Deep Dive
Shownotes Transcript
See, that's the difference between ICU, med-surg and ER. For me, I don't want to sit down in there and look at things. Give me the quickest possible report. Give me 30 seconds report. Tell me it's breathing. Right.
And I will figure out everything else. So I'm like, I don't need no head to toe anymore. Yeah. Yeah. I was like, just tell me the patient has a head and a toe. Yep. Exactly. I'm good. I'm gonna do it. Hey, besties. It's your favorite caffeinated, medicated, and never hydrated nurse, Nurse John. And welcome back to your favorite podcast.
I beg your pardon, Bessie, I miss you so much. Another week, another episode of your favorite podcast. And I know you're super excited to meet your new guest in this very special series. But before we head to that, Bessie, do me a quick favor. If you're listening right now,
Follow us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Make sure that you leave us a five-star review and make sure that you share this episode to all your friends, colleagues, family, so they can listen to it too. And Bessie, if you're wondering what kind of scrubs I wear, I wear Gardmalad, G-A-R-D-E-M-A-L-A-D-E. And you can use my discount code, NurseJohn, G-M-N-U-R-S-E-J-O-H-N-G-M.
All right, Bestie, I know you're super excited to meet your next guest in this series. And I think we just have to get into it. Presenting to you guys, Mikael. Hello. Hey, Mikael. Hello. How are you? Hello. Thank you so much for having me. I'm very, very well. First of all, thank you so much for coming here in Los Angeles to be in the I Beg Your Pardon podcast. It's more than an honor. Me and a million other nurses are a huge fan.
fans oh you're too sweet but thank you again for coming here this is my first time actually meeting you in person yeah yeah and you are everything i thought and more so thank you i'll stop it i stop it you too you are very nice i mean we've already had a conversation you you came here yesterday you were in my show yeah which was so good food was good the act was great your opener was fantastic you were fantastic like it's a solid show thank you nailed it down you're
Thank you. And I'm super excited because my tour, if you guys don't know, and for anyone listening, I have a stand-up comedy tour starting in about two weeks from now, this short staff tour. I'm super excited for it to start, you guys, but you have no idea how nervous I am. But I know it's going to be fun. And we had a show yesterday in Irvine. Yeah, it was really good. That was my first time in Irvine. So...
It was good. Good introduction. Is this your first time too in Los Angeles? So I have family here. Okay. So yeah, at some point I want to meet up with them while I'm here and stuff. So we're figuring that out. That's amazing. But yeah, I was here like, I don't know, I was young 10 years ago. So it's been a while. Oh, it's been a while. Yeah, it's been a hot minute. Yeah, things have changed. I've changed. So the reason why I brought you here in this podcast is because your content started like showing up in my For You page. And I was like, this man is so cool. Yeah.
First of all, you are very good looking. Thank you. As a person. And I was like, he looks like the perfect description of Grey's Anatomy characters. The memos that I take care of, they say, oh, you're McDreamy. And they definitely shoot their shot. Yeah. Yeah.
I love it. I love it. And I was like, my God, like this is the kind of like description the new generation of nurses are looking for. Like, where's all the hot people in here? Yeah. I underwent a little bit of a transformation. So it kind of snuck up on me. So I feel like even I am just, I don't know. I'm not aware of it really. And like I was telling you, I was like,
as a good-looking person and on social media, usually good-looking people will jump into the whole, like, thirst trap kind of, like, content because they're like, hey, look, this is what's gonna pay off quicker. Yep. But then you make skits exactly like...
what I do and other social media content creators. So I was like, my God, this man is so funny at the same time. He looks good. Yeah. Yeah. Well, thank you. And that, that does mean a lot to me because I seriously, when I started out TikTok, like a buddy of mine, he just said, you should start a TikTok. And I was not even on social media. Like I deleted my Facebook years ago. Like I was just not in social media.
And then he said, just start a TikTok. And I had it. I did one. It was like I winked at the end. I think that might have been it. And then it popped off and another big TikToker saw it, stitched it and that sent it off. And then it did kind of turn into more thirst traps. And I did that for a little bit. So you did thirst trap at some point. I did the thirst trap because it was easy and it was like I didn't know what else to do. I wasn't comfortable doing anything else. And apparently that was the only response.
was, hey, we like what we see. So I'm like, I guess I'll give you more of that. Okay. But then as I got more comfortable being in front of the camera and then I was on TikTok just scrolling, I saw like you can infuse your personality and your career and your passions and actually make it aware or present to people.
That's it. And that was really what I wanted to do to my core. I'm like, I want people to know me, not just see me. So that was... I like that. Yeah, yeah. There's substance into it. Exactly, exactly. And I think that's important, especially if you're trying to build something. You can't just be a face because people need more than that. So I was like, okay, let's give them more.
And then, yeah, it started in pivoting into more nursing stuff. And you were an inspiration for that too. I was like, okay, here's this guy. He's crushing it. He knows what's up. Like you can get a taste of his humor. So I was like, we're, we gotta do it. Since you've given us a little bit about your life and social media, I think one thing people wants to know is your personal life. If you're comfortable with it. Yeah. So let us know who are you? Give us something, everything.
