It’s 6:30 AM. No hospital call. No rush to get kids out the door. Just quiet. This is what life looks like on the other side of a decision.
In this episode Patrick asks the question most nurses avoid. What is stopping you from defining a future that looks like this? Are you seeking permission? Are you afraid to change?
Nursing today is overworked, short-staffed, stretched past capacity. Nurses keep showing up anyway. Patrick unpacks why, using real conversations with nurses who feel stuck, who are waiting for a breaking point (a pandemic, a shift too far) to give themselves permission to change.
Through two case studies, Joan (a veteran bedside nurse facing another ownership change) and Tomeka (a new graduate questioning if this pace is sustainable), Patrick makes the case for a different measuring stick. Not a crisis. Your health. Your time. Your own limit.
In This Episode
Why “another pandemic” should not be anyone’s breaking point
Joan’s story: reading the difference between a CNO-led and CFO-led hospital, and what to do when your limits are reached after years at one hospital
Tomeka’s story: the whiplash from nursing student to RN, and why new grad burnout is common, not personal
Your skills have market value, even if you have not job searched in years
Why leaving the bedside is not the only path, and why staying does not mean losing your voice
Resources Mentioned
The Break Room: monthly community gathering for nurses, first session August 14th. Subscribe on Substack for access.
Bedside and Beyond Guide: resume support and 4 AI prompts to help you translate your skills and get past AI screening.
Book a 1:1 call with Patrick.
Connect
Patrick LaRose, DNP, MSN/Ed, RN, NC-BC
The Second Shift on Substack - Once a nurse, always a nurse. Stay strong.
Take the Next Step
☕ Schedule a Conversation, Nurse to Nurse: thirty minutes, real, honest, no fancy frameworks. Book here
🔔 The companion podcast:
💬 Join the conversation: leave a comment on this post.
🔔 Subscribe to The Second Shift for a new essay plus episode every week.
About The Second Shift
The Second Shift is a newsletter plus podcast for nurses who carry the weight of caring for 12 to 14 hours, then come home to begin a second shift. This is the shift no one sees, one that is equally important. I have lived this story. As a coach, I create space for nurses built on real, honest conversations: a plan that moves you from chaos to a life you feel alive inside of again.
Patrick LaRose, DNP, MSN/Ed., RN, NC-BC Board-Certified Coach | Life Coach lifenursecoach.com
