Caring for Your Community

Podcast Transcript

Carol Pehotsky:

As nurses, we have found our way here to nursing for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it's a calling, sometimes it's as a career and a way to do something different, or to grow. But either way, we give so much as nurses, to our patients, to our organizations where we work, to our family and friends, and anybody who finds out we're a nurse and wants to know about what they should do about their health. But how do we give in a way where we can recharge and get back? Nursing in the community is one way to do that, and I'm so honored to be joined by TC Karns today as we discuss it further.

Hi, and welcome to Nurse Essentials, a Cleveland Clinic podcast where we discuss all things nursing from patient care, to advancing your career, to navigating tough on-the-job issues. We're so glad you're here. I'm your host Carol Pehotsky, associate chief nursing officer of surgical services nursing.

Welcome back, everyone. We're glad to have you back. One of my favorite parts about being your host on this podcast journey is getting to know lots of nurses I haven't ever had the pleasure of getting to know, as well as some of the guests I've had on that have been my colleagues and my friends, getting to know them a little bit differently. If you've been listening since the beginning, you know that my journey to nursing took a little while. Took me a little while to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up, and traveled through music therapy and other avenues before I became a nurse, and then, ultimately, a nurse leader, and lots of twists and turns. I'm the kid who said I would never want to be a nurse, and here I am almost 20 years later, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Sometimes, amongst my colleagues and, we'll talk about, "Is nursing a calling or career?" And I think you could argue both, right? It goes both ways for me, especially because I was so worried about what nursing was like and convinced I couldn't handle blood and guts and all the things I thought nursing was. It was a calling for me ultimately when I got to a point where I realized that professionally something was missing in my life that nursing could provide to me. But we know we have lots of people who come to nursing, really seeing it as a great career and a way to further themselves.

Well, I'm thrilled to introduce you to TC Karns. TC is a Cleveland Clinic nurse at the Lorain Family Health Center. In talking with him, we've already shared a love of nursing as a calling and so I'm so glad to have you here with me today, TC.

TC Karns:

Hi Carol, and thanks. I'm so happy to be here.

Carol Pehotsky:

So, let's get started with your journey to nursing. What got you here?

TC Karns:

All right. Well, it was, kind of, a roundabout, sort of, trip.

Carol Pehotsky:

I love roundabouts. Well, not driving. Roundabouts are terrible.

TC Karns:

Right, yes. I did four years of military right out of high school.

Carol Pehotsky:

Oh, wow.

TC Karns:

And then, when I got out, my wife and I moved around the country for a couple of years.

Carol Pehotsky:

Okay.

TC Karns:

And when I came back to Ohio, northeast Ohio, a lot of my friends who I had grown up with and went in the military with had become firemen.

Carol Pehotsky:

Okay.

TC Karns:

And so, they said, "Hey, we know you. You'll love this job. You've got to be a fireman."

Carol Pehotsky:

Wow. Okay.

TC Karns:

So, I started Civil Service tests all over the area and I couldn't get hired.

Carol Pehotsky:

Wow.

TC Karns:

I did really well, tested great. I got a lot of interviews and in talking to them they said that fire departments are almost always in financial crunches and that showing them that you're serious by getting one of the two required schoolings, educations it was a big jump up.

Carol Pehotsky:

Sure, so they, so they're not having to invest that. Okay.

TC Karns:

Right. Well, they, they invest the money, and they pay you while you're going to school so it's, it was a big financial hit for them.

Carol Pehotsky:

Yeah. Huh.

TC Karns:

So, fire school was full-time days, and I couldn't afford to not work.

Carol Pehotsky:

Whew.

TC Karns:

So, I took my EMT class at night and I got put in the hospital for a week.

Carol Pehotsky:

Okay.

TC Karns:

And we're supposed to be hands off just watching to see what happens when the patients come in.

Carol Pehotsky:

I know the rest of the story. Yeah.

