The Journey to Nursing with Derick Pedigo, RN

[00:00] Michelle: Many nurses practicing today entered health care knowing they absolutely wanted to become a nurse. But Derek Pedigo's journey was different. Starting as an EMT and observing the nurses in the emergency department, he said, "that's what I want to do."  When he didn't get into the program the first time, he decided to go the LVN route. Working as an LVN with very sick renal patients, he learned valuable skills to propel him further in his quest to be an RN. And now he's a new nurse with a LOT of experience, which only makes him a better one. His advice for those on the same journey? If you have a passion for something, just keep going, it's worth it. In the five minute snippet, Kurt Cobain walks into a bar....Here is Derek Pedigo.
[01:14] Michelle: Well, good morning, Derick, welcome to the show.
[01:17] Derick: Good morning.
[01:18] Michelle: Thank you so much for being here. I'm excited to hear your story because I think it's a really important story in terms of healthcare providers kind of starting out and the progression to getting into nursing. Because as nurses, we don't all start out as nurses. We may start out in the healthcare field. So, I like to just jump in so tell us about your start in healthcare as an emergency medical technician.
[01:54] Derick: Actually, it goes back further than that, just a little bit. It doesn't go back too much further. But the reason I became an EMT was sort of an accident. After high school, I just worked at Starbucks and was a little bit aimless and didn't know what I was going to do. From 16 to about 25, I played in bands. Looking back on that, I liked it. Obviously, the creative aspect of making music and all that was fun. But I think that I got more out of creating a flyer and passing it out and getting people to come to those things and making connections with other musicians.
[02:24] Michelle: That's like a marketing aspect, right?
[02:26] Derick: Yeah, I think I like that more. But I was the youngest in a band that I was in that we did for about five years. We went to northern Washington and back. We did tours out to Vegas, and we did stuff. I really tried at that, but I was the youngest in that band. So they started having kids and people were moving on. And so my mom, being a good mom, was worried about me and was like, what are you going to do?
[02:51] Michelle: What are you going to do with your life? Every mom's question, right?
[02:54] Derick: Exactly. So she's like, she had a friend that was some sort of administrator at Visalia Imaging.
[03:01] Michelle: Okay.
[03:01] Derick: And so she's like, what about x-ray tech? And I was like, I guess that doesn't sound insanely difficult, and I can do that here, as far as the program goes. So the summer of probably 2015, 2014, I got a part-time job just on the weekends there. And they just employed me to just clean a room and go get a patient, bring them back just so I can just shadow and check it out.
[03:23] Michelle: Yeah.
[03:24] Derick: And I liked it, so I was like, okay, well, I guess I'll do this. And it's the same prerequisite as the nursing program.
[03:29] Michelle: Okay.
[03:30] Derick: So I took an anatomy class and was, like, fascinated with human biology. Didn't know I was into it. Took Microbiology, liked that even more. I was like, wow, maybe I want to be a nurse, not an X-ray tech. Because I was with all these people that were planning on going to the nursing program. So I started looking into it, and I was like, well, my grades aren't that great. That was my second run at college, so I didn't really try very hard the first time. And you know, it's very competitive to get into the nursing program.
[03:57] Michelle: Yes.
[03:57] Derick: So I started taking those classes, and I was like, well, I've got to get my points up to get into that program. So I didn't think I wanted to be a CNA because I was just like, nursing homes don't sound fun. And that's all I knew was CNA's work in nursing homes.
[04:13] Michelle: Yeah.
[04:13] Derick: So I saw that it was the same amount of points to be an EMT. So I was like, well, that sounds cool. I'll just do the class. I won't work as long as do the class. And so doing that class, I just got even more into it because it's exciting. Those classes are taught by firefighters, so those guys have just seen everything. They're just, whether, by that point, they're just teaching because they're either retired or they're on their way out. They're telling you all these crazy stories. Also really awesome stories. So I was like, I'm going to work as well, I'm tired of Starbucks. I'm going to be an EMT for a while. So I hopped into that and then applied to the nursing program. Didn't get in. And I was like, well, I'll just keep working as an EMT. I'm enjoying it. And then after that, someone said, well, you actually get five extra points if you are a CNA. While I was in the EMT, I went to CNA, got that license, applied again, didn't get in. So then in the meantime, I was like, I just want to be a nurse. So I applied to the Visalia school to be an LVN. Got into that. That was a year-long program. Monday through Friday. Thankfully, as an EMT, you can work long hours. So I would go into work Friday night, get off Sunday morning, and then go to school Monday. I did that for a year.
