From Bully to Bedside: Anthony’s Journey into Nursing

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[00:00:31] Welcome back folks. This is episode 56. It's about your paycheck. And today we got a guest. We're gonna talk about nursing and how complicated pay stubs can be for nurses. And, but before we get into that, what's up Walt? How you doing, sir? I'm good. No complaints. Just trying to be grateful and thankful for another day, man. I said this year's already flying by, but I'm good, man. How about you?

[00:00:57] I'm good, bro. I'm happy, man. I got my lifelong friends, man. We think we've been friends since sixth grade. Wow. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. You know, when I was getting ready today, I was thinking Brian was my bully when I was a kid. I don't know if he considered himself a bully then, but Brian was my bully. Like, I had to, that is one of them, you know, and a bully came up one time in a conversation with some other friends and they said, your bullies make you a better man.

[00:01:25] Because a bully makes you kind of like say, all right, I need to beef up. And I was doing pushups at home. Oh my God. Brian didn't even know it. You know what it was? He was a new kid in the school. So we were all like, oh, and then, you know, all the girls like all the new cute guys. So he was just taking a lot of shine from me and my crew. You know what I mean? So you were being a hater. I was being a hater. And he would, he had this great smile. So that's what we started with. We call him Smiley. Yeah. And then he got cool though.

[00:01:55] Yes. I never smiled again because of that shit. I would practice me mugging in the mirror because it was a habit. So we smile, right? So I had a nice smile. So I was always cheesing it. And then I said, we was growing up in a tough neighborhood. And I was like, I can't really smile like that. Can't be smiling like that. Exactly. It's causing me a problem. But then we got cool. Then that's it. We were friends. I mean, yeah. After that. Luckily, nothing ever took place. Nah. I think it just all smoothed out. Yeah. We didn't know you, you know? So we had to, it was like hazing.

[00:02:25] It was like hazing. I didn't like the girl that he dated anyway. Exactly. Like, leave me alone. Oh God, man. Oh my God. But it was one of them, one of them towns where you needed to like, even the soft guys were tough. So. Yeah. We had to kind of step it up. Yeah. Yeah, man.

[00:02:47] So fast forward a million years later and we're doing this show and he hit me up on a DM one day and was just like, man, you guys should do nursing. And I was like, yes, we're trying to, you need to come on and talk about it with us. And, you know, Anthony, you jump in for whatever it is. But like, one of the things that I see for nursing that I never understand is why there's

[00:03:12] so many different codes on one paycheck for one pay period. Like maybe you could start there for us. And why is there so many different codes? So, so there within nursing, there are a lot of different degrees to begin with, right? You've got your LPNs that are, that are your, your nurse, but you're, you're limited to a scope of practice, right? And then you got your RN with their associates. Again, they may be able to do a little bit more.

[00:03:40] And then you have your RN with a bachelor's who kind of is, um, you can exchange the RN with the bachelor's with the associates. They're just able to manage at some places and others, some places they don't even care no more. You just kind of get your bachelor's to get it, you know, because you want to move on and maybe do leadership at some point. So those are one of the breakdowns in pay in the sense of, uh, how much you earn, right? Plus your, your, your, your skills and your seniority.

[00:04:06] But then it starts to, to, uh, break down, uh, per shift, you know, you need your, it's a 24 hour period in a day. So you need somebody 24 hours in the hospital. So you're going to get your night shift differential, your evening differential. And then there's, there's, you know, uh, some places have like a ladder system. You know, if you, if you have these certifications in this particular area, you're now you're level two on that ladder. If you are trauma certified, you're level three on that ladder.

[00:04:36] Right. And then, uh, and then it's a business, a hospital is a, you know, a lot of people, you know, I, I became a nurse. I felt like it was a calling for me, you know, as, as, as tough as I thought I was, it was something that always drew me to wanting to help people or even hold back in, in when my boxing career or whenever I, I entertain combat sports, there was this, like, I didn't have that finishing moment that, that kill moment in me. And I just knew this was where I belonged.

[00:05:04] I got so much gratification from my patients, from my coworkers, from my leadership. I've always complimented, you know, how I, how I helped people. So thank you for that. Thanks for your service. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. So, so it was a calling for me. So it's not so much about the money, but at the end of the day, this is how I pay my bills, right? This is how I need to earn. And so I do, I do look at my paycheck from time to time and I'm like, so we talk about that on the show, like, cause a lot of people don't look at their paycheck cause they don't have so many line items.

[00:05:34] There's nothing to look at really, as long as their money is kind of where they should be. But, but it's interesting that you said you do look at it from time to time because there's a lot of going on. Yeah. So we, we, you know, productivity hours, how many hours that you've been there on a two week period, you know, they break it down there. Then, uh, the different shifts that you work. So, and then, you know, the shifts, even though you're working a, so I do some called a mid shift, but, uh, you know, say, what is that?

[00:06:03] So there's a 12 hour, we do 12 hour shifts, right? So some people generally do seven to seven. Um, and then from 7am to 7pm and then the next shift comes on 7pm to 7am. Okay. At some point someone in leadership realized, Hey, this gap of a set, you know, when it starts coming from that, getting closer to 7pm and the 7am are coming on like that gap period our nurses maybe don't, you know, feel as strong or as sharp. Why don't we get somebody to come in at 10 and work till 10pm?

[00:06:33] Somebody that comes in at 12 works. So you're able to, I'm, my shift is 10 to 10. I go in at 10pm and I finish at 10pm. I go in at 10am and finish it and finish at 10pm. So that, so that middle ground for me, I'm pumping, like my blood is pumping. I've been there a little while. I know my patients, da, da, da, and I'm able to keep it going. So, so that, that's the productivity hours. And then, of course, I, I just have my sheet in front of me because there is a lot of lines,

[00:06:59] you know, the, the, the, there's weekend differential besides the evening and night differential. But, uh, to, but to get back to that point of the mid shift differentials. So, because I come in at 10am and I finish at 10pm, I don't count for that night differential, even though I'm there feeling like I'm there pretty late, right? Really? Yeah. You have to be able to start, I believe at 12 or, or 12 in the afternoon.

[00:07:26] And then when you, and then it'll count from 7pm to 12. So you only get, so on a, let's say on Thursdays, I go in at 11. On that day, for some reason, I get four hours, three, four hours a night different, the evening differential pay. So then I get a couple of extra dollars because, because of that one hour I'm able to move it ahead. Wow. Wow. But then, so it breaks it down almost by the hour in that 24 hours, some hours are worth more than others. Wow. Yeah.

[00:07:55] And then, and then besides that, you get your weekend differential. So I work every weekend because I want to capitalize on that extra couple of dollars that I get on weekends, you know, weekends for me. So you get your day off during the week? During the week. I work three days a week. So I work Saturday, Sunday, and then I work Wednesday. Ah, okay. You know, which, which is very cool about a nursing schedule because you're able to do so many other things, right? Yeah. That's how I vote.