TC Karns:

Once the patient comes in on the ambulance this is the hand off, this is what happens, and, uh, the, the nurse that I got paired up with, she was a, a little bit older.

Carol Pehotsky:

Right.

TC Karns:

You know, she, no nonsense and she said, "Kid, put some gloves on and show me what you've got. You're going to be bringing me these patients in a week, so go to work."

Carol Pehotsky:

Oh, wow.

TC Karns:

And for a week, I did what she did, and I absolutely fell in love with it. I said "I don't want to be a fireman anymore. I want to be a nurse."

Carol Pehotsky:

Okay. All right.

TC Karns:

So, I did.

Carol Pehotsky:

Fantastic.

TC Karns:

I changed everything in my world at 30 years old to go to school to be a nurse.

Carol Pehotsky:

All right. Where did you go to school?

TC Karns:

Warren County Community College.

Carol Pehotsky:

Hey, me too.

TC Karns:

Yay.

Carol Pehotsky:

All right. Go Commodores. I didn't even know they had a mascot until I was done.

TC Karns:

That's news, news to me.

Carol Pehotsky:

I think I just introduced that to you, didn't I?

TC Karns:

Yeah.

Carol Pehotsky:

Yes. And so, tell us about then your nursing career and, and your journey as a nurse.

TC Karns:

Okay. I stayed local.

Carol Pehotsky:

Okay.

TC Karns:

I started working at Leary Memorial.

Carol Pehotsky:

Yeah.

TC Karns:

I lived in the neighborhood; I grew up in the neighborhood. The hospital is right there. And I worked for them for 17 years before I came to the Cleveland Clinic.

Carol Pehotsky:

Okay.

TC Karns:

Three years on a really busy floor and 14 years in the ER.

Carol Pehotsky:

Oh, my gosh. All right.

TC Karns:

Yeah, lots of fun.

Carol Pehotsky:

So, so bringing you back to your EMT roots.

TC Karns:

Yes. Yes, and I never actually worked as an EMT either.

Carol Pehotsky:

Oh, right. Yeah.

TC Karns:

So, so the ER, 14 years of that and then I find myself coming to the Cleveland Clinic and finding ambulatory care.

Carol Pehotsky:

Yeah.

TC Karns:

Oh, my gosh. Normal weeks.

Carol Pehotsky:

Whole different life, side of life. Yeah.

TC Karns:

Oh, it was incredible.

Carol Pehotsky:

Okay.

TC Karns:

And so, I've been with the Cleveland Clinic for 5 1/2 years.

Carol Pehotsky:

Oh, fantastic.

TC Karns:

Love it.

Carol Pehotsky:

Okay.

TC Karns:

Love it. More opportunities here than I had in the 17 years at the other place.

Carol Pehotsky:

Okay. Well, we, you know, we have, have listeners from all over.

TC Karns:

No, right, but for me, my own personal experience, I've had more growth opportunities and, and more things presented to me to do here than I did there.

Carol Pehotsky:

Okay.

TC Karns:

Of course, you know, I didn't want to leave the ER either so that could have been part of the track and not a lot of growth there.

Carol Pehotsky:

So, and so actually we'll go there a little bit. You know, that's, that's a pretty big jump it seems like from ER to ambulatory. So, what was that transition like for you? What was challenging or what was, maybe, easy about it, too?

TC Karns:

I got brought on initially to do telephone triage which is really good. It's a good segue. And it worked out really well.

Carol Pehotsky:

Okay.

TC Karns:

It was a relatively newly acquired building by the Cleveland Clinic.

Carol Pehotsky:

Yes. Yeah.

TC Karns:

And it was already established but they didn't have anybody doing this and they needed to for the patient population that was already established with those providers.

Carol Pehotsky:

So, it was new service line?

TC Karns:

Yes.

Carol Pehotsky:

Oh, wow. Okay.

TC Karns:

And it was great. It was on the telephone all day every day.

Carol Pehotsky:

Totally different.