[05:28] Michelle: No days off, none, zero.
[05:31] Derick: Unless it was a holiday. And then I would work sometimes on those days. And then I worked on 4N as an LVN.
[05:38] Michelle: Busy floor.
[05:39] Derick: Yes, it was. It was eye-opening, for sure. As in, like, what I want to do as a nurse. And then I got into the nursing program while I was an LVN, into the Bridge, which was way easier to get into. That pool is a lot smaller, and I graduated about a year ago, and now I'm a dialysis nurse.
[05:59] Michelle: Wow, that's quite a journey. I share your thing about the CNA and the nursing home. So that was my first foray into healthcare. I became a CNA, and I didn't even think of working in a hospital. I went right to the nursing home, and I was there for four months. And I loved that population of patients, the elderly patients, I loved their stories. I really loved everything about it. But the nursing staff in the nursing home, they were just burnt. Yeah, they were burnt. I did that for four months, and one of my friends said, you've got to get into acute care. Like, you need to go over to the hospital. And I did, and it just made all the difference in the world, because as a CNA, I was also thinking about becoming a nurse. But I was like, I don't want to be one of these nurses if this is what nursing is. So then when I went into acute care, it was like, oh, I like this. This is cool. So, EMT. Let's talk about that for a minute. Do you consider yourself, like, an adrenaline junkie?
[07:18] Derick: No. Okay. I do get the appeal, and I do think it feels good. I don't know what experiences you have as a nurse. I know you were like, some sort of OB nurse?
[07:28] Michelle: NICU.
[07:29] Derick: Okay. So there's little spikes. Every now and again, something happens, and especially if you get out of that situation successfully and you either save a patient or it goes well, it feels even better. You have adrenaline and satisfaction. So I get how people get addicted to it, but it's just not my personality. I need slower, under-control-type situations.
[07:53] Michelle: Right. Because those situations are very chaotic. Another thing that I did while I was contemplating nursing is, I was an Explorer at 15. Are you familiar with that program?
[08:08] Derick: Maybe?
[08:08] Michelle: Yeah. It's a program where teenagers who are looking into healthcare careers, can decide if that's for them. And so I rode along with American Ambulance, and it was really eye-opening, and it caused me, I've never been an adrenaline junkie and I was like, oh, this is a little too much chaos. And like you, I was like, I need something a little bit more predictable, because coming to those scenes, you don't know what you're getting, and it can be really traumatizing.
[08:44] Derick: Right. I'm very thankful that I went through it, though. Those experiences. Anything I encounter in the future is going to be a breeze. I know it. I'm thankful for going through the huge array of medical situations that I've been through now.
[09:00] Michelle: Well, that's one of my questions. So what tools or lessons as an emergency medical technician did you bring with you to your nursing profession?
[09:14] Derick: As an EMT in emergency situations? It's drilled into your head, airway, breathing, circulation, which is the basis of all nursing. So I think I had to have a deeper understanding of that. I've even come across some nurses that have been nurses for a number of years that, I don't know if they think that way. Always, they get really stuck in, well, the machine says, this is going on, medication. That's not usually how we do it or what have you. It's easier to just take a step back and just focus in on what's going on. With this patient, I witnessed people showing up and then just saying something's wrong to witnessing them going into cardiac arrest or have a heart attack right there, or have a PE or something like that totally fine to not find at all in their rooms. So there's no equipment, there's no doctor that said this. There's no report, there's none of that stuff. So just having that knowledge, I think is super valuable. Also, like, being able to remain calm when something like that is going on huge. Huge. Because it's just so counterproductive when you're freaking out, something like that's happening. I witness that on scenes all the time. Like, usually it's new people, or sometimes it's just that's their personality, they're going to freak out even though they're handling it. They're not paying attention to the people who are helping them. You know, they're just, total vision on that patient.
[10:35] Michelle: Yeah. And I think freaking out, I think a lot of nurses freak out in their head, but they're really good at keeping, like, a very calm exterior.