[00:08:21] I was able to continue with my combat career as a nurse or I try, I've tried real estate. I've cut hair. I've done a couple of other different things. I didn't realize at one point, did you try to fight professionally? More like amateur. I was just trying to get into it. Amateur, just get my feet wet and see how things work. I didn't know that. I've done little smokers, but you know, nothing really necessarily counted. Yeah. And I've done a lot of jujitsu tournaments, which is like a wrestling tournament. If you've ever attended one of those. Do you keep record? Do you know what your record is?

[00:08:50] No, I count my trophies. I got like 50 trophies in my garage. Yeah. Mostly first place. No doubt. There was a day in a jujitsu competition. So because I was already in my thirties when I started messing with the jujitsu tournaments, I would enter a master's division. So that's anybody over 30. So I was the grown man. Right. But then I would do, because I'm still a little crazy and felt like I had something. I'd enter the 18 and over competitions too.

[00:09:18] So then you would do gi and no gi. So I fought 13 times one day. It is jujitsu. So you're not, you're not, you're not scrapping really. But you're choking. You know, they was trying to choke me and I was trying to choke them. You know, so they score it or you get somebody to tap out. But if you ever can, you should attend when they have a lot of them around in different locations. No doubt. It changed, it definitely changed me and made me more disciplined as a man and as a person. Do you think it helped your nursing career at all? Absolutely. Absolutely.

[00:09:47] Because it, so whenever someone becomes aggressive at work in this, you know, I work in the emergency room. So a lot of times people do get tight real fast, you know, whether they want their water, they're mad or for somebody to get to their mom or sister or whoever quicker. So for, first of all, like to me, I get it. I've been in that position. Like wanting my person, my, the person I love to be fixed. Your loved one is hurting. Right. They're hurting. I want them fixed. Please help them.

[00:10:16] Somebody, you know, they're more important to me than anybody else in that moment. Right. So I get that. And, and I feel like the average person can't hurt me anymore. Right. I feel like I have this, this skill that I'm able to, to stop somebody if I need to. So when someone comes at me aggressively, I don't, I'm not, I don't feel threatened. I don't respond that way. And I definitely always feel that most people that get aggressive just either feel disrespected or unheard.

[00:10:44] And at that point, I'm able to just say, Hey, like, tell me what you need and I'm going to help you. You know, I respect you. And I just, I just want to know what you need. And then they just chill out. They just chill out, man. They chill out. They tell me what they need. I'm able to usually fix it for them. So it actually gives you a calm, like this sense of calm that you can keep because you know, you're not going to hurt me. So let's try to talk this out. Let's try to fix it.

[00:11:08] And then even if I was like not feeling that way, like, and I would be, I was an aggressive person and I wanted to be, it almost feels unfair. Like when it comes to like jujitsu on an average person, you almost feel like you're fighting a child who's like throwing punches and kicks at you. But you're like, all right, you know, if I grab you, I can put you on the floor and choke you out. I can make you say uncle, you know? Right. So, so it's like, it's pointless. There's no challenge in it. Right. So you don't feel challenged in fighting with anybody.

[00:11:36] So you kind of just usually verbally kind of just deescalate the situation as opposed to, you know, saying let's step outside or something, you know? And that's a, that's a, for those of those who don't know Anthony, that's a big maturity step. When we were younger, you just scrapped. Yeah. Running toward the fights and. Yeah. I was about that life. So, so, you know, that is. Hey everybody. I'm Lori Rudiman. What are you doing? Working? Nah.

[00:12:02] You're listening to a podcast about work and that barely counts. So while you're at it, check out my show, Punk Rock HR now on the Work Defined Network. We chat with smart people about work, power, politics, and money. Are we succeeding? Are we fixing work? Probably not. Work still sucks, but tune in for some fun, a little nonsense and a fresh take on how to fix work once and for all.

[00:13:01] Why I feel like nursing and healthcare was a big call for me because even then in high school, I ended up volunteering for the local fire department and then the local rescue, which is the ambulance. Yeah. And I was able to do that, finding that thrill, that rush I was getting from the same thing of being at a nightclub or some friends and we get into some, you get that same kind of rush. Like I've had a couple of guys went to school with coming through the emergency room, whether

[00:13:27] they were caught, like I've seen guys come in, you know, and I was able to help them and I still get the rush, right? Like I still get my adrenaline pumping, everything I can. And then, so I was able to like manage, you know, like change that about myself because of that and found that thrill in helping. That's amazing, bro. We, we've just been like catching up on it over the last few weeks and I'm like, damn, I'm so proud of you, bro. So nice to see like your evolution. Yeah, no doubt. Same for you. Thank you.

[00:13:55] There was a point also that you, we came into each other's lives to help my nephew, Christian, who was born with his intestines out and then he ended up developing cancer as a, as a, as an adult, as he was like seven, I think seven or eight years old. And I told Brian about it and he was like, Hey man, I want to help. Like, what can we do? And we decided to put a fundraiser together and we were super successful at all of it. I mean, we had, we had parties at comedy places.

[00:14:24] We had parties in bars. We, we raised a lot of money. We were able to donate to the hospital, donate to both the parents and we got the kid a PlayStation, you know, and, uh, you know, it was fun. It was fun. I loved it. I think it got a little rough, uh, at times whenever there's money, everybody wants to know where the money is. And luckily we kept receipts and we kept, we did our due diligence about always keeping that up. You know, and I never thought about it after that. Like I, for me, I just, I just, I was happy to help do it.

[00:14:53] And, you know, you're talking about money now and I'm like, Oh yeah, I never really, you know, cause I just trusted that. That we were all doing the right thing. Yeah. You asked me like his mom, my brother, like, you know, I'd have receipts on everything because I knew that that might come, you know, somebody had warned me, Hey, it doesn't matter who it is. Yeah. And then people got to understand, like, you got to pay for expenses too. Like some, cause not everybody that we had do stuff for us did it for free. No, they gave discounts, but they needed it. Exactly.

[00:15:22] But we had to pay them. So, you know, it is what it is. And if I didn't say, uh, thank you enough then. Thank you. Oh man. Of course, bro. Like that, of course, man. That was Christian. Christian. Of course. Uh, he, he did, he's still around. He does great. He's, he puts down floors. He works out. He's you sent me that picture of him, bro. I was like, Holy cow. Look at that. He had gained some weight and then he came down to Florida. He was like, this is my fat cam. Let's get to it. And he worked out for like three months. He lost 60 pounds.

[00:15:49] He's he, he, I taught him how to like do a couple of different trades where he was able to go home and make some money. And he sent me this long text one day, had me in tears because I was like, damn, I didn't know. I thought we were just, uh, I thought I was just helping him get in shape. And I, he said, I did so much for him as a person. And then he introduced them to boxing and kickboxing and he still practices, which is awesome. Awesome. So yeah, man, shout out to Christian because he definitely brought that out of us too. Heck yeah. See that entrepreneur in us, right. To go and negotiate and make deals with these people and get this stuff done.

[00:16:18] We went on the, we got on the radio. There was people from different countries like in contact with us. Yeah. Yeah. We did a lot, man. I forget. I forgot about that. Part of it is catching me too. But so yes, back to the paycheck. And again, we're talking about how complex it is for nurses to understand their check. Cause there's so many different codes. We've now established that some hours are worth more than others. Some days are worth more than others because of the weekends. Right.

