BCEN & Friends

All nurses are able to celebrate lifelong learning, especially our special guest on this week’s episode of BCEN and Friends, Dr. Ken Dion. Dr. Dion has an amazing 40-year career in the health industry. He began as a nurse and has evolved to become not only a nurse, but also an entrepreneur, innovator, scholar, and president elect of Sigma. He yields from John Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland and is an absolute inspiration to nurses across the spectrum.

He is a firm believer that there is no such thing as “too much education.” In fact, he holds an MSM-MBA and doctorate in nursing systems. All around, this man is just incredible, and we have been so lucky as to learn more about him. To top it all off, he originally dropped out of high school and later attained his GED. Since then, he has catapulted his career through education. We can all learn something from the drive Dr. Ken Dion has inside of him.

What helps him to stand apart from everyone else is his specialty in Business, as well as Nursing. Although none of us want to think of healthcare as a business, it is one of the largest ones in the world as Dr. Dion points out.

When people ask him what it means for him to have so much widespread education, he calls himself “trilingual” and that, he is! What does he mean exactly? Dr. Dion responds with a phenomenal answer, “I talk to the end users about what they need to solve their problems. Then I go to the tech people and talk to them in tech, talk about what we're gonna go build and then I go to the CFO and explain to him in the language of accounting as to how he is going to get his return on investment on this product that we're going to implement.” He may call himself trilingual, but we can say this is one savvy businessman who knows the bottom line of healthcare.

On top of all his other educational achievements, he managed to attain his PhD while also launching his business, Decision Critical which he claims would sometimes take 20, 24, or even 28 hours of a day. Yes, he must have been very exhausted during those times in his life.

Regardless of how busy Dr. Ken Dion may be, he says it is essential for us all to take time to ourselves. Our mental health is just as important as our physical health. In some cases, even more so, as we need our mental health at the top of its game. After all, if we don’t take care of ourselves, how can we care for others?

For more great life, educational, and nursing advice, tune into this episode of BCEN and Friends Podcast.

Feel free to follow our latest guest, Dr. Ken Dion, on social media-

Twitter: @KennethDion

LinkedIn: @KennethDion

And don’t forget to follow Jeffrey Mcdogface, his adorable puppy on Instagram @JeffreyMcdogface

CLICK HERE for a transcript of this Episode 

As a child, Curt Steinhorst suffered through ADD (attention deficit disorder). He was the only one in his family who had to overcome this hyperactivity disorder. Today, as an adult, he has not only overcome the obstacle, but has gone on to become the best-selling author of the book titled, Can I have your Attention?.

Lucky for us, he is the special guest on this episode of the BCEN and Friends Podcast. His ultimate goal in life is to inspire better work habits, allow teams to focus on getting stuff done, and most of all, doing it all while we remain constantly connected through social media. Curt is a quite exceptional individual who speaks approximately 75 times a year to organizations that include non-profits, as well as Fortune 100 companies.

So, how is the man who is relentlessly busy able to offer guidance to companies and individuals on keeping their focus in the workplace? He certainly has some advice that we can all reap the benefits of, and he is eager to share it with our listeners. First and foremost, he admits to us that he struggles to keep up with everything that is thrown at him on a daily basis. Don’t we all? However, Curt being a long-time sufferer of ADD, definitely struggles more than the average Joe. But that doesn’t stop him; it only motivates him more.

He is constantly asking himself, “What’s reasonable?” in the workplace. Curt feels it is best to know what gets AND keeps our attention. For example, we should put our focus on the things that matter the most and tune out the noise and distractions of minimalist things.

When we focus on the things that matter the most, they are able to receive all of our attention. This is essential and the reason he launched his website, Focuswise. After all, when we focus all of our attention on one thing, as opposed to our partial attention on many things, we are able to achieve success. Not to mention, no one wants our partial attention; they want our full attention. Curt explains this in great detail. Quite frankly, it a very brilliant technique.