[10:45] Derick: Exactly.
[10:46] Michelle: Yeah.
[10:46] Derick: That's what's happening to me, for sure.
[10:48] Michelle: In their head, they're like, oh, shit.
[10:51] Derick: Exactly.
[10:52] Michelle: Yeah.
[10:54] Derick: I had a code situation at the dialysis unit recently, and everyone's like, how are you so calm during that? I was like, I wasn't calm doing that. I was tingling and I'm hot and I was freaking out. But you can't show that and also you're not worrying about yourself. I'm able to get out of my head and just do what I got to do. And that's definitely from the ambulance.
[11:19] Michelle: What was the experience like when you were an EMT and you were bringing patients into the emergency room and you were coming in contact, obviously, with those professionals that work there, like the nurses and the physicians? And so looking in, like, as, I want to do that someday, what was that experience? What did you get out of that?
[11:44] Derick: Yeah, so I was still taking prereqs for nursing while I took the EMT class because it's just one course. It's one semester, so I was still taking those. Just sort of like, I'm going to do this for the points. I counted it as a prerequisite, basically. So when I was doing ride-along during that class, I can remember going to the ER for the first time. I remember the very first call I was on as a ride-along. It was a stroke. And we brought them into the ER and we took them right into the trauma rooms or whatever, right there at the ambulance bay. And I just heard my first thought was, like, I have to work here, even though I'm never working because I just learned a lot about how that all works and I just wasn't interested by the end of my EMT career. But, yeah, that was my first feeling, was just like, I want to be a nurse. This is awesome. As time went on, I realized those long hours and like I said, the adrenaline and all that, I'm like, I don't know if this is good for someone to do for years and years and years. Yeah, this needs to be something I can do for the next 30 to 35 years. I'm like, I don't know, after a while and meeting nurses that have been doing it for a while and getting their wisdom on that. And usually, you meet an ER nurse that's been doing it for long enough, they're not going to advise you to do it too, usually.
[13:02] Michelle: I know that's so true because they're already kind of jaded by then and they're kind of looking at you like, dude, it's hard. It's going to change you, I think having a short-term plan like, I'm going to do this for one year or two years because, I mean, the skills that you would acquire as an emergency room nurse are huge and you could bring that into any role. But, yeah, I've worked with some ER nurses that have been there for a long, long time and it's exactly like that.
[13:38] Derick: What you say and they get comfortable there, which is crazy. They get comfortable in that chaos and then it becomes a bit of an addiction, probably. We're addicted to something that's not good for you, but we're still doing it. So I think that's what keeps them there for so long. And a lot of paramedics and EMTs that became nurses while I was there just went into the era, this is what I know, this is what I'm going to do. They show you everything. There's a lot of other options.
[14:05] Michelle: Yeah, well, I'm really excited to interview an emergency room nurse. I haven't done that yet. And so if there's any of you ER nurses out there, hit me up. I would love to get in your head and see why you do it every day because looking in from a different specialty, NICU, I go, "Man, I could never do that." But we hear that a lot when you talk to other nurses. They're like, I could never do babies. And I'm like, I could never do adults, I could never do or so I think we just all bring our strengths to whatever our specialty is. And so you kind of already touched on those points about why you became an LVN. First, it was basically to kind of just get your credits and stuff like that. What do you think that you brought from your experience as an LVN to now, as a registered nurse?
[15:10] Derick: I mean, I felt like a nurse already. Obviously. I am. You are a licensed nurse. Exactly. It was, like, a really easy transition. I felt like I just had to kind of go through the motions of school and just get it done because I was already doing all of that. Surprisingly enough, my care plans that were required during LVN school were way more comprehensive and harder than they were when I got into the RN program. The RN program was like, this is a care plan. I can do this. It's easy. My program was run by old-school ER nurses. They did the LVN program.
[15:43] Michelle: Oh, my gosh. I know exactly who you're talking about. I know both of them, and they're both amazing. And one of the things that I've noticed when we had LVN students on the unit in the NICU, man, they were very disciplined. Very disciplined. And they always want to get in there and, what are you doing? Can I watch? Can I help you with that? Super active. And I think that's due to their instructors. Really? And that's something that I was kind of sad that the RN students didn't do so much. They were more reticent to say, what are you doing? Can I watch? Can I help you? All of those things, because I felt like they were scared of getting called on or getting asked questions, whereas the LVN students were just super invested in their education.
