Male Nurse, Larry Logsdon

[00:01] Michelle: I'm so glad Larry Logsdon came on the show to share his perspective of being a male in nursing. He didn't think twice about his decision to become a nurse. He just followed his heart. And what a heart he has. You can hear it in everything he says. He dispelled many of the stereotypes attributed to male nurses, and he did it expertly. After almost 15 years as a nurse, his newest adventure as a NICU clinical nurse educator has him so excited, he's losing sleep. He's an amazing human with an empathetic nature that is unmatched. In the five-minute snippet, Larry reveals how his superhero would save him. And it's not how you think. Sorry, Larry, for not giving you the Joe Rogan Experience. Next time, stogies in the closet. Here is Larry Logsdon. You're listening to the Conversing Nurse podcast. I'm Michelle, your host. And this is where together, we explore the nursing profession, one conversation at a time. Well, welcome to my closet, Larry.
[01:12] Larry: Thank you for having me.
[01:14] Michelle: Yes. So, guys, we are in the closet again. You might remember Kathleen Wardell was interviewed in my closet, and I still am going to do some Instagram pictures of all the dolls, and it looks like Larry's not creeped out at all. It's kind of a fun environment.
[01:35] Larry: Most definitely.
[01:37] Michelle: Okay, so, Larry, you know why you're here today? You're here because we're talking about men in nursing and I thought you would be perfect for this segment because you're a man and you're a nurse.
[01:52] Larry: I've been called those two things.
[01:55] Michelle: And you have been a nurse for almost 15 years. So that's quite a feat, especially in the current nursing climate that you are still here and you're still going. And we'll talk about your future plans and all that in a moment. But I just want you to start out by telling me about your journey into nursing. How did it get started and how did you get to where you are right now?
[02:23] Larry: Yeah, so almost 15 years coming up in January, and I was able to start as a student nurse aide with Kaweah Health and worked my way up from there. During that time, I was able to learn the position of almost nursing assistant and from there progressed in the latter to student nurse intern and then eventually earning my RN license and continuing from there. So it started in the adult world with the cardiac telemetry, and open hearts step-down units, and from there had a real self-drive to learn more. Half of it was just being so young and not just unsure of my skills and what I know and knowing that I don't know or at that time didn't know a lot and still don't know a lot, taking the initiative to float around on my own. So being ACLS certified, and having advanced cardiac life support, I was able to go to multiple units. And so I went to nuclear medicine, did their cardiac stress test with them. I did renal and dialysis. I went to adult intermediate critical care units as well and still obviously maintain open heart and cardiac care. And after about five or six years, I had the option to transition to what I wanted to do, in a sense, because I went from adults to neonatal, and neonatal care was not ever on the radar. That is when we have no experience for making babies. And that's a truly scary thought. The overall goal was to do pediatrics, and at that facility, the unit is very small and so wasn't sure of the experience I would get. But a friend had a friend in the NICU who let me know that they had several people retire and to take that step. So that encouragement from my friend to try something new and see how that worked for me just ended up being a secret blessing because neonatal care has been amazing, and I don't see leaving it and I haven't left it. It's been just a long, beautiful journey. Lots of growth through the years with it. But now I currently just recently transitioned to a clinical nurse educator with a level three NICU and am just so excited to be there that I'm actually going to work a little tired because I'm not sleeping, because of the excitement to get there. I like that. Looking at that, that's kind of a little short snippet of what's been around or the journey to get where I currently am. And there's a lot more to it as well. But I believe that kind of is a nutshell of it.
[05:42] Michelle: Well, it's really hard to kind of condense 15 years into just a couple of minutes, so I get that. But you did a really good job of it. And that was actually one of my questions, why the NICU? And that's coming from a fellow NICU nurse. I know why I love NICU. And you had mentioned that kind of a friend had told you about it. And I've interviewed quite a few nurses, too, that have said they got into a certain type of nursing because another nurse had said, like, this is so cool. You would love this. You would be perfect for this. Why don't you come over to this side? And I like how you explained that it was never on your radar at all. Yeah. And so why do you think you fell in love with NICU? And why do you think you want to continue, what's really special about that population?
