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

A Nurse Practitioner, $66 Million, and a Fleet of Rolls-Royces

File this one under "you genuinely cannot make it up." Jean Wilson, a licensed nurse practitioner in Georgia, was just sentenced to 10 years and ordered to repay $66 million after running two telemedicine companies that billed Medicare for more than $136 million in braces and drugs patients never needed. Prosecutors say she paid kickbacks for signed orders — sometimes ten or more orthotic braces for a single patient — and signed many of the prescriptions herself. To hide the money, she allegedly opened shell accounts, including one in a fellow church member's name, and spent the proceeds on a fleet of luxury cars that reportedly included multiple Rolls-Royces. For the rest of us charting past midnight for an honest paycheck, it's the kind of story that makes your blood pressure spike.

The Execs Cleared $36 Million. The Nurses Got a Strike Date.

Nurses at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston are set to walk out on July 8 in what their union is calling the largest nurse strike in Massachusetts history. The Massachusetts Nurses Association says Mass General Brigham's leadership refused to bargain over safe staffing at the final scheduled session — the same leadership whose top 14 executives took home a combined $35.9 million in fiscal 2024, including $8.4 million for the CEO. The nurses aren't asking for luxury; they're asking for enough staff to keep patients safe. When the people at the top can find eight figures for themselves but not another nurse for the floor, the priorities speak for themselves.

The Nurse Who Saved a Newborn — and Got to Meet Him Again

At Phelps Hospital in Sleepy Hollow, New York, a labor and delivery nurse was honored this month in an emotional reunion with the baby whose life she helped save during a rare delivery-room emergency. When seconds counted, her training and quick thinking made the difference between tragedy and a family walking out the door whole. The reunion — nurse, grateful parents, and one very healthy little boy — is the kind of moment that reminds us exactly why we clock in. This is the work hiding behind all the burnout headlines, and it deserves every bit of the spotlight.

Something from a Subscriber

"Last winter a patient's daughter cornered me at 3 a.m., convinced the night shift was 'hiding' her mom's real diagnosis. Instead of getting defensive, I pulled up a chair and just sat with her. It turned out she'd lost her own husband in a hospital years earlier and no one had ever explained what was happening. We didn't cover a single new medical fact — I just walked her through what to expect hour by hour and held her hand while she cried. At discharge she said I was the first person in the building who'd treated her like a human instead of a visitor policy. Some nights the most important thing in my scope of practice is a chair and a little patience. — Danielle R., ER Nurse, Ohio"

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!!

If you liked this newsletter please share with your friends. Which bullet is your favorite? What do you want more or less of? Other suggestions? Email me and let me know. 1f6