[16:43] Derick: Right? Yeah. The LVN instructors just had more freedom with that program. They were given the go-ahead to write the curriculum. This is whatever you want to be required. That's what needs to be required. And I feel like the RN program was a little more like, the State was like, this is what you do if you're brand new and have no health care experience. I could see how a nursing school is very intimidating and, like, stepping onto a med floor for the first time. I'm so glad that I had already done that by the time I got there.
[17:18] Michelle: Yeah. Like, you had all that experience of, first of all, working in a hospital. That's huge. Whether you're working there as a CNA, which I did through school, whether you're an LVN, whether you're an EMT, just learning how a hospital works and the protocols and getting familiar with the routines and the people.
[17:42] Derick: Yeah. The roles, understanding everyone's role.
[17:44] Michelle: Yes. That's huge. And then when you do step into that RN role, it's like you have all that behind you, and it's just familiar, it's comfortable. And now you can just concentrate on your role. And that's one of the things I wanted to talk about, was the scope of practice between LVN and RN. There's some differences there. And do you want to talk to any of those differences in the scope that you realized or went through?
[18:18] Derick: The biggest thing is like I said earlier, I didn't work in a nursing home. So in a nursing home, an LVN is, they're the chief man. They make a lot of decisions without having to ask.
[18:31] Michelle: Clinics, too, they run clinics. Yeah.
[18:34] Derick: So I never did that as an LVN. I went right to 4North, where I was just the relief nurse, and I would just go around and do tasks. I did a lot of wound vacs. I did a lot of med passing. I took a little task from the nurses to just make their job a little bit easier for that day. So we weren't allowed, this might be a State thing, that I couldn't assess a patient. So I can do that, I can't remember exactly what they called it, but my assessments basically didn't count.
[19:04] Michelle: Or did they have to be, like, checked off by an RN?
[19:07] Derick: Pretty much, yeah. There's always present, even if I did, like, some wound care, if I charted on that there and had to go back and sign off on everything I chart yeah. So that was the biggest difference, would be assessments. And then, obviously, pushing meds through an IV. I can start the IV. I can give saline. I can give blood. Those are only two differences. But as an EMT, I think because of limited resources, it's you and a paramedic. They drilled in assessments. So my assessment skills were, for a brand new nurse, pretty good. They're always getting better, and I could learn a lot more.
[19:41] Michelle: And that's huge. As a new nurse, they struggle with that. And so to already bring that I got those down, that's, like, huge.
[19:49] Derick: For sure. I was able to learn before nursing school, like, what's not that important in an assessment and what is.
[19:54] Michelle: Yeah. And I was curious, too, being an RN for so many years. And I worked with LVNs, and, again, as you said, administered IV medications. And then, basically, I went to nurse.org, and their description of the differences in the scope of practice was that LVNs can't work independently, so they must work under another nurse or a physician. If you're working in a hospital, your assessments and all that stuff have to be signed off by a registered nurse, whereas RN's can work more independently. I have to mention here that I worked for years with a very capable, amazing LVN in our NICU. My actual sister, Yvette Creech, and just such a pleasure to work with. And care was always on point and just no issues whatsoever. She loved her job. Fantastic. She just loved her job. Yeah. And one of the things that kind of bugged her was, like, having to be signed off by an RN. Did you share that same thing?
[21:17] Derick: No, because I was pretty new when I did it. It was, like, comforting to know that RN was checking my work.
[21:22] Michelle: Yeah. Okay.
[21:23] Derick: Yeah. So I was okay with it.
[21:24] Michelle: So that's a really good different experience. She has been an LVN for 20 years.
[21:32] Derick: I can see by that point, I would definitely be like, I got it.
[21:36] Michelle: Trust me, I got it. Yeah. But if you're new, like, that comfort of having another professional, like, looking at your work, it's like, okay.
[21:45] Derick: When I was going through it, I hated all the baby steps I had to take to become an RN. But looking back, I'm like, oh, thank goodness I did that. It made every transition easy.
