Nurse Boss Shift

-Instagram @thewritenurse

The Write Nurse with Portia Wofford

Dr Kiiyonna Jones and Christal Parker — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Are you keen to learn what it takes to become a nursing copywriter? Portia Wofford has been a nurse since 2010, when she started in long-term care. Pretty soon, she saw a gap in home health in terms of how her patients weren’t necessarily understanding the pamphlets they were being left with — because they didn’t know how to read.

Portia had always been a good writer and saw an opportunity to rewrite the rules on how nurses, doctors, and medical facilities communicated with their patients. Now she’s flying as a nursing copywriter — writing for all sorts of medical businesses, blogs, and news outlets about all things nursing. Plus, she now has a whole team behind her.

This is Nurse Boss Shift at its very best in 2023, showing us how we can turn our nursing careers into something more than just draining bedside care. Portia takes us through the steps she took to get out of the day-to-day going of nursing, all while still giving back so much to a profession that desperately needs clear communication with its clients — and the nursing industry in general. Listen up, take some notes, and get busy writing!

“All of my friends are nurses who are entrepreneurs, so they kind of understand the struggle. They understand what it is that I do.”

- Portia Wofford

In this episode:

-What it means to get confident in your nursing skills

-How Portia spotted a gap in writing about nursing

-Teaching nurses how better to communicate with their patients

-What does it mean to meet your patients where they are?

-Understanding and appreciating home health

-Do you have to be a writer to get into nurse writing?

-Working with influencers as a nursing writer

-How much money can you earn writing as a nurse?

-Portia explains how she teaches nurses to write

-What is the division between LPNs, LVNs and RNs about?

-The value of a good business coach

-Why you should surround yourself with good people that support you

Resources:

-Built to Sell (the book Portia recommends) - Built To Sell

Connect with Portia Wofford:

-Learn Pivot Navigate

Connect with Kiiyonna and Christal:

The Nursing 'Ick' Video Controversy

Dr Kiiyonna Jones and Christal Parker — Wed, 28 Dec 2022 03:00:00 -0400

Have you heard of the controversy surrounding the TikTok ‘Ick’ challenge? Kiiyonna and Christal weigh in on this hot topic, discussing the impact of social media and where to draw the line with what nurses are accountable for.

Four nurses at Georgia’s Emory University labor and delivery unit were fired for making a video on TikTok detailing what patients do to give them the ‘ick’ (an uncomfortable feeling) at work.

The fallout has been huge as other patients at Emory University have made the link between their poor care and this ‘ick’ video. So, is it the nurses' fault? And what can we learn from this experience as nurses and people engaging in social media?

This is a fresh, important debate between Christal and Kiiyonna on the interface of nursing and social media. They remind us to keep the patient in mind and conduct ourselves with integrity and help lift the profession of nursing up. We are the ones who decide our profession. We own it. But with ownership comes responsibility. So let’s understand what that responsibility entails. Please join us.

“What bothered me the most is the lack of grace for these nurses.”

- Dr. Kiiyonna Jones

In this episode:

-Was the Ick video leaked?

-What is an ‘ick’?

-Christal’s story of her first hospital birth

-Why nurses get the blame when they’re the face of the business

-Kiiyonna’s comparative story of giving birth at 17

-Are their experiences shaped by them being African American women?

-How TikTok glamorizes nursing

-How to find balance as a nurse on social media

-Speaking the truth of your profession on TikTok

-Black nurses coming together for a common mission

-If you wouldn’t do it in front of your patients, don’t do it on social media

-Did the punishment fit the crime?

Connect with Kiiyonna and Christal:

-Instagram - Nurse Bedside Ditch Expert (@aisha_crna)

Why staying bedside won’t build wealth with Aisha Allen

Dr Kiiyonna Jones and Christal Parker — Wed, 21 Dec 2022 03:00:00 -0400

‘Staying bedside won’t bring you wealth!’ Dr. Kiiyonna Jones extraordinaire and your girl Christal Parker bring some honest truths to this episode of Nurse Boss Shift. Today they’re in conversation with Dr. Aisha Allen, a CRNA who’s earning good money ($225 an hour) but still wants to control her time.

What’s a CRNA? A Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist who has specialized training in anesthesia. Dr. Allen made the sacrifice to study further and specialize as an anesthetist, and she now advises nurses on how to leave the bedside and get into real estate, short-term rentals, and explore other investment vehicles.