[06:36] Larry: It's just an amazing experience, it's a feeling that I still haven't been able to verbalize with it. The NICU itself encompasses everything from premature infants to full-term infants with it. But to see their growth and development, having some adult experience, the way that I kind of relate it with them is it looking at a premature infant or any infant that's had a struggle, progress and go from not being able to PO or take a bottle or breastfeed to slamming 2oz is just an amazing feat. And so, just like the adults that have a stroke, seeing them progress and have minimal residuals or adapting to any deficits that they have, it's just that again, not sure how to put it in words. But their growth and their achievements, the strides that they make from how debilitated they technically are to being this little bundle of joy and fun, and the portion that you get to interact with the parents with it too, and see their love and the excitement. And so then that excites you. And so it truly is just one of those areas that can give you the biggest joy, but it will also give you that biggest heartache that you're going to have as well. But in general, sticking with NICU, it's that, again, undescribable, obviously, it's something that I just can't put into words just yet that keeps me motivated. And the difficulties of their care, because even though things are standard, their progress in the development of education or new treatment plans is limited, because who's really going to let a hospital or facility train on their kid? So there's a little bit of a delay of that. And so that scientific medical portion of it is also very intriguing.
[08:53] Michelle: Yeah, I think that's a really good point that you made. Pediatric research is kind of limited because of the fact that just like you explained, parents are not really they're not going to jump at the chance to enter their child into a research study. So we need to make some improvements in that. I like that you talked about the relationship with the parents as well because they come in a package. You don't just have the infant, there's a dyad or a triad. And one of the things I also wanted to touch on is that you are a fellow Lactation counselor. And so tell me about why you journeyed into that and how it helped you in your relationship with the NICU infants and families.
[09:46] Larry: Yeah, so I think a trend is going to emerge out of that. And so it's that lack of confidence in myself and knowing that I don't know things. So taking the initiative to learn what I don't know. And so, obviously, I don't lactate. And so trying to ensure that I give the best education and can connect with the mothers of these infants, getting certified or getting the Lactation certification allowed me to get a view and understanding of, okay, what's happening, what's going on physiologically, and then pairing that with that nursing portion of how can I care? And help you meet goals with it. So it definitely has allowed me to connect closer because not everyone that works with neonates is Lactation certified or trained. And so I have an extra window or opportunity to connect with those mothers because it would be their first time latching in their newborn, or they're struggling with supply or just the general defeat that they can feel that even though it's defeat in their eyes, once we talk and listen or hear them out, it's like, you're not failing, you're succeeding. Your body is doing exactly what it should be doing at this point in time, and that comes from being able to sit, listen, and talk, but have that training from the lactation standpoint too.
[11:23] Michelle: I love so many things about what you just said because first of all, moms whose babies are in the NICU need a ton of reassurance, motivation, inspiration, and support. And I've always maintained that working in the NICU and being a registered nurse and a lactation professional is like the best of both worlds. And you don't just have that very important relationship with the mom and the family. You also, being a lactation specialist, have that extra relationship with the nursing staff because when you have extra knowledge, they start coming to you and they say, this baby looks, mom really wants to breastfeed, but the baby is totally out of it. Can you come in and talk to the mom or the vice, the other side of it where it's like, hey, this baby is really awake and cueing, and mom wants to breastfeed, but we don't have an order. And so you're a liaison between that nurse and maybe calling the doctor and saying, hey, can we put this baby to breast? Or during the last few years of my practice, I didn't even call a doctor. I just put the baby to breast. And then I told the doctor afterward, the baby breastfed great, can we get an order for breast or whatever it is?
[12:58] Larry: Sometimes that advocacy takes precedence over the rules.
[13:02] Michelle: Right? Well, it's funny because I interviewed Dr. Christie Nelson. We were talking about physician-nurse relationships and communication, and she made me laugh because she said, I know nurses aren't supposed to diagnose, but I know you guys do just a little bit. Okay, well, thank you so much for what you said because I just love it, and I think our listeners are going to as well. So I got, in preparation for this interview I got on the US. Bureau of Labor Statistics and on their website in 2021, they say that of the nursing workforce, currently, 12% are male, and they think that's low, although I looked at some other countries, and they're about 6%. So I think for us it might be a little bit higher. But do you think that's low? And if you do, just can you speak to why you think maybe men are not going into the nursing profession?