TC Karns:

And then they're like, and then they're like, "Hey, you're a nurse. Can you do this, too?" "I sure can." "Hey, you're a nurse. Can you help us over here?" "Absolutely." And then it was not even hey, you're a nurse, it was, "You're not part of any team. Can you, do you have a minute?" Can you do this, can you do that?

Carol Pehotsky:

Oh, okay.

TC Karns:

And it grew and grew and grew.

Carol Pehotsky:

Okay.

TC Karns:

And I grew with it, and they kept offering me opportunities to learn more and do more, and when they needed a, a new A and M for Michelle Davis, my manager, I applied for it, and I was chosen. 

Carol Pehotsky:

Fantastic. So, you have a lot of us are, who are from more of an inpatient setting thinking about, you know, a nursing unit who has a manager and assistant nurse manager. Talk to us about what it's like to be second in charge, if you will, of a whole entire building and all the departments within it.

TC Karns:

Very busy.

Carol Pehotsky:

Yeah.

TC Karns:

I work with a lot of different specialties and there's no way on God's green earth I will ever learn all that they know. I can't.

Carol Pehotsky:

Yeah.

TC Karns:

You know, if they run into a problem, I have to, you know, do a quick study, get up to speed on what that problem is, or how is addresses the patient care, and then figure out a solution. It's busy all day.

Carol Pehotsky:

Yeah.

TC Karns:

I love it.

Carol Pehotsky:

You, you, you bust your, uh, steps on your, uh, Fitbit, or what have you every day.

TC Karns:

I like being challenged.

Carol Pehotsky:

That's right. So, what sort of challenges are you faced with and, you know, you just said you like that. How does that help you grow?

TC Karns:

I like it because when I'm bored, it's bad, it's just bad news. I'd rather be busy than bored and challenges, you know, make me step outside of my comfort zone.

Carol Pehotsky:

Sure.

TC Karns:

Um, today, for example we had, uh, an accident in the employee parking lot.

Carol Pehotsky:

Oh, no.

TC Karns:

Right.

Carol Pehotsky:

In a building where there are no emergency services?

TC Karns:

Right, right.

Carol Pehotsky:

Yes.

TC Karns:

No one was hurt but a couple of cars were, were significantly damaged and security, we've had some replacement security officers they're not Cleveland Clinic Police and they're new to our location, new to the field, I, I think, and so they called me and said, "Hey, can you help?"

Carol Pehotsky:

Right.

TC Karns:

And so, so I went to the parking lot, and I helped. You know, there's never a dull moment.

Carol Pehotsky:

Something to be said for being the person that people know they can call.

TC Karns:

Yes.

Carol Pehotsky:

Yes, absolutely.

TC Karns:

And I, and I don't back down.

Carol Pehotsky:

Clearly. That's fantastic. So, I hear that you're very involved in your community. Tell us more about that.

TC Karns:

We have an educational company that's, I don't know if they're nationwide or, or how regional they are. I think they're pretty big. Ross Medical. Not familiar with it?

Carol Pehotsky:

I don't know. Yeah.

TC Karns:

They do a lot with medical assistants.

Carol Pehotsky:

Okay.

TC Karns:

They train, train and educate medical assistants, test them to get them certified, whatever documentation they get up to, certifications. They just recently started educating LPNs and we do a lot of preceptorships.

Carol Pehotsky:

Sure, yes.

TC Karns:

So, they do their externships, and they look for places to be an extern and we're happy to have them, not just from Ross Medical, but, you know, Warren County Community College has a lot of facilities. We're willing to take externs on. We'll help them get the experience that they need to be successful in a work environment.

Carol Pehotsky:

Sure.

TC Karns:

Ross Medical, after working with us, and having a lot of their students with us, they asked me if I would sit on their board to help locally, you know, to help make sure that they're students are receiving the education they need to work in our environment and give them some feedback on that, and I've, I've gone to a couple of meetings for those.