This episode is about inspiring nurses to believe they can achieve more in terms of time freedom by owning property, and that it’s okay to be about the money. There’s advice on checking your finances and your credit score, getting a financial cushion, and paying for knowledge.

Dr. Allen is a shining example of creating space between you and the bedside, and reaching your ‘ikigai’ as a nurse by making that Nurse Boss Shift. Her ambition is infectious; we’re sure you’ll be suitably inspired!

“My whole goal, though, is just really to help nurses to reach their ikigai and to love more of the life they’re living.”

– Dr. Aisha Allen

In this episode:

-Mixed feelings on leaving the bedside

-Having an exit plan

-How Dr. Allen got into nursing

-Taking detours but still getting to the original goal

-Not being ashamed to be about the money

-What the military did for Dr. Allen

-When did Dr. Allen’s Nurse Boss Shift occur?

-Appreciating the value of earning money

-Understanding ‘ikigai’

-The audacity to say ‘don’t do it for money’

-Airbnb recommendations

And so much more…

Connect with Dr. Allen:

-Website

-Linktree

Connect with Kiiyonna and Christal:

From nursing to fleet management with Melanie Patterson

Dr Kiiyonna Jones and Christal Parker — Wed, 14 Dec 2022 03:00:00 -0400

Would you consider quitting your job as a nurse and starting a career as an entrepreneur in trucking? Melanie Patterson has her master's degree as a family nurse practitioner. She got all the degrees and letters behind her name and still wasn’t making that six-figure income she’d been promised. Full-time entrepreneurship was soon calling, and Melanie has been transferring her skills as an ED nurse into the world of business (trucking, specifically) for the past few years.

Join Christal and Kiiyonna as they unpack the risk and reward of entrepreneurship as Melanie cashes in her 401(k) and resigns as a trauma nurse in the ER room to be a business owner. What does it feel like to transition out of nursing gracefully? And do nurses make for good entrepreneurs?

This conversation is for any nurse out there who’s driving on their way to a 12-hour shift and is wondering if there’s something more out there for them. The truth is, yes, there probably is, and Melanie’s story should suffice as an inspiration for you to make that shift happen, Nurse Boss style.

“In entrepreneurship, it’s the risk that’s the most rewarding. It’s the ‘Ls’ that bring those valuable lessons.”

– Melanie Patterson

In this episode:

-Falling in love with the industry of nursing

-‘To thine own self be true’

-Why it’s okay to move onto a new journey

-Your connection to your nursing team

-Christal describes having babies during COVID

-How to get into logistics

-Teaching other small business owners and minority women the business of logistics

-Understanding the challenges of calculating your operational costs

-The essential value of mentorship

-Being successful as an African American woman in a male, white-dominated trucking industry

-Do you need a male on your fleet management team?

-Positive words for nurses still in the struggle…

And so much more…

Resources:

-Business Made Simple (the book) - Business Made Simple: 60 Days to Master Leadership, Sales, Marketing, Execution, Management, Personal Productivity and More (Made Simple Series)

Connect with Melanie:

Website - Team Integrity Knowledge Center

Connect with Kiiyonna and Christal:

The Ultimate Guide to Nurse Entrepreneurship with Samantha Walton

Dr Kiiyonna Jones and Christal Parker — Wed, 07 Dec 2022 03:00:00 -0400

Are you a nursing practitioner who’s tired of exchanging time for money? “It ain’t it!”, as Kiiyonna succinctly puts it in this conversation with Dr Samantha Walton.

Nurse Boss Shift has pulled off another coup in this interview, with Dr Samantha Walton sharing her story growing up on the southside of Chicago in low income housing and becoming a nurse (and still being broke), to walking the silver streets of Instagram and learning how to leverage business credit and make her money work for her.

Samantha’s story is truly powerful and a shining light for other nurses who are looking to make the entrepreneurial shift. Samantha spent ten years as a nurse juggling multiple jobs, even getting her doctorate in the process – and still, she wasn’t satisfied. Now she is, though, sharing her story and empowering others like her to make that money work for you by teaching nurses about business credit! Please join us.