[14:08] Larry: Yeah, so that's actually interesting to see that statistic. So in starting the nursing journey almost 15 years ago, that was definitely lower. I can't fully recall, but I feel like it was a 2% number, which is the one that comes to mind, and that sounds reasonable, almost that time frame. And so 12%, that's definitely an increase with it. And so definitely not big strides, but growing with it. To speak to why it's a low number or why men may not pursue nursing can be just so varied, whether it's stereotypes that come along with it, something that's cultural as well, those are kind of like the two probably big drivers of it, and then just the social norms of America with it too. And it was a perception in the past of the feminine association of being a nurse, but now, obviously, we can see the numbers are growing with it, but then just the nursing profession itself is growing with so many new fields that did not exist. Again, it sounds like a long time, but 15 years really isn't that long to have the growth that it's had over those years. But as far as the rationale, I really couldn't speak to. I think the challenge of when you told me the topic was going to be males and nursing kind of hesitated because I've never really thought about it. And so it's been something that I've just never really associated the gender with being a nurse. So I'm not sure if I can have a lot of input, but we'll see what comes out of this.
[16:04] Michelle: You know, my brother Chris Patty, I interviewed him, he became a nurse in 1979 or 1980, and in his nursing class, they graduated six male nurses. And so in 1979 or 80, that sounded like a lot. And I think if we asked him, he could say the same thing that it never entered his mind of, oh, should I go into nursing because I'm a male? Maybe I shouldn't, but how does that work, like, in the community? I think personally, one reason why is there's just not a lot of attention or press about nursing in general. And so maybe young people in school are not thinking that that could be a profession for them. But how are people receiving you in the community? Like, when you go to an event with your person or whatever it is, and you say, oh, I'm a nurse, how is that received? What's the feedback that people give you?
[17:09] Larry: Generally, it's going to depend on the person that comes through. And so some of the events that we've done is like the AG show that's here. And so again, more of the cultural perception of the experience of the person that's coming to speak to me. Some have had that stereotypical response of, like, oh, isn't nursing a feminine thing? And it's like, no, there's males and nursing and then other ones are just completely paid no mind to the gender. And it's like, oh, you're a nurse, let me know information.
[17:44] Michelle: Yeah.
[17:47] Larry: Generally, I feel in my experience, has been seen with a blind eye and not a whole lot of like, well, why aren't you a doctor? Why are you not in some other role in medicine?
[18:01] Michelle: Right. And we'll talk about those stereotypes in a minute. One thing that I came across in my research on preparing for your interview is that there's actually a professional organization, and it's called the AAMN, which stands for American Association for Men in Nursing. Were you aware of that professional organization?
[18:28] Larry: When you mentioned it? So, again, that's how much of it I don't see my gender.
[18:35] Michelle: Like it's not on your radar?
[18:37] Larry: No, I wouldn't think of all. There would be an organization specific to male nurses, so I'm interested to take a peek at their website and seeing the mission and statements and stuff like that. But from what you have told me so far, I understand the potential need for it.
[18:55] Michelle: Yeah. So from their website, their mission is to shape the practice, education, research, and leadership for men in nursing and advanced men's health. And one of the other things they said on their website is the reason for creating this organization is because male patients are underrepresented. And what's your take on that? Do you think that's true?
[19:24] Larry: Yes, surprisingly. And so, again, not paying attention to the male aspect of it, but being a neonatal nurse, I have always paid attention to the flip side of this, of women being underrepresented, and underrepresented in the OB world and gynecological world. And so that's where the focus had been or is because that's the field that I'm in. And so that's an interesting concept. It's not even an interesting concept, but just flipping that role because it's like that is true. You have the female nurses taking care of male patients and the potential differences that come with caring for either gender.
[20:15] Michelle: Yeah. So that's a good point that you made. It's like, is ACOG putting out the are they blasting that we need more female OB's because the females are underrepresented?
[20:31] Larry: Yeah. So it's again, part of that drive to learn more is looking at those things and trying to find those blogs of how can I, being a male, better serve the female client. And so it's just kind of smiling because I never thought of like, oh, how do you take care of a male patient? And that never crossed my mind. It just was natural.
[20:58] Michelle: Yeah, well, going back to stereotypes, so some of the stereotypes are that men that go into nursing are gay, men are not as caring as females, and therefore men do not go into nursing as much. Maybe they wanted to be a doctor, but they failed in some way, and so they're going into nursing. I thought this was funny because obviously, the male-to-female nurse ratio is pretty skewed. There are a lot more female nurses to male. And so they said a lot of males go into nursing to date or to find their person. And I had to laugh when I read that because you actually found your person in nursing, is that right?