Well, I guess to start out, I grew up just in a small community, very rural town farmland. We didn't have any like pigs or animals. I grew up around airplanes. So my dad was like in a shop working on planes and I didn't really gravitate towards that. So...
It was enough to where I got my pilot's license, but then that was about all I wanted to do with planes. Where are you from, actually? From, like, Minnesota. Minnesota? Yeah, from Minnesota. Okay, you're from Minnesota. Yeah, and it's, I don't know, it's nice out there. Were you born and raised there? No, no. My mom came from Mexico with me when she was pregnant, and then I was born in Minnesota. So, yeah. Wait a second. Yeah. You're Mexican? Uh-huh, I know. What?
yeah this is me with a tan you mean like this is you mean like half full full mexican yeah yeah my mom doesn't even look mexican either like and it's more maybe like northern mexico i've heard people say like you know they're a little bit lighter wait so like let me just understand this quickly and i'm pretty sure whoever is like listening and watching right now they're probably like wait a second he's full mexican no way yeah no i'm no joke i i really am i did the ancestry
You actually did? Yeah, yeah. There's mostly like Mexico, there's Spain. Because you look more European to me than Mexican. I get that a lot. Yeah. Right. But like I have my grandpa right now, he lives in Puerto Vallarta. And then my other cousins and everyone from Mexico, they live in Guadalajara right now. And they moved there. Are they still there in Minnesota, your parents? Yeah, now they're here in Minnesota. Yep. Do you have any brothers or sisters? I have one sister. She's 16 now.
So yeah. She's 60? Yep. Her name's Jazlyn. Yeah. She's great. Is she also in social media? She's actually going to school for welding right now, which is amazing. And she's going to crush it. That is so cool. Yeah. And I love that. Yeah. Yeah. She loves it. Like break those traditional stereotype rules. Like get in there, girl. That's it. Make your mark. Yeah. I'm so proud of her. And I like that because we have something in common because I mean, like I've never met my dad. So I grew up with a lot of female. Same. Like I haven't met my biological dad. Like.
- Okay, wait a second. I'm a little confused. You gotta hook me up with a T. - Okay, okay. Hold on, I wanna hear what you were saying. - Okay, so I've never met my dad because when I was conceived, he got scared to take responsibility of having a kid.
And my mom was a badass woman. I love you, mom. She decided, she's like, I don't need no man to raise a kid. And I was raised by her. Oh, fuck yeah. And my grandparents. Oh, what a badass. Let's go. I know, right? And so I grew up with a lot of female people in my life. So I'm very in touch with my feminine side. Yeah, I identify with that a lot. And a lot of the things I do, I never...
Sorry, we have a visitor here invading our podcast episode. It smells a little nerve stank in here. It's stanky. Stanky. Smells like he just took a shit.
Yes, Nurse Thanky's here. If you guys don't know, I invited a bunch of healthcare social media influencers here in Los Angeles because we got some big plans coming up and you guys are going to see it very, very soon. But anyways, focusing and coming back. So like I was saying, I'm very in touch with my feminine side because I grew up with a lot of female people in my life. And I'm so happy actually that I...
have that people in my life because they taught me to be more empathetic, more nurturing. Very in touch with your feelings. Exactly. That I appreciate so much. Exactly. I love that so much about it. And women are so strong. Like once you're raised by your mom, I feel like you just see a whole different side and you grow up just like, damn, women are badasses. And because I was raised by one. So for sure. Yeah. It's a good outlook. So anyways, going back into it,
I need to know. So I'm a little confused about the family tree. Can you give me more explanation about that? Definitely. Yeah. So I was conceived in Mexico with my biological dad and my mom back then they were young. But then the situation just kind of didn't go well. He was not the man that he said he was. And then turned out to be completely different was not a good situation at all. So she was a badass and she took control and because it was going to get to a point where like,
he was at some point probably never he was gonna separate my mom and I at some point and she would never see me and So I was gonna be like to that extreme She was a teacher in Mexico and one of her other co-workers was like why don't you come to with me to Minnesota? And my mom's like Mina who like what do you mean? What is that? And she's like it's up by Canada. She's like
Canada and she just couldn't fathom. She's bilingual so she was teaching in Mexico and she just took that step and was like to keep my baby safe and to keep myself safe we're out of here and I'm so glad she did because she provided me the opportunities that I probably never would have had
I have a very different life because of that. And I think it would have turned out much worse had she not left. So then she met my, now my stepdad or not even, he adopted me. So that's my dad. He raised me. I've known him since I was two. So like, he's my dad. He's the man who gave me those, those good qualities of,
what being a man is. Amazing. Is he Mexican or? No, he's German. He's German. Very German. My full name would have been Mikael Mauricio Gonzalez Marcos Patron. That would have been like full. That is the, that's such a fucking bad-ass name. And I, I wish that I would have kept that part, but I love taking my stepdad's name and my adoptive dad. You know what? He's amazing. Cause for me growing up to like, my mom would have boyfriends and stuff like that, but her,
main priority is always like listen if you can not take my kid i would never take you right right and for someone to take a single parent and say like hey i know you have kids but i i am willing to take care of those kids that is a badass person that is that shows a lot about their character that's for sure and props to your stepdad for taking that responsibility no he took that and he raised me and
Yeah, so I definitely am very grateful. Could have been a very different situation, but props. Shout out to my parents. You guys are, love you. Tell us the story. You're a dad. I am a dad. Yeah, I have two amazing kids, five and three. And I had that from my previous marriage and that it just didn't work out because there were like core religious beliefs that could not be settled. This episode is brought to you by PDS Debt.