[21:53] Michelle: Yeah. They added to your experience, and they just are making you a better nurse today. So talking about experiences, was there a time in your nursing career ever, whether you were an LVN or as an RN, where you said some experience, maybe with a patient or a physician that just made you say, I may have made a mistake going into this profession?
[22:23] Derick: Not really, because I know there's so many options for us, so many bad experiences, just, like, kind of help narrow my what I wanted to do with my career. So Med search floors, I didn't want to do. I got my fix. I had enough of it. So I didn't like that. Every little thing they did, they had to call the doctor for, because I'm so used to emergency medicine, where you have so much freedom to, like, the patient uses. Now I'm doing it.
[22:52] Michelle: Yeah.
[22:53] Derick: Not like I got to call them for this, call for that.
[22:56] Michelle: Right.
[22:57] Derick: Doctors are so busy. They have so many patients. I don't understand how they do it. Some of them are better at it than others, but calling them for simple things, I feel like they didn't even like, but it's like, you know, I have to do this. That whole dynamic I didn't like. But, no, nothing really discouraged me from it. Not yet. I am still kind of new at it, so I'm still enjoying learning, and that's great.
[23:20] Michelle: Well, the other side of that question is, was there an experience that just solidified your decision? Yeah, I'm in the right place.
[23:31] Derick: Ton of experiences. Pretty much anytime you were successful in treating a patient, it feels good. Yeah, it feels great. Which is just a reminder that I'm doing the right thing with my career.
[23:43] Michelle: Yeah.
[23:44] Derick: Like working in the dialysis clinic now, I really enjoy the fact that I get to know my patients. That's the best part about working where I work, and it's also the worst part because you get to know them and you watch them kind of deteriorate because they're not going to dialysis. You're not healthy on dialysis, you're just maintaining. So that's kind of a bummer. But just helping a patient, just talking to them, making them smile, those things sound cheesy to some people. I know the nurses probably understand that, but, man, it just makes a huge difference when you're sick to smile.
[24:18] Michelle: That's why we do it. I think people that get into nursing, we're like people people. We have empathy, we have compassion. Too much of it sometimes, but sometimes true. And we have to check that. That's part of our self-care to prevent us from burning out and all that. But I interviewed Dave Wilson, the longtime dialysis nurse.
[24:43] Derick: Only heard of him.
[24:44] Michelle: Yeah. And he said the same thing as you. Like, those patients are coming. There a lot of them are obviously in end-stage renal disease, and they're not well. And it was really tough on him because they're there so often, and you're learning about their lives. They're talking about their grandchildren, they're talking about their hopes and dreams, and you being people people, we like hearing that. We like sharing and knowing about their lives, and then something happens, and they get sicker or they pass away, and it is really tough.
[25:22] Derick: Yeah, I love people. I love to hear people's stories.
[25:27] Michelle: Yeah.
[25:28] Derick: You don't get that in the acute setting very often.
[25:30] Michelle: Right? So true. Well, one of the things I wanted to talk about, since you're a male and you're a nurse, and I talked in S1/ EP13, I talked with Larry Logsdon. Larry is a longtime NICU nurse, and now he is a NICU educator and clinical nurse educator at CRMC in their NICU, and he's fabulous. But one of the things we talked about was a kind of discrimination against male nurses, maybe from an institution or a patient that was like, I don't want you taking care of me. Did you ever experience that in your career yet or in nursing school?
[26:22] Derick: Not really discrimination, but I've seen some older women feel a little uncomfortable with me helping them change, cleaning them, things like that. Yeah, I've gotten that. Or even young women, they're like, I don't want this man to help me do this, or what have you. And then the only negative that I've gotten from being a male nurse is from, surprisingly enough, older men. They just don't understand why I'm a nurse. What are you doing?
[26:49] Michelle: Right. Yeah, I could totally see that. One of the things that Larry said was, like, he never gave it a second thought when he knew he wanted to be a nurse. Gender did not even enter into, like, the decision. Do you feel the same?
[27:05] Derick: Oh, yeah, definitely. I didn't even think that's a female's job, but yeah, I mean, I know that that's out there, but I guess I knew nurses already that were male, so it's, like, not a big deal.
[27:17] Michelle: Yeah. I come from a long line of nurses. There's six nurses in our family and three of the nurses are male.
