Tragically as we spoke with RN and co-president of National Nurses United Deborah Burger, a patient at Sutter's Alta Bates Summit Medical Center died due to a medical error while under the care of a replacement nurse.

And in studio Casey and Dan welcome RN Laurie Barkin. Laurie is a psychiatric nurse consultant at San Francisco General and has written a fascinatingly vivid account about her twenty years as an elite psychiatric trauma nurse treating San Francisco's most complicated cases and how treating the trauma of others affects caregivers.

For more about the drunk Swedish moose and fake bomb threat, you have to tune in to the show...]]> Casey and Dan are just two of the thousands of Nurses on Duty each week.

There was big news last week with the nurses strike in Northern California. Over 23,000 nurses took part in the one day strike against Sutter and Kaiser hospitals. Tragically as we spoke with RN and co-president of National Nurses United Deborah Burger, a patient at Sutter’s Alta Bates Summit Medical Center died due to a medical error while under the care of a replacement nurse.

Nurses attend a candlelight vigil at Sutter Alta Bates Summit Medical Center

Though this was a one-day strike, Sutter refused to let the nurses come back to work for another four days, putting patients in further jeopardy. More on the strike and this story at National Nurses United.

Author and RN Laurie Barkin

And in studio Casey and Dan welcome RN Laurie Barkin. Laurie is a psychiatric nurse consultant at San Francisco General and has written a fascinatingly vivid account about her twenty years as an elite psychiatric trauma nurse treating San Francisco’s most complicated cases. Her book is called The Comfort Garden. Named after the hidden garden tucked under a brick methadone outpatient clinic the book talks about how Barkin struggled in her role as a psychiatric nurse as she listened to hundreds of tales from the trauma unit. In the book she shares her journey working in a system that often times does not have a place to treat psychiatric patients on a long-term basis.

Against the backdrop of patients who have survived motor vehicle accidents, falls, fires, fists, bullets, and knives, The Comfort Garden explores what happens to professional caregivers when exposure to tragedy becomes routine. Barkin has emerged as a passionate voice advocating care for the caregiver and labor rights .

Check out our blog. Did you catch our post, Behind Blue Eyes? Nurse Talk contributor and retired nurse Joann Spears writes about a life lesson she received from a patient about never underestimating the power of choice. Are you interested in becoming a Nurse Talk contributor? Email us and tell us your story.

More on that drunk Swedish moose and fake bomb threat…on the show. Listen and find out.

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