Carol Pehotsky:

Okay.

TC Karns:

They asked me to give their commencement speech.

Carol Pehotsky:

Excellent.

TC Karns:

Yes. I try to give to back to that. We all had to start someplace. I remember when I was a nursing student and didn't know what I was doing and you know, somebody gave me a chance.

Carol Pehotsky:

Absolutely.

TC Karns:

I mean, even before I was a nursing student when I was trying to be a fireman and that that nurse gave me a chance.

Carol Pehotsky:

Right. So, we all have very busy lives, right? We're, whatever that looks like, we have some listeners who are nursing students who are trying to figure out, like you talked about, can I work while I go to school, et cetera. We have some nurses who are mid-career and getting involved in the community is outside the working hours typically, right? So how do you make that work, and what advice would you give to somebody who says, "Well, I, I work so hard. I'm so tired."?

TC Karns:

Yeah, that's reality. It is. You know, uh, and some of us have more physically demanding jobs than others but that doesn't mean that the jobs that aren't necessarily physically demanding are any less demanding overall.

Carol Pehotsky:

Of course. Sometimes its brain exhausting.

TC Karns:

Right.

Carol Pehotsky:

More than back exhausting. Yeah.

TC Karns:

Exactly. I would say be very careful about what you volunteer for. You know, know that you have the ability and the time; understand what the requirements are, you know and make sure you can do it. Don't overextend yourself. Everybody gets in trouble when you overextend yourself.

Carol Pehotsky:

It's that fear of I'm going to let somebody down in either case, right? But, yeah, it's, it's being really thoughtful about giving in a way that you're honoring yourself as well as the work commitment and this additional commitment.

TC Karns:

Right, but nurses, healthcare givers in general have a hard time saying no.

Carol Pehotsky:

We sure do.

TC Karns:

If you're asked to do something the answer that wants to come out is always yes, so.

Carol Pehotsky:

Right. We're codependent like that.

TC Karns:

We are.

Carol Pehotsky:

So, any advice you'd give somebody who's curious about stepping into the board space, the community space generally, what should they be looking for? How do they find a good fit?

TC Karns:

Go as a spectator first.

Carol Pehotsky:

Oh, there you go.

TC Karns:

Don't just volunteer. Ask if you can just come and watch.

Carol Pehotsky:

Sure.

TC Karns:

Ask if you can come and see it and then pick the brains of the people that are already there.

Carol Pehotsky:

There you go. And yours is a great example of many examples out there where it doesn't have to completely different from what you're doing; it's who you are already interacting with. And have they asked you to fill a need, or do you see a need? There are ways you can just take one degree of separation a, away from what you're already doing and be involved in the community instead of at work.

TC Karns:

Yes. That's exactly it. You know, it's just an extension of what I already do. Just I'm not making rockets here.

Carol Pehotsky:

And what's the time commitment look like?

TC Karns:

It wasn't like a huge corporate board.

Carol Pehotsky:

Sure, yeah.

TC Karns:

It's more of an educational board just to touch base and see where you know the educational requirements are. Has anything changed do they need more; do they need less? Three times a year.

Carol Pehotsky:

Oh, gosh. All right. Yeah.

TC Karns:

Yeah. It's evenings after work. I mean, I, I go and it's, it's not a big deal.

Carol Pehotsky:

So, let's, uh, think about that. It's three times a year. That's not a 40-hour week job. And, and to think about the impact you're making on not just their students, but hopefully future Cleveland Clinic caregivers if they enjoy their experience so much. Now they're working with you, and you've had a fingerprint on that.

TC Karns:

We've hired a number of our interns or externs. So.

Carol Pehotsky:

Yeah. Excellent. Very good.

TC Karns:

Externship is really a very long interview.

