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The Top 5 DEI Podcast
Top 5 DEI is the premier podcast about and for professionals who cultivate, promote, and advance diversity, equity, and inclusion through their craft. We ask our guests five questions, and in the spirit of diversity and perspective-taking we end every conversation by asking them to share their top 5 "favorites" of any category whether that be songs, books, movies, desserts, etc.
TOP 5 DEI is produced by Podcent (https://podcent.company.site/). Sponsored by Imagin Consulting LLC, BabyMeWell, and Transformation Architects.
The Top 5 DEI Podcast
From Classroom to Delivery Room: Nurse Ty's Journey of Advocacy
We hope you enjoy today's podcast and feel free to send us a text
*Word of the Day: "Healthcare Deserts"
*Link to Nurse Ty's Research, "The Effect of Ethical Leadership on Nurse Bullying, Burnout, and Turnover Intentions" published in the Journal of Nursing Management.
When Thanayi "Nurse Ty" Lambert moved from Chicago's North Side to its South Side at 16, she discovered more than a new neighborhood—she found her calling. The stark disparities in educational resources and healthcare access weren't just statistics; they were lived realities that would eventually shape her path from science teacher to maternal health advocate and nursing educator.
"I spent a lot of time connecting pregnant teens to resources, getting things they needed," Nurse Ty explains, describing her early teaching career. "I was supposed to be going over science and math, but how can you go over subjects when someone's worried about their baby not having what they need?" This profound observation led her to pursue nursing, specifically in maternal and obstetric care, where she could address these inequities head-on.
Now a clinical assistant professor at UT Arlington with over 17 years of experience, Nurse Ty's approach to nursing education reveals critical blind spots in healthcare training. One powerful example she shares: teaching students to find veins on melanated skin. "On people with darker skin, it makes it challenging to see," she explains, describing how many nursing students are taught to rely on visual cues that simply don't work for all patients. This seemingly small detail has life-or-death implications for patient care.
The conversation takes on heightened urgency as Nurse Ty addresses the resurgence of preventable diseases like measles and the growing phenomenon of "healthcare deserts"—communities with severely limited access to quality care. Her passionate defense of science-based medicine comes with practical advice for navigating today's complex healthcare landscape: find trusted sources, maintain critical thinking skills, and recognize how microaggressions in healthcare settings directly impact patient outcomes.
Whether discussing her strategies for countering workplace bias or sharing her eclectic playlist (from Donna Summer to Miriam Makeba), Nurse Ty embodies the vital connection between diversity in medical education and equitable healthcare delivery. Listen and discover why understanding cultural differences in healthcare isn't just about inclusivity—it's about survival.
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Hello good people. Welcome to the Top 5 DEI Premier Podcast for and about folks who cultivate diversity, equity and inclusion in their craft. We are your co-hosts, dr J.
Speaker 2:Dr Carlos Miller, the Petty Professor.
Speaker 3:I'm Tanai Lambert Nurse Ty.
Speaker 1:Lambert, nurse Ty, and thank you for joining us today.
Speaker 2:Today is special because we get to interview our very own, one of our own, our co-host Nurse.
Speaker 1:Ty. What's up, nurse Ty? So let me just dive in and tell you about Nurse Ty. Meet Nurse Ty Tanai Lambert, msn, rnc OB. I know that's a lot of important letters. That means she knows what she's doing. She's a nurse educator, birth coach and mother-baby specialist with over 17 years of experience. She's a clinical assistant professor at UT Arlington, where she trains the next generation of nurses in antepartum care, obstetrical emergencies, labor and delivery and maternity family care. Beyond the classroom, nurse Ty is deeply committed to community building, empowering families, youth and fellow nurses through education and advocacy. She's also led community-based health initiatives, ensuring that vital knowledge reaches those who need it most. To learn more about her, visit the links and the podcast. Welcome to the show, nurse Ty.
Speaker 3:Thank you.
Speaker 1:So, man, I want to say welcome to the show, but you were part of the show. Welcome to the show.
Speaker 2:You are the show.
Speaker 1:So I'm going to dive into this first question. I'm sure our listeners are very curious.
Speaker 3:How did you get into your field? Tell us your journey. A science teacher, I taught biology, earth, space science on the south side of Chicago in the Chicago public schools, and I absolutely loved it. What grades I taught? Freshman through high school, so ninth through 12th. I saw a lot of socioeconomic issues that plague our community.