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without like one of the other person compromising and that was something that we cared enough about each other. We weren't gonna make the other person compromise their beliefs and say like you have to believe what I believe and you have to for this to work and we couldn't quite work through that and so we felt it best to separate ways and do that for the kids and for our own happiness and
And now we co-parent incredibly well. We live pretty close and it's just been really, really good. Better than we could have imagined and what we've heard from other people who have been divorced. Oh yeah, for sure. I think it's a good thing too that you guys are able to co-parent even though you found that you guys have these differences that you cannot work out with. But you're like, hey, listen, we have a kid together. So even double the reason to really be kind to each other because...
That's something too that like even though you're divorced doesn't mean you can't and shouldn't be kind to your ex. Especially if you have kids. Now you are tied together. So that was like our number one thing is we will always treat each other with respect. We will always be grateful for the other person what they do for our kids. And just to model something healthy for our children like they're at the forefront. So yeah.
that's just kind of key to us and it's really helped us stay on track and be respectful and just appreciate each other so wait a second wait a second so if you're divorced does that mean that you're single yes I am single but oh like emotionally unavailable as well yeah oh
Okay, we come back to the disappointment. 100% back down. I'm so sorry. Everyone just like tuned out. They're like, oh, this. So it has to, I think, come at the time when you want it. And I think right now I'm still at the point where I can't see a relationship right now for myself. And I'm still working through feelings and I'm still working through like myself. And so when the time is right,
I know it'll just, it'll happen, but I'm definitely not actively like looking at all. And that's good. And that's good. And I think that's what a lot of people have to do is that they kind of need to look inside of them and be like, Hey, what are the things that's like,
causing me to be in this situation where I feel like it can be long term but it's still ended and it's not working for me so maybe sometimes it's not
another person's problem, sometimes it's within you, which some unresolved stuff that you have inside you that and I think that's always the case. I think you're spot on. There's a book I'm trying to remember. It's by Brad and Reedy, I believe, but I can't remember the title, but I have a I have a tattoo of it. The quote is like, it's an italics, but it's just the self. And it was so life changing for me reading that book, because it was essentially the
The core of all your issues and relationships and everything is not external. It's internal and it's how you react to them. So like I got that tattooed and it's always a reminder of like, okay, what's going on in me that life is not going how I want or I'm just feeling this certain way about life.
So it's just a reminder to focus in on yourself and love yourself and be kind. And then everything will flow out of that. It's like you said, that's it. Filling from your cup. Yeah. And now since we got to know you a bit more personally, can you tell us now how you became a nurse? I was at like some summer camps. Like if it was a Bible camp, we're all cruising on golf carts. I'm riding in the back and then there's another one next to us, but they're going way too fast. Like unsafely. They were like 12 year olds driving it, just doing stupid stuff.
And I was in the back. I'm like, yeah, this is great. This girl in the next golf cart, like they hit a bump. She tumbles out and she just breaks her fucking wrist right there. You hear it snap. Just, just, just.
It's 90 degrees, not looking how it should. And she's sobbing. Everyone gets out, surrounds her like, what do we do? What do we do? And I just remember that feeling of feeling hopeless and like helpless and powerless to help someone. And I was like, I hate this feeling. I don't want to feel this ever again when someone's in pain and suffering. So that was the moment I was like, how do I change that? And how can I make it a career? And then that was when nursing kind of came up. And I chose like other jobs before that because...
Didn't trust in myself enough and I was like, I'm not smart enough to be a nurse There's no way I could actually do it So I put it off for a little bit and then I finally just bit the bullet and I was like, you know what? Fuck it Like if I don't believe in myself and give it a shot then I'll I'll never know and I'll just wonder the rest of my life So I did I applied I went to like a two-year community college first and
And then got my ADN and then I finished online, my BSN. And then that was that. But I graduated during the start of COVID too. And so that was insane. I actually couldn't get a hospital job like right at the start. Really? No, I couldn't. Like seriously. And I applied and they were just like, oh, we're staffed. I'm like, okay.
That's not what I'm like. That's not what I'm hearing. Like what hospital is staff? I'm telling you, I don't know. Maybe in Minnesota they had no issues. So I actually started with a friend of mine from nursing school. We were giving COVID vaccines as soon as they like came out. So I guess it was it was the end of like 2020 ish. So I never like had to work through that. But we thought, OK, we'll graduate. We'll go bedside right away because, of course, they need it.