“Thanks to my humble beginnings, I know what it’s like to be broke. And I know what it’s like to work as a nurse from shift to shift and still be broke.” – Dr Samantha Walton

In this episode:

- Samantha’s inspirational journey to wanting more

- Getting her doctorate but not wanting to use it for what it is for

- How Samantha found nursing entrepreneurship on Instagram

- Blocking out the noise so you can get clear on what you want as a nursing entrepreneur

- Positioning yourself as a business so you don’t get killed in taxes

- How to leverage business and personal credit

Connect with Dr Samantha Walton:

- LinkedIn

Connect with Kiiyonna and Christal:

Serving Methadone clients with Dr. Cobbs

Dr Kiiyonna Jones and Christal Parker — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 03:00:00 -0400

Ever wondered what goes on at a methadone clinic, and what kind of entrepreneurial mindset is required to start up a clinic ‘serving’ clients at the height of this American opioid crisis? Dr. Jonell Benson-Cobbs is the founder of Serenity Wellness Academy, an opioid treatment center in Chicago that is making a difference in the fight against drug addiction with their 5-star service.

Kiiyonna and Christal chat to Dr. Cobbs about how she made the shift to becoming the owner of a methadone treatment center after first working as a nurse in a correctional facility. Kiiyonna is not shy to ask about the center’s profitability, and there are frank discussions about the opioid crisis and treating people with addiction by ‘serving’ them as clients rather than treating them as patients.

This episode is an important insight into a boots on the ground approach to tackling addiction – while still applying an entrepreneurial approach and enjoying the feeling of making a difference as someone invested in the medical world as a place where people can get better. Please join us.

“Transitioning to entrepreneurship was a huge mind shift for me — especially because I was so used to predictability. But you have to have that mind shift if you want to be your own boss.” – Dr. Cobbs

In this episode:

Jonell’s background as a nurse in a correctional facility
Serving your patients rather than treating them
The mind shift to owning your own business: have a plan!
Insightful rapid-fire ‘yes/no’ Q&A
Treatment center profitability
Opioid crisis overview

And so much more…

Connect with Jessica:

Serenity – Treatment and Counseling Center

- Facebook

- Instagram

Connect with Kiiyonna and Christal:

The Lighter Side of Nursing with Nurse Jessica Sites

Dr Kiiyonna Jones and Christal Parker — Wed, 23 Nov 2022 03:00:00 -0400

Want to see the funny side in nursing? Nurse Jessica Sites is a registered nurse who spent 21 years as a bedside nurse in the same hospital, delivering babies and enjoying what she did until she found that the hospital admin was too overwhelming, leaving her feeling depleted and unable to give her patients the care that they need.

Jessica now enjoys a successful career creating humorous nursing content on the internet. She is a bonafide ‘nurse comedian’ on all the social media channels, casting the serious challenges we are facing in healthcare in a humorous light.

Jessica Sites is a fantastic example of a working nurse who’s made the Nurse Boss Shift to entrepreneurship in a unique and entertaining way, using the tools of social media to address the issues that she faced in her nursing career – and that working nurses still face today.

Hosts Christal and Kiiyonna delight in unpacking the challenges Nurse Jessica Sites has faced as an entrepreneur, understanding how her success came about as she went ‘cold turkey’ from the traditional nursing world. Please join us for this laugh-filled episode.

“People fear failure - not being successful at something - rather than the fear of being stuck doing the same thing day in and day out..” – Nurse Jessica Sites

In this episode:

- Team camaraderie in the hospital as a stimulus for her comedy

- Why becoming bitter won’t work for you or your patients

- A day in the life of a nursing social media influencer

- Knowing when the right video makes a connection and has an impact

- The value of humor in nursing and being able to have a laugh

- Why it takes audacity to step away from the bedside as a nurse

- Kiiyonna asks Jessica “Show me the money!”

And so much more…

Connect with Kiiyonna and Christal:

How To Create Online Content with Nurse Mike

Dr Kiiyonna Jones and Christal Parker — Fri, 18 Nov 2022 03:15:00 -0400

Are you ready to embrace the nursing revolution? It’s here baby, and ‘Nurse Mike’ is a nursing entrepreneur who’s at the digital forefront of change in the nursing community. His wildly popular YouTube Channel, Simple Nursing, has 750K subscribers and each week he’s putting out invaluable ‘How To’ nursing content online.

Mike Linares is a registered nurse who’s faced his share of entrepreneurial challenges. He’s also hit that $1 million a month mark with his videos, and he’s navigated his way through people imitating his brand and the 2009 recession to remain at the vanguard of inspiring nurses through the power of simple education.