[21:49] Larry: That's true, but I think she went into nursing to find me.
[21:55] Michelle: I love it. Okay. I love it. And males traditionally in nursing, go into those high-adrenaline fields like emergency room nursing, operating room nursing, and ICU, or they're fast-tracked into management and administration. So have you encountered any of those stereotypes and what have you done, if so, to kind of dodge those or educate people?
[22:24] Larry: Definitely the stereotype of entering a specific specialty. So ER or ICU's would be more of a generalization rather than a stereotype because that one is pretty factual, statistic-wise. And so that is definitely something that is evident. As far as the stereotype with them, the whole being feminine or gay or whichever gender identity they might have is not a particularly big driver that I've seen or read as a reason for males being nurses.
[23:00] Michelle: Yeah. Sexual orientation, it shouldn't influence any profession that you go into.
[23:06] Larry: No. Yeah. Definitely an American thing to a degree with it as far as the stereotypical norms and then the societal standards and stuff that we have set. But it's really, like you said, not something that should influence career choice. With them failing as a doctor, the initial goal of starting was to go to the University of Oregon, do neurosciences, and kind of go from there. So I initially viewed in high school nursing as a stepping stone to elevate to a different platform, but the same thing as the NICU secret blessing, love the patient care, and it just ended up working out.
[23:48] Michelle: Yeah, well, and you went into the NICU, and we talked about this a moment ago and your reasons and everything, and so I would think that that kind of blew that stereotype out of the water in terms of you're working with babies. You had a critical care background when you came to work with neonates and that whole thing.
[24:11] Larry: Well, the NICU itself is definitely not male-dominant in any aspect. I believe outside of the respiratory therapist, I was the only male day shift nurse. We had an assistant manager that was a male. And then I think only one more on nights. So obviously that ratio is really skewed versus other floors that I worked with. The adults were out of the twelve nurses, ten of us were males that day, and there were two female nurses. So quite the flipped script there.
[24:45] Michelle: Was it?
[24:46] Larry: But the stereotype of men not caring enough to do labor and delivery postpartum or NICU with it itself definitely doesn't really hold water.
[25:01] Michelle: Yeah. Well, one of the things that I've always appreciated about you because we got our start knowing each other way back when you were in nursing school and you were one of my clinical students. I was adjunct faculty at the time for the local college, and that's where I met you. And immediately, you were a lot shyer than you are now. But immediately what I noticed about you was your empathy, your ability to empathize not just with your patients, but their families and your fellow students. And I could see why someone who knows you really well would say, Larry, you need to go to the NICU because you have to have a lot of empathy for what those families are going through, their struggles, their joys. Just hear you talk about being a lactation counselor and wanting to educate yourself so that you know what those moms are experiencing. Even though you're not lactating postpartum female yourself, you want to have some picture of what their life is like. And so that's one thing I've always appreciated about you, and you've never lost your empathetic quality along the way. If anything, it's even gotten much stronger and much deeper.
[26:35] Larry: That definitely is something I can agree with that empathy and the growth in it. And so having that personal growth allows me to have that professional growth. And so that is truly one of the things that help make me successful in my career currently.
[26:54] Michelle: What about female patients in either your school rotations or your job, day to day in the NICU, going to deliveries, going to C-sections? Have they ever refused your care because of you being a male?
[27:10] Larry: No. Surprisingly, when you talk to your coworkers or anyone along those lines when they're healthy and we're just hanging out talking, it's like, oh, I would never let a male take care of me. Or the notion of a male being their nurse is like, oh, it's not going to happen. But in working, it's never been an issue. The one instance that it was is cultural, Middle Eastern, and males present during delivery. But outside of that, it's never even been something that caused a hiccup in the care of, like, well, hold up, we have to adjust staffing or move assignments or change anything in relation just because I was being a male nurse and the patient didn't want me. And so that's just, I guess, a little bit surprising, kind of thinking about it, that it's. Again, never been turned away, whether it's helping with lactation or attending the delivery, or any other patient care related to a female.