[27:26] Derick: Okay.
[27:26] Michelle: And so it was familiar to me. I never thought, why are you doing this? It solidified my decision to go into nursing and to see my older brothers become amazing nurses. I was like, I want to be like you. I want to do what you do. So I think that's really important. Things are changing, I think, in the profession. When Larry and I talked, we figured out that 12% of nurses are male now, and that came up a lot in the last 20 years. It used to be about 6%. I think nursing is a fabulous career, and if you're a male, you should not feel, like, discouraged or, you can't be a nurse.
[28:17] Derick: There's a male population out there. Why wouldn't it reflect in health care?
[28:22] Michelle: Thank you. Yeah. Exactly. What advice would you give? This sounds weird. You started at the bottom, but it's not really at the bottom.
[28:38] Derick: I did, for sure.
[28:39] Michelle: Well, there's a hierarchy, I guess, in health care. And so you started as an EMT, and then you kind of went up the ladder. And so anybody listening out there, that is an EMT, that is a firefighter, that is a CNA. What advice do you have for them to like, hey, continue, go for your nursing?
[29:03] Derick: I mean, just not giving up, because it took me three tries to get into the program, and I knew people who tried once and was like, I will do something else. And I don't think that's what they wanted, but they were just discouraged.
[29:16] Michelle: That's a good point.
[29:18] Derick: People get anxious and they're ready to start their careers, and they want to get their life going, oh, I'm getting older, blah, blah, blah. A career is lasting the rest of your life and not the rest of your life, but the rest of your work in life. Exactly. So it's okay to take your time. That's the good thing about healthcare. There are different roles that are easier to get into than our end. So like I said, I had my CNA. I went through that program. So I definitely, like, did all the nursing home things through that program. So there's just back doors, there's side doors that you can go through the front door if you're fortunate enough, but just keep going. It's worth it. It's definitely worth it. I love my job, and I'm so thankful that my future is pretty secure because I have a job in health care and I'm not done from here. I still want to go back to school eventually. I'm not going to want to do the same thing. So I feel so blessed that I'm in a career where I'm not going to get bored. It's like, impossible.
[30:21] Michelle: You can go anywhere. You can go to any country, you can go to any clinic, hospital, or school. I mean, it's so varied that's one of the reasons I started this podcast was to really explore all the different specialties within one profession. So you're in chronic dialysis right now and that's your jam. You love it. Do you see yourself attracted to any other specialties that you might want to try?
[30:55] Derick: Yeah. During school, I was really interested in cardiac, so I kind of want to do that again, but I'm not sure how. But I could see once I get kind of bored with kidneys, I'll move on to the heart, but I'm not sure how I'd want to do that. I think I need to get a bachelor's, maybe even a master's before I move out of dialysis because I really like it, but the option is there.
[31:16] Michelle: And I spent my whole career in pediatrics and NICU, and that's why I love talking to nurses from different specialties because I don't know what they do in dialysis. I don't know what your strengths are. I don't know what you struggle with. I don't know the kind of patients that you take care of. I don't know the protocols. So this has been, like, a great learning experience for me as well and I hope for our audience, too. So you're a new nurse, as an RN with about a year's experience. What surprises have you encountered in nursing that you were like, oh, I didn't know that was going to be part of my job. And also what surprises in a good way that you were like, oh, wow, this is part of my job. This is cool.
[32:13] Derick: I don't know what surprised me.
[32:16] Michelle: Something unexpected that you were like, I didn't know that this was going to be like that.
[32:23] Derick: I think maybe it's not really patient-related, but just the camaraderie between the people on your unit. It was always like a co-worker's experience before nursing. And this is like pretty close to family because you go through such stressful situations together. I didn't really expect that, like, I'm about to have a baby and my unit threw me a baby shower. Crazy.
[32:47] Michelle: That is awesome.
[32:48] Derick: Surprised the heck out of me, too. I got so many diapers and toys and clothes and gift cards and I'm just like, what? This is crazy.
[32:57] Michelle: That's when you know I think you found your tribe.
[33:00] Derick: Right? I think that the people, for sure are why I like working there.
[33:04] Michelle: And you're a CrossFitter.
[33:07] Derick: I dabble.