[00:16:48] Undesirable times are worth more. Yeah. Just to bring up something that you mentioned earlier. And I know my wife is also a nurse too. So I know these, some of these things is there's bonuses that I remember through COVID people, nurses got riches. Some nurses got rich in COVID. Yeah. Yeah. Especially, especially in NY. Yeah. Right. Cause there was like, if you sign onto this six week contract, you're getting X amount. And those are the, those are the nurse. Did you travel at all during, during COVID?

[00:17:16] So I was, I was lucky to get a job. Um, so I don't want to say where I went, but it was like a government, uh, government facility. I was able to kind of hook up with and I was part of the research. So I did some cool stuff like with them there, you know, uh, giving incentives for people to be part of the research and, and, uh, stuff like that. I mean, I don't want to, I don't want to say that. Like I was, I was like, uh, being Mr. Scientist, I was carrying a, carrying a little shot. Support staff. I'll support staff. Yes. Yeah.

[00:17:46] Of course. I was part of it and it felt good. Yeah. I was able to sit at those tables, you know, with these people and kind of figure stuff out, you know, and, and what was working, what we were seeing, what the results were. That's dope. So that's what I was, but, uh, there was a day that, um, because at the time, so my wife is also a nurse and we had to sit down and say who was going to go to work because we didn't know if we were going to come home with COVID, you know, or if we're home at all if people are dying. They said, they said there was thousands of nurses that died around the world that nobody

[00:18:15] ever like. Let me think about that. Right. Wow. What did you guys do? So we decided that I was going to go, I had got this new, new job and then she had took some time off originally because I, we just, you know, it was hard, you know, like we cried at that conversation, you know? And then when, when, and it was a stressful time, right? Because now you had to suit up for work every day, you had to, you know, uh, the gown, you know, from, from all, from all the year we would have to put on every day, you know, before

[00:18:45] you even got in your car. Right. Because that car ride home, all of that stuff. So my son who had the time was around like 11, 12, uh, really stepped it up, man. He was packing our lunches. Like I had wrote an article about him and, and, and, and it almost got published and I never went through with it because he was like, hold on dad. Like, don't like, you know, he's very, he's a little more on the humble side. No doubt. And he was like, I don't, you know, he's like, I did that for us. That's what I was supposed to do. You know, I'm your son. Oh God bless him. But he stepped it up, man. He really did.

[00:19:15] My, my other son, Gavin was a lot younger at the time and, and, uh, he was there for him a lot, you know? So. Wow. So a lot of, so a lot of people made money during that time. Yeah. And I would get, uh, bonuses, different contracts, travel. Travel nursing is also a thing, right? And people travel. Yes. So what they'll do, some agencies will set up a contract for you.

[00:19:40] If you travel out of state and they'll give you a stipend for food, rent, you know, extras, whatever it is. And, and sometimes they'll have relationship with different hotels or, or they'll give you that stipend in, in, in a check. And then you're able to go to a relative's house or wherever, you know, Airbnb, wherever you need to go. The smart nurses were coming together through these websites and saying, Hey, look, I'm going North. This is where I'll be. Anyone want to get together? They find out two or three are going to go at the same place. They link up, they link up.

[00:20:09] Now they can split that Airbnb. They can split those meals. So there was tons of nurses making a good money and it was well-deserved too. You know? Yeah. I wish, I wish that we could always be compensated as fairly as we were then for the risk we were doing, because we, we, we take that risk every day, you know? Yeah. Bro. Even, and I didn't know you were ER nurse. Like even in the ER is crazy. Yeah. So for specialties.

[00:20:37] Is there a, is there a, is there a, a, a differential for just for being in the ER? Yes, there is. Oh, nice. I believe it's, it's like a critical care. Right. In the ICUs and the emergency department. Yes. We do, we do, we do get a little bit more, I believe. Okay. Yeah. Cause I hear my wife talking about the nurses always want to go to the ICU, ICU, ICU. Yeah. And the ICU nurses and emergency department nurses don't get along that well. Most, most, most. Why?

[00:21:07] Because I think that, so when you come into the emergency department, regardless of what's wrong with you, we want to patch you up as quick as we can stabilize you and get you to the floor. So we're not worried if you're right hand dominant or what your, if your, what your religion is. So a lot of that charting needs to be done for insurance purposes. So when they get to the floor, they're like, yo, yo, yo, you know, you missed charting on this and, and, you know, we don't know what the guy eats in the afternoon and, you know, if they had a diet or not.

[00:21:36] So the young nurses are like, you know, they're like, you know, you're talking like, get out of here. Like, we're just trying to get them to the floor because we got somebody else. It makes sense. Cody, you know, in the next room. And now we got to run over there and do our thing, you know? Right. We got to, we got to hand them off. Like, Hey, you guys have the time to do them, the luxury to do that. You don't have an ER. You don't have that luxury. I would imagine. So, yeah. So, so, so, so usually, right. Depending on, on the size of the facility, depending on what level of trauma they are,

[00:22:06] you know, because some, some, sometimes, uh, which another cool part of the job is sometimes when the helicopters start to pull up, right. And you got to run outside and put a stretcher and grab the patient and, uh, put them on the stretcher and then run them back in the hospital. Wow. There was one time, uh, and I even shared it with my wife. Cause it was like, I felt like I was on a show, like on TV. I was like, this is like a joke. And I was, I, so in the, in the EDI, I can't say I'm like somewhere high on the tone pole of, of skill level. Right.

[00:22:36] I'm, I'm a, I'm a lower level guy there. Right. Because of my degree. So sometimes because of my strength, they'll call me over. Right. Because pushing that stretcher up that hill, when it comes off that, that helicopter, you know, with all the machines, everything attached, sometimes it gets a little heavy. So they'll grab a male, you know what I'm? And then I'm bilingual and I'm strong. So it just kind of works. Right. So nice. They'll be like, Tony, we need you. Boom.

[00:23:06] We wear like, they got the blue jumpsuit on and I was just, it was like, this is like a movie. Like I listened to what they were saying to do and grab and move. And, you know, because at that moment, right. You can't let that really take away from what you're doing. Right. Right. Stay focused. Yeah. Yeah. But, but besides that, yep. So the, the skill level there's, there's, and those are nurses jumping off those helicopters. Oh, wow. Those are other nurses. Yeah. And then we work alongside paramedics.

[00:23:34] Also, you got your EMS that comes in and there's usually a nurse who delegates what, where that stretcher goes when they come off. Oh, wow. The particular place where I kind of usually put it's called remnant or quick care. So it's usually a place where the kids come in or if it's somebody broke a bone, cut themselves pretty bad. You know, you know, we get a lot, I got a lot of recently, which is kind of craziest thing. I was like, I was holding this piece of wood for my son to cut it with a chainsaw, you know?

[00:24:03] And it's like, he nicked me and it was like, like, why, why would you do that? Why are you giving your EMS? Right. And then, and that's why we're there. So a lot of times, you know, or, or there's somebody who comes in with the sniffles, right. And, and they want care too. And a lot of times there are nurses who get upset. Right. And say, you know, why is this person coming? And to me, I don't care. I know that that's making the hospital money. I really try to try to keep both balances in my head that I'm there to help everybody regardless of their problem or issue.

[00:24:32] And I'm also understand it's a business. They have to charge for this service, which somehow trickles down to me. So I don't care if I got to see a thousand patients in a day and I don't care if some of them got the sniffles of why they come in. But, but I, I believe this is where the urgent cares are starting to come around and they just, they end up being more expensive. I've heard I'm not on how that works out, but there's a difference between the emergency rooms and the urgent cares. Yeah, absolutely.

[00:24:58] I don't know why either, but I can tell you from the HR side of things and being part of benefits conversations, we often tell employees to seek out an emergency room over the urgent care because of the billing and the pricing of it all. And sometimes they don't see, well, it depends on co-pays, you know, and we don't, it's not always an employee impact. It's the backend impact.

[00:25:26] It's the employer, the plan, the company that's trying to get you this medical plan. But if you keep going to urgent cares, you're running up the plan as opposed to, hey, it's going to be cheaper. You go to ER. I don't, I don't know why either. But another thing that happened, something that happened to me is I went to urgent care and they ended up sending me to ER anyway. Yeah. Yes. Because they don't have the same capabilities at times. Some of the urgent cares over here that were attached to the hospital that I work for

[00:25:55] does have a couple of urgent cares. And I recently, you know, one of my managers asked me to go over there for a day and kind of learn the process in case that they need some help, I can help. Oh, that's dope. So I went and checked it out. It was kind of a little intimidating because the whole setup was in there. Like, I mean, to run a code, to run a trauma, like whatever. You know, if something really went down, there's a doctor, there's me and there was like two other nurses. So, you know.

[00:26:44] So, and... All the devices are connected with risks.

[00:27:17] When I'm drawing blood, because you end up getting really good at your skills. And it's important to be able to get things done quickly, efficiently, and then be able to get the result that they're looking for, the doctor is looking for. Nursing has progressed so much that nurses are able to do a lot more than we've ever been able to do. Even LPNs, our school has been opened in Florida, I think because of the necessity. Wow. But at the same time, I don't think this is what Florence Nightingale was looking for us to do, right?

[00:27:47] She was probably going, as you come down now, she's like, what are you doing? That's the doctor's job, right? That's what they went to school for. But a lot of times, the doctor would kind of just give direction from somewhere and then tell us what to do and how to do it, and we'll get it done. Wow. So it puts a lot of stress on nurses at times, right?

[00:28:09] Because of all these new, their scope being open so much that they're able to do so much, and now you're doing so much for your patient. It kind of limits the time you have to interact on a human level, right? To go up to them and say, hey, Brian, how are you doing today, Brian? My name is Tony. I'm here for this. I'm here for that. Which is like nursing 101, right? That bedside manner. That bedside manner, exactly.

[00:28:34] And, you know, unfortunately, I've seen it, and I've done it probably before where I just kind of go in, forget to introduce myself. I'm grabbing their arm, trying to get blood, and they're like, yo, what are you doing? You know? And I'm like, oh, my fault. You know, I just get caught up. Automated. Yeah, you kind of automatically. Because there's 10 other people waiting for me to come and swab them for the flu or whatever else it may be, right? So you kind of want to, when that happens, and if that does happen, I always take a deep breath.

[00:29:01] I know I need to remember, like, the purpose. What's the 101? You know, to go in there and introduce yourself. Because I do believe, like, love heals. Like, when you care about somebody, right? Like, for Christian, what we did for him, it wasn't about so much about the financial portion, but about family and friends, all that came together. And showed so much love and support that it helped him feel like he was loved.

[00:29:28] And I believe that healed him because since then, he's had no issues, you know? Wow. And that's huge for me. So that example is what I try to remember. And there's tons of nurses who have a similar story and why they get into nursing, you know? And those are the nurses that really make a difference. Those who've went through something in life that made them say, I want to be like that nurse or that person that helped me or that person that helped my loved ones.

[00:29:56] Because I want to be just like them one day, right? I want to wear that cape, you know? But with a level of modesty, we need to do that, right? Because as much as it will go to your head, you're running around saving people all day. You know, all of a sudden, you start, like, walking around like you've got or something. And I'm really, like, exaggerating when I'm using that reference. No, but I get it. It gets to people's heads a little bit, right? But we're human.

[00:30:22] And I think the most important thing is to kind of be respectful to everybody and treat them all the same, you know? I love it. Yeah. I love it. Awesome, man. What else about your check, man? What are the things that's unique? So like you were saying with the before, I'm trying to think of what it would be called. So in emergencies like COVID or, like, we're short-staffed. So there's a surge.

[00:30:48] And so in Florida, a lot of times when northerners come up down to Florida for the snowbird season, all of a sudden our ERs get packed again, right? Because grandma slipped. Grandpa's got, you know, cut his finger, whatever it may be. We get this surge. And we have the same level of, same amount of nurses that we're caring for. Let's say 50 people now are got to care for that 100 that's doubled up, you know? Yeah. Oh, interesting.

[00:31:17] You know, it's like they forget to add the staff sometimes because you don't always know when that's going to be necessary. I think I got to plug my laptop in. I didn't realize the battery's almost there. But so for the sake of the word is that emergency pay. They'll call you in and be like, hey, we got bonuses for you if you want to come in. You know, sometimes there'll be $5. Sometimes there'll be $10 on that hour, right? So it's like, all right, no problem. I'll be right there, you know? Yeah, I can.

[00:31:44] So on the breakdown of all of that, it's frustrating at times to see that your productivity hours is X amount of dollars. Then you got your OT. Then you got your differential for your weekends, your differential for your evening pay. And then you're supposed to be having this bonus pay. But it's all separate. So it's not, it's almost like they don't want to stack. So as much as I understand it's a business, I have to be aware of that for my business, my finance also. Yeah, for real.

[00:32:14] You know, know the legalities of it. Like how much are they really getting away with? Like in not letting us be able to stack up. And is OT OT then at that time? You know, is it just OT? Or are we going to base the, are we going to separate it? That's a good, that's a good question because OT should be OT. The only thing about Florida is that we don't have, so Florida, we benefit from not paying state taxes, right? State income taxes.

[00:32:43] But what I say on the show all the time is there's a double-edged sword to that because that means we don't have an agency looking out for our best interests. As the state would.

[00:33:20] And overtime in seven-day stretches or six-day stretches. Nevada has overtime in a day and also a premium if you work too many hours within a 24-hour period. So again, like we kind of lose out for not, in Florida for not having that aid government agency kind of regulating and looking out for our best interests. So that might be some of the challenge or some of the downside.

[00:33:50] But still, federal law is after 40 hours in a pay period, in a work week rather. And that's where they could be getting, you know, that's how they can get away with things. It's like, oh wait, well that day is in a different work week. So, you know, you don't, it doesn't count toward overtime. But look, you know, like we urge people all the time is to, don't be afraid to like go look at your, oh did we lose Tony?

[00:34:19] Looks like he froze up a little bit. Yeah. Excuse me. Did we mention on-call pay? No. I wanted to ask him about that. Yeah. If that's one of the other things that they have too. All right, we'll let him come back. Okay. You know what? Perfect time while he's gone. Let's go ahead and pay the bills. All right. So as you're setting ambitious goals for 2025, remember that a well-organized team is the foundation for success.

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[00:36:05] And that's www.timetrackgo.com. Timetrackgo.com. Let's go. Let's go. All right. Tony, I had a question for you. Yeah, there you go. On-call pay, is that something that you have to deal with or something you've dealt with over your career?

[00:36:26] So do you mean like, so PRN is, so on-call, I'm trying to think of like your phrase for on-call, what your definition of on-call. Okay. So from the house, if like I'm available. So unfortunately, I haven't been able to land something on with an on-call position.

[00:36:47] But I have heard of it is available for nurses to be able to, they're starting to do, I guess because of that, even though COVID was a bad thing, there was a lot of people working from home at the time, right? So even healthcare workers, nurses now were managing patients from their homes and there was on-call doctors, on-call nurses where they were there for, you know, for shifts, 12-hour shifts.

[00:37:13] And unless they had someone have an issue with a machine, a medication or something, they, then at that point, they would be contacted by an operator from the, from agency or facility they worked for. And then they would take that call and help that person troubleshoot what was going on, you know, get on the video with them, watch them take their blood pressure, make sure they were taking it correctly with a, with a machine or checking their sugar and then telling them what to do with their medications or how much to give.

[00:37:42] You know, a lot of time there are folks who, uh, you know, just may need a little bit of direction in taking their meds, you know, or, or, or using different machines. Telemedicine. It really blew up telemedicine, right? It did. It did. Oh, wow. Yeah. I even, I even used to tell them at doctors now because you're able, I'm able to call them and I have an idea what I'm talking about. So I just kind of tell them what's going on and go from there. You, you kind of get, yeah. You know, what's funny, Mil doesn't always tell doctors that she's a nurse.

[00:38:11] Do you always like when you have to bring your family member in, do you immediately lead with your nurse? No, no, because I've had bad experiences with it. I've had really, because you would, so in, there are places where I work, where they would say, Hey, look, family members, people that work with us, you know, give them a little bit of courtesy. Right. Right. Like in any other profession, right? Like cops, like firemen. If it's one of theirs, they're going to step up. Right.

[00:38:38] And the thing is, we don't want the public to view that as a preference. I'm not going to bring you, but I'm not going to take my whole, my friend, I work with my coworker, the other nurse in as a patient ahead of your grandmother, who's maybe having her trouble, which we would never do this. That's why they have a triage. And then they would appropriately, you know, bring them in at amongst that time.

[00:39:00] But, um, they do, they do try to implement, which I believe is, is legit to do is if some, if I have a coworker that comes in, I run to them and I'm like, yo, what's up? What do you need? You know, I get them inside a room. If I can get them whatever they need right away and, um, get them in and out if that's what they need to do or get them where they need to get, because this is somebody who's going to provide care to hundreds of other people when they're on. You know, so let's get them fixed up. That's the way I see it because I try to also view it from a business standpoint.

[00:39:30] And from a point of like, Hey, we got to throw these scrubs on in our cape together every day. I want to make sure they're good, even if I don't know them. So I, I one time had, um, when the, when the MMA guys that I was training with, he popped his shoulder on the mats, which, which sometimes happens. Right. And, um, I might've mentioned, I told the nurse I was nursed when we went to the ER and cause we went to a different ER.

[00:39:55] And then, um, which when the, when the provider came in with the nurse again, I think I might've mentioned it again. And I wasn't looking for nothing. It's just like out of habit. I sometimes say it. And she said, she was like, I know you told us. Okay. Okay. And I was like, we're like, damn, like nice bedside, man. A nice respect. Thank you. But I just let it rock. What can I do to change that baby? None. I can say right then I could, I just didn't.

[00:40:22] The only way I would ever entertain someone like that is if I was able to properly tell her she was an asshole without calling her a name. You know, like if I can choose my point to like show her why everything she said is wrong in life, you know, but otherwise, you know, I just know not gonna do to change that lady eloquently way. I get it.

[00:40:44] What I was saying when you, when we, we missed you for a moment is like, you know, what we, what we urge a lot is don't be afraid to talk to your HR and your payroll department and say, Hey, walk me through this. Right. If they're a good payroll department, like, I think, again, what makes us really good is like, we like helping our customers and our customers are our coworkers, right? The people we pay. So I shoot, I would say if I could just be customer service payroll all day, I would love it.

[00:41:13] Just take calls and yep. I can help you walk through that. And the issues like those are some of the easier problems, whereas processing is more difficult, you know, so don't, but point is don't be afraid to reach out to them. And, you know, if you've got to make an appointment or get on a calendar, like, yes, you may have to do that. Accommodate them in that respect on their time, but a good, good.

[00:41:36] Department is going to walk you through what everything means and, and, and also be in compliance because any hospital in the U S is worried about being in compliance. And that more than ever these days is important to HR and payroll departments is to be in compliance. And if you approach them like, Hey, I just want to understand.

[00:42:00] And they should, a good department is going to help you and walk you through it and, you know, and, and kind of make sure that you're good. Like, cause I, for me it's transparency. I do a lot of things in payroll. So my customer, you can understand what's on their paycheck, you know, for the, for the ones that actually are looking at their check.

[00:42:22] This is actually a time of year where I get to say, Hey, you should have looked at your check all year because now they're coming and they're complaining about some of the things that now they're seeing on their W2. Their address is wrong. They, you know, I had one guy that got the wrong state withheld for a whole year. Yeah. Yeah. And he didn't, he didn't notice it until his WT came up and I was like, bro, you should have told me that, you know, a year ago.

[00:42:49] There's something recently that changed with the, um, with the W2s and how much, uh, federal tax was being withheld. Something with the IRS where, uh, I believe it was like, like two years ago, I think they changed the forms and you, you know how you put all zeros and then they kind of, they do the deduction of themselves. They break it down. You had to put what you want to deduct it. And, and I had to go to my account and kind of figure that out with him because that was no longer happening. Like half of my paycheck, there was no deductions.

[00:43:18] And, and, you know, I, I felt like almost like betrayed for a sense. Right. Because anytime it comes to like money or your health and something is not right, you feel betrayed by that person. Yes. And, uh, usually like, I'm glad you said that about even going to HR because it's not something that I would ever even think to do because usually luckily the place I work, my managers, there's three or four of them. They're in an office and they're always available to kind of, and they'll walk you through it. And if something's wrong, they'll, they'll fix it right then and there.

[00:43:46] They explain, but to a limit, because they also look at it like sometimes I'm not sure why that's like that or I'm not sure. You know, you forget that HR is also an availability because that's not even something that they should always be bothered with. I guess that if, if it is some, you know, your manager, maybe not, right. Because they got other, some of the other things, HR and payroll, that's their thing. The payroll department cutting that? Yes. They, that is definitely their job to help you understand and to make sure you're comfortable with.

[00:44:16] And something else that is new, I believe is that HR is not necessarily on site. We have a small HR department. It's like two or three ladies in there. I really don't know them too well, but I went once or twice maybe for, for quick questions, but I do believe like our, our HR, the main office is out in another state. It can be remote. Pretty much most of what HR and payroll do can be done remotely.

[00:44:41] Especially in like a hospital system like that, where you may have, you know, the main hospitals in another state, like you said, and that's where they sit. So even more so get on the calendar, make an appointment with them. Like, you know, you know, what I call rules of engagement, right. Because this, this same thing goes for us. Like when, you know, if I need to reach out to a nurse, I got to be sensitive to like, wait a minute, when is a good time to actually reach? Right. Right now I support retail stores.

[00:45:08] Like, I don't want to bother them when they're in the middle of sales. You know, so like, I want to catch them on a downtime. You know, when is it slow? When is it, you know what I mean? Come in a little early or leave a little late and jump on the phone with me then. I took calls yesterday on Sunday because it was convenient for them. You know what I mean? They don't realize that I'm off because we're open seven days a week. Like, and I don't, I wasn't going to be like, oh, I'm home about to watch the Super Bowl right now. Like you're bothering me. Like, no, it's, you need help.

[00:45:37] I got you with my laptop open and I got you. So yeah, I mean, you know, look, as long as the rules of engagement are respected, you should be able to reach out to them and get help for whatever you need when it comes to your check benefits, earning, you know, codes. When they throw a new code in there and you don't know what it means. It's like, wait, what is this code? You know, and a lot of times the check can't hold the description of the code. So, so it's just like B41 and you're like, what's this?

[00:46:06] So yeah, man. Very cool. Very cool. Anything else that we can share regarding, well, Walt, you had another question, no? No, just why, in your opinion, Tony, why should someone get into, why should somebody get into nursing? Leading a growing business, it's like building a plane while flying it. Team building, decision making, and scaling all at once. At CPO Playbook, we get it.

[00:46:33] That's why our podcast, ranked in the top 10% worldwide, tackles the toughest leadership challenges with insights to help you lead smarter and grow faster. Tune into the CPO Playbook podcast because leadership doesn't come with a manual, but we're pretty close.

[00:47:53] It's not, it's not for everyone, right? When I first got into it, oh, this is my son, Tony. He's a female nurse. Like, I don't, I don't know. I don't know why. Look at this guy laughing, the bully. Look, you're not supposed to laugh, right? So, so. No, because I know your father. Like, I know, you know. And what I wanted to share is like, is very macho. Yeah. Yeah. Right. He's old school. He's old school, yes. Macho, right? Type dude. Like, standard guy.

[00:48:20] And he does respect the profession and he respects me. Of course he does. But as a joke, just to bust my chops, just like, you know, everybody else at first, you know. But I know that the same people who always like made a joke, whatever, I would laugh with them. Because I know later on they're going to circle on and be like, hey, you know, I got this little pain in my back. What do you think it is? And I'm able to laugh then and say, oh, you need a little help from your. Oh, not any help. So. But no, you're true. Because when I go and visit Mill on the floor, it's predominantly female.

[00:48:52] But I, best decision ever, I mean, I love my career. You know, I do enjoy taking care of people. I learn something every day. I'm real big on not ever like acting like I know it all because you can't. And I don't, right? Yes. Stay teachable. You have to stay teachable. And I'm a student of life. I feel like every day I learn something that I'm able to apply in the ER that's not necessarily in a textbook or taught, you know.

[00:49:21] So one of the nurses was upset the other day and, and excuse the phrase, I'm going to curse. But I said, you know, until you own the hospital, we got to eat shit. So just get comfortable eating shit. Like then you can make your own rules and how you want to change unless you're in leadership or you're an owner. Like you're a soldier, be the soldier. Like, you know, be a good soldier. Like, you know, because it's not, it's not being a, you know, I've heard the phrase company man or something like that, you know, before.

[00:49:48] But I feel like if we're, we're doing like such meaningful work with our, with our, with our hands, like, you know, helping people like, you know, at, at every level, even, even the, the nursing assistants, the, who help us, you know, to take vital signs with the, or the person in the hospital. Who's transporting or the housekeeper, who's, you know, that's the first level, the housekeeper, right? If you're keeping everything disinfected, you know, because we have tons of kids running around touching stuff.

[00:50:17] One kid comes in, he's sick, touching some, the next kid that comes in, if that wasn't wiped down, you know, so that's going to be your first level of protection in the hospital. So it's all, all perception, right? How you view things in life. And for me, like I was able to see this early on and how much it meant and how, how, and it's also a respectful profession, you know? People, you tell people you're a nurse, you're, you're paramedic, you're, you're an EMT, you're in healthcare.

[00:50:42] Like they respect that, you know, like, and, and, and, you know, uh, there's a lot of different, um, kinds of work I've, I've done. I wish I would have doubled down sometimes and, and pursued my, my nursing career further somehow. And there's still time. It's still not too late. That's right. We were just talking about this. The facility I work for has offered, you know, they, they pay, they pay for your school and, and stuff like that. So I'm going to, I'm going to do it. You know, I'm absolutely going to do it. Bro, I think you should teach. I think you should do it.

[00:51:11] Cause there's a lot of, like, I think that you approach it from a very unique place. Like we talk about it on the show all the time, like go above and beyond. Like, that's the only way you grow. It's not about, oh, you're, you're a company man. And cause you know, I, I hear you. I've heard that as well. And all Brian, but Walt is, and there's that. Like, no, we're not, we're, we're doing the best that we can. Like it's, you know what I mean?

[00:51:39] Like, it's, it's like having pride in what you do, no matter how, like how you do anything is how you do everything. Yes, absolutely. And I hear that in you and people like other healthcare first liners should need to be taught like from people like you, because unfortunately there are more people not like you in the jobs trying to, oh, this sucks. And why don't they do this? Why don't they do that? You know, complaining about the work and they need people like you to kind of help put it in perspective.

[00:52:09] Like every little thing matters and bro, I think you, I think you need to, you know, keep growing, man. So you could teach and you got plenty of time. We're still young. Yeah. Hell yeah. But right. Um, I definitely always look at things as I'm letting my higher power guide me. Like I'm putting, like you put me in this emergency room that I'm at today and every young person that I come across, like, you know, and, and it's, it's hard sometimes to speak to young, younger generations because.

[00:52:37] And, and it can even become frustrating at times. Not that I would ever stop because I sound, I probably sound like a broken record when you see Tony coming, but you kind of, you kind of life teaches you as you go. And the harder the falls are, the more you learn at times. And when that happens to me, sometimes I get frustrated in that moment and I'm upset about something that may have happened.

[00:52:58] But when I'm able to sit back and say, you know, this was a lesson, like I'm supposed to be right where I am to learn this because without learning this portion right here, I wouldn't have been able to move on. I'm here with you right now, you know, kicking it. We've, we've done some cool stuff in our lives, you know, together and separately, you know, coming from where we came from, you know, and being able to kind of see the bigger picture of life. Right.

[00:53:23] Because life isn't just about like what I'm driving or, you know, who I'm hanging out with or what, or what, how I'm having fun. Like, it's just so much bigger. Like I'm, I'm able to do things and be an example for like my kids, for my nephews. Like I'm that uncle, you know, and I take pride in that. So I don't, I, you know, I think I might've cursed on you twice, but I try not to curse at work.

[00:53:46] Like it's real big for me to like not curse because I feel like it shows that you're able to kind of speaking and whatever you may be going through, you're able to express it, you know, and articulate it in so many other ways than just cursing. If there's any, any ignorance, it's in cursing. I think at times, you know, and people may say, well, it feels good for that moment, you know, whatever. And that's fine. You know, just, just look, just understand there's other words that you can express how you're feeling and why you're feeling that.

[00:54:14] Then that one word and that person will be able to now maybe give you a response to make you feel better and say, Oh, I didn't know I made you feel that way. You know, what can I do to make it, make that different? You know, because some. And especially from guys like us, like we're big and brawly already. So we're cursing is like more aggressive, you know, I'm loud. So now if I add cursing to that, now I'm being really aggressive. So it's, bro, I have a note right here that my daughter that I wrote because of my daughter speaks off.

[00:54:43] So, you know, and it's, it's because. Yeah. Hyper alert. Tense up because if my, yeah, if my, if my voice goes up, you know, so yeah, I think that's, I think that's really important, man. You said something about broken record, like don't afraid to be the broken record because it takes people hearing something 11 times. I believe it is right before it sticks 11 times. They got to hear something before it has a chance of sticking in my opinion. So don't be afraid, man. I think you, I think you have teacher. Let me tell you.

[00:55:12] Some educator. Sometimes that broken record is so that I'm reminded. Like, uh. No doubt. When I, you know, when I, I still sometimes teach, uh, boxing or jujitsu on the side, I do like private lessons. And I was just telling somebody like they, they, they were, you know, there was a chaos. I'm going to, I'm available to take the lesson on, on Tuesday. And I was like, I promise I'm more excited than you are because I get to brush up on my skills. Right. I get to now like practice my form and make sure I'm, I'm teaching it appropriately.

[00:55:42] Right. Yeah. So definitely sometimes, you know, just going over things again, helps me remember the wise and the house and, uh, and, and whatever philosophy is behind what I try to do. That's what's up. Yes, sir. So look, I'm not going to take up any more of your time. Thank you, brother. I appreciate you guys. You're taking out the time. Yeah, man. No doubt. And look, you have a, you know, open forum. This is your home, your platform. Anytime you need to come on and talk about something. Let's do it.

[00:56:12] We actually going to start a new segment or a new week. I had, I had originally said, oh, we don't have the time, but what was like, no, let's just do one a month on our, we already recording. We're going to do, uh, so we, one of the acronyms we use is IAP. It's about payroll, right? But Walt loves acronyms and he's like, wait, it's also about people. IAP. It's about people. So we're going to take one show and just kind of talk about subject people, stuff like things that impact us and people.

[00:56:42] And, you know, how people feeling about Trump right now, you know, all these things that are going on, you know. It ties into so many things that you're doing because like you were saying, even with the state tax, right? Like as much as a governing agency is something good for the state, everyone is afraid of government right now, right? Everyone is like, no, no, Trump said we shouldn't have government. Let's not have government, you know, and you get a lot of that, especially in, in the Southern States.

[00:57:07] I feel like, you know, uh, I don't want to, uh, uh, like offend nobody, but it almost seems like a lack of, of education in the subject. And then they're so vocal about the little bit that they do know, or they do see. Like if they're preaching it out there and then all of a sudden they get these followers of, you know, no, this is the way it should be just because of this principle. And you're like, hold on. There's so much more to that. There's so much more is affected, you know?

[00:57:35] Uh, but my, my, my, my daughter lives in, uh, in New York. She lives in, uh, in, in Queens right now. She's a speech pathologist and her husband is an Italian musician. So she's got to go through immigration processes. She's like, so upset. Like, you know, people don't know what they're doing. Like this is not affecting just, uh, you know, the Latin communities that they think that all these bad people, this is like, you know, there's, there's the people from so many countries.

[00:58:05] Here that do so much. There's so many crafts and, and here we are telling them they got, you know, scaring them to come out because, you know, even when they come to the ER, everybody's Puerto Rican now. Nobody says where they're from. Right. Like I made the mistake and asked somebody the other day, they was, I could hear the Colombian coming out of his voice. Right. And then all of a sudden, you know, I was like, you know, where are you guys from? Or whatever. Not, I did it innocently forgetting politics. Right. Because that's what Latin people do sometimes. Right. You connect with them.

[00:58:35] You tell them how good their food is. Yeah. He was like, no, I'm Puerto Rican. I was like, okay. And then it clicked. As soon as he said it, it clicked. I was like, oh, he's scared. He's scared. That's interesting. Like because they said now there's no sanctuary, no hospital, no churches. They could come get them wherever. Wow. I felt bad even asking them because I felt like they sometimes when people come to the ER, they automatically think the nurses are going to call 911 if they think they're breaking a law.

[00:59:02] Like I've had people say, you know, I got my card. That's why my eyes are red. I smoke. But like tell it on themselves. I didn't ask none of that. Like I'm not interested in that. I need the urine to check for something else. Make sure you don't got kidney stones. She's like, no, I know what you're doing. I was like, nah, I'm checking for kidney stones. I promise. She's like, I have a card. They can't. They can't arrest me. But that's hilarious. But you know what? Well, we do have a question of the day, though, before we let you go.

[00:59:31] Do you think first responders get the respect they deserve? So first responders is a huge term, right? Like that's EMT. That's paramedic. That's you would consider that police. And then there's nurses. Yeah. You know, so. Yeah. But nurses are in that bucket. Yes. Yes. Because sometimes they don't include them. Even on like on discounts for first responders, it's usually paramedics, EMT, police, not even ER nurses necessarily.

[01:00:00] You got to kind of like. So look at that. So no, they're not getting. You got to kind of like explain to them where you work and why and what you do. Like I've had to tell people, look, I'm not a paramedic or EMT, but I work in the ER that a lot to, you know, and then now you're negotiating for that 10% discount or whatever. Wow. That's right. So nurses. But sometimes I like that we're in a category of our own because I still, I still would

[01:00:27] like us to, I still think that we can respect. First of all, everybody deserves respect for what they do because it all matters, right? Nurses. I don't think people view them the way that they used to. I think COVID and politics put a weird cloud on healthcare. And I used to like tell people, I don't think there's like a, like, I don't know because you never know, but there's no like Dr. Evil saying, Ooh, I put COVID out there.

[01:00:55] They're like, you know, hurt your, this vaccine. Like, you know, I have the answer though. This ain't a cartoon. People out there really dying. Like I've seen like the, the, the grandma, like waving to her daughter through a window during COVID. Like I was there for that. You know what I mean? I saw stuff like that. Them crying from not knowing if they would ever see each other again. You know what I mean? And then, so that family went through that trauma, but think about how many times that nurses went through that. Right.

[01:01:24] Because you, you, we ended up taking that in. Like I, I sometimes there's things that I've seen or, or been part of that. I'll never forget. Unfortunately, you know, I'll never forget the, the, you know, when I was 20 years old and I was, uh, uh, Ian, uh, tech in an ER in New York and, you know, the Mexican kid who fell off the roof. And I was just helping my dad do like do roofs that week, you know, and, and know that they was trying to send them to Mexico because they didn't want to have to now care for this

[01:01:52] kid who fell off of a roof. You know, I, you know, I've seen a lot of things where just like, it was a lot of unfair situations that makes you think like, why, you know, why, why, why us? Why now? Why here? Why, why does this happen? And all I can imagine is that everything in life is done for a reason. There's a lesson behind things. And that's something that my son told me one time. Uh, and I, I'll leave that long story for another day, but he, he, he said to me, uh,

[01:02:21] I said, if God is so great, why do these things keep happening? He said, because there's always a lesson you may not be able to see when he said, you take care of sick people every day. And that's how you take care of us. But, but that, that part for that, yes, that like eight years old, he was, he was saving me. He told me to sit down and that he had to talk with me because he didn't know if I was saved or not. And he wanted to make sure we went to heaven together. Crazy.

[01:02:49] That gives me goosebumps because it almost felt like, like, uh, maybe just look at life differently and, and know that there's a higher power. I don't know what his name is. I don't know who he is, but if let's give him God, God is there. And, and, uh, he was speaking to my son that day and he was, he was telling me something. I still haven't totally figured it out, but I know that, I know that we are all here for a reason and everything that happens is, is a, is a lesson learned and, and we have to grow from that for sure. Yes, sir.

[01:03:19] But I'm, I'm, I'm tied in with y'all, man. Just let me know, uh, when you, whenever, whenever I can help with anything. I enjoy, I enjoy being able to get this off my chest. I was nervous all day. I was even nervous. Yes, yes, yes, yes. I told him, I was like, it's just going to be a conversation. It's a natural man. You're a natural. And there's so many, there's so many, uh, like stories that come to mind as soon as I say things, but even, even about being nervous or having anxiety when patients would

[01:03:48] come in at times and they're telling me, you know, I, so I've had like a young man. He's like 20 years old. These are right. And, and you don't want to give me his arms so I can like get his blood. Right. And his mom is like holding his hand or whatever. Right. And then his girl will be sitting on a chair with the baby. And I'm just like, like, hold on a second. That's how everybody sit down and chill for him. And I said, listen, one day you're going to have to like your kid, you're going to have to like, if they're here and I have to check them out, you're going to have to, you're

[01:04:17] going to have to face your fear and tell them like, I went through this, uh, little, little ant, like it's going to be okay. It's going to pinch. Like it doesn't hurt that bad. This is the time for you to do it because now you have to man up for your son one day that you're responsible for. And now he's going to be looking to you with fear in his eyes saying, dad, like, is this okay? And you need to be able to tell him like, this is okay, man. I got you. Like I've been through this part. Right. I, something as simple as that. And there's so many times, you know, story that, that, that, uh, bigger than that, that

[01:04:46] I've used that example where like, you know, sometimes we just have to face our fears, even with fighting. I told you, you know, I, I, as, as the, as much as I put on that persona of being tough and knowing and, and, and fighting when I was a kid, like I ended up learning. I was, I always knew I was scared to fight. So I ended up going and learning how to fight. So I never had to fight again. Right. Because now I know how to fight. Like there is no, if, if this guy hits me with a sucker punch or not, like, I just know

[01:05:16] I'm going to get the best. Like, so I don't have that dream no more of somebody me punching somebody soft, like, because I know in my head now I faced that fear already. I'm over that hurdle. I no longer had to be scared about that. It's not an anxiety no more, you know? So, so, and, and not a lot of men will admit that, man. And I, and I tell people all the time, like, it's okay. Like to be scared. It's what you do with that fear. Like, will you grow? Will you rise from that occasion?

[01:05:43] You know, I've had one time I was in Yonkers, a place called animals. MMA was the first place where I started like really training. And, um, a guy walked in and he, uh, street dude, right. Spanish kid looked tough. And, uh, he's like, you know, we, we set up for the, you know, make a little story. Sure. We set up with doing the lesson. And I'm like, all right, you're gonna throw the punch and hit this pad right here. And he threw it like throwing a softball. He went like, like that with his punch. And I was like, started laughing.

[01:06:12] Cause I thought he was joking. I thought he was like, ah, okay. You know, like, no, no, for real, for real. Come on. And he did it again. And I had to like, hold back the laugh or the tears. Right. And like realized nobody ever taught this man how to throw a punch. How to punch. Right. Like, like, you know, I mean, there's a whole lesson behind the throw, how to throw a punch. But he, so I had to teach him like from the basics, you know, and, and I'm sure if, if I, if I would have got into the conversation with him, he would have probably told me nobody ever told me, you know, how to throw a punch.

[01:06:41] And, or, or, or took the time to, I don't know, like explain it to, to, because even an average person could throw a punch, like throwing a, throw it like a baseball, like a haymaker or something, you know, he threw his punch like a sword. Like he was. I mean, yeah, but I get it though. I mean, cause none, I mean, I, I mean, I had older brothers that told me how to punch. Yeah. And or at an instinct, sometimes watching somebody how to punch, you know, you kind of get it.

[01:07:08] But, uh, but a lot of, there's a lot of people walking around the streets like that instead of saying, Hey, I don't, I don't know how to do this, you know, and taking a lesson on it. They, they give a loud bark and then you think they know how to do something. Yup. And then unfortunately they don't. Yeah. You don't have to fight. Like, like I've told you before, I've, I've benefited from just being big and people being like, he must know how to fight. Maybe.

[01:07:35] I've, I've, um, I had a guy one time in the ER, he had his kid in his arm and, and, um, he had just came home and he was fighting with his girl and all that. Right. And as soon as I walked up, he started taking his chain off, started taking his stuff off. He was like, what's up? He was like, I'm ready. And I was like, I'm not, I got my scrubs on. And he starts laughing. And he's like, he's like, looked at me confused because, because, you know, I'm the one that, you know, I got, I'm tatted up. My, my, my scrub is like ripping off me.

[01:08:05] He thought I was coming, but I'm coming for him. But I was like, pop, I'm not here for that. I'm here to protect you. I'm, I'm not going to let nobody touch you or you, especially while you got your little baby in your hands. I love that. And, and, and, and when the cops and security and everybody came, he was like, I'm not talking to nobody unless, um, that nurse is with me. Cause he already, I already told him, I got you. Like, I'm not going to let nobody hurt you, you know? Right. And, and, and think of what I avoided that man, that little girl at that moment, you know, because we were able to ultimately like defuse it. And it was just him arguing loud with his girl.

[01:08:35] Like he was, he was a big kid, you know? And, uh, he, he was, he was, and he, you could just tell he just came home. Like he still had that, I guess, mentality. Yeah. He was ready. He was ready. There's so many, so many little stories like that, but we're going to have you back. We do when we do it's about people episode. We're going to figure out what's a good, nice subject. Or if you think, if you think of anything, you know, let me know and we'll plan it out. Yo, thanks for coming on, bro. I love you, man.

[01:09:03] Yo, before you get off, hold on and let's, uh, we can stop.