Speaker 2:Tell us, though when you say socioeconomic issues that plague the community, because I'm not from Chicago.
Speaker 3:Oh, okay, well, poverty education levels are lower and it's sad but it's honest. I went back and I taught at the school I graduated from. Growing up in Chicago, I grew up on the North side initially, and so I didn't move to the South side until I was 16. When I moved to the South side, they were two years behind, so I grew up on the South side, so North side versus South side is like North side there's more resources.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah. So on the north side I went to public schools the whole time. I never no, like I'm saying the socioeconomic things like as if they don't affect me like my parents, my family, drugs, drug taking all of those things impacted myself and so when I moved to the south side at 16, I was like what in the world? I felt like I was in another country, almost yeah chicago is, like it's so segregated it's one of the most segregated cities.
Speaker 1:So north side you can be on the low end of socioeconomic ladder, but because you're on the north side there's resources that can help mitigate stuff. South side it's fewer resources and they don't really take care of the community as much all the men at least.
Speaker 3:Then they weren't doing their jobs and so I'm sure it's a big culture shock for you and so like, to my side of town on the north side, I was still plagued with issues. There were programs to take up for it. So, no, I may not have had somebody to help me with homework, but I could go to the tutoring program that was free of charge, at the park, at the church, and so I had access to get the help that I needed. When I moved to the South side, I remember are you a teenager? You go out. I remember the bus stop, the buses, public transportation stopped at some hour and I was like, but we're still partying. How are we going to get home? What is this? So now I can't party as long as I want to. They were two years behind academically. I was just shocked I'm coming to the school and I was just like, wow, this is. I don't know. As a teenager, I didn't know why that was exactly, I just knew that it was.
Speaker 3:As an adult. I decided to go back and teach at the school and do the things that I felt were missing, that I felt I would have really enjoyed Now being the teacher, what I can do and provide for the students. I got there and I noticed it was hard to do that. It was very hard to do that in that environment, not always having the support or the resources that you need.
Speaker 3:While I was teaching, I worked with pregnant and or parenting teams so students who were out on maternity leave or bed rest and I spent a lot of my time connecting them to resources, getting things for them that they needed.
Speaker 3:I was supposed to be going over science and math and the subjects of the day, but how are you going to go over the subjects of the day when you're worried about your baby not having what they need? So I spent a lot of time like let's take care of those problems and those issues before we can get to like the school stuff. And so then I was like, oh, clearly there's an issue. If parents knew that they would need all of these things prior to getting pregnant, clearly they'll do better. And so I was like let me go back and be a nurse so that I can teach what needs to be taught, so that they can be prepared. And then saw again that you are not given all of the things that you need to do, what needs to be done to get to the people who need. And that's how I got into nursing. Wow, the education, and so, like as a teacher, I was like, oh, let's teach them about health. They need to know.
Speaker 2:Your route to nursing was really through seeing the need for education, community resources and support, and you wanted to be part of it that way Exactly, I thought I can do it.
Speaker 3:I could do it If it's coming for someone that looks that's from the community, clearly I can do it.
Speaker 2:But I just got and I appreciate you. I know being a nurse is hard, just from watching my sister-in-law go through her training and education I know we were talking about. You have early days, late days, you're never off, and you're also educating and building the next generation of caregivers and providers, and so you're tackling some much needed areas from so many different ways. Some much needed areas from so many different ways. But I'm still curious how you go from being a science educator to dealing with guts and gore and blood.
Speaker 3:In science. I love all aspects of science. When I was teaching, I was working with students who were pregnant or parenting. To me, healthcare is science and so it was a natural progression. When I went to apply for school at the time because I had a background in science I met all of the prerequisites and my entry I already had a bachelor's degree. At the time it was like, oh, I could either pursue a master's or get an associate degree or a bachelor's degree in nursing. And so at the time I was already married, we had children, we had another one on the way and I was like, oh, what's the most economical way to do this? Right? And back then it was less than $5,000 to finish the ADN program. And, wow, I was. The associate nursing degree is ADN program and it was much less expensive. So $5,000, as opposed to at that time, the master's program was way more than that.