They were like, no, like, we're good. And I'm like, okay, I guess I'll just go fuck myself. Got a worthless degree now. Like, great. Holy crap. So we started giving COVID vaccines throughout Minnesota, traveling, doing that. And that was good. And then after that couple months, then I got a job near where I lived at the time. And then it was bedside med surge.
You started in med-surg? I started in med-surg. Damn. I tell you what, I almost quit. Like, nursing entirely. Thought I chose the wrong profession because it was med-surg. And it was too insane. So, like, you did two years, right? I did two and a half years in med-surg. See, this is what I'm saying. Like, people are, like, bad.
and they're saying, you know what? ICU is harder. ER is harder. I was like, have you been to med surge, baby? Yeah. Med surge is way harder. That's a concoction of every single fucking thing in one. Yeah. Yeah. You're just managing chaos at that point. Like it's not even like you're doing your job. You're just like, holy fuck. What the hell is this? Sometimes I'm like,
Am I in geriatrics, labor and delivery, psych? Yeah, dementia. Like, which one are we? We're everything. Yeah, exactly. Okay, so that's a fun start up with nursing. So are you still in ICU now? Still in ICU. Yep, yep. So I left that hospital. I've been in ICU three years now. Wow. You must love ICU. I really do. Yeah, honestly, I found my calling in nursing if I'm going to be bedside. Like, I'll only do ICU if I'm bedside.
Oh, really? Yeah, I love it. And night shift, too. Like, I love nights. Oh, you do night shift? It's great nights. So, like, being an ICU nurse, you have to be a certain kind of person. Yeah. Just like how if you're in ER, you got to be fucked mentally to be ER. Yeah, you have to be able to be one of the patients in the ER. Exactly. I feel like to be an ER nurse.
But to be in ICU, I feel like you got to be OCD. You got to love conversation. You have to yap a lot. That's kind of... There's a mixture of it. I feel like you have to have your days where you're just yap fest and you're dealing with family and you're just explaining all these procedures, yapping to doctors. But then there are other times where I got through half a book on a weekend shift one time or a whole book. And it was like sat my ass for every two hours, did my every two hours care,
That was it. And it's like such good variety between crazy and slow that I love it. And that's what I need, I think. I like being able to sit and think and look at data, look at a chart, create a care plan. And I don't like having to necessarily answer call lights from four people. See, that's the difference between ICU, med search, and ER. For me, I...
I don't want to sit down in there and look at things. Give me the quickest possible report. Give me 30 seconds report. Tell me it's breathing. Right.
And I will figure out everything else. You don't got to tell me there's Foley catheter in it. I will see all of it. Yeah. Yeah. Because anyways, I'm going to arrive there. Yeah. Right. And sometimes you arrive to a patient's room and you got this full, amazing report. And you're like, oh my God, perfect patient. And then you come into a room. It's not what you think it is. No, not at all. Like in the last one hour, they just changed completely.
Exactly. So I'm like, I don't need no head to toe anymore. Yeah. Yeah. I wish I just tell me the patient has a head and a toe. Yep. Exactly. I'm good. I'm gonna do it. Yep. There's a heartbeat. We're good. That's it. Yeah. Oh my God. And if you can take us to your ICA journey, what is something that made you want to quit ICA? I think honestly, when you have back to back like comfort cares patients, or when you have back to back patients that you lose that you didn't plan on losing, you
that's probably the hardest because it's like, damn, I didn't see that in med-surg. It was very rare and you didn't feel as emotionally tapped. You felt physically tapped and emotionally in med-surg. But I see you have noticed like you are pulled to the brink of your emotional capacity as a human sometimes and you're dealing with very, very stressful situations and things that the outside public do not see. And you're a part of very sensitive situations at times that you're like, holy shit, I might...
need to take a break from this because this is wrecking me at work and personally. But I do feel like I made a good transition between like work self and then I can just turn off when I'm at home. And especially with my kids and especially like self-care activities, I've definitely taken the time to turn that off. Again, it's really about having the heart to
care for a stranger yeah yeah because this is such a thankless job oh yeah and a selfless job like you don't think about yourself when you're in the job because you just keep thinking about the people that you're taking care of more than yourself absolutely yeah that's
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At some point in your career, when you're working, you also have to think about yourself. Yes. Even though when you're at work, you get to a point in nursing where...
Sometimes you just keep taking it and taking it because you're like, it's all about them. We've suffered physical, mental, verbal abuse from patients. You're like, it's okay. They're my patients, so I respect them. But I got to learn it from therapy that you can refuse to be treated that way. Absolutely.
by the job that you choose and love. Right. Because again, I think a lot of us think this way of like, sometimes it's not about you. It's about like the patient. And sometimes we forget that as much as we should care about the patient, I think the most important patient is yourself. Which is so true. So true. Right. I completely agree with that in terms of like,
Stand up for yourself like don't take abuse from anyone doctors other co-workers patient You stand up for yourself and you make it known like I will not put up with this I will take care of you, but you have to work with me, too That's and that's how you protect yourself, but I totally agree with long term like long term. I won't be bedside at all I think I'm I'm hitting that point where I want to go back to school and I want to do psych NP because I
that I've been with psych patient population for long enough. And then I was able to shadow one of our psych MPs throughout a couple of shifts. And I realized this is really rewarding and it has lows, but this is what I want to do. Right. And for people who's listening right now and probably saying like, oh, so you hate bedside and that's the most fulfilling thing about being a nurse.