He also throws out a statistic that shocks the BCEN cast and will do the same to the listeners. Would you believe we suffer an approximate drop of 40 percent in efficiency with our work when we flip back and forth between tasks? That is nearly half! So, almost HALF of our work suffers when we multitask. What can we learn from this? Focus, focus, focus! Focus on what’s important and reasonable (first), then move on to the secondary but don’t overwhelm yourself with it.

Curt is a renowned speaker, author, and strategist. We are honored to have met such an awesome person on this episode of BCEN and Friends. For more advice to help your organization to perform at its best, be sure to tune in for this episode of BCEN and Friends with our special guest, Curt Steinhorst.

Feel free to follow our latest guest, Curt Steinhorst, on social media*-

His website: http://www.focuswise.com

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: Curt Steinhorst

*Note: Curt also says he has Twitter and Facebook, but due to his focus on the workforce to steer away from social media, he would prefer that our listeners reach out to him through his website, email, or LinkedIn for the quickest response.

CLICK HERE for a transcript of this Episode 

A storyteller at heart, Sean Kavanagh is a great inspiration to us all. He is the special guest for the latest episode of BCEN and Friends podcast series. His catch phrase, “Fall Risk,” shows us how we all need to be afraid to not be a fall risk throughout our lives because if we don’t risk the fall, we don’t heap the rewards on the other side.

He is an inspiration to us all by combining his humor with professional stories as well as his life experiences to show us that anything is worth the “fall.” Not to mention, he hails from Liverpool, U.K. Although he is now a naturalized American, he has that beautiful accent we all love to hear.

Sean had a bicycling accident on August 17, 2016 which changed his life forever. In fact, it was such a terrible accident that the first responders at the scene were unsure of his fate. However, these first responders acted quickly and saved Sean’s life. He still does not remember it to this day; he only knows what everyone has told him about it. Undoubtedly, we can’t expect to remember much after being hit while bicycling downhill, by an oncoming pickup truck. To make matters worse, spectators said he flew some twenty feet through the air.

After the accident, he only recalls when he awoke in a rehab hospital. One of the first things he saw when he opened his eyes happened to be his bracelet on his wrist which read, “Fall Risk.” As emergency responders across the map know, this means that he was to stay in bed, call for help, and do not try to get up on his own. Sean turned that bracelet into a catch phrase that shaped his life, to this day.

Essentially, we may all fall at some point in our lives, but Sean believes that is when we learn the very most. After his accident, he became more apt to take risks because he learned how precious life truly is and how a minute of it should not be wasted. Sean has taught us how we must “fall” in order to prevail a stronger, more determined person.

Sean Kavanagh is a man of inspiration and determination. There is much to still learn about life and Sean definitely has some pointers that can help us all to go farther and be successful and happy. Don’t hesitate to listen to his heartfelt story on this episode of BCEN and Friends podcast, hosted by Brigid Flood and Janie Schumaker. It will not disappoint.

Feel free to follow our latest guest, Sean Kavanagh, on social media-

His website: http://www.fallrisker.com

Email: [email protected]

Blog: https://fallrisker.com/blog

CLICK HERE for a transcript of this Episode 

This episode of the BCEN and Friends podcast is one you won't want to miss! 

If you have ever listened to any of our other episodes, we usually begin our podcast with … The BCEN and Friends podcast is an opportunity for us to have interesting conversations about learning with a range of thought leaders, BCEN certification holders, industry professionals (and for this podcast … kids!) That’s right kids!

Today, in this special episode with kids as our BCEN and Friends! Janie, Brigid, and, occasionally, I are going to ask kids from 21 (you can be a kid at any age) to 5 years old some questions about themselves and also about nurses.

We thought it would be interesting to see what kids think of nursing, so we asked some people, we know, if we could interview their children to see what they think of nursing, By the way the kids were not given the questions ahead of time.

In this podcast we will begin with our oldest BCEN friend (I don’t remember being called the oldest at 21) and work our way down to our youngest of 5 years old.

