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Nurses save lives—and that simple truth reshaped Dr. Patrick “Dr. H” Hickey’s destiny five decades ago. Our conversation with Dr. H blends grit, humor, and deep professional insight to help you decide whether nursing is your calling and how to build a career that endures. We talk frankly about why motives matter, how to manage the emotional load of patient care, and what it takes to stand out when everyone has a strong GPA but little real-world experience.

We unpack nursing specialties in plain language—from Pediatrics, ICU, ER, and OR to Oncology and Advanced Practice—and clarify what credentials like CEN, CNOR, and CCRN actually mean for patient outcomes and career mobility. Dr. H breaks down education pathways with nuance: the speed and hands-on intensity of a two‑year ADN, the leadership runway of a four‑year BSN, and the bridge programs and tuition reimbursement that let you keep learning without drowning in debt. If you’re choosing your first unit or your first job, you’ll get practical criteria for evaluating hospitals: orientation length, preceptors, staffing ratios, infection data, turnover, clinical ladders, and the red flags buried in big sign-on bonuses.

A mentor at heart, Dr. H shares how to build a resume that speaks to hiring managers—service, leadership, nurse tech experience, study abroad, and even nonclinical work that proves you can multitask under pressure. We also explore global service learning and why supervised, international clinicals can transform confidence, empathy, and diagnostic thinking long before graduation. Along the way, we talk quality of life, faith, and the human touch—how a hand on a shoulder can calm fear and how boundaries protect both caregiver and patient.

If you’re curious about nursing in the age of AI, chasing your first offer, or debating ADN vs BSN, this episode gives you a clear map and the courage to follow it. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs clarity, and leave a review with your biggest nursing question—we’ll tackle it in a future episode.

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**This podcast was produced by Harlan Cohen ... to see it on YouTube access this link to Harlan's page: https://tinyurl.com/56zucsp2

I also want to thank our listeners for joining us as it is our goal to not only share with you our guest’s introduction to international healthcare, but also to share with you how that exposure to international healthcare has shaped their future path in healthcare. As true patient advocates, we should all aspire to be as well rounded as possible in order to meet the needs of our diverse patient populations.

As a 45+ year nurse that has worked in quite a variety of clinical roles in our healthcare system, taught healthcare courses for the past 20 years at the university level, and has traveled extensively with my students on international service-learning trips, I can easily attest to the fact that healthcare focused students need, and greatly benefit from the opportunity to have hands-on experiential healthcare experiences in an international setting! I have seen the growth of students post travel as their self-confidence in their newly acquired skillsets, both clinical and cultural, facilitates their ability to take advantage of opportunities that previously may not have been available to them. By rendering care internationally, and stepping outside one's comfort zone, many more doors of opportunity will be opened.

Feel free to check out our website at www.islonline.org, follow us on Instagram @ islmedical, and reach out to me @ DrH@islonline.org