[33:09] Michelle: I dabble in CrossFit. I love it. Having had two years experience personally of CrossFit, what you said just totally resonates with me. I think that's why I really love the CrossFit community so much because there are so many similarities with the nursing community. We take care of each other. We cheer each other on. We encourage each other to not quit. We see the strengths in each other. We do things together outside of, quote, work. There's just so many similarities. And that's why I love the nursing profession. I think that's a great thing to discover as a new nurse. Like, wow, I didn't know this was going to be such a great family and so supportive of me, and that's awesome. Let's continue welcoming all of our new nurses like that because it might make the difference between them staying or leaving.
[34:15] Derick: Exactly.
[34:15] Michelle: So we don't want that. Well, you mentioned that you are going to be a father, like, very soon, any day now. You are basically on call for this interview. You were like if Sam goes into labor, I'm calling off this interview, which I totally understand, but besides becoming a father, what's in the future for you, like, in your professional life, what do you see in the future?
[34:46] Derick: I don't know. Right. I'm still content where I am, but I know that's not going to be forever. So I think just kind of climbing the ladder of responsibility. I'd like to be a charge nurse eventually. I think that I could handle it. I just don't want to do it yet. I work with too many nurses that have been doing it a while, and I understand that it's like unless I was called and I really wanted to do it right now, but I can wait. But they don't want the new guy to tell them what to do necessarily, especially if he doesn't know everything. So I think eventually I'd like to do that.
[35:16] Michelle: And I think that's definitely a process, experience, and all of that.
[35:22] Derick: Right. So I haven't experienced every situation yet. And charge nurses, I feel like they need to be experienced in almost every situation because they're our resource. So, yeah, right now, just keep learning, keep trying to do my best, and just climb the ladder of responsibility.
[35:37] Michelle: Yeah. And you talked about possibly furthering your career, going back for your bachelor's and master's and all of that.
[35:45] Derick: Right. Now that I am starting a family, I feel like it's important to show your kid that I did it. You can do it.
[35:51] Michelle: Yeah. I love that. Yeah. Lead by example. And so your child will also be a CrossFitter.
[35:58] Derick: For sure if he takes after his mom.
[36:01] Michelle: Yes, I know. That's so true. Wow. I have loved talking to you, Derek. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. I think you've brought so much value to our audience, people out there that are contemplating, do I want to be a nurse, do I want to go further in my career? I think you have really shown people that you can do that. Definitely.
[36:28] Derick: I would say if you're starting down the path of nursing, no matter where you are in it if you're just taking your first day of prerequisites you started and just know that. Just finish. There's so many options for us. So many. If you want to sit at a desk, that's fine. Do that. It's worth it. Just finish.
[36:45] Michelle: I love that. It's worth it. I second that. Well, now we are ready for the five-minute snippet.
[36:53] Derick: All right, let's go.
[36:57] Michelle: You know the answers to all these questions so we will just start the timer and we will go. Okay. Now, this was a really funny card that I pulled from my PodDecks and I thought it was really great and topical. If you and your partner were pregnant, where would be the worst place to go into labor?
[37:22] Derick: Oh, man. The car probably, as an EMT.
[37:27] Michelle: Did you ever deliver babies?
[37:29] Derick: Yeah, three. I was there. I didn't deliver them, but I was there and they were all at home. I feel like yeah, you want to be in a structure. So, like, in a car would not be good. Somewhere outside hiking would be the worst. These are all things you should not be doing in late pregnancy.
[37:46] Michelle: That's right. Okay. When you have to study for a test and so you basically took the NCLEX twice, is that correct? Because once as an LVN.
[37:57] Derick: Yeah, they're called different things, but yeah, they're pretty much yeah.
[37:59] Michelle: Okay, so when you had to study for a test, what is a proven successful method for you that you use?
[38:06] Derick: Just repetition. Anything I didn't understand. Literally, write it out over and over. Flashcards. Just repetition for me, over and over and over.
[38:16] Michelle: That's really important because a lot of people have test anxiety, and so I think those things are really important to help you succeed. This is a WYR.  WYR do 200 burpees or a 5K?
[38:32] Derick: I would rather do a 5K.
[38:35] Michelle: Yes.
[38:39] Derick: I can go all day, but my explosion and strength are not great.