Hosts Christal and Kiiyonna are gushing as they chat to Nurse Mike in this wonderfully inspiring episode for anyone who wants to know more about nursing and how to make it online. Please join us – we guarantee you’ll learn a thing or two!

WIN a FREE Flight to Houston + FREE TICKETS TICKETS TO THE NURSE BOSS BRUNCH + FREE EBOOK COURSE ON HOW TO CREATE, WRITE, SELL AND AUTOMATE YOUR EBOOK. ENTER HERE FOR A CHANCE TO WIN THESE PRIZES HERE.

“You should only be 50 to 70% happy with your first product or service. You should not be 100% happy. Because if you are, you’re going too hard too fast. You’re marrying before you date. You want to start ugly first so that people can tell you what they want.” – Nurse Mike

In this episode:

- How Simple Nursing became the most popular YouTube nursing channel.

- Be prepared to start ugly when creating content (ideas love speed)

Choose to get better rather than get bitter

- Changing the narrative on what a real nurse is.

- You’ve got to learn before you earn.

- And much more wisdom on making great online content!

Connect with Nurse Mike:

- Instagram

Connect with Kiiyonna and Christal:

Nurse Entrepreneurship After the Pandemic

Dr Kiiyonna Jones and Christal Parker — Fri, 18 Nov 2022 03:00:00 -0400

Are you a working nurse who’s suffered burnout during the pandemic and doesn’t feel that you are valued fairly in your profession? On this powerful episode of Nurse Boss Shift, Kiiyonna and Christal share what happened to them during the pandemic and what set them up for nurse entrepreneurship.

This conversation between two nursing friends is illuminating in its candor as they address how nurses ought to be protected at the bedside, the discrepancy in wages across the country, how to stand in your power as a nursing sister, and so much more.

This one’s for all the nurses out there who feel alone and don’t know where to start on their journey toward a brighter future doing what they love. Let us not let all the COVID-19 nurse deaths be in vain. It’s time to make that Nurse Boss Shift!

“We’re saving lives. So our worth just really bumped up during the pandemic.” — Kiiyonna Jones

“The climate has to change — but it’s up to nurses to fight for that, to know our worth, and not accept what they are trying to hand us.” — Christal Parker

In this episode:

- How the pandemic set Kiiyonna and Christal up for nursing entrepreneurship

- How to charge for your worth

- The disparity in nursing wages across the US

- Surviving Burnout

- Rural and metropolitan nursing – what needs to change

- Making the Nurse Boss Shift from bedside nursing to entrepreneurship

Connect with Kiiyonna and Christal:

Kiiyonna Jones in the Hot Seat

Dr Kiiyonna Jones and Christal Parker — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 03:15:00 -0400

Are you a working nurse looking for inspiration on how to separate your worth from your time? Then look no further than this episode of Nurse Boss Shift, where host Kiiyonna Jones finds herself in the hot seat, being interviewed by her ‘business bestie’ Christal Parker. These ladies are leading by example!

This episode is an eavesdrop on a fabulous friendship. It’s an understanding of the nurse’s journey and the challenges of modern nursing. It’s an opportunity to learn from the best and make that change in your life. Please join us.

“When you reach the point where you can disconnect your serving of others from money, that’s when the money comes.” – Kiiyonna Jones

In this episode:

- Kiiyonna’s inspiring origin story

- Beware of trash courses!

- Focusing on serving people rather than just making money

- Showing up as your authentic self and investing in yourself

- The value of being in a community with action-takers

- Creating a legacy for your children

Connect with Kiiyonna and Christal:

Shift to Financial Freedom with Mrs Dollar Donna

Dr Kiiyonna Jones and Christal Parker — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 03:00:00 -0400

Are you a working woman who’s tired of the grind and feels like there’s got to be an easier way to make your money work for you? Donna Rosby – AKA Mrs Dollar Donna, “The Money Lady” – is a shining light who’s here to show you how you can take care of people while also taking care of your money.

In this rapid-fire episode of the Nurse Boss Shift Podcast with your hosts Kiiyonna Jones and Christal Parker, Donna drops all the tea as she shares her origin story, her nursing background, and all that it’s taken to get her where she is today – to a place where her money is working for her.

Donna’s advice is truly inspiring, and with Kiiyonna and Christal’s direct questioning, no stone is left unturned on the Nurse Boss Shift. They discuss practical routes that nursing sisters, sisters of color, and working women everywhere can take to gain control of their finances and set themselves up for a happy retirement.