[28:18] Michelle: Yeah. And that was another question in relation to a female needing help with breastfeeding. So I've seen on the unit when another nurse, calls you, Larry, can you help me in room two? This mom needs to breastfeed. And as far as I know, no woman has ever said, oh, wait a second, no, I can't have him in here. And I think it's because a lot of it is the approach, and your approach is so matter of fact, so professional, so caring, and we have to ask permission before if we're trying to get the baby to latch and we need to hold mom's breast or something. We're taught, we're trained to always ask permission. Is it okay if I hold your breast? Is it okay if I help the baby latch? And that's what I've seen you do in your practice, and I think that your straightforward approach is really successful.
[29:20] Larry: Yeah. You laughed or give it right now just because of the talking about handling the breast. And so being a male, the laugh comes from when the female nurses are going to help the mother. It's kind of just like, oh, I'm going to help you. And we're grabbing and say, so that's definitely something I don't do and couldn't do or wouldn't do. But it's always that, again, asking and getting consent, may I touch your breast and may I help you? That little chuckle just because, again, things like that where I do notice the difference between a male and female nurse. If a female is going to be a little more free and lacking the word here.
[30:01] Michelle: Well, it's like a stereotype. So we're saying it's okay for the female nurse to not ask permission, go ahead and do whatever she needs to get the baby latched on, but the male has to be super careful or else there's going to be things I can't think of.
[30:24] Larry: Yeah. It can be misconstrued and taken the wrong way. And so it definitely is a level of caution in having those interactions, for sure. So part of that is always getting that consent, but even involving another care provider if needed, or the support person.
[30:44] Michelle: Yeah. And the bottom line is we should all ask for consent when we're helping a mom, and gender shouldn't play a part. So I think that's a really important point that you made. Okay, so we're going to talk a little bit about some famous male nurses because obviously there are a lot of famous female nurses. There's Florence Nightingale. There's Clara Barton. There's Mary Carson. Breckenridge. But I didn't know that there were some famous male nurses. Yeah. So one of them that I came across, and this is from Wikipedia, is Luther Parmally Christman, he was an American nurse, a professor of nursing, a university administrator, and an advocate for gender and racial diversity in nursing. And so he had his own experience of discrimination during his career. When he applied to his nursing school, he was denied based on his gender because they said it was the Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing and they only admitted women. And so he later went on and he was actually granted permission, but it says that he was denied getting his maternal rotation because he was a man. And so he experienced some of those discriminatory actions that you didn't. There was Richard Carmona. He became a U.S. Surgeon General under George W. Bush, but he started his career as a nurse, a famous writer called Genesee. He was a writer of adult fantasy and young adult fantasy novels, and he was also a critical care nurse in Utah. And then Joe Hogan is different from Joe Rogan. And I know you wanted to have the Joe Rogan experience today, but you're...
[32:51] Larry: Getting just the still gazing.
[32:53] Michelle: Yeah. Oh, man. If I knew you liked cigars. Yeah, we could have done that. Although in this closet, it would have gotten really smoky. There might have been a lot of coughing going on. But Joe Hogan actually took this to the courts and won a landmark decision of the Supreme Court, which ruled the single-sex admission policy of the Mississippi University for Women because he was also denied admission there. They said, no, you can't do that. And they violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. So that's just some interesting nursing trivia that I didn't know, and maybe our listeners didn't know either. So you told me a little while ago, and I've known you been a nurse for a while, but I didn't know exactly how long. And you said you're coming upon almost 15 years. Can you share with us just any key things along the way? Key things or people experiences that have made you a successful nurse?
[34:05] Larry: Yeah, so there's definitely been a handful of people that have helped shape and grow and model the behavior and the characteristics that make a successful person in different aspects of not just professional life, but personal life. And one of those people from my prerequisites days at West Hills College in Lemoore was James Preston. He's actually the president over there now. He's an educator. And just the years that I've spent with him and seeing him model the proper behaviors and communication and handling the human characteristics of communication is definitely something I've taken from him. The soft tone and speech come from you. That is something that gets lost in the NICU, being mindful, of how we talk and the tone that we carry, and not just the softness of it, but the proper selection of words and the praise and the ability to not just look at the condescending or the things that we need to fix. But, hey, you're doing great because of XYZ. Things are hard, but this is what's going well, and this is what I see. And so those things from you is what I've been able to bring into my clinical instructor role. Kind of following in your shoes there, too, with the local college and other nurses, just different bits and just Frankenstein it a little bit of putting things together. I love how they educate. I love the word selection that they use with this. I love their mannerism with that. The ability to continue to grow and learn. I think that's more of a self-driven thing because just in general, having imposter syndrome when it comes to a professional career, yes, it's real. It is. Very much so. And so that is definitely something that's a personal driver. But our clinical nurse specialist, Linda Ellison, has just amazing of that lady.