Carol Pehotsky:

Exactly. So, let's linger on that a little bit because sometimes you can, in theory, give back to your community during the workday when you're precepting students. And we know that, while some of you listening are nursing students, we know that there's all sorts of students that come out way. In my world in peri-op, there's surgical techs, but we know all over the place there's medical assistants, there's LPNs, there's rad techs. There are all sorts of ways to enter our spaces and all those students need guidance. So, what do you get out of, sort of, that initial piece where you were working with externs? What was different for you, what was hard about that, and what was rewarding about it?

TC Karns:

It wasn't really different.

Carol Pehotsky:

Okay.

TC Karns:

I looked at it as more of an extension of myself being a student, you know?

Carol Pehotsky:

Mm, sure.

TC Karns:

I mean, a day goes by I don't learn something, that's wasted day.

Carol Pehotsky:

That's right.

TC Karns:

I like to be successful in my own world and I like helping other people be successful in theirs.

Carol Pehotsky:

Sure.

TC Karns:

So, if these students need to come to us and really get a good grasp on what their job is going to look like once they get here, I want to provide them every opportunity to understand what's going to be. And, like I said we've hired a number of our externs that come to us, so.

Carol Pehotsky:

It's working. And I think some of it is, you know, especially those when we're shepherding precepting students who are not RNs, part of it, too, is also learning from them and from their program. But what is it you're looking for, how can I help you because I, I can't teach you how to be a nurse, you're not a nursing program, but really understanding what can I provide for you that makes this a good experience?

TC Karns:

Their role is different but it's in the same world so, it takes the LPNs and the MAs on the team to make a whole team.

Carol Pehotsky:

It takes a village. Absolutely.

TC Karns:

Yes.

Carol Pehotsky:

Yes.

TC Karns:

Um, so understanding their role and what they do is the part of what we have to understand to be able to present it well to them.

Carol Pehotsky:

Absolutely.

TC Karns:

Um, we try really hard to pair them up with some of our best MAs.

Carol Pehotsky:

Sure.

TC Karns:

Of course, they're the preceptors, they're on the ground, they're setting an example by everything they do.

Carol Pehotsky:

Yep. So sometimes we, and, and I'll be honest, this was me once upon time, you know, you precept, and you precept, and you precept, and you precept, and you get sick of hearing the sound of your own voice at some point in time. So, we, we may have listeners out there who, who have found themselves in that space, right? We know that whether it's medical assistants or LPNs, or new nurses coming into all of our facilities across the country, not just Cleveland Clinic, right, and there's some precepting fatigue, right? There's a little bit of burnout that comes with that. So, somebody who is listening right now who's feeling that fatigue, what would you say to them?

TC Karns:

Understand that the people you're precepting right now are the people you're going to be working with for the next X amount of years and they may be the people that take care of you when you need medical attention.

Carol Pehotsky:

Yep.

TC Karns:

When you become the patient, who do you want taking care of you?

Carol Pehotsky:

There you go. And you think about it might have been the fifth time I've said it this year because you're the first person I've precepted, but it's the first time they're hearing it.

TC Karns:

Correct.

Carol Pehotsky:

And what does that mean to them?

TC Karns:

Absolutely.

Carol Pehotsky:

Yeah.

TC Karns:

That's a good way to look at it.

Carol Pehotsky:

There you go. I was, uh, rounding in, in some of my perioperative areas earlier this week and, you know, I'm from PACU and OR, and I went into the PACU, and my preceptor was sitting at the desk, she, and she loves telling everybody, "You know, I precepted Carol.", and, but there's something to be said for that. We end up, sort of, developing these healthcare family trees of, of where did you come from and who was your preceptor, and what's the journey you traveled?

TC Karns:

And honestly, in northern Ohio, nursing is a small field. I mean, you, I've been, I've been a nurse for 22 years. You said right around 20 for yourself. You run into the same people a lot, yeah.

Carol Pehotsky:

And you want to make sure that they've been set on a good path when they came your way.

TC Karns:

And what do they say about that? You be, be good to people on your way up the ladder because you'll see them on the way back down.

Carol Pehotsky:

For sure. That's right. And that, and where's it's no longer six degrees at [inaudible 00:16:18], and I heard its three. So, yeah, it's, it's a smaller and smaller world and, and, and, yeah, what can we do to take care of each other? Absolutely. So, let's go back to, you know, at, at the top of the episode, I was talking about is nursing a calling or a career. So, talk to me a little bit more about that. What has it been like for you?

TC Karns:

Oh, absolutely, a calling.

Carol Pehotsky:

Okay.

TC Karns:

Absolutely. It was not on my radar. It was something I never would have considered it in a million years.

Carol Pehotsky:

Yeah.

TC Karns:

I was exposed to it accidentally, and organically, and it was instantaneous. It was a thunderclap that made me change my mind.

Carol Pehotsky:

All right.

TC Karns:

I went home and I told my wife, "I'm going to finish this out, but I know what I want to do. I'll finish this course for EMT, but I want to be a nurse."

Carol Pehotsky:

Okay. And what keeps you coming back for more?

TC Karns:

I love it. I love it.

Carol Pehotsky:

Simply stated.

TC Karns:

Uh, I have been the patient, and my wife has been a patient. You know, she broke her back. I had a stroke. Um, yeah.

Carol Pehotsky:

Oh, my gosh.

TC Karns:

I know. It's scary.

Carol Pehotsky:

Terribly scary.

TC Karns:

Anybody at any time could be the, become the patient.

Carol Pehotsky:

Yeah.

TC Karns:

But, you know, we, we've experienced it on that end, and I love being able to be there and be that person that can change somebody's day.

Carol Pehotsky:

Absolutely.

TC Karns:

So.

Carol Pehotsky:

And, you know, for our listeners, you know, I, thankfully, have not had anything terribly dreadful happen to me, but I have been the patient. I've been the surgical patient, I've been the surgical patient in places that I was the boss, and there's something that happens to you when you're on the other side of the care.

TC Karns:

You see it differently. And you really, your expectations are sometimes, I don't think my expectations are too high, but they are high because I know what I would do in that situation.

Carol Pehotsky:

And having, you know, it's not a prerequisite to our listeners. You don't have to, you don't have to have had something happen to you to be a great nurse, so please don't take me wrong. But I think that's absolutely right is that simulations are important and training's important, but there's something to be said for now I am the one who's anxious, I don't know what's going on, or I know enough to be dangerous, or I know a lot and that's actually making me more scared than if I didn't know anything.

TC Karns:

Right. And I know, you know, as nurses we talk about people and try to, you know, with HIPAA, we try to dissociate. We're like, "Oh, the, the appy in room six.", you know? But, you know.

Carol Pehotsky:

So much more than that. Yeah.

TC Karns:

They're people with names you know, and sometimes we have to think about that.

Carol Pehotsky:

Absolutely.

TC Karns:

We can't forget that it's a person that has an appy, you know, that needs an appendectomy or has, uh, appendicitis. It's not, that's not their problem. That, that doesn't define who they are.

Carol Pehotsky:

That's why they're here. Yeah.

TC Karns:

Yes.

Carol Pehotsky:

And I, and I think it's, you know, so whether it's the ER, your days from the ER, and, and the interprofessional team of those doctors, and nurses, and personnel versus in an ambulatory setting, it's, there's lots of people coming with great perspectives, some of them may be really focused on the problem at hand, right, I'm, I'm, I need to take the X-ray of the thing, I need to draw the labs, I need to this, but it's that nurse that says, and how does this help support the entire person?

TC Karns:

What's the big picture?

Carol Pehotsky:

What's the big picture? Well, wow, beautifully said. So, with that, thank you. We're going to transition into the speed round. So, for, our speed round is a chance for our listeners to get to know a little bit more about you in addition to the fabulous nurse you are.

TC Karns:

Okay.

Carol Pehotsky:

So, yeah. So, why don't you share with us, please, something you wish you knew as a brand-new nurse?

