The Handoff - Issue #38

Hello fellow Nurse, this is your weekly handoff. Some quick and dirty nursing news that’s worth sharing. Enjoy!

Something that had 60,000 nurses nodding along

A NICU respiratory therapist at a Chicago hospital went viral after her doorbell camera caught her trying to unlock her front door with her hospital ID badge at 3 a.m. — and her face said it all. Anna Skinner, who has worked in the neonatal and pediatric ICU for over 22 years, had put in a full shift after already spending the day chasing her toddler grandsons when another grandmother hurt her back. She then stayed an extra four hours because the unit was short-staffed. "Chasing grandchildren plus overtime shift in the NICU equals an exhausted 49-year-old trying to use her badge to unlock her front door," she told Newsweek. The clip hit 60,000 likes on Threads — because every single nurse recognized themselves in it.

Something to make you wonder who hospitals are actually for

Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill' is about to send shockwaves through rural healthcare. More than 250,000 North Carolinians alone stand to lose Medicaid coverage — and that's just one state. Healthcare advocates warn 900 hospitals, nursing homes, and clinics nationwide are at risk of closures or cuts as federal Medicaid funding gets slashed by $1 trillion over the next decade. In North Carolina alone, worst-case projections put healthcare layoffs at 30,000. Rural hospitals already operate on razor-thin margins, with Medicaid as their lifeline. 'Rural health gets disproportionately affected by cuts to Medicaid,' said Michelle Skipper, a nurse running a primary care clinic in rural NC. 'It makes it much more difficult to stay open.' The bill was sold as a tax cut. Nurses who work in underserved communities are the ones picking up the tab.

Something to remind you why you became a nurse

Jennifer Gentry, a cardiac ICU nurse at INTEGRIS Heart Hospital in Oklahoma City, saved not one but two lives on her day off — before lunchtime. She was at the gym when she spotted a man in distress with no pulse. She immediately started CPR and worked him until paramedics arrived. Hours later, she encountered an infant who had stopped breathing, and again she responded with the same clinical calm she brings to every shift. Baby Carter's mother later described Jennifer as "a guardian angel sent by God" and welcomed her as an honorary aunt to her son. Jennifer's family says she didn't hesitate for a second either time. That's not luck. That's not coincidence. That's what it looks like when nurses carry their calling with them everywhere they go.

Please submit all stories to: [email protected]

Please be conscious of HIPAA and omit any PPI or detail that may give hints to the people, hospital, and nurses involved in your story. We may slightly alter your story or change names for this reason. Your story may also be shortened and slightly altered to fit the size of the blog. Happy writing!!

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