This week’s news is giving myth-busting, true crime, nurse solidarity, Super Bowl romance, strike wins, and discount meds. We’re running through the biggest nurse headlines in the exact order they dropped, so you can stay informed without doom-scrolling your nervous system into oblivion.

• Joint Commission clears up the “no drinks at the nurses station” myth and basically says… your water bottle isn’t the villain.
• Netflix’s The Investigation of Lucy Letby dives into the neonatal nurse case and hospital red flags.
• All 14 OB nurses resign after a Tennessee hospital shuts down its entire L&D unit. Rural healthcare crisis, unlocked.
• A male nurse gets legally married during Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show. Main character energy.
• NYC nurses secure a major strike victory with staffing and pay wins.
• Kaiser nurses in CA and Hawaii continue striking, with more workers joining.
• Trump Rx vs. Cost Plus Drugs vs. GoodRx breakdown for cheaper meds.

Jump Ahead to Listen:
[00:02:49] Joint Commission myth on drinks at nurses’ station
[00:06:02] Netflix documentary on nurse Lucy Letby
[00:08:58] 14 OB nurses resign after L&D closure in Tennessee
[00:11:59] Nurse marries during Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime show
[00:13:28] New York City nurses strike agreement
[00:15:12] Ongoing Kaiser nurses strike in CA and HI
[00:15:51] TrumpRx, GoodRx, and Cost Plus Drugs overview

Connect with Colton on social media:
Instagram: @coltonalanlord, @club.nurse
TikTok: @nursecolton

Nurses deserve better than spending half a shift glued to a computer, and Microsoft might finally be helping. This week on Club Nurse, Colton talks with Mary Varghese Presti, former Johns Hopkins peds nurse turned Microsoft Health & Life Sciences leader, about Dragon Copilot for Nurses. They break down how ambient AI in Epic Rover can capture assessments in real time and help populate flowsheets, cutting down charting time and mental load. They also talk privacy, why this tool was built specifically for nursing workflows, and how nurses can stay involved as AI rolls out in healthcare.

If you’ve ever stayed late to chart, skipped water, or held your pee for a heroic and medically inadvisable amount of time, this one’s for you.

Jump Ahead to Listen:

[00:00:48] Introducing guest Mary Varghese Presti
[00:03:04] Mary’s path from bedside to policy and tech
[00:05:24] Why talk about AI and nursing now
[00:06:21] What Dragon Copilot for nurses is
[00:07:31] Nurses as “silent surveillance system”
[00:10:23] Using Copilot in noisy and ED settings
[00:11:39] Built specifically for nursing documentation
[00:13:05] Step-by-step: using Copilot in a patient room
[00:17:21] From pilots to general availability in hospitals
[00:18:08] Faster, richer documentation and patient safety
[00:21:21] Adopting new tech and changing nurse workflows

Connect with Colton on social media:
Instagram: @coltonalanlord, @club.nurse
TikTok: @nursecolton

Connect with Mary on LinkedIn

Healthcare really said “no peace” again, so Club Nurse is clocking in to translate the chaos. This week, Colton covers the nurse news everyone’s talking about, from heartbreaking loss to major advocacy moves and strikes that could reshape staffing and patient safety. If you want the context without living on your For You page, this episode does the work for you.

This week’s stories:

• Death of VA ICU nurse Alex Pretti: Honoring his life and the impact on the nursing community
• L&D nurse Jen Hamilton calls out unsafe staffing: The one question every birthing patient should ask
• Nurses launch national petition on immigration enforcement: Protecting healthcare spaces and public trust
• 31,000 Kaiser nurses begin strike in CA & HI: Safe staffing, wages, and worker protections on the line

Heavy topics, real conversations, and the reminders nurses need right now.

>>Dedicated VA ICU Nurse Alex Pretti Dead After Clash with Border Patrol in Minneapolis

>>L&D Nurse Jen Hamilton Calls Out Unsafe Staffing: ‘Ask This Question Before You Deliver’

>>‘Nurses SHIFT Change’ Petition Raises Public Health Concerns About Immigration Enforcement

>>31,000 Kaiser Nurses and Healthcare Workers Strike Across California and Hawaii

Jump Ahead to Listen:
[01:05] Coping with a Heavy News Cycle
[03:06] Introducing the Case of VA ICU Nurse Alex Pretti
[04:05] Honoring Alex Pretti’s Life & Career
[05:20] Community Reaction & Where to Learn More
[06:18] The Question for Expecting Parents About Safe Staffing
[07:09] What AWHONN Safe Staffing Standards Mean
[08:06] Why Ratios Matter During Labor & Delivery
[09:23] Nurses’ Petition on Immigration & Public Health
[10:30] Key Reform Demands in the Petition
[11:12] How Nurses Can Take Action on the Petition

Connect with Colton on social media:
Instagram: @coltonalanlord, @club.nurse
TikTok: @nursecolton