“Dollars have a destination, and you want to send them out so that they bring back friends. Friends that are not taxable.” – Donna Rosby

In this episode:

- Donna’s humble beginnings (financial lessons from her father).

- Why it’s okay to take care of people and also take care of your money

- Calculating your ‘freedom number’

- Understanding your 401k and retirement exit strategy

- When a niche comes easy, that’s your side hustle

- Don’t be afraid to ask questions of whoever is managing your money

- And so many more pearls of wisdom on Nurse Boss Shift…

Connect with Donna Rosby:

- Facebook

Connect with Kiiyonna and Christal:

Christal Parker's Guide to Better Nursing Balance

Dr Kiiyonna Jones and Christal Parker — Wed, 16 Nov 2022 03:30:00 -0400

Host Christal Parker is in the hot seat this week as her ‘business bestie’ Kiiyonna Jones interviews her in a delightfully frank and honest chat about the rigors of nursing, entrepreneurship, and family.

Kiiyonna is keen to understand how Christal balances a busy family life with all her other business demands. In return, Christal offers a hot take on what balance should mean for nursing moms. It’s a reminder that self-care is important – otherwise, you can’t help others.

This behind-the-scenes conversation offers wonderful insight into Christal’s nursing story and how she made her Nurse Boss Shift. It’s motivational, inspirational, and practical too – and a great listen for all nursing moms and nursing entrepreneurs out there. Please join us!

“Once I had a family, I realized that I was still holding myself accountable to the ‘single me.’ And that was a big mindset shift for me.” – Christal Parker

In this episode:

- How family pushed Christal into nursing

- The balance between entrepreneurship and family

- The value of therapy

- How to know when to add to your plate – and when to start a new plate

- How COVID pushed Christal into nursing entrepreneurship

- Unpacking what you can outsource as a nursing mom

Connect with Kiiyonna and Christal:

Sarah Gaines, the Six Figure Travel Nurse

Dr Kiiyonna Jones and Christal Parker — Wed, 16 Nov 2022 03:15:00 -0400

Are you tired of working bedside and looking for ways to fall back in love with your nursing career? Join Sarah Gaines, the Six Figure Travel Nurse, on this emotional episode of Nurse Boss Shift, and she’ll show you how to travel more, work less, and experience more freedom.

Sarah is empowering travel nurses all over the world to get what they deserve, having written a course on how to scrap the bedside burnout - in response to all the DMs she was getting on Instagram asking for help.

What’s great about this episode is how Kiiyonna, Christal, and Sarah are able to normalize the ambitions of the working nurse, involving the listener in the passionate travel nursing community with such inspiring conversation and relatable insight.

If you’re looking to work less, travel more, and leave the bedside burnout behind for good, then this one’s for you! Sarah shows us all how investing in yourself is totally worth it.

“Many nurses don’t realize that you can be a career travel nurse. I’m ten years into it. It’s like… you can do this as a career!”

– Sarah Gaines

In this episode:

- Sarah’s tipping point when she had to work the day after her dad died

- How Sarah became inspired to start a course on travel nursing

- Dealing with the guilt of leaving the bedside

- Becoming a part of the travel nursing community

- How to value your knowledge and experience as a nurse

- 3 things you can do to initiate your Nurse Boss Shift

Connect with Sarah Gaines:

- Facebook

- Instagram

Connect with Kiiyonna and Christal:

More Than Scrubs and a Stethoscope

Dr Kiiyonna Jones and Christal Parker — Wed, 16 Nov 2022 03:00:00 -0400

Welcome to the first-ever episode of the Nurse Boss Shift Podcast, with your hosts Kiiyonna Jones and Christal Parker. In this show, we will talk about what could come to fruition if nurses started to show up as their best selves. In today’s episode, we will take you through our journeys of being nurses turned entrepreneurs, why it is CRITICAL to network, and what the Nurse Boss Shift means to us. Join us today as we share our opinions on nursing and entrepreneurship and why we think both are amazing careers.

“Your motivation can NOT be financially driven. That’s not enough.” - Kiiyonna Jones

In this episode:

- How Christal and Kiiyonna met and became Business Besties (BB)

- This is what will keep you going and keep you motivated

- Kiiyonna explains why nurses are not respected as scientists

- This is why you should NOT trade time for money; time is irreplaceable

- Our AHA moment that made us realize we needed to SHIFT

Connect with Kiiyonna and Christal: