>>Adrianna: On this road trip, we are traveling across Florida, >>Logan: in a big green RV.

>>Adrianna: Interviewing different nurses.

>>Maya: And learning about all the possibilities there are in nursing.

>>Logan: Because soon it's gonna be us.

We're gonna be out in the real world.

>> Maya: My biggest fear about being a nurse would just be experiencing burnout.

>>Adrianna: Once I get into that field, am I still gonna have that spark?

>>Sarah: Everyone always says there's nothing worth doing in life that isn't hard, but don't give up.

Keep going.

>>Narrator: How do I know which path is best for me?

Is it possible to take on these challenges and obstacles?

Where do I even start?

What should I do with my life?

Sometimes, the only way to find out is to go see what's possible Since 2001, we've been sharing the stories of people who ventured out and explored different career paths and different possibilities for their futures.

This is one of those stories.

This is Roadtrip Nation.

>> Adrianna: On this road trip, we are traveling across Florida- >> Logan: In a big green RV.

>> Adrianna: Interviewing different nurses.

>> Maya: And learning about all the possibilities there are in nursing.

>> Logan: Because soon, it's going to be us, we're going to be out in the real world.

[music] >> Logan: We're halfway through the roadtrip.

Look what I got for us.

>> Maya: What'd you get us?

>> Logan: I got you some PPE for when we need to change out the sewage out of the RV.

>> Maya: Not the PPE!

>> Adrianna: [laugh] >> Logan: PPE, which we use in healthcare, is personal protective equipment.

[music] >> Logan: All right.

>> Adrianna: Changing the water.

Babe, I don't think you should, okay.

>> Logan: You're going to connect it.

>> Adrianna: Connect this with this?

>> Logan: Yeah.

>> Adrianna: I could do that.

>> Logan: Good thing I can't smell anything.

>> Adrianna: Pull the trigger.

>> Logan: Ready?

[music] >> Adrianna: Whoa, whoa!

>> Maya: [laugh] >> Adrianna: The PPE not working.

[laugh] Pull it Maya, so that we can get out of here.

>> Logan: But it was fun, it was like those fun bonding experiences.

They talk about in nursing school like trauma bonding, same thing.

[laugh] [music] >> Logan: On this road trip, we are going to be meeting nurses in different specialties.

>> Adrianna: It's exposing me to so much that nursing has to offer.

>> Maya: By meeting people that are passionate in what they do and can share what keeps them going, that helps me to learn how I can keep going.

[music] >> Logan: Today, we're going to go see Jimmy Holt, who is a flight nurse.

I mean, that's pretty cool.

You're flying around doing critical care, emergency care in the air.

How cool is that?

>> Jimmy: I get asked if I'm a pilot all the time.

>> Logan: Yeah.

>> Jimmy: It used to be an astronaut until we got the yellow stripes on the side of it.

>> Logan: [laugh] >> Maya: Are you an astronaut?

>> Logan: [laugh] >> Maya: Why do you get fancy jumpsuits?

>> Logan: [laugh] >> Jimmy: So, these are Nomex suits, and the reason why we wear them is in case of a fire.

They'll char but they don't burn.

So it gives you a fighting chance to get out of there in the rare event that something like that would occur.

>> Adrianna: Well, you have to wear that.

You have to.

>> Maya: Can you tell us a little bit about what a flight nurse is and what you do every day?

>> Jimmy: Yeah, so, a rotor wing flight nurse, we do both inter-facility flights and scene flights.

So an inter-facility flight may be from a rural ER back to a major hospital.

We also do scene flights, so that is anything from car accidents, shootings, stabbings, falls, anything you could think of.

I actually had a patient, had their arm ripped off by an alligator, so, you know, things like [laugh].

>> Logan: That's very Floridian.

>> Maya: Very.

>> Jimmy: You never know what you're going to do when you come to work.

>> Logan: Can you tell us a little bit about your history and how you got to this point?

>> Jimmy: I didn't know what I wanted to do in high school, so I went into the military.

From the military, I got a job as a federal firefighter, and they had an EMT course.

And I was like, this is what I want to do.

And so, I worked EMS full-time, I would get guys to come cover me so I could go to nursing school.

So since May of 2002, I've been flying.

And since 2018, I've been the chief flight nurse.

It's a hard job, both physically and mentally.

We just don't hop out of the helicopter.

And it's like, we're in 64-degree, air conditioning and everything.

You take your helmet off and fluff your hair.

>> Logan: [laugh] >> Adrianna: That's how the movie>> Jimmy: Its brutal.

>> Logan: Yeah [laugh].

>> Jimmy: I mean, it's a very tight space.

There's a lot of crawling around, getting on your hands and knees, moving around, pulling pumps in a ventilator in your monitor, with the patient, but I do think it's very rewarding.

To me, there's no better job.

It means so much to me, being able to take care of patients.

And I get to do what I did when I was working as a paramedic, and I also get to get paid like a nurse.

There's 2,000 jobs in nursing itself.

If you start to get burned out on the bedside, do something else.

[music] >> Adrianna: His job is definitely cool.

Not gonna lie.

Not for me, but for somebody else.

>> Maya: I feel like you have to be the type of person that would like a ER.

Someone that likes fast pace, that likes something new every day.

>> Adrianna: Works under pressure.

>> Maya: Exactly.

[music] >> Maya: I was able to take a lot from that conversation.

Just seeing his perspective and seeing how much he loves the position and how that's affected his journey made me recognize more about what it means to be a nurse when I graduate.

[music] >> Maya: So, I am a fourth year senior at Florida State University, graduating with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

Hi Lily!

Hi Pumpkin!

Hi, stinker butt!

[laugh] Hi, Mom.

>> Christine: Hi.

>> Maya: Growing up, it was me and my mom mainly, we hung out a lot, she gave me a really good childhood.

This is the little nose.

>> Christine: I mean, Maya, that leg is so chubby.

I just want to eat it right now.

>> Maya: It's so ridiculous.

So that relationship has been so important, just to how I see life, how I see my patients.

Really, what sold me on nursing was thinking about my mom.

When we lived in New York, she got really, really sick, and it was hard for her to take care of herself while also taking care of me.

I remember sometimes she would go to the hospital, and I thought about the impact that the nurses had on my mom when she was sick, and I knew that that was something I wanted to do with my own life.

>> Christine: When you were probably in middle school, you started telling me you wanted to be an OBGYN.

>> Christine: Because you used >> Maya: Mhmm.e birthing videos.

>> Maya: I do remember that.

>> Christine: And what did I use to tell you?

We're going to take it one semester at a time.

>> Maya: And then I made it to nursing school, and I loved it.

>> Christine: Right, you put a lot of hard work into this.

This has been many, many years in the making.

>> Maya: For sure.

>> Christine: I think you're going to be amazing, and I'm proud of you.

>> Maya: Thanks, Mom.

>> Christine: You're welcome.

You've got my eyes watering, oh boy.

>> Maya: I'm kind of in a transitional period in my life right now.

I'm about to graduate.

What's next?

Finding that job, finding that position.

And it's like, I could see myself working in NICU.

That's really nice.

Maybe I like ortho.

But, you know, I love old people, maybe I'll work in hospice.

Right now, I would say my ultimate nursing position goal would be the CRNA position, which is a certified registered nurse anesthetist.

They work under your anesthesiologist, or your anesthesia team.

But it's still scary because it's a lot of schooling and a lot of effort.

And overall, my biggest fear would just be experiencing burnout.

[music] >> Maya: Today, we're meeting Sarah Brumbaugh-Baker, she's a CRNA.

I'm really excited to meet her.

[music] >> Adrianna: Hi.

>> Sarah: I'm Sarah.

>> Maya: Maya.

>> Sarah: So, in our role, you still get the patient interaction, and then you also get the critical thinking aspect from the ICU level nursing.

You get the hands-on skills with the air way and the invasivelines and the nerve blocks.

So this would be our face mask that you see in the movies.

>> Logan: Yeah.

Deep breath.

>> Sarah: Where they hold it right here and take in a deep breathe, yep.

This actually has every thing we need to keep the patient asleep, and you would be managing the settings on here, delivering them oxygen.

So when they go to sleep, they open their mouth, and the laryngoscope goes in like this.

But there's a camera on the end.

You have one patient at a time and you can give your full attention and the best level of care you can give them, as opposed to kind of feeling spread across multiple patients.

>> Logan: Wow.

>> Maya: Very nice.

>> Sarah: Coming on three years now in the profession, and I'm biased but it's awesome.

>> Logan: Are there any misconceptions about being a nurse anesthetist that you've encountered, or that people just in general have, anything that you'd like to clear up?

[laugh] >> Sarah: I think the biggest misconception that I ran into was people asking me, why would you want to do that?

That's so boring.

Like you're just watching patients sleep and you're just doing the same thing every single day.

And really that couldn't be farther from the truth.

The things that you're doing in the anesthesia role, you are obviously having the patient interaction, you're interviewing them.

You're reviewing all of their medical history, surgical history, anesthetic history, the medications they're on.

This person has asthma, has heart failure, so planning our anesthetic.

And then when we actually do the hands-on anesthesia, you're having to manage their airway.

Every single time we put a patient to sleep, we are giving them medications that are going to make them stop breathing and then paralyze their muscles.

And once they are asleep, now we're managing their ventilator.

And I'm also timing my medications so that they're wearing off at the same time that I want to wake them up.

So nothing about that is boring [laugh] >> Adrianna: Right.

>> Maya: You talking about how when you're with your patients, for one, it's one-on-one more so.

I loved that.

With that being said, are there any negatives or anything that you would kind of like warn people going into the profession where you would be like uh.

>> Sarah: I think the biggest one is really the journey in school, CRNA school being scary.

What you hear, that really pushes people off from it, but it's one of the few professions that when you get out, you're guaranteed a certain salary that you can actually pay off your loans.

>> Maya: I love that I asked for negatives and she sells us all over again.

She's like, there's actually nothing bad.

>> Logan: Can you tell us a little bit about the experience of CRNA school?

Because it's a lot [laugh] >> Sarah: Yeah, so the experience itself, for the most part, all of them are usually three years long, so no summers off and I'm getting up at 3, 4AM to get to a clinical site, you need at least 2000 hours.

So by the time you graduate and you're a CRNA, you just feel like you've been doing this forever.

But you have to remind yourself, it's all temporary.

Don't look nine semesters down the road.

Just look this class right now and these couple weeks.

>> Maya: I do think you have to be really dedicated to it, if you want to do it, you gotta want to do it.

>> Adrianna: You do, but you only need to be dedicated for three years.

>> Logan: That's just do whatever you want.

>> Sarah: But really, though, it's like someone saying, I don't want to have any children, because when they're under two it's a little hard.

Or I don't want to do, even nursing school, nursing school's rough.

It's annoying.

It's hard, but you never have to do it again.

>> Maya: [laugh] >> Sarah: Everyone always says there's nothing worth doing in life that isn't hard.

So keep showing up and doing your best every day, and eventually you'll show up one day and you'll be done.

Don't compare yourself or your journey to anyone else's.

>> Maya: Going to CRNA school, it is kind of intimidating.

It's expensive, maybe up to $200,000 for that degree.

It's an extra three to five years of your life that you're committing towards a path.

But after speaking to her, it just made me feel like this is something I want to do ten times more than beforehand, because everyone has a tiny little voice where it's like, can I do that?

And I'm smart enough?

Will I be a good ICU nurse?

But then, after speaking to Sarah as well, you recognize that that's not just you, and that's completely normal and completely human.

And if you keep pushing and keep going, you can really do whatever you set your mind to.

[music] >> Adrianna: We're already on our last two days.

>> Gator wrangler: He feels your body heat.

>> Maya: Wow!

>> Adrianna: It's been so good sharing this journey with Maya.

I feel like it grew our friendship and our sisterhood even more.

I know she loves that I'm here.

She's not going to say it, but I know she does.

And I loved it too.

[music] >> Logan: Adrianna and Maya make wonderful road trip partners.

>> Maya: Logan is like the sweetest little angel baby ever.

He keeps us balanced, I'd say.

Logan is like the glue.

[laugh] Delete the tape.

>> Adrianna: It's like, I'm going to cherish these moments forever.

>> Maya: Faster.

>> Adrianna: To know that how we started is so much different than how we're ending.

It feels like time went by so fast.

>> Logan: So we only have one interview left.

So far through all of the interviews, there are surprisingly a lot of common themes.

One of them is burnout.

Burnout is such a big deal in the nursing field.

You're so busy taking care of others that you oftentimes forget to take care of yourself.

There's a thing literally called nurse's bladder.

It's like a UTI, urinary tract infection, because you hold your bladder for so long.

Because you have so many things you got to do because you're caring for so many other people.

>> Adrianna: So it's like, how are you able to not be so burnt out by the end of the day, to the point where you don't want to come into work tomorrow?

>> Maya: I would hate to get to that point where it's like you see so much tragedy and you see so much sickness, and then lose that empathy that I've had, lose that passion in general in my career.

>> Melanie: There's plenty of crying.

You have hard days.

You can't just like turn it off.

You're human.

But we do have a lot of support within our unit.

And that's where your friends come in.

That's where your spouse comes in.

That's where your partner comes in.

That's where your mom comes in.

Whoever it is that you have that you can lean on in those hard times.

>> Jimmy: Burnout, to me, the best thing for that is find things you want to do along the way, and don't wait till the end of your career to do things.

Whether it's some sporting, painting, the family vacations, take advantage of every single day you're off.

>> Logan: So watch for burnout.

Make sure that you have a life.

Make sure you have a support system.

But also empathy, caring about others.

I feel like that's what most of us go into this field for.

>> Maya: Exactly.

>> Logan: Because we want to care for others.

And you kind of have to have a natural empathy.

>> Adrianna: Right.

>> Yorman: I remember one time that I was working in an oncology unit and had a patient who was refusing taking medication, so I went into the room and I just sat next to her.

And I just stayed there without saying anything.

She started crying and she hold my hand, and she told me that that day was the day that her son passed away.

And I was there just holding her hand while she was crying.

For 30 minutes of her crying, she told me that she was going to take her medication, but she just needed somebody to be there and listen to her.

>> Kim: I love, here at Mayo Clinic, we do a lot of different surgeries.

We are able to help a patient when other people said that there's nothing we can do for you.

and I love the fact that I can hold that patient's hand knowing they've got to be scared to death.

Sorry, I get tearful when I think about it, and then I'm there the whole entire time for them.

And it's just very rewarding.

>> Maya: If there's anything I'd say that you have in this job is some type of compassion for what you're doing.

You have to love what you do.

>> Logan: We're not in this just for the money.

>> Maya: Exactly.

>> Adrianna: And I feel like it leads to burnout more quickly.

>> Logan: As long as you have that compassion, I think that you're going to be a great nurse.

[music] >> Logan: So we're at our last interview with Wendy Goodson Celerin.

>> Maya: The Chief Nursing Executive at Tampa General Hospital.

>> Wendy: Hi, welcome, nice to meet you.

So we have six hospitals, a seventh that we're managing, and then we have a like over 150 different locations and ambulatory space, and just clinics and urgent cares.

>> Logan: That's amazing.

A lot of responsibility.

>> Wendy: Yes, it is, yes, it is, but it's a great team of nurses.

>> Logan: So, could you tell us a little bit about your journey from when you started nursing to where you are today?

>> Wendy: For me, coming out of nursing school came as a new nurse and I was like, I need to go into leadership.

I became the nurse manager of the unit.

It's a 50-bed trauma surgery unit.

Then it was the director for nursing education.

During this time, I also went back for my master's degree and then also I'm starting my doctorate degree.

And then becoming the Chief Nurse Executive and executive vice president.

>> Adrianna: Wow.

How was it furthering your education and advancing in leadership at the same time?

>> Wendy: It wasn't easy because I had two little ones when I was doing my master's and my husband was going to law school, and so we had a routine but, yeah, it's sacrifice.

It's hard, it's not easy, but I would just say knowing that it's just temporary, that's what kept me going.

Think of papers and research and writing, and I was like, my goodness, why did I do this?

[laugh] But it's all temporary.

That's the only thing, it's just like nursing school it's temporary.

You have a goal, and you're reaching your goal and then you get to enjoy it.

>> Logan: That's amazing, good for you, that sounds exhausting just listening to you.

>> Wendy: Don't get discouraged, though.

It is worth it, it's well worth it.

>> Maya: Would baby nurse version of you see yourself as a CNO?

Was that a part of your plan, for one?

Two, do you think baby nurse you would be proud of where you are today?

>> Wendy: Yeah, no, I did not envision, as a young baby nurse.

I was like, there's no way I could be in that position.

I don't know how they do what they do.

I think part of that was there's politics that, people say politics.

And I was like, I don't know politics.

I only know to be honest and be transparent.

Not that I'm saying they all do those things at that level, but there are politics, right?

So looking back, definitely proud of myself.

My mom was a nurse of 40 years, and she's no longer living, but that makes me proud I think because I know she would be proud.

Knowing that what we're doing for our community, for me, to make sure that everybody has what they need to do to deliver the best possible care for that patient to have the best outcome to get them home to their loved ones.

Knowing that I'm a part of that at the highest level makes me happy.

It gives back to the heart, as to the why, why am I here?

My thing, because I didn't see it, I wanted to be there.

I wanted the representation to be there because I didn't see it.

>> Maya: It's such a nice thing to see you.

When you see people that look like you, especially when you want to move up in ranks.

I hope you feel proud, because even today, you've impacted my life genuinely.

Being like, she's so cool, yeah, seriously, seriously.

>> Adrianna: Even when she walked in, me and Maya made eye contact, I was like, my God, she's Black.

To see that somebody that looks like me is in upper power.

She has a say so in the health care system means a lot.

It shows that I could be that one day.

Not saying that I want to, but you know.

Somebody that looks like us could be >> Logan: You could.

>> Logan: Yeah, that's super important.

>> Wendy: Be the nurse everyone wants: caring, skilled, and trusted.

>> Maya: Beautiful.

>> Logan: Thank you [applause].

>> Maya: Thank you.

[music] >> Adrianna: Walking fast, faces passing go now.

Today is the last day.

>> Logan: Bittersweet.

>> Maya: Yeah.

>> Logan: Very bittersweet.

>> Maya: I agree with that.

I second that motion.

Why are you always laughing at me?

>> Adrianna: Because you're dumb.

>> Maya: [laugh] >> Logan: I love that this is how we sentimentally say goodbye to each other.

So we wrote each other letters to take home with us.

>> Maya: I actually love letters.

>> Adrianna: I'm actually going to frame this.

>> Maya: You read yours first, Logan.

>> Logan: From Adrianna, Nana, dear Logan, you're one of the sweetest, most thoughtful people I've met.

You've made such a positive impact on me, and I know you're going to continue making a difference in the world of nursing.

>> Adrianna: Logan.

>> Logan: From Maya, Logan, there's no doubt in my mind that you'll be an amazing nurse.

I can't wait for you to graduate and maybe we'll even be baby nurses together one day.

>> Maya: Bring it in.

>> Logan: The whole trip is something I don't think I'll ever forget.

I mean, I would love to share everything with my mom.

Love to tell her.

Really, I'm starting to realize I'm doing what I want to do.

I just kind of realized, speaking with all of our leaders, that it's okay to not know what you want to do.

You can truly experience all the different options that nursing has and wherever you end up in your practicum, you're going to enjoy, you're going to learn, you're going to grow.

And that's the beauty of nursing.

>> Maya: No, I'm going to read Logan's first, because yours is going to be some foolishness.

Logan's is going to be heartfelt and meaningful.

Maya, you and Nana make me cackle.

>> Logan: You do make me cackle.

>> Maya: You and Nana make me cackle.

And can always cheer me up.

Remember the lessons we learned on the road and make sure to always be the person you wanted to see when you were young.

Your fellow Roadtripper, Logan.

>> Adrianna: So sweet, I can't.

>> Maya: [laugh] Deep down, I know nobody knows this, I'm the biggest crybaby thug there is.

>> Adrianna: No, me too.

I put on like I'm so G, I'm not G at all.

>> Logan: I want to hear what Nana wrote to Maya, that's what I want.

>> Adrianna: I'm about to bawl.

>> Maya: Maya, you lighten up every room you walk into.

So imagine the lives of patients you will light up as well.

You'll always have a big sister to lean on.

I'm not going to hug you because I'm going to start crying.

Just read your letter and shut up.

>> Adrianna: [laugh].

>> Maya: As a whole, I know I'm not going to forget this experience.

Being on this road trip gave me the perspective of other people saying, yeah, it was difficult, but it was doable.

Everyone felt like a normal person.

You don't have to be like super-woman to finish nursing school and to have this career.

You just have to have the heart and have the effort.

And I'm really excited to see where this journey goes with the CRNA path.

I am cut out for this.

I can do this.

>> Adrianna: Reading Logan's first.

Adrianna, you are going to go so far.

I am, thank you, Logan.

>> Maya: [laugh] >> Adrianna: Your passion for women's health and compassion will lead you towards your dreams and well beyond.

Your fellow Roadtripper, Logan.

As far as my future aspirations of having my own business, I was able to speak to Sylvia.

She started her own business, and meeting Blanca, she's the L&D nurse.

It's two of the same things that I want to do.

And then when you put it together, it's like I got everything that I ever wanted to know.

I feel like I could take on the world.

Maya.

Where do I even start?

This trip has really solidified the love I have for you.

>> Maya: Okay, shut up.

>> Adrianna: [cry].

>> Maya: Stop, stop, [laugh] just read.

>> Adrianna: Sister.

>> Maya: [laugh] [sniff] Suck it in.

>> Adrianna: I can't.

>> Maya: Stop, you're going to make me cry.

>> Adrianna: It's crazy to think, just a few months ago, we had basically no idea what we were doing.

After this trip, I feel extra compelled to lock in!

The next journey being graduation, NCLEX, and our first jobs.

This is so sweet.

>> Maya: Cut the tape.

>> Adrianna: [laugh]ut the tape.

[Music] Wondering what to do with your life?

Well we've been there and we're here to help Our website has some awesome tools to help you find your path And you can check out all our documentaries, interviews and more Start exploring at roadtripnation.com >>Voice on PA: You may change your tassles from right to left >> Adrianna: [cheering] [Music]