Speaker 3:And so it's the bachelor's program. I left education and I got into an associate degree nursing program in the city and it was a two-year program. I finished and I went into a specialty that connected to me as a teacher. I worked with the parenting teens and the pregnant teens. I wanted to continue working with people, bring in life into the world, so I went directly into labor and delivery after I graduated with my nursing degree.
Speaker 2:Wow, great. I know this is a podcast, primary audio. We're also video recording and it's so cool to sit here and see Dr J For those of you who may not know, nurse Ty is married to our co-host, dr J and to see him just smile and be in what pride. It's so cute.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I remember those tough days Studying hard. Yeah, the kids, they were babies. Those were the days.
Speaker 2:Those were the days.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Can you share. You've done a lot. You're fire. Can you share because you've done a lot. Your fire, your dope, you slay in all the areas. But what's an accomplishment or a project or some type of event that elevated an aspect of diversity, equity, inclusion, that you were part of, that you're really proud of or that you found really impactful or important?
Speaker 3:I can't point to one specific project, but in my current iteration as a nurse professor so lucky to be I feel like empowering those next generation of students who are going to be going out and taking care of our community. I feel like that's the best thing I can be doing right now is teaching them, showing them with my actions and how they see me interact on the units in our discussions, showing them the importance of diversity of thought, not just looking at somebody's skin color, but sometimes looking at somebody's skin color means a difference in healthcare. It's important, right? Because a health issue on somebody with darker skin, melanated skin, is going to look different from an issue with somebody with very light skin. Give us an example, just my last group of students that I just finished with. Something that all nurses have to do is learn how to find vein and start ivs something, Something in the healthcare community finding a vein on somebody with melanated skin.
Speaker 3:a lot of times people, the first thing they want to do is look for what's easy, right? I love that they call Luigi light skin, Because now they all like skin right I love it when the skin is light. Like luigi, you can see through the skin, oftentimes to see the veins and see a place to start right. Oftentimes on people with darker skin it makes it a little more challenging to see yeah, I'm looking at my skin.
Speaker 3:Now I can't easily spot a vein right, and I had each of them. Try to find a vein on me. Just find one on me Right, because I know my veins, I've been living with them my whole life and I know how to find them. Start IVs, and so I just had them with a tourniquet find IV sites on me, on my arms, because it's going to look different on me than it will on somebody else, oftentimes with their taught in these learning institutions. Right, they're taught by. Most of the people that they're being taught by don't necessarily look like me either, and so that might not even be something that they're thinking of. Oh, yeah, right, that might not even be something that they're thinking of oh yeah.
Speaker 3:Right. It may not even occur to them to be like, oh no, you just look, because they're so used to saying, oh no, it's right here, you just find what you could see. It's not even been a thought to them that you can't go by what you have to go by what you feel, because that's more reliable with people with darker skin, and so, to me, training people to see people's entirety is the most important thing that I'm doing right now. I feel like that's the. I love that. I feel that is super important.
Speaker 2:Yes because you're getting them to not only it's not even just cultural competency, it's just how to do your job in a way that meets the patient, to be able to deliver what the patient needs. So it's not even that deep, it's just like how can you find a vein by not assuming that you can just look for it Exactly. Oh, that's awesome, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I like how you said Luigi's light skin. That threw me for a loop, I had to Google. Is she really talking about that dude, the healthcare?
Speaker 2:The guy who tries to take matters into his own hands. He didn't try, he did it A friend of mine.
Speaker 1:he's been on the show before I call him. Ai the culture guy, aaron Ireland. He always says that white people are light-skinned Africans. They either just don't know it or they don't want to accept it, and I was like, yeah, so to call them light-skinned, that really makes sense right.
Speaker 2:Because we're all from Africa. Article in the New York Times that has this long list of words that have been eliminated from the administration, from the website. And we think, okay, healthcare is a major component of government services. But if you can't say culture or black, or socioeconomic some of the things that affect how we even approach patient care and health care what can you say? And if someone can't say melanated or someone can't say I, think it's our skill like how do you train?
Speaker 2:the next generation if they're trying to erase these words from even women was listed.
