Retired ER Nurse Tells All EP.2

Meet Tim Van Pelt. Tim has worn many hats throughout his life: cutting trees at 10, selling shoes, trying stand-up comedy, serving as an Air Force medic, pursuing acting in LA, and eventually dedicating two decades to emergency nursing at UCLA Santa Monica. Now retired, Tim's unique approach enriched his patient care, making him one of the most badass nurses I know.

00:00 - Introduction to the ER and Light-hearted Stories
02:03 - Unusual ER Stories: From Lightbulbs to Language Barriers
06:05 - Tim's Career Shift from Actor to Nurse at 50
11:02 - Using Acting Skills in Nursing and Dealing with Young Patients
15:49 - Humor in the ER and Coping with Patient Deaths
20:16 - The Realities of Life, Death, and Decision-Making in the ER
25:09 - Experiencing Terminal Lucidity and Hospice Care
28:03 - Navigating End-of-Life Decisions with Families
31:01 - The Importance of Listening and Understanding in Nursing
34:06 - Recognizing and Addressing Burnout in Healthcare
39:08 - Maintaining Humor and Team Connection in Stressful Situations
44:15 - Diverse Patient Interactions and ER Humor
47:00 - Adjusting to Life After Retirement and Returning to Nursing

If you have a healthcare co-worker who you believe is a Badass MuFKR and deserves a $1000 bonus, nominate them using the link in my Bio.

A Badass MuFKR is someone you know you can rely on during a full moon on a Friday night. Someone who, when you see at work, you automatically know it’s gonna be a good shift because that MuFKR showed up. I want to meet them and highlight them on my platform and give them $1000 for being a BadAss MuFKR. Let’s finally show the world the amazing people in our Healthcare community.

Find me on

[babyin]

We had a 99 y/o the end of November beginning of December. Her daughters made her a full code because she was going to be 100 in February and they wanted her to make it to 100. Both of her rotator cuffs were torn and she had a broken femur. The drs couldn’t do anything for her but the family refused to let her go. (I don’t know what the final outcome was) At the same time we had a 99 y/o on life support in the Neuro ICU. I tell all my family members to never do that to me. It’s so sad to see and I do believe that it is selfish. You are putting your family member through this to make yourself feel better and not thinking about their quality of life.

[Jmittle]

An elegant death, that’s what my Mother had. She was unconscious, and on life support. Her doctor said that her brain was gone, and it was the machine that was keeping her alive, and that it was time to let her go. So the whole family went into her room, gathered around her bed, and sang and prayed for her. My Father was on one side of the bed, holding her hand, and I was doing the same on the other side, and finally it was time and they turned off the machine. And it was such a beautiful moment, with so much love, I’m so glad I was part of all of this. We all were there, sharing an amazing moment of love with this wonderful woman.

[steveioe]

What'd you think of the episode with Tim?! Please give us a thumbs up, download on Spotify/Apple if you plan to watch later! Links below

[dru]

As a person with chronic illness, I can not tell you how much love and respect I have for er staff.

[sarwall_]

I can’t tell you how much this podcast is helping me to heal. I lost my 26 year old younger brother last November in a really bad motorcycle accident, and still have vivid flashbacks from the hospital of the sounds and smells after rushing to the ER and in the trauma unit afterwards while he was on life support. I swear when I got to the ER that night, the energy with the staff was just so intense and clear how deeply affected they all were (we found out right away that there was nothing that could be done, his brain injury was too severe) and you could just tell how much they all TRULY cared. Those nurses in the ICU afterwards were also just angels. They prayed with us when it was time to take him off life support, and let as many people in the room as we wanted, when they were supposed to follow a two person only rule. Hearing you talk with other nurses and seeing how deeply you care about the patients you save and also lose is comforting beyond belief. Thank you all for what you do! You’re true angels on this earth ♥️

[tiffanyjack]

This man had to have been a fantastic nurse. What an amazing understanding of life and death and people. His 3rd act should be a teacher of nurses. Lol I love his sense of humor also. Great podcast!

[nanascorner]

My mother went into nursing after a career in government fulfilling a lifelong dream... Nurses are my heros.

