require us to change who we are, but requires us to show up and be who we are. I think that's applicable for new nurses, experienced nurses. 

00:38:16 Jess Ociepka 

And those of us that aren't nurses and those of us in our personal lives too, that idea of normalizing vulnerability and reflection, I know I'm going to try to be more intentional about these things in the upcoming year. 

00:38:31 Amanda Bruscher 

Yeah, I love that Jess. And I agree too. I think that conversation around belonging. And then I also think just professional identity to like having the leaders work with residents and maybe ask them about their professional identity, like, who do you want to be as a nurse. I think is kind of how Nelda worded it in her podcast episode, and I know even that conversation for me was good to reflect on personally so, but I think to having that conversation with nurses kind of early on and talking about the different domains that go with that professional identity and just I think it's a great reflection tool and we talked about reflection a lot in the program. 

00:39:09 Amanda Bruscher 

So I think it just ties in really nicely with what we're doing already too. 

00:39:13 Nicole Weathers 

And I think with that, Amanda, that requires us slowing down. 

00:39:17 Amanda Bruscher 

Yeah, for sure about it. 

00:39:19 Nicole Weathers 

Right. Because again, we're workhorses. We're out here. We're taking care of patients. We're showing up to do what do the things, but we're belonging for inclusion for this professional identity. We have to really slow down and think about it and. And as nurses and as nurse leaders, we're probably not great about doing that. And so that takes a lot of intentionality. 

00:39:37 Amanda Bruscher 

Yeah, it kind of reminds me of my project that I did for my master’s around how leaders can support new grads and. 

00:39:46 Amanda Bruscher 

A lot of the challenges was time like they feel like they don't have enough time. Leaders are always they're going to meetings, they're doing other things, there's they. 

00:39:57 Amanda Bruscher 

Like there's maybe not enough time, so I think maybe to kind of revisiting how can we go about those challenges and the one that's just doing my brain right now is like the open door policy that leaders sometimes have. So like, hey, I may not have time to check in with you every day for 10 or 15 minutes, but my door is open. So if you need something you want to talk like I'm, I'm here and I'm available. So I think it's those little things too. 

00:40:19 Amanda Bruscher 

That we can do as leaders just to remind them. 

00:40:21 Amanda Bruscher 

Like, hey, I'm here when you. 

00:40:23 Amanda Bruscher 

Want to talk through anything too. 

00:40:24 Nicole Weathers 

Well, and I think I mean that's where some of these topics around evidence-based practice and innovation. So we think that when we think about like our leadership tasks that we're keeping busy with, is there still value in these things or are these things that we're doing because it's the way that we've always been done and maybe we need to look at what we can take away. We're always adding and adding and adding. But is there anything that we can take away? 

00:40:47 Nicole Weathers 

And then also, how can we leverage innovation and technology? 

00:40:50 Nicole Weathers 

The to take care of some of the busy, the busy work so that we can focus on developing those relationships, having those important conversations with our staff. 

00:41:02 Jill Gillespie 

OK, I was going to come back to the well-being. I think this was an important point. I forgot to mention is that Dr. Church, he, said it's not. It's not an individual responsibility. It's a system level priority. So I think we need facilities to get to understand that and get on board with that. 

00:41:22 Jill Gillespie 

Because. 

00:41:23 Jill Gillespie 

Like you said, nurses are taking on so much and then they're just like going to beat themselves up that I'm not doing my well-being. I'm not doing my self-care. It's supposed to be embedded in the organization that they don't have to think about it, that it's just happening. So he gave great examples, daily check-ins, well-being huddles. 

00:41:44 Jill Gillespie 

The concept of well-being leave instead of sick leave like we've got to change our whole view of it. 

00:41:51 Jill Gillespie 

And I think we even touched on that with Gen. Z like they're not going to put up with it anymore. We're talking about mental health. We talk about all these resources and we're going to stand up for ourselves and we just, you know. 

00:42:03 Jill Gillespie 

We deserve this. 

00:42:04 Jill Gillespie 

So I think getting it to be a system level priority. 