TC Karns:

I wish I knew ambulatory care existed.

Carol Pehotsky:

Okay.

TC Karns:

I, of course, would have wanted to get experience in the hospital but, boy, the ambulatory care setting, uh, is really good for family life.

Carol Pehotsky:

There you go. But still clearly very challenging. You know, I think sometimes people get this impression of, right, the other side, oh, it's so relaxing and they get to work Monday through Friday, and there's this perception that it's easy. What would you say to that?

TC Karns:

It's not a walk in the park.

Carol Pehotsky:

No.

TC Karns:

It's different.

Carol Pehotsky:

Yes.

TC Karns:

The schedule is different, too.

Carol Pehotsky:

Sure.

TC Karns:

So.

Carol Pehotsky:

Sure. Yeah. Excellent.

TC Karns:

I get to make it to my son's soccer games now.

Carol Pehotsky:

I mean, that is truly the beauty of nursing. I had an opportunity to go to a reception last night of the seniors who are getting ready to graduate from nursing school in May. About half of them had jobs, half of them didn't. There's never been a better time to be a nurse, right? I mean, (laughs) it's a great calling and career. But, you know, hearing their fears of, "Well, I have a job, and what if it's not the right one?", or "I haven't settled on a place yet because I'm worried it's not the right one.", and it's like it's, what a great time to say to them, "There are other things you can do, and, and please, you know, dig in and, and live that first job, but know that there's other opportunities for you if that's not the right fit."

TC Karns:

Absolutely. There are 8,000 different specialties that nurses can do.

Carol Pehotsky:

Yeah.

TC Karns:

You know, they have nurses on movie sets, they have nurses on cruise ships.

Carol Pehotsky:

Sometimes they need more nurses on movie sets based on what comes out. 

TC Karns:

But nurses on cruise ships, nurses at amusement parks, nurses in schools. I mean, there's a thousand settings a nurse could be in.

Carol Pehotsky:

Yep.

TC Karns:

And, uh, what I would say towards that you know, hey, I'm not sure this is the right fit. It might not be, or it might be the right fit today, and five years from now it's not the right fit so dig in, give it 110 percent, learn as much as you can, take care of some patients until you find something better, or something next.

Carol Pehotsky:

Go where your road takes you.

TC Karns:

Right.

Carol Pehotsky:

All right. And then, my final question for you, what brings you joy?

TC Karns:

Whew. Professionally, I get a lot of joy when I see the patients become successful. So, you know, if I can, if I can care for somebody and, you know, it may not be curing them because, you know not everything can be cured, but maybe it's helping someone come to grasp with what they're going through, you know, and, and understand it and not feel defeated by it.

Carol Pehotsky:

Um, sure.

TC Karns:

When I was in the ER, you know, unfortunately, everybody dies eventually and, you know, we, we had people that would come in with their family members. The family members themselves were having a harder time with, uh, with the patient dying than the patient did at that point, you know? And sometimes you just have to be there for them, too.

Carol Pehotsky:

Okay.

TC Karns:

Personally, I like it when my friends and family are successful.

Carol Pehotsky:

Sure.

TC Karns:

You know, I, I want more for my boys than for myself, and I'd, I like to try to set them up for that.

Carol Pehotsky:

There you go. Fantastic words. Thank you for coming and sharing your journey with us today, TC.

TC Karns:

Thank you so much, Carol. Happy to be here.

Carol Pehotsky:

As always, thanks so much for joining us for today's discussion. Don't miss out. Subscribe to hear new episodes wherever you get your podcasts. And remember, we want to hear from you. Do you have ideas for future podcasts or want to share your stories? Email us at nurseessentials@CCF.org. To learn more about nursing at Cleveland Clinic, please check us out at clevelandclinic.org/nursing.

Until next time, take care of yourselves and take care of each other.

The information in this podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute medical or legal advice. Consult your local state boards of nursing for any specific practice questions.