[mojo]

I was a clinical nurse instructor for a few years. The older students I had (e.g. 30-50) always felt embarrassed they were so much older than the other students but they made the best students because of their maturity and life skills-those things you cant teach. Dont let your age stop you !

[shirleyrhodes]

My mom was an ER nurse 60 years ago and my God the stories she would tell us were incredible! The doctors got away with murder in every sense of the word! Those were the days of white stockings and caps for all nurses. After about ten years she said she couldn't take it anymore and went to work at the VA hospital, where she loved it!

[AdaSoto]

My mom started as a nurse at 65 so it's nice to see someone else who got in late.

[micheleparker]

Honestly, this was very hard for me to listen to as a retired, disabled R.N who's been out of the game for over 20 years but comes from a family of nurses. Sooo many memories... everyone in my family is gone, just me left, I'm 64 and facing my own mortality. It's hard.

[dharmablue]

A deeply moving moment was holding the hand of my father-in-law Clarence as he died. He had that moment of clarity, holding eye contact with me for what seemed like a long time. He closed his eyes, dying a few minutes later. 14 years later, I stopped breathing after an accident. I felt a voice speak to me; I knew it was Clarence. "Don't give up, " he said. I promised I wouldn't quit. Bonds of love are forever.

[jennysmith]

He has so much compassion for his job, for his clients, for his co workers, that it is breathtaking. That is extremely hard to come by these days. You deserve a round of applause and a thank you sir for working those 21 years in that field. It was definitely your calling.

[BetSeeBoo]

I was a Neuro ICU nurse for yrs. I've had the honor of being with countless people (patients & family members too) as they passed from this world to whatever awaits us in the next.

For those we were expecting to pass, but they kept hanging on, what always helped was a nice relaxing bed bath, complete with lotion afterward😌. Sometimes, they also needed a family member to tell them gently that it was OK to 'go'- that those they leave behind will be OK. Both these things seem to always work. I even did these with my father. He then passed away 2-3 hours later.

A lot of what these gentlemen talked about brought back many memories and some tears. I have to admit, I didn't always have the best 'boundaries' so it could be emotionally draining at times because I could be like a huge emotional sponge!😢

[hannasizemore]

One of my sons had osteomyelitis at five months old and I will never be done being grateful to the Stanford ER staff and the nurses in the children’s hospital.

[MicheleLein]

I'm terrified of going under general anesthesia. A couple years ago I had to have a small procedure done under general anesthesia, and I was scared. There were no less than four nurses, my doctor, an assistant doctor of some sort, and the anesthesiologist in the operating room. This young man, who must have been told by my doctor that I was really nervous and anxious, was so warm and reassuring that I immediately felt reassured that he knew what he was doing and that evetything was going to be ok. Out of all the other medical personnel present, I remember him and his warm, genuine manner. He was like the "warm blanket" given to the old person (although I was just 56 at the time) that Stevieo has talked about. I'll never forget him.

[lynnsayavongsa]

He was/is a BA Nurse.We need more people in Health Care just like him.❤❤❤❤❤

[ashleyaberle]

This was therapeutic to listen to. I’ve worked in healthcare for 20 years and last year drastically cut down my schedule due to burnout and mental/emotional health. 6 months ago someone asked me why I wasn’t doing nursing full-time and just couldn’t understand when I said I was still healing mentally/emotionally. Over the years I’ve taken care of multiple family members as well, because as he said, you’re a nurse outside the facility too and wow! It takes a toll. The cumulative effects get ya!

[chrisludwig]

As a mother of a Juvenile Diabetic I can tell you these nurses are a Godsend. There was a night where they came to me not knowing if she'd make it through the night. They were so kind. Offered to stay with me, etc. She made it and she celebrated her 38th birthday this year. ❤

Loved your guest star. He seems very strong and kind.

Keep up the good work. Love your content. It humanizes being a nurse for us regular folk. 😉

[lizregan]

Great interview. My daughter is a nurse she work through covid I know she saw enough death to last a lifetime. As her mother I wanted her to walk away not put her own life in danger. I never said that to her but I felt it every day.