Speaker 3:Email on our work. We do research, funded research, and that's a concern. Like scientists around the world are like what is going on in america because, like you said, you all are even in health care, and so you're like how is this going to impact? That's exactly my point. In health care, you have people who prescribe to these things as well, which is sad, but it's counterproductive to having the outcomes that are necessary to have good health. However you feel personally, that's your business. What are we going to be looking at with the outcomes of the health of the people? Unless you're intentionally trying to just kill a certain type of people, then just say that, right, but these things have to be dealt with. They have to be like you said. You have to say, woman, you have to. There's, there's no way to get around it. You have to talk about diversity. You have to talk about socioeconomic differences and the impact that they have, because you do have health care deserts, and some of them, more and more, are in. Oh, am I getting ahead of myself here?
Speaker 2:no, I just got word of the day health care desert. I don't know what that means. What is that?
Speaker 1:that's our word of the day.
Speaker 3:Just like a food desert, right when you're having people, don't? They have to go X amount of ways before they have access to good quality food? It's the same thing for healthcare. Some impoverished communities have had poor access to healthcare already, but now, with the changes, places are having to shut down healthcare, leaving people without access for over two hours, and it's had the way they get to it having there. There's so many impediments being that are in place that we're still trying to figure out how to deal with when all of this stuff is coming down the pike. It's going to make it that much more difficult. A healthcare desert is the same as a food desert. Your people have issues with access, they have issues getting there, they have issues with having quality providers available to them who accept insurance, if they have insurance and it's how far they have to go to get there.
Speaker 1:I think one thing people never realize is that when we talk about DEI, I think majority of the public, or at least certain legislators, want us to believe that it's only about race. But you mentioned things like the ability to pay for afford health care, right? So socioeconomic status. We're talking about how they're trying to remove things like women and gender from lists for research, which is very important, and we need to have that because there are real differences. When DEI thrives, all boats rise. The DEI tide thrives, all boats rise, and what you're sharing exemplifies that it's a good point to raise. To raise Now this next question you wanted me to ask. I know a lot about it because when you come home, you and I we have pillow talk and I hear about all the. We have a paper we published together. It talks about bullying in the workplace.
Speaker 2:But this is more than that, make sure we drop a link to that paper so we can all access it.
Speaker 1:The question I have for you is how do you mitigate or how do you deal with microaggressions?
Speaker 2:Can we start with the definition of microaggressions?
Speaker 1:Microaggressions.
Speaker 3:I'm sorry me and I go back and forth with this one, only because these words are going to be erased from the dictionary.
Speaker 2:I just want to make sure I get it out there.
Speaker 1:So microaggressions are the research, technical definition of it mostly related to like slights that might be innocuous, subtle, sometimes intentional, sometimes non-intentional, that are directed toward marginalized individuals. You have like micro insults, there's micro assaults, there's micro invalidations. So, for example, to say to someone that you speak very well for a black person, right, that would be like a micro insult or micro invalidation, because this, first of all, it's an insult. So to assume that I wouldn't speak well if I, if I'm black and also an, invalidates what it means to be black. Or someone might say, oh, you don't look black, or you don't have hair like a black person, that's a micro invalid. Like a Black person, that's a micro-invalidation. Touching someone's hair, that's a micro-assault, because you're actually without their permission, right.
Speaker 1:And so these are different types of micro-aggressions, but they have a huge impact.
Speaker 2:The micro at all.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and that's why she said she's not getting to it because she's like yeah, but they're not micro. I'm like no, they are, because they could be subtle. People could hide behind it and say oh, that's not racism, because it can be a situation and a behavior or a verbal act that can be considered innocuous or hard to tell. That's why they're called microaggressions, because when you go to your boss it's not explicit racism, so there's no law that can really address it.
Speaker 1:And if bosses are not trained in how to deal with microaggressions, then oftentimes they will ignore it, disregard it or pretend like it didn't happen. So that's a reason why it's called microaggressions. Now there are also macroaggressions and, phil, we can say the macroaggressions are what we consider, that explicit sexism, racism that we see in the workplace, or ableism, et cetera. So back to the question.
Speaker 2:Yes, back to the question.
Speaker 1:The professor always reminds me, and that's why she's the Professor Petty. She's not being petty, but she's helping me out.
Speaker 3:The details are important, they matter, yeah.
Speaker 2:And I'll say, before answering that question, I wanted to drop a resource. It's called the Micropedia of Microaggressions. You can go through different aspects of dimensions of identity and diversity, to even educate, like how and this is user generated content, where people submit. This is what I consider to be a microaggression. Here's why I felt the way about it, here's what you can do about it. And then it also goes into, if you scroll down, like how to avoid microaggressions, how to respond and how to be accountable. Now back to you, nurse Ty.
Speaker 1:So you definitely put this link in the notes, along with the magic consulting step in framework. But how do you mitigate microaggressions?
Speaker 2:okay, come on in listen academia.
Speaker 3:I love it. I did not learn all of that I grew up on the north side of chicago, and so, that being, said I went to a great.
Speaker 3:I went to a great elementary school. I went to school with doctors, kids, lawyers, kids. The governor's daughter went there. That being said, I was one of a few black children in the class, and so I learned how to deal with microaggressions very early on. If somebody came up and grabbed my hair, I grabbed their hair. If they said something to me, I said it back to them. How do you feel about that? Right back at you. So, as a kid, that's how I dealt with it like right back at you, like real, real quick, like that. And so that's how I've dealt with it out in public as well.
Speaker 3:But in my profession, you even know what you were doing I did. I was just that kid was like how dare you touch me without my permission? You're invading my space, so I'm gonna invade your space back. I was that kid that was like what do you mean? I'm beautiful, period, full stop. I'm smart, full stop, like I'm full. That's just what it is. I grew up seeing, oh, she's the governor, she's got security and everything. I thought we're the same. As a kid I didn't know what that was, but I could see the world might be trying to say that you guys are better or you've got this, but I'm in the room with y'all and I can see that the world is lying we're learning the same things.
Speaker 3:We're learning the same things and if we're the same things and if we're the same, some of us are better at things than others, right, and that's for everybody. And so I learned that very early, and so I took that confidence, I think, helped me tremendously out in the world. And so, dealing with micro aggressions, when somebody would say I was being introduced on a unit, I was with the manager and she was taking me around. I had on a coat that had my name, like a work coat, that I have a master's degree, and this woman, the nurse on that unit, she walked up to me and she's oh my gosh, I'm being introduced, this is my new. I'm just coming to the unit, you're just meeting me. Oh, my god, you have a master's. Look at you. Are you always this pleasant? And I'm being introduced Shall.
Speaker 2:I assume that this was a white woman.
Speaker 3:Let's change our frames. She was very light-skinned, she's a light-skinned African.
Speaker 1:She's a very light-skinned woman.
Speaker 2:As you were being introduced, she was shocked.
Speaker 3:Oh my goodness, are you always this up front with every person you meet? Do you do this up front with every person you meet? Do you do this with?
Speaker 1:everybody. Oh my gosh, what's her reaction?
Speaker 3:she just laughed, yeah, and so at that point I looked at the manager and I walked off and I said that's strike one for this place, clearly I didn't stay working at that place very long.
Speaker 1:Good for you, because I just yeah, like you said, you're not familiar with the research. I think the reversal comeback, and that was a great job doing that. She tried to invalidate you, micro-invalidate you like. Oh, to pretend as if she's so surprised that you have this advanced degree and you turned it around for the back of her face oh are you this all the time? That was awesome.
Speaker 2:What I think is important is we've talked about our different neurodivergent attributes with microaggressions. It wasn't always clear to me that was an insult or an attempt to invalidate, because I'm like, oh, you're asking a question, why do you have that question? So like I would probably ask the question, not even thinking I'm clapping back, but just like legit curious.
Speaker 2:Like why is this shocking for you? Is this a shock for everyone or specific to me? Then you see the face. Oh, I struck a nerve. Were you trying to strike a nerve with me, or did you not realize it either? Is this also you're like you're a blind spot? I don't know.
Speaker 3:And so I put it back like that, because maybe she was unaware, I don't know what it was, but let's put it back on you and see how does it make you feel?
Speaker 1:And that's why it's so good to implement strategies like that, Because then it helps give you evidence, Because I'm sure when you did that look on her face or as they do it you can tell by body language that it's a microaggression. And that's what makes it micro, it's not just the words it's how they say it and the behavior behind it. So it makes you go crazy sometimes, no, you're right, sometimes they don't know but that's what I learned today and that's why it's good not to get too upset but use that strategy so it can be a teaching moment for them, because sometimes they don't know.
Speaker 3:I use it as a teaching moment because, like I said, the world has obviously misled you to have this false information. You're lacking information, so let me help you.
Speaker 1:And let me also say not to say that it's anyone's responsibility to teach somebody else about their own isms and things like that. There's so much information in the world today.
Speaker 2:Everyone has the same cognitive style.
Speaker 1:My philosophy is to kind of show grace. Don't assume the worst. Use that strategy for it to be a comeback moment for they can maybe learn from it and then after that, then I know definitely where somebody stands. It's not my role to have to do that. I shouldn't have to do that though.
Speaker 2:Let me ask you this, though, and this is for Nurse Ty Are you, dr J? Have you ever yourself committed microaggression and then realized it and was like oh, because, like you said, we show grace, but we also need grace and that's why we show grace, because otherwise we'd be hypocrites.
Speaker 1:You don't have to be a majority member. That means someone who's maybe white, cisgender male. You can be someone who's maybe white, cisgender male. You can be someone who's marginalized, who exhibits microaggressions towards other marginalized communities without even realizing it. Yeah, and I've done that before too, I'm so embarrassed by it. I might tell you what it was. But yeah, we all do them. We all do them and that's why we have to.
Speaker 3:But I also I appreciate. If I'm doing something incorrect, I want to be corrected right If I'm doing something that's making someone feel uncomfortable in a space that we share.
Speaker 3:I certainly want to have grace to correct me, but, like you said, if you go learn today to me, it is not anybody else's responsibility to teach people, but I feel like, if I have to interact with someone like that woman was going to be my colleague.
Speaker 3:She is my colleague because right now she is a nurse somewhere, and so I take that as an opportunity to bring her in to then say, oh, my goodness, here's an opportunity for you to then provide better care for the community that we both serve. Because if you're having those biases show up at such a mundane everyday thing as meeting your colleague, how is that going to impact the care that you provide and the care that's given and that you witness? If you don't recognize that this small bit can have that sort of an impact, what's to say that something else small won't impact the outcomes of the patients that you're dealing with? So I always take it as an opportunity, because I'm in that space, to bring them in and educate them, because I want you to then provide better care for everyone in the community, because I know that you currently are not in a place to do that because you're treating me bad.
Speaker 2:You say ignorant stuff to me, so I can only imagine what you're going to say. You're treating me bad and I'm your co-worker.
Speaker 3:I'm your co-worker with a master's degree and you treat me like this. I'm co-working with a master's degree. Are you treating me like this? What are you doing in those rooms to the people who don't have education or don't have insurance my gosh, they didn't have insurance to get health care, or they have some sort of drug problem that's showing up and impacting them. What are you saying to them? What are you doing to them? How are you treating them? That's going to impact their health outcomes.
Speaker 2:Go ahead, Dr J.
Speaker 1:No, but you're right Healthcare outcomes, that's what matters, because when we're talking about microaggressions in your field, that could translate into life or death right.
Speaker 1:And something I want to clarify. Earlier, when I said that we all exhibit microaggressions, including those of us who are traditionally underrepresented, one of the main differences that it's important to highlight is that when it's done to Black and brown, gay, lesbian or transgender people, that equates to death. Also, because it creates this narrative and this whole mindset that gives license to people to actually treat people differently, put them in situations where they and their families are in harm. I just wanted to make sure I clarified that. I wanted to make it seem like oh, we all do microaggressions. When it happens to Black and Brown people, it's a totally different impact.
Speaker 2:That's why it's dangerous.
Speaker 1:Black and Brown people, LGBTQ plus community. We're not empowered to cause harm, so that makes a huge difference though.
Speaker 2:Stereotypes are degradation of generalizations. There's got to be some truth somewhere from our small sample. But we have to know that we think, like researchers and scientists, that we're constantly refining, fine tuning our theories, our assumptions, testing our hypotheses, what we think something is and why it is, and we encourage the world to do the same. Just because you've had experience with a group of people and you think, like all that group of people are like this or do this maybe some of them, but not all. That is never the answer. We should always constantly be refining and fine-tuning and questioning and being curious about whatever knowledge enters our mind. Dr J, I know we have another question to get to, but did you want to take a moment to tell us about the step-in framework that you have with Imagine Consulting for when we are dealing with microaggressions?