[36:26] Michelle: Amazing.
[36:27] Larry: Yeah. But the ability to multitask is something I've been pulling from her. Technically, she does two roles of the clinical nurse specialist, but then being an educator on top of that and then juggling that CNS role itself is so labor intensive, but then trying to teach, which is another labor-intensive thing. So definitely more than a handful of people, but those ones on the spur, definitely ones that have helped me in shape.
[36:55] Michelle: Yeah. Thank you for that compliment. I really appreciate that. As nurses, we want to always learn, and I've talked about this before. Like, we're all teachers, and we're all students, and there's something that a nurse can emulate a behavior that maybe she's only been a nurse for six months, and I've been a nurse for 30 years, and I can learn from that. I can grow from that. And then I can teach other nurses things that I've learned or portray a certain behavior that maybe I want them to pick up or something like that. It's not a solo thing. We rely on other people. We don't live in a vacuum. And so I think that's really important. So what's in your future, what is going on? Where are you going to be in the next five years? That question that everybody asks you is, where do you see yourself in five years?
[37:59] Larry: Yeah. It's definitely interesting because I have finally met my goal of being a full-fledged clinical nurse educator in the acute care hospital setting with it, and I do have a taste of it with the local college and its associate degree nursing program. But that was the end goal. So now we've got to adjust because this is early on, and so it's definitely another postmaster certificate in leadership. Again, just to learn more. There was the potential dabbling of a doctorate, but still trying to decide whether terminal degree.
[38:39] Michelle: You're going to do it.
[38:40] Larry: Yeah.
[38:41] Michelle: You are.
[38:44] Larry: Yeah. We're only 15 years in, so it's more than less, but for sure, a couple of more Masters just for that lifelong learning with it, and obviously things always grow, but for sure, professionally wise have succeeded and met my goal, and earned my way to it through the work that I've done. And now it's time to well, learn this new rule. But the long-term planning, it's definitely those things are out there.
[39:16] Michelle: Professionally, I really love that you have broken that mold of when I get to one level, I don't just stay there. I'm a lifelong learner. I've done this, I'm competent at this, and now I'm going to go into the NICU, and now I've done this, and I'm top of my game, but now I need to learn more and I'm going to go into education, and I just love that. I feel like whoever pointed you to the NICU really knew you. They knew your personality, and you're perfect for that, and you're perfect for education. And I'm so glad that you joined me today and I know our listeners definitely feel the same.
[40:04] Larry: Yeah, I hope so. Maybe be a repeat.
[40:07] Michelle: Yeah. Okay. I'm sorry you didn't get the Joe Rogan Experience. Maybe next time we'll do another topic. But for now, are you ready for the five-minute snippet?
[40:20] Larry: Yeah, possibly. I listened to all your episodes and stuff, curious about what's on mine.
[40:29] Michelle: I know. And I've tried to stump you because you're very smart and you have a lot of knowledge on the topics that you gave me. So I'm just going to go ahead and start the clock and then we will see what happens. Okay. If a superhero dies, should they stay dead or should they have a successor?
[40:54] Larry: Definitely a successor.
[40:56] Michelle: Okay. Let's see if you could go back and hands down win any argument that you've had with anyone, what argument would you choose to win?
[41:09] Larry: Okay. That is out there.
[41:11] Michelle: These are hard.
[41:12] Larry: That one was unexpected. They're thought-provoking. An argument?
[41:19] Michelle: You probably don't argue very much.
[41:21] Larry: No. And that's what I'm really struggling with. There's definitely a difference of opinion but not an argument. So it would probably be something professional with patient care and the direction that it went. But as far as who is what.
[41:36] Michelle: I was like, is it going to be an argument with Victoria or what?
[41:40] Larry: I'm smarter than that.
[41:42] Michelle: Okay. Have you ever dressed up as a superhero for Halloween? And if you did, which one?