Well, let’s see how this goes.  WARNING - this podcast may cause excessive smiles and laughter :-)

Our latest and greatest friend of the BCEN and Friends podcast is Jeff Paterson. Jeff is the creator of Gaggle which helps focus on the risky student behavior of today’s youth. Bullying, self-harm, and mental health are just a few of the things that Jeff’s platform helps to shift the focus to so as to keep our young generation safe from harm of others, as well as themselves.

He is an entrepreneur at heart who started his first company when he was only FOUR YEARS OLD! Yes, you read that correctly. Was it successful? According to his Mom, not so much because he couldn’t find the right investors for it.

But that alone did not stop Jeff from becoming his own boss for the past two decades. Now, he successfully runs Gaggle which originally began as an email platform for students and teachers. Now it has grown to focus on the safety and well-being that our young face in their day-to-day and its focus is to keep our children safe, by any means necessary. This platform allows reps to monitor our adolescents e-mail in a safe and secure way.

Jeff offers some alarming statistics that we should all be aware of – every year, there are 6,000 students between the ages of 7 and 24 that commit suicide. Although every case is unique in itself, Jeff hopes to drop these numbers as low as possible through Gaggle.

We have even learned that some students will use different tools, including a paper clip or staple to scratch at themselves in order to inflict self-harm. Although this may not seem like anything to concern most parents or guardians, Jeff informs us that this is a tell-tell sign that a student’s mental health is not at its absolute best. Should anything this small be brought to light, we might be able to prevent the outcries of a potential suicide before it happens. Little things, just like this, are the exact statistics that Gaggle takes into account, every day.

With the COVID crisis, Jeff wants parents and teachers to be even more informed of the small issues that could arise to become larger ones. In his words, “this is our gap year” so if our students do not learn as much as they did last year, that’s OK. We are in the midst of change and the most important part of that is making sure our children understand that change is not always a bad thing.

Tune in to this episode of the BCEN and Friends podcast for more great tips that Jeff has to say about how to recognize signs of brewing issues that we, as parents, may not notice otherwise. As both a parent and concerned citizen, he has valuable insight for people across every spectrum of life and his wisdom is absolutely astonishing.

Feel free to follow our latest guest, Jeff Patterson, on social media-

His website: http://www.gaggle.net/

LinkedIn: Gaggle

Twitter: @Gaggle_K12

CLICK HERE for a transcript of this Episode 

How do you define a man of wisdom and great leadership without going overboard on the use of words? Well, in this case, you don’t. Alex Draper is a wise man beyond his years, as he is the founder and CEO of DX Learning. Not to mention, this man is on a mission to shape organizations’ worth by empowering managers and teams alike to think like great leaders of today.

Lucky for us, he is our special guest on this episode of BCEN and Friends (hosted by the one and only Brigid Flood). Alex hails originally from the U.K. and boy, do we love that accent! During his journey approximately twenty some odd years ago, he tried his hand at teaching. Basically, he was told he wasn’t a very good teacher. Why? Instead of him actually ‘teaching,’ he was enjoying it from a kid’s level.

However, being told this did not deter Alex’s dreams of being an educator. Instead, it fueled a fire in Alex to alter his path of education by a different avenue known as experimental learning. It may not work for everyone, but it worked for Alex. In turn, he wanted to come to America (and he did).

In 2015, Alex decided to start his own company – DX Learning. Through DX Learning, Alex is able to teach us the difference between management and leadership. It may seem like common sense to understand how they differ, but Alex is able to shed new light on the profound differences between them.

Bear in mind, Alex goes on to explain to both Janie and Brigid how management is because you were chosen to “manage” but true leadership is a talent to lead people by choice and do so in a swanky manner. He mentions his method for success is the CARE Model. The acronym CARE is broken down to stand for: Clarity, Autonomy, Relationships, Equity.

Essentially, Alex contributes his success as a remarkable leader to his CARE Model. Brigid and Janie concur with him as he details everything throughout the podcast. Any leader looking to improve their skillset to continue on a successful path should heed his words of advice. This man knows what he’s talking about!