I just want to say that it's not true. If you became a nurse and you have experience being a nurse, that doesn't take away you being a nurse. No. Whatever you choose to do in life. Yeah. Yeah. That doesn't take away the fact that you were once a bedside nurse or a nurse itself. Because people don't realize that if you leave the profession because you wanted to do something else because it's not fulfilling for you anymore. Mm-hmm.
That's totally fine. Yeah. If you want to be a florist, if you want to work in Burger King again, go off, do it. Right. Yeah. There's nothing wrong with that. Like choosing yourself is always the right choice. Right. Like being kind to yourself. And if you're like, it's not nursing, that's OK. But if you still find your passion is nursing and you're like, but I can still be kind to myself and I like it. And then it's still nursing or bedside or whatever. Like there's so many options with it.
Which is do what makes you happy. Exactly. Yep. And that's why I also chose nursing because so many different options. I was like, well, if I get tired, I'll just transition into something else. So there's so many options. People don't realize that bedside is just what you see in TV. Yeah. Yeah. It's pretty close sometimes. Yeah. Right. That's like the tip of the iceberg. It really is. But the amount of stuff you can do in nursing. Mm hmm.
Yeah. Is immense. So many things. Like you can be a legal nurse. I didn't even know that was a thing. Flight nurse. Flight nurse. Festival nurse. One of my friends is a festival nurse. Oh, that's fun. She would go to like Tomorrowland. Okay. She would just sit at the backstage. I see you who? What?
She would just sit at the backstage, wait for people to like pass out or have any like medical stuff. And she gets paid so much. Oh my God. And that's what all she do. She's like, I'm partying in the backstage. Oh, I'd fucking do that. In a heartbeat. Right? Next to the artists. Okay. And I'm getting paid as a nurse. I'm writing that down. That's my next one.
Not going back to school. Now, since we got a little bit of your personal life, your nursing life, tell us more about your social media life. Yeah, yeah. I think we kind of touched up on it in the very beginning. Yeah, yeah. But how did you start with it? Yeah, I started because a friend of mine, I had no TikTok. I didn't have anything like that. And he was just like, you should make a TikTok. I think you'd do really well. And I was like, I don't even know what that is. I'll give it a shot.
so he helped me he made my first one and then that one kind of popped off because i did a little wink at the end and i think in the comments at least everybody was like the wink and i'm like okay what what wink what wink are you guys talking about yeah right like what what's it the hole that you uh-huh the little wink the catheter wink yeah something i think i'd done in my personal life and then i just i did it naturally and then that seemed to do well so it was a thing for a little bit and
And then some creator like found that they were bigger. They stitched it that gained more traction. And then I think I was really leaning into thirst traps for a little bit. Not proud to say it. That's totally fine. Listen, you look like those book talk guys that they've been talking about. Yeah. People have said that book talk is calling. And so, but I haven't seen anyone in book talk that I, I don't know. I got to find my character, my book talk character. But in my, in my,
A nurse. Yeah, yeah, I guess. A male nurse. Male nurse book talk. We'll just write a book about me, I guess. And they just want to hear you like talking in a very deep voice, like cracky voice. Real raspy. I don't even think I can get that low. Hey, baby girl. Baby girl, how you doing? Yeah. Oh, I don't know. Oh, somebody's cat is purring right now.
Okay, well, yeah, so you kind of lean into the thirst trap. Yeah, I didn't lean into it because yeah, it was easy. And that was all I knew. I wasn't up on what else I could do and what other trends there were. Right. So I did that for a little bit. And then I just took a break, like stopped posting on TikTok for a while. And I just was like, I don't really care. Like, I'm not going to do anything with it.
Then I saw other nurse creators like yourself and everyone else. And I was like, oh, I can actually incorporate nursing. And that's where I was like, I want people to know me, not just see me as just a face and a body. And I was like, because there's more to people and there's more to myself. And so I wanted to put that out there. And I knew I had stuff to offer. So I just started talking a little bit more, getting more comfortable in front of the camera, yapping a little bit, making skits. Your skits are super funny. Dude, I appreciate that. Thank you.
That's what I was hooked into. I was like, man, this guy is so interesting. I was like, first of all, he looks really good. And secondly, he's funny. I was like, to be funny on TikTok is so hard. I've noticed, yeah. And to use your...
nursing dark humor to make it and people loves it. Yeah, yeah. That's such a niche that I'm like, wow, I'm just lucky that I chose a profession that can do well on TikTok because if I was like into koala breeding, I don't know if it'd be, it might actually might be a thing. But the thing is like what people don't realize is the healthcare community
being out there in social media is so powerful because our community is just looking for something to hold onto. - Yes, yes. - Something that can make them feel that they can relate to someone, that they can show them exactly that, hey, I'm not stupid or crazy for experiencing all this shit. - Right, exactly. 'Cause then you see all the comments and you see the views and people are like, oh my God, yes, yes, yes. And you're like, all right, this is satisfying. This is affirming that I'm not insane.
That this job is hard and we go through shit and we're going to do it all together. And we're going to help support each other. And I really have found that community of like responding to comments when people say like, oh, I feel the same. I feel the same because I try to make stuff that's relatable to nurses, but also shit that I've went through, that I've gone through. And I think that's really what hits when it's one that everybody relates to. I made one.
That did really well. But it's ideas like that. Like when I just hear the sound and then I think of the idea immediately, that's when I know I'm like, that's a good one. But when I have to sit and think it through a little bit, I'm like, it might be getting less funny the more I work on it. So yeah, the funny ones are ones. The more you think about it too much, the more it becomes unfunny. Right. For me, how I get my ideas into my skit is like something hits me.
My brain, I'm like, I got to freaking do this right now. Immediately. Yeah. Immediately. That's how I've become. Yeah. There was that one that I made that popped off and did really well. It was like when you're having a great time at work and then you realize like making a mistake means jail time. And it was like the perfect audio for it. It was just like, holy shit. I'm like, this is relatable as fuck. And yeah, people are like this. I think about this all the time.
Because that is so true. Yeah, exactly. Like a lot of people think about it. It's like the intrusive thoughts a lot of us healthcare workers have but can't say it because you're like, wait a second, is this HIPAA violation or is this something that I should not be talking about? Exactly. Yeah. I feel the same way. So I'm cautious on that too. I'm like, all right, how are we going to toe the line here? Since we're kind of like talking about that now, how do you feel about like being a healthcare worker and being in social media? Because this is very controversial.
I'll talk about my experience, but I want to hear it from you. Like, how do you feel about this being a professional? Yeah. Yeah. With a degree and being in social media and sharing all of these things. Yeah. There was a time where I was like, I felt silly and I felt like this is not professional. You shouldn't be doing this. Other people are going to look down on you or they're going to think you actually aren't qualified to be a nurse because you're just doing it for clout.
And so I think I had enough time where I built my skills as a nurse and I felt qualified in and of myself as a nurse. Correct. That when I really did start taking TikTok seriously, I was like, no, actually, I can back it up with the fact that I'm a good nurse. I'm genuine, empathetic. I have made differences in my patients' lives. And so then I'm like, well, now I just want to share that with people and help create a community where everyone can bond. And so, yeah, now I don't feel as silly about it. But I am worried about, like, management seeing some shit or something like that. Right. And I think...
Well, coming from my experience, I think for a lot of like healthcare content creator, they have to come to terms that
When you put yourself out there in social media, in public, you have to accept the fact that not everyone's going to like you. Right. And that people will judge you and they will criticize you based off what they see in public. Yes. Even though it's not what represents you as a person, as a professional, as a nurse. Yep. Exactly. Yeah. And there are people who will find what you create as cringy. But again...
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And care more about the people who appreciates what you do. Right. Because there's more people who appreciates what you do. Yeah. Than those who are like two, three, four people and in four, five, six, seven, eight. Or the I hate nurses like comment. Right. And it's always going to be there and they're always going to be.
at the things you do but what you gotta realize is you're still making a difference yep I completely agree and that's I just have to keep repeating that to myself and I think every time I post I
I have to keep saying like, I'm worth value in and of myself. I think I'm a good nurse. And then I've proven that through my work. And now it's like I post this and yeah, people seem to enjoy it. So I'm like, we're going to keep rocking with it then and stay on the positive side of things and just not listen to the hate comments. That's it. That's it. And I've had friends in social media who management found out that they're in
social media and it did not work out well or like for example my experiences I thought it's not gonna work out well because my manager found out I was in social media and the only question she asked me was like am I the manager you're describing in your text that's all she gave me
I just don't want to be a bad manager. I was like, it's not you. I was like, it's kids. You know? And another thing that people don't understand is like when you make skits, like it's like an actor, right? Like when you act, it's acting. Exactly. Exactly. Like I'm not me.
me in front of the camera like it's you're portraying the persona of nurse mcguile or nurse john because that's your content that's what people relate to and people don't understand that and they're like oh my god this is so cringy this is how you are as a nurse i was like i'm giving you a side of my personality yes yeah when someone is doing a skit yeah in camera exactly that doesn't define him as a person that's exactly it and people will see like two
two seconds of a video and judge your entire life on that. And it's like, well, that's just wrong and stupid. And you're not willing to give people the opportunity to be themselves. And that's right. And that's why I come to terms with it. And now I fully don't care about like what people says, because for me,
What I really do care about is those, like, I remember I have so many boomer Gen X nurses who would like message me and they're like, hey, John, thank you so much for like bringing out those kind of contents because these are the things that I wish my generation have spoken about nursing. Yeah, yeah. So it could have changed our profession. Yeah, that's huge. Yeah, that's so insightful. Because it's true because those generation were just so stocked up on nursing
It's okay. You're doing 20 patients. It's okay to take over time. The eat the young type mentality. Exactly. And we're trying to get rid of that. I think as Gen Zers, millennials, we are trying to be like, no, let's all support each other and show that this is a profession that you survive in with teamwork.