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's a great question. Let me see Basically. The step-in is a strategy for disrupting microaggressions. If you are a manager or leader in an organization, we have another framework called MICRO that you use if you happen to be the target of a microaggression. But for leaders, step IN stands for S serious attention, t, train, e, engage, p, promote, valuing differences. I inform and N normalize new behaviors.
Speaker 1:In each of those letters. It's a mnemonic Step. In has a list of activities within it, but we'll put a link in the chat for you to access or download one pager to give you more information on that.
Speaker 2:Thank you, we can step in and do better. My next question some stuff is going on in the world. There are some disease outbreaks happening right now. We saw in Texas that there's a case where somebody has died from the measles. Thought we got rid of that. Nurse Ty, what is your opinion regarding the various disease outbreaks going on right now?
Speaker 3:It is atrocious what has been done to the systems that were in place to help and it's been nicked away where people don't trust vaccinations anymore, Like we had eradicated measles and now it's back and it's killed two people and it's spread. It was just Texas, Now it's Texas, New Mexico and California's got cases. There's cases up the coast. From there there's 14 states. I think there are several states with outbreaks right now of a disease that we had eradicated with vaccinations. Vaccines work. I'm very passionate about this. Why?
Speaker 2:are we here.
Speaker 3:It's the same thing when they rolled back all of the care. When they rolled back the abortion. The rates of death and sepsis infection have tripled the amount of women that are dying from care that they should have access to. It's ridiculous. We've got H1N1 going on. It's outbreak. It's jumping. From now it was just in birds, now it's in the animals, and now it's getting to's jumping. From now it was just in birds, now it's in the animals, and now it's getting to people who work with flu virus. Yeah, so the regular flu was really bad this year. It did kill a lot of people. And then there's also the bird flu.
Speaker 2:The bird flu is now they've got some people that are getting sick from that what can people do, despite some of the challenges, like what can we do to protect ourselves, to remain educated, not sensationalized by some of the misinformation and the other things that are going on? What can we do to protect ourselves and our families right now?
Speaker 3:Firstly, always have a trusted healthcare team for yourself and your family people that you can get information that you trust from a trusted source. Right and just those normal things of eating a healthy diet, washing your hands, eating a healthy diet, washing your hands. I don't want to scare people, but there are outbreaks of tuberculosis as well. Places have gone back to COVID precautions. If you're going to be in a crowded area, like I told my family, you're getting on the plane, go ahead and put that mask on. There's just so much going on right now.
Speaker 3:I don't wear a mask everywhere I go, but when I get on a plane I'm wearing one. If I'm going to a crowded area, I'm back to give me my six feet in the front and the back, but measles is. So now I'm vaccinated, but measles is so contagious that 12 feet won't do you good. So get a trusted source that you can get information from, because a lot of people use stuff to get clickbait and they get information that isn't necessarily founded in facts and I know a lot of the times, just because I've heard people oh gosh, the guy that is in charge is supposed to be in charge of this right now.
Speaker 3:He's supposed to be like making somebody talk about a dei hire. I don't even think he has any nepotism yeah he. I don't even think he has a certification in health anything, or sarah certified rfk robert f kennedy jr.
Speaker 2:Okay, I don't even think he has a certification in health Anything, or a Sarah certificate. I think I'm an RFK.
Speaker 1:Robert F Kennedy Jr. Okay, I didn't know who you're talking about.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's terrible and it's insulting of the amount of work that healthcare workers has done and the science field has done to just have it all To have it.
Speaker 1:Undone.
Speaker 3:Being undone in front of your eyes is just. It's insulting and it's scary. How many people have been poisoned with this disinformation, misinformation, alternative facts? That's going to cost them their lives. Like all of those people who, like that woman whose child died from measles, I can only imagine how she feels right now knowing that she could have. It's a preventable situation.
Speaker 1:RFK Jr is telling people to take vitamin A for measles.
Speaker 3:And don't get me wrong, I know a nurse who doesn't believe in vaccination and she was on her social media telling people all you need is a healthy diet. Maybe a healthy diet is not going to protect you from measles.
Speaker 2:So once she gets the measles, what happens then? And just hope you don't die? That's the other scary thing. Like you said, when you have a nurse and colleague, there's someone who does have credentials that we would trust is also saying oh, I'm a nurse, trust me, you don't need this and this.
