BCEN & Friends

In this podcast episode we want to introduce you to our BCEN Friend Anne O’Connor.

Annemarie O’Connor is an Advanced Practice Nurse Practitioner at the Burn and Complex Wound Center at the University of Chicago Medicine in Illinois. With over 35 years of nursing within burn care from the bedside to administration and advanced practice, Anne has taken on responsibilities that encompass intensive care, surgical assist, outpatient wound management and community health and education.

Anne has served on various councils for advanced practice nursing and worked with the American Burn Association on several national committees including the Burn Nurse Certification initiative. She is a national faculty for the Advanced Burn Life Support Course thru ABA and has presented at state, national and international events presenting burn care content and education.

Come along as Michael Dexter and Hollye Briggs talk with Anne about her journey in the specialty of burn nursing from initial fears to pioneering the future with national certification.

This episode is called “When a Passion for Burn Care ignites your Whole Career.”

Anne recommends connecting through the website for University of Chicago Medical Center-Burn Center (www.uchicagomedicine.org/conditions-services/burn-center).

BCEN & Friends Podcast is presented by the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing. We invite you to visit us online at https://bcen.org for additional information about emergency nursing certification, education, and much more.

In this podcast episode we want to introduce you to our BCEN Friend Alice Benjamin.

“Nurse Alice” Benjamin is a board-certified family nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, author, speaker, podcast host and a nurse pioneer on TV as a medical correspondent. Her experiences range from cardiovascular health, critical care, and emergency medicine involving patient care at some of the most prestigious and underserved hospitals.

As a medical correspondent for NBC Los Angeles, she was the nation's most watched nurse on TV who kept millions of viewers up to date with daily reporting during the Covid crisis. Spanning her career, Nurse Alice has appeared on numerous national shows, networks and radio shows including GMA3, Dr. Oz, The Doctors, CNN, HLN, FOX News, News Nation, TVOne, BBC, just to name a few. She also hosts the Ask Nurse Alice Podcast which we will spend more time on in the episode. Her written health features have been published in Parent Magazine, Blavity, Huffington Post, EBONY, The American Nurse, Minority Nurse, and many more. She is also the Founder and Senior editor for AskNurseAlice.com, a trusted online health, wellness, and medical media outlet.

Her mantra is she likes to talk to people before they become her patients. And when she talks, people listen.

Come along as Michael Dexter and Hollye Briggs talk with Alice about her career in nursing, which has spanned from the bedside to the boardroom and national media outlets.

This episode is called “My Way to Becoming Nurse Alice.”

Alice can be reached on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok @AskNurseAlice or on her website at www.AskNurseAlice.com.

In this podcast episode we want to introduce you to our BCEN Friend George Olschewski.

George Olschewski started out in healthcare as an EMT in 1993 and finished an English degree with a minor in journalism before going back for his nursing degree. Since 1998 George worked in the hospital from the intermediate and step down units to the ED at the Level One trauma center-University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey. It was there that George became a founding member of the Critical Care Transport Team at the trauma center.

George continues to serve in both specialties of EMS and transport nursing at Hackensack University Medical Center’s specialty care transport unit and Angel Midflight’s aeromedical flight team. In addition to his CTRN, George holds the TCRN, CEN and TCRN certification along with his certification as a Nationally Registered Paramedic.

Come along as Janie Schumaker, Michael Dexter, and Hollye Briggs talk with George about his career in transport nursing and recent nomination and selection for a BCEN award.

Come join in on this celebration conversation.

This episode is called “Not all Heroes are in Comic Books: Spotlight on the 2023 Distinguished CTRN Award Winner.”

George can be reached on LinkedIn @GeorgeOlschewski.

In this podcast episode we want to introduce you to our BCEN Friend Jordan Tyczka.

Jordan is currently the director of trauma services at Inova Loudoun Hospital, which is a Level III trauma center in Leesburg, VA. Since starting her nursing career in 2007, Jordan has worked in various Level I and Level II trauma centers along the east coast. She has obtained her master’s degree in nursing education and served as the clinical nurse educator for trauma services prior to her current role.

During her time in the educator role, Jordan achieved her TCRN and helped 50 other nurse co-workers attain their TCRN certifications as well.

Come along as Janie Schumaker, Michael Dexter, and Hollye Briggs talk with Jordan about her career in trauma nursing and recently being selected as the 2023 Distinguished Trauma Certified Registered Nurse. Come join in on this celebration conversation.

This episode is called “No Escaping this Distinguished Nurse: Spotlight on 2023 Distinguished TCRN Award Winner.”

Jordan can be reached on LinkedIn @JordanTyczka.

In this podcast episode we want to introduce you to our BCEN Friend Kayleigh Summers.

Kayleigh Summers is a licensed clinical social worker and private practice owner in Downingtown, PA. Kayleigh uses her training as a licensed therapist and her own experience as an Amniotic Fluid Embolism survivor to treat and support families experiencing perinatal trauma.

Kayleigh has created thriving birth trauma support communities through Instagram and TikTok, as well as her podcast, where she provides connection, story sharing, and resources to support those experiencing birth and other trauma.

Come along as Michael Dexter and Hollye Briggs talk with Kayleigh about her lived experiences and current passion for perinatal trauma. Kayleigh offers some great insight and advice during this meaningful conversation.

This episode is called “Speak Now with the Birth Trauma Mama.”

Kayleigh Summers can be reached on Instagram and TikTok @thebirthtrauma_mama and on her website: https://thebirthtraumamama.com/

In this podcast episode we want to introduce you to our BCEN Friend Kris Ramos.