[38:43] Michelle: Yeah, that's great. Okay, if you are a bartender, which famous person would you like to serve? A famous person walks up to your bar, who do you want it to be?
[38:56] Derick: Interesting? I don't know.
[38:57] Michelle: Living or dead.
[39:00] Derick: I think Kurt Cobain would be awesome, of Nirvana.
[39:04] Michelle: Wow, that would be interesting, you're a musician, and he would.
[39:07] Derick: Probably go pretty hard. So he'd be there for a while. You could talk to him.
[39:11] Michelle: He'd be sitting at the bar for a while.
[39:14] Derick: Who else? Comedian wise? I'm really into someone, Gilbert? Have you heard of him?
[39:19] Michelle: Oh, my gosh.
[39:21] Derick: It would be cool to have a drink with him. Oh, very I don't know.
[39:26] Michelle: I love that.
[39:28] Derick: Those would be awesome.
[39:29] Michelle: Okay. The nicest thing a stranger has ever done for you. If that has happened, you'd be very lucky.
[39:38] Derick: Stranger.
[39:41] Michelle: These are hard.
[39:42] Derick: I don't know if a stranger has ever done something super nice for me besides pay for my coffee at Starbucks. That might be the nicest thing.
[39:49] Michelle: It might have been me. I do that every time we go to Starbucks, which is about four times a year.
[39:55] Derick: Yeah, I've been in the drive-through and they're like, yeah, they got it for you. I'm like, oh, okay.
[39:58] Michelle: Thank you. I want that to happen to me someday.
[40:01] Derick: Yeah, I've done it because of someone.
[40:02] Michelle: Yes. I love that. Are you related to someone famous or historical? Like, have you done your genealogy or anything like that?
[40:13] Derick: Not that I know of.
[40:14] Michelle: Okay.
[40:14] Derick: No, I don't think so.
[40:17] Michelle: Maybe you'll have to do that since you're having a son.
[40:20] Derick: My wife's great-uncle is good friends with Willie Nelson. That's the closest thing I can think of.
[40:24] Michelle: Oh, that's cool.
[40:25] Derick: Yeah, he's been up in Three Rivers with them a few times.
[40:28] Michelle: Okay, I like that. Who is someone that you would like to trade places with for just one day? Bet it's a musician.
[40:36] Derick: Yeah, for sure.
[40:37] Michelle: That's the first thing I thought.
[40:39] Derick: For just one day.
[40:43] Michelle: I would be the guitarist from Rage Against the Machine.
[40:47] Derick: That would be awesome.
[40:49] Michelle: He's amazing.
[40:50] Derick: He is. He really is, man. There's a band called Story so far, and the singer has another band called No Pressure. And I've just recently been listening to a lot to them, and I follow him on Instagram, and they play these massive concerts where the crowd just goes off and just goes wild and just screams lyrics back at him. And I was a singer in a band, so I think if I could just be him in one show, that would be awesome.
[41:13] Michelle: Oh, my God, that would be so cool. Okay, let's see how much time we have. Okay, we have 40 seconds. That's plenty of time. What three things would you leave in a time capsule for people to open in 50 years? Which would be 2073. Man, you're like only three.
[41:36] Derick: I know, right? Maybe an iPhone, because who knows what the heck is going to be what we carry around or implanted in us by then.
[41:45] Michelle: That's so true.
[41:46] Derick: That would be funny. Shoot, I don't know. What else? These are hard. This one's hard.
[41:54] Michelle: I know.
[41:55] Derick: A phone would be weird. That would be funny to see. You got me. I don't know. What? I don't know. What would I want to see?
[42:01] Michelle: I know. I do like your idea of some kind of tech technology that we use a lot today. Maybe like a tree or something like that. Something with nature. But yeah, it's very thought-provoking. These are very good. Well, you did good. You knew all the answers. I knew you would. I knew you'd be fabulous. I'm so glad that I met you.
[42:27] Derick: Yeah, me too.
[42:27] Michelle: And I'm so glad that you came on and really just gave our listeners a peek into your transition to being a nurse and being an amazing nurse.
[42:38] Derick: I appreciate it.
[42:39] Michelle: Thank you. You have a great day.
[42:41] Derick: You, too.
[42:42] Michelle: Thank you.