00:42:08 Nicole Weathers 

And that kind of goes back to this idea of, like, work life, balance work, life balance is not really. I mean, I know I use that term a lot, but it's not necessarily a thing. 

00:42:21 Nicole Weathers 

Life is a part of work, and work is a part of life and we need that integration and we need kind of that well-being concept, just like you said, Jill, at the systems level and built in, so we don't have to think about it. 

00:42:33 Jess Ociepka 

I was just going to say what Jill talked about. We didn't really touch upon that evidence-based practice. 

00:42:40 Jess Ociepka 

Podcasts at all but one of the sticky notes I have on my desk says why are we doing this? And is this the best way to do it? And I think it sort of ties it all together too, from an organization perspective, why are we doing this? Is this the best way? 

00:42:57 Nicole Weathers 

Right? I mean it goes back to what I said about leaders and like we're busy, we need to develop these relationships. We're busy with all of these other things. So that's a great question. Why am I doing all of this other stuff? And is it the best use of my time or could I be using my time better somewhere else? When we talked about evidence-based practice in that episode, yes, we talked about the research, but we also talked about. 

00:43:18 Nicole Weathers 

What's best for the patient and what does expert opinion sort of say on this? And I think that can be translated to the nursing workforce, what's best for the nurse, right. What does expert opinion say about this? And what does the research say? So it's those 3 components. 

00:43:32 Nicole Weathers 

That really make up evidence-based practice and I. nd so I love that you have that reminder there. I wonder how many times you're like, I want to say this to Nicole. 

00:43:40 Nicole Weathers 

As we're doing things. 

00:43:42 Nicole Weathers 

And she's talking to me about what? What needs to be done. 

00:43:46 Nicole Weathers 

But that I. 

00:43:48 Nicole Weathers 

I love that you brought that up because that does sort of tie everything together, whether we are talking about. 

00:43:54 Nicole Weathers 

Things that our guests this year have brought into the conversation as we think about guests that we're going to bring on, as we think. 

00:44:00 Nicole Weathers 

About ideas and strategies for organizations to maybe adopt in the new year, I think always asking that question is key. 

00:44:10 Nicole Weathers 

Alright you guys, we have talked about so many great things this episode. It has been a fabulous year. We've had so many amazing guests. I appreciate each of them. I appreciate all of you for this great work that we've put into the program. I also want to take this moment to congratulate all of you on the Edge Runner award. 

00:44:30 Nicole Weathers 

You know, I was the one that got to go to Washington, DC and. 

00:44:34 Nicole Weathers 

Received the award on stage, but this was really an award for the program and this program would have never been possible if it wasn't for all of the value that each of you bring each and every day. So I just wanted to take a minute to recognize you for your work on that and just say that I appreciate you. And I look forward to what 2026 has in store. 

00:45:20 Nicole Weathers 

Wait before you go, I want to make sure you know all about our suite of resources you can use to support your new graduate nurses. This includes our Academy, a coaching program designed for organizations as they prepare for the implementation, and ongoing sustainability of a nurse residency program. Work one-on-one with residency program. 

00:45:41 Nicole Weathers 

Experts to make sure your organization is residency ready. 

00:45:45 Nicole Weathers 

Our clinician well-being course is an asynchronous online course that aims to enhance the well-being and resiliency of healthcare professionals, equipping them with the necessary psychological capital to navigate challenges inside and outside of work. Supporting nurses is another asynchronous online course for preceptors, mentors and coaches. 

00:46:05 Nicole Weathers 

To learn the skills they need to support any new hire. 

00:46:09 Nicole Weathers 

Both of these offerings can be used as a stand alone professional development opportunity or to augment any nurse residency program. And we can't forget about the program that started it all. The online nurse residency program. This includes a comprehensive curriculum designed to support new graduate nurses, applying all the knowledge they learned in school. 

00:46:29 Nicole Weathers 

To their practice, we focus on professional skills, personal well-being competencies, and new graduate nurses even get the opportunity to create real change in their own organization. 

00:46:40 Nicole Weathers 

Offered completely online and in a blended format, this program is highly adaptable to all clinical practice settings. You can learn more about all of these programs and more of what we offer using the links in the show notes below.