Kris Ramos is a master’s prepared registered nurse and paramedic with a broad base of critical care experience including ground and air ambulance prehospital care, adult and pediatric emergency departments, pediatric cardiovascular intensive care, PICU, NICU, hemodialysis, and leadership roles. He currently serves as the Base Hospital Coordinator at Phoenix Children’s. Kris’s daily focus is to improve prehospital care for children by bringing Phoenix Children’s expertise to emergency responders through continuing education, patient follow-up, and operations consultations. Kris is the founder and chair of the Phoenix Children's Annual EMS conference which provides prehospital providers with current pediatric trauma and emergency care continuing education. Kris also serves as vice chair of the Arizona Department of Health Services’ Pediatric Advisory Council for Emergency Services, a committee that plays a lead role within Arizona’s EMS and trauma community to improve pediatric care.

Come along as Michael Dexter and Hollye Briggs talk with Kris about his career in prehospital medicine and nursing. Kris has been instrumental in moving the benchmarks for pediatric prehospital care and offering the most up-to-date continuing education.

This episode is called “Walking the Line for quality pediatric prehospital care.”

Kris Ramos can be reached via LinkedIn @Kris-Ramos and through the Phoenix Children’s EMS and Prehospital Care Conference website (ems.phoenixchildrens.org).

In this podcast episode we want to introduce you to our BCEN Friend Sean Fox.

Dr. Sean Fox is a Professor of Emergency Medicine and of Pediatrics as well as the Program Director of the Emergency Medicine Residency at Carolinas Medical Center. He works half his shifts in the Pediatric ED and the other half in the Adult ED. Since his time at the University of Maryland, when he served as a Chief Resident, Sean has been passionate about both clinical care and medical education. In 2014 he won the American College of Emergency Physicians’ (ACEP’s) National Emergency Medicine Faculty Teaching Award.

Currently, while he educates the next generation of Emergency Physicians in North Carolina, Sean has partnered with other educators across the U.S. to craft national educational courses and curriculum. Dr. Fox spends his spare time generating and managing several educational websites geared toward the practice of emergency medicine.

Come along as Michael Dexter and Hollye Briggs talk with Sean about his career in emergency medicine where he specialized in both adult and pediatrics. Sean has some great morsels of advice and recommendations in this conversation.

This episode is called “Inconceivable! From emergency medicine to podcast producer.”

Sean Fox can be reached on Twitter and Instragram @PedEMMorsels and @EMGuidewire

Dr. Fox’s website recommendations: www.pedemmorsels.com, www.emguidewire.com, www.cmcecg.com, www.mededmasters.com, www.cmcedmasters.com

In this podcast episode we want to introduce you to our BCEN Friend Carole Covey.

Carole Covey has worked in various roles within healthcare over the past 15 years, ranging from ED to ICU, trauma to flight nursing, pre-hospital to administration and lots of in between. She has a passion for education, leadership and serving those in vulnerable populations. During 2020, Carole focused her efforts on emergency response and humanitarian aid services from Florida to California. She is currently the Medical Services Manager with AECOM, working on a large-scale project involving pediatric and adolescent care.

Carole holds multiple certifications including the CEN and CFRN. She is also a student, working on a dual master’s degree program in nursing and business administration.

Come along as Michael Dexter and Hollye Briggs talk with Carole about her journey in emergency nursing which has led her to her current role planning and organizing healthcare to meet the needs of a very vulnerable patient population-unaccompanied minors from the US borders.

This episode is called “Next thing you know: ED nursing to hospital contracts and design.”

Carole Covey can be reached on LinkedIn @CaroleCovey & Facebook @Carole.A.Covey.

In this podcast episode we want to introduce you to our BCEN Friend Travis McCall.

Dr. Travis McCall obtained his MSN in 2013 from Vanderbilt University specializing in ED education and earned his Doctor of Philosophy in 2021 from the University of Tennessee College of Nursing with a graduate minor in Epidemiology in Public Health. His dissertation focused on secondary traumatic stress and promotion of nurse welfare.

Travis has over 15 years of experience across the emergency spectrum from pre-hospital to his current roles as an Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing and as a Flight Nurse Practitioner with Vanderbilt LifeFlight. Travis is passionate about advancing nurse welfare through education and the promotion of peer- and self-care, and his research on these topics have been published in the Journal of Emergency Nursing, the Journal of Trauma Nursing, and the Air Medical Journal.

Come along as Janie Schumaker and Hollye Briggs talk with Travis about his career and research into compassion fatigue and secondary trauma. His motivation for change is certainly matched well by his compassion for those serving in healthcare with him.

This episode is called “Digging into Research: growing compassion satisfaction.”

Travis McCall can be found on Twitter @WTravisMcCall.

In this podcast episode we want to introduce you to our BCEN Friend Caitlin Parker..

Caitlin Parker is a Certified Child Life Specialist at Atrium Health Levine Children's in Charlotte, NC. In her 13-year career at Levine's, she has worked in various roles across multiple service lines in pediatric and adult populations. She is driven by a passion for enhancing family nuclei coping and advocacy in the hospital setting that will carry over to better physical, emotional, and psychosocial outcomes for the trajectory of their health journey.

Whether it is a child's first visit to the ED or their 30th admission, Caitlin believes in recognizing and impacting the momentous touchpoints during these visits, which will support the development and wellbeing of the whole family. These moments are where you will find Certified Child Life Specialist, like Caitlin, doing their best work.

Come along as Michael Dexter and Hollye Briggs talk with Caitlin about her career as a Certified Child Life Specialist. Her compassion and insight are sure to uplift and make a lasting impact.  

This episode is called “Living with Purpose as a Child Life Specialist.”

Website resources recommended by Caitlin:

Child Life Program | Levine Children's Hospital | Atrium Health

Association of Child Life Professionals @Home (childlife.org)

Caitlin Parker can be reached via email at: [email protected]