and appreciation and love for one another. And like, and if you don't have that, you will lose nurses. You will lose the profession because we're losing nurses. We are. Yeah. Like faster than exactly. Like now I'm at a new hospital. I moved to the cities in Minnesota and I love it. I like hands down dead ass, love my coworkers so much. That's it. I appreciate them so much that they are half the reason that I stay. Yeah.
So if I don't have good coworkers, it's like, man. So I feel for the people who don't have good coworkers. Like, I can't imagine what that's like. It is hard. That's why I was like, your work besties are the people that you count on to and you hold on to. Yeah, seriously. You get each other through that. You're helping. Yeah. Now, going back to social media, since your popularity is growing. Yeah.
Does your patient, does your colleague recognize you? Like, what's going on in here? Because it was hard for me when I was getting popular. Did you get that sometimes? Like a patient would be like, oh my God, they recognize you? That's my nightmare, is having a patient recognize me. They do recognize me. It's kind of...
in a sense, because then it's either they would scream and like, oh my God, Nurse John Williams. Yeah, yeah. I was like, girl, not at work. Yeah. Not in front of my colleagues because my colleagues are just looking at me. They're like, hmm.
Like judging. And they're like, wait, why the fuck is they screaming on him? Like, what's wrong? Why they're like. Is he hurting you? Like, no, no. What's going on? They're freaking out, yeah. But then I just, I was like, oh, fuck. Well, I put myself into this. So. Yeah. Suck it up and move on.
Yeah, I am afraid of that situation happening to me. So far, I haven't had it. I had one encounter where I went to the gym and someone recognized me and that was really cool. But that's seriously been the extent of it. And then my coworkers, they see my TikToks. So they're like just supportive of that. But everyone...
That's really the most that it's been. It's going to get worse, right? I am prepping for it. Now I know. I'm like, this might start things. This might end up one of the hospitals in Minnesota full of applications to, hey, we want to know where that cutie nurse at. Oh, my God. Yeah, you won't be seeing my badge in any videos. You got to hide your identity now. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, that was like, that's key. Actually, I have a...
So I asked my followers to ask you questions and we're going to put you in a hot seat. Oh, hell yeah. Now, let me ask you the question. Please. So how do you balance wanting to achieve and help people at work and at home? Who? That was too deep. Who?
Who asked that? That is a good one. Okay. Was that my therapist? Okay. I know, right? That's a good one. I think at work, it's like constantly keeping that mindset of, you know, I'm here to help people. I want to do my best for my patient. And I just keep that mindset no matter how hard it gets. And you still maintain your self-worth, but you're working for your patient to get them better. But then I think at home, it's just about like,
realizing that maintaining those relationships and that work-life balance and keeping the peace within yourself and your family and my kids at home is how I keep it at work. And then that- Are you able to separate yourself from being a nurse when you're at home? Yeah, yeah. For the most part, except when my kids like injure themselves, which they do all the time because they're five and three and they just have scrambled eggs for brains. And it's like, they're seriously just bumping into everything.
That's when nurse me turns on. But I do separate. And I really, it's also why I like the schedule because I can turn off work completely. And I'm not thinking about anything when I'm off. It's just straight up. I'm me, Mikhail. That's amazing. Next question. How many times have you been asked out at work or hit on? Asked out at work or hit on?
Not that I know. I'm very oblivious to signs. I don't know when people are hitting on me. I always take it as like, oh, they're nice. And I'm just such a naive Midwesterner that...
I want to be oblivious about someone hitting on me because nobody hit on me, but I only get hit, like literally hit, not hit on. Yeah, yeah. Oh my God. Okay, so you don't really put like... No, I don't. And I'm also just not the kind, like I don't want to work or mix work and personal life. Like I just feel like it'd be a little too messy to be dating someone that I work with. And so I'm just kind of like, nah, I'm good. Oh my God. Somebody asked from...
Nurse Tank, why is he so handsome? Oh my God, who asked that? What? What? It's coming from someone as stunning as yourself. Are you kidding me? It's all under eye patches and a lot of foundation. Foundation? Feel you. I feel you about that. Now, thinking of moving back home from SF2A,
Minnesota. Advice on career moves currently burn ICU. Oh, burn ICU. Okay. I mean, you can look up, I mean, some of the main burn units in Minnesota, the big ones. If that's kind of what you're still looking for, like hop back in there, get in there if you like that adrenaline rush.
My number one tip is I went from a non-union hospital to a union. Find something that's union. That is life-changing. You can call in when you actually need to and you won't hear about it because life happens and you have to call in sometimes. You have a union that kind of fights for you. So I've found some benefits with that. But Minnesota is wonderful. If you're moving back, do it. I do love Minnesota for the seasons, the activities, everything.