Feel free to check out our special guest, Alex Draper, on social media-

His Website: http://www.DX-Learning.com/

LinkedIn: DX Learning

Alex’s LinkedIn: Alex Draper

CLICK HERE for a transcript of this Episode 

What do you get when you mix a lifelong learner with a passion for understanding high performance, an entrepreneur, mom, and all around cool human? You get our newest friend on the BCEN and Friends Podcast – Dr. Kate Hixson.

As Janie and Brigid learn in this conversation, Kate is a very fascinating woman who earned her PhD by studying team-based training at NASA. She was offered a pre-doctorial research fellowship through NASA. In layman’s terms, she got to spend her summers at Johnson Space Center! How cool is that? She defines it as a once in a lifetime opportunity and she is right.

Not only did she get to spend time at Johnson Space Center, she also got to work with astronauts who will be going to Mars. However, being an entrepreneur, she wasn’t satisfied with just doing team-based training. While being at NASA, she also worked for Pearson, the world’s largest educational company. After her time at Pearson, she and her husband James founded a custom fabrication business in Denver and now Kate is returning to her roots with the launch of  www.katehixson.com, her new website, and her upcoming podcast Dauntless.

So, how does Kate relate to nursing professionals? Well, think about how EXTRAORDINARY our healthcare workers are in the field. It’s not hard to see how well these two compares to one another.

Kate lets Brigid know just how respectful she is, in regard to our nursing professionals. She is even able to compare her time at NASA (doing team-based training) to how our healthcare workers are able to adapt on the front lines.

The work is stressful, but overall, nurses are working within teams all day in a very incredible, high stakes environment. They are working with people’s lives. However, Kate has the CRUSH Method to assist people in achieving extraordinary (or even just simple) goals.

Each letter of the word has a different meaning. Kate’s CRUSH Method stands for: Catalyst, Resolution, Unwavering, Stamina, and Habit. Her explanations of how to achieve and supersede goals via the CRUSH Method are just unwavering. Anyone who wishes to become a certified nursing professional should seek be sure to listen to this segment about Kate’s CRUSH Method, as it could essentially give you the extra push you need to surpass your goals.

Undoubtedly, the most interesting part of this episode is how Brigid, Janie, and Kate go on to express how nursing professionals (and all healthcare workers) are extraordinary without realizing it. Across the world, our nurses have stepped up to whatever obstacles have been put in their way, battled their way through them and are anxiously waiting for the next step of issues to be presented.

Most of them don’t realize just how astonishing their job allows them to become. We thank the BCEN and Friends podcast for pointing this out. Be sure to tune in to this episode to hear all about the extraordinary Kate Hixson and how she can help you triumph through your goals.

Feel free to check out Dr. Kate Hixson on social media-

Instagram: @KateHixsonPhD

Twitter: @KateHixsonPhD

Her Website: http://www.katehixson.com/

Podcast: Dauntless by Kate Hixson (https://katehixson.libsyn.com/)

CLICK HERE for a transcript of this Episode 

Two everyday boys manage to save the world from vampires in The Lost Boys movie.  While we’re not fighting off vampires, we are in the midst of fighting off one of the deadliest viruses in a hundred years. 

The Outsiders portrays two distinct groups of people, those on the ‘Right’ side of the track and those on the ‘Wrong’ side to discover it’s the same sunset we all see, we’re in this together.

In the inaugural episode of the Board Certification of Emergency Nursing (BCEN) podcast, Director of Strategy and Operations Brigid Flood sits down (virtually) with author and speaker Chris Clews about just how many workplace and life lessons derive from 80s pop culture.

Chris is the author of the book series, What 80s Pop Culture Teaches Us About Today’s Workplace, an original self-published book released in 2019.

Brigid and Chris discuss a variety of topics, ranging from passion and teamwork, to resilience and regulating stress, to lifelong learning and venturing into the unknown—all from the perspective of movies from the 80s.

Discover more about Chris, lessons from 80s movies, and just how important the ‘King of Music’ Prince is to being a great leader!

CLICK HERE for a transcript of this Episode