[41:49] Larry: Yeah, so for the trunk or treat that we do for the Lifestyle limits, it was Batman for a couple of years, but then started just jumping into the theme. So I've been a Minion, Buzz Lightyear.
[42:02] Michelle: Oh, wow.
[42:03] Larry: There was something else with it, too. So definitely as I have gotten older, I dressed up more and the costumes get.
[42:10] Michelle: Better and more elaborate and everything. Wow. Okay. What scheduling system is used in hockey?
[42:18] Larry: You got me on that one.
[42:20] Michelle: What of the games? How do they schedule the games? I guess I don't know anything about hockey.
[42:27] Larry: I'm not sure about that one.
[42:28] Michelle: Okay, so the answer said round-robin scheduling. Does that make any sense?
[42:33] Larry: Yeah, I mean, I see that, but that one.
[42:39] Michelle: I actually stumped Dr. Nelson on. She's a Packers fan. I stumped her on a Packers question. Okay. Which scene from a movie scared you as a kid, but it's totally not scary now?
[42:53] Larry: I'm still scared.
[42:54] Michelle: Oh, no.
[42:56] Larry: Michael Myers was definitely the dude that stays scary. Yeah. And like this day with it just that slow walk and he still gets the people and so definitely him, for sure. But I'm just a scaredy cat. So any scary movie is going to be watched during the day.
[43:18] Michelle: That's me too. And for me it's Jaws.  That music.
[43:24] Larry: Yeah. Definitely incorporating those pieces.
[43:28] Michelle: Okay, which movie actress did you have a crush on as a kid?
[43:35] Larry: So definitely several. The Pink Ranger from Power Rangers. The original one show name was Kimberly, but I'm drawing a blank on what her name was. Now Winnie Cooper from the Wonder Years.
[43:50] Michelle: I had a crush on the guy.
[43:56] Larry: Arnold, but no, that's the nerdy one.
[43:59] Michelle: Yeah. He is a doll.
[44:01] Larry: Oh, my God.
[44:01] Michelle: And I can see his face.
[44:05] Larry: Don't know her name.
[44:13] Michelle: Okay, what's on your perfect sandwich?
[44:18] Larry: I've actually literally just the last couple of months gotten into sandwiches, so the Deli Delicious. There's one over here in the shopping area. I can't think of that name, so I'm branching out with it. So initially, I'm a very plain, bland guy, so it would have just been like a Subway cold-cut kind of thing. But now adding your different meats and veggies, those things definitely have evolved taste-wise.
[44:46] Michelle: Yeah. You're like flavor? How about your favorite breakfast cereal?[44:52] Larry: Breakfast cereal?
[44:53] Michelle: Do you have one?
[44:54] Larry: It's got to be the Honey Bunches of Oats. Probably an almond or somewhere around those lines with it. Just that crunch and that sweetness that comes with it.
[45:04] Michelle: Was that also a favorite when you were a kid?
[45:06] Larry: No. So kid-wise? Jeez, probably Lucky Charms or something that has marshmallows with it.
[45:14] Michelle: Mine was Capn Crunch. I can't bring that into the house. I can't bring it into the house to this day. Okay, we've got a few seconds left. How would your favorite superhero save you?
[45:30] Larry: Sitting and talking, actually. So part of that personal growth is learning that talking is something that can save you.
[45:40] Michelle: I love that. That's really good. Wow. Well, I knew it was going to be fun, and I knew it was going to be really informational, and I just appreciate you coming on today and giving your perspective on being a man and being in nursing.
[45:57] Larry: Yeah. When you told me the topic, as I said, I was kind of unsure about it because it's just something that I've run with and really have just...
[46:05] Michelle: Given it a second thought.
[46:07] Larry: Yeah.
[46:08] Michelle: Well, you're in the right profession.
[46:10] Larry: Yeah. But I think the questions and stuff that you got is definitely something that pulled out some good information, hopefully, and we'll see what this nursing association looks like.
[46:20] Michelle: Yeah. I'm going to put that link in the show notes for our listeners, too. Hopefully, we have some male listeners today, and they can jump on that website and check it out, and maybe they want to be part of a professional organization. But thank you, Larry. I appreciate you being here.
[46:36] Larry: Thank you so much for the invite. That's definitely an honor to get it.
[46:39] Michelle: Thanks. Thank you. All right, take care.