But it's crazy freaking cold in Minnesota. Oh, it gets cold. It's the same thing as Canada. Oh, it is. And that's one thing that now being in LA, I'm like, this is really nice. I feel like I could do this all the time. And then, I don't know. I hate negative 40. That's just not me. But it's dry as a witch's coochie in here. So like...
it's not really fun i feel like i just wish that we get rain once a week yeah and you haven't had rain in in what two decades we've had earthquakes oh yeah okay those are this booty been shaking all week but not wet the last time i've had a guest in here which is carson yeah we were shaking no there was an earthquake for real no there was oh my god it was we're like wait a second like
Why am I moving a little bit in here?
And we did not realize it was actually an earthquake. Oh, that's crazy. We were in the middle of it. Oh, and it just started. We could have died. You guys were that fired. Like you seriously set off an earthquake. But we continued to our podcast. Persevere. That's it. That's it. The building could have been crumbling. And it's so funny because people, they're like, you can really tell they're nurses because they don't even care about dying. No, no. That left, that left. Like the minute you got hit by a patient or just like,
your life might have been threatened. You're like, oh shit. Okay. That's cool. Like we'll just. So now my other question is what was the craziest patient interaction you've ever had? The craziest one and not to be like crazy as in mental health, but like the craziest has been, we see a lot of homeless community come in and we see a lot of drug addicts.
We do our best to help them. But the craziest one was, yeah, like she snuck in a crack pipe in her six inch subway and like started like taking a hit like from the six inch and was like, and I was like, I looked in and I'm like, she's been working on that for like two hours. I'm like, you're not, I'm like, I see you like, and so, and then finally we go in. Cause that's the thing is we got to check the food and stuff. And I think somehow that just got missed, but she was in there just boom.
And we're like, oh, okay. She's like, this patient about to be sedated quickly. What's going on in this shit? I'm like, shit. Yeah. So quickly. And then immediately I was like, okay, no more, no more subway, no more six inches in patient rooms. Oh,
Holy, I mean, like, again, like, I don't know how ICU manage ICU. I can never, you guys do it best. I don't know. I can never manage that much pumps in my life or that much wire. I love it. Well, we're getting to the end of this whole podcast. And I think like...
One thing I want you to say is like, what can you tell all the people who's listening right now? Any motivational speech, anything that you want to tell them? Yeah. Yeah. Oh, thank you. First, thank you so much for following me. Like that is so crazy and nice and.
I really, really appreciate it. I've never thought of myself as someone that people would enjoy listening to or interacting with. You're a very interesting person. Thank you. Thank you. And now I'm starting to see that and I'm like, all right, so we're going to put that out there for people to see. So that would be the second part of the message is like, love yourself first, make sure that you are your best friend, make sure you're kindest to yourself. And then you can actually bring your best self for others, for if you have an audience, a platform, your family, your friends, your kids, whatever.
your coworkers, you're going to be your best self and you're going to be a true genuine person when you love yourself. So that's kind of my message is don't settle for anyone else and don't let anyone put you down. You're worth it. You're valuable no matter what. And you're good. I love that. I love that. That's I think that's such a genuine like message to all the people listening. And I've been telling you guys this and I don't know how many episodes of this podcast is that you are your most important patient. Mm hmm.
And you should fill your cup to the brim when it's overflowing. Then you can share those overflowing love and care for somebody else's. But unless otherwise it's not full, you should keep that glass to yourself. Yeah, that's good. And that's just for you. Sure.
Nobody else. Preach. Wow. Yeah. Good. Well, thank you so much for being in this podcast, Mikael. Thank you for having me. Really appreciate it. It's so nice to get to know you. And I'm pretty sure that all the people that are listening right now are so happy that they got to know you. Thank you. Where can they follow you? You can follow me on TikTok and on Instagram at NurseMikael underscore. And yeah, go ahead. Give it a follow. Give it a like. I'm going to be putting out a lot more stuff. I'm planning on taking things up a notch from here. That's right.
Oh, another thing we talk about before we end this, you guys, he used to model. Uh-huh. I'm still signed with my agencies in Minnesota. So when they come through, like I'll just, if I have time, I'll sign on to it. But yeah. If you're walking in Target, you might see one of the poster and it's him. Yeah, that would be fun. Yeah. Yeah. It's been a little while, so we'll see. Maybe this can be start again. Period. Thank you again for coming in here in the podcast. I'm pretty sure everyone appreciates you.
And thank you, besties, for listening to this episode of the podcast. And I hope you guys enjoyed getting to know Mikael and him, his personal life, his social media life, his nursing life. And again, thank you so much for listening. Do me a quick favor again. If you're listening right now, make sure that you follow us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Leave us a five-star review. Share it to your friends, colleagues, family. And bestie, look forward for our next week's episode in your favorite podcast.
Podcast, I beg your pardon. I love you so much. Keep safe. Stay caffeinated, medicated, and hydrated. Goodbye.