Speaker 3:But that's why I said a trusted source, because when I say, look at her a trusted source, look at everything that they're saying.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because even people who you think you can trust, you may not be able to, and that answers the question of how we got here. I guess, too, you have people who are health care professionals still giving out advice.
Speaker 2:Dismiss information, that's yeah, I'm smiling, not because I think this is funny or dismissive. This is part of my emotional dissonance, but I'm smiling out of cause, I'm coping, cause.
Speaker 3:I'm like this is a legit issue. It is a legit issue and this is another reason why, when y'all ask me, what do I feel is really good? Why do I feel so good about working with new nurses, new nurses and new nursing students? Because when they come to me with questions like, well, why would this? And I put it back to them why do you think? What is it that you see? Why would do that? What is the reason? If you know that you can get better outcomes, why wouldn't you do the things that would lead to better outcomes?
Speaker 2:professor, nurse ty, I think what you just described is critical thinking. That's such a dirty word these days anything, anything critical in it.
Speaker 2:Bring back critical thinking to evaluate, like you said, why, what would you, why would you? Yes, critical thinking, evaluating the pros and cons of every decision and thinking about those implications. I love that you tie everything back to health care outcomes. I feel like it's a little bit harder for us as a DEI researcher, even as a talent management professional, it's hard to say there's this hardcore outcome that this ties to Although right now I am seeing hardcore correlations and regressions related to physical safety from an inclusion, practices of inclusion and belonging how they connect directly to safety outcomes, like you said, healthcare outcomes. We all have been or will be a patient at some point.
Speaker 3:Exactly, and which is why I feel like the RFK now. He won't have to deal with any. He won't have to deal with the ramifications of any of this faulty lies that they're spewing. But that nurse that I know she will. It's our hospitals that are getting bombarded with this. She will, and not only that. I feel like there should be more of a connection to the outcomes, right? Why should these hospital CEOs be getting all this money if their outcomes are so terrible? Why should these insurance companies keep getting paid if people are having such terrible outcomes? That's right.
Speaker 3:There should be a direct correlation. If any industry has a direct correlation, it should be healthcare. A lot of the times it's being taken just the priority has been completely removed to be profit. It's just profit and it's like you're just prioritizing profits when you should be prioritizing the outcomes of the people in the community that you serve and there's a disconnect. And I feel like the new generation of nurses are going to make the connection. That's my hope, that's always my hope.
Speaker 2:I believe too, and I'm here to help Current gen. Next gen, we got Nurse Ty, who's going to help usher in a new generation of well-informed critical thinkers who care about all patients.
Speaker 1:Yes, all patients. This has been a pretty somber interview, unfortunately, talking about these poor health care outcomes right, these poor health care outcomes right, it's. So now we're going to segue into some fun and which is, with the hour, the top of the hour people like to know the top fives and you asked us to ask you about your top five favorite songs on your playlist yes, so drum roll. What's the first?
Speaker 3:okay, this is this in any order, or you're just giving them it's not in any order. Okay, it is very hard because my music you like all types of music oh, I love everything and so I'm just narrowing. I'm sorry I'm.
Speaker 1:Sometimes we've been married like almost 30 years and I'm like, yeah, let me stop, because we know each other so well, go ahead.
Speaker 3:I do everything I do from yo-yo mod to the most glow. Really, I love all of it, but this week on my playlist, keeping me going, this week we got I feel love. I feel love. Donna Summer Okay, yes, because it's always a vibe and then so I couldn't pick specific songs for these next two. They're on the playlist and all of their stuff is on the playlist. It's the playlist.
Speaker 1:If you want to do five playlists Like a theme.
Speaker 2:I'm going to help her narrow it down narrow it down.
Speaker 3:Okay, toby and fat okay five five. I know it's an old song, but that song just hits five five. I like that song and then y'all probably won't know this one. This one is miriam makiba. She's no longer us, she's in the spiritual world right now. But Tanayi, that's where I get my name from, and so I like that little vibe. And then another one y'all probably won't know. She's a newer artist and her name is Binta. Binta B-I-N-T-A. Outside, it's always a vibe, let's see.
Speaker 1:Sing it for us.
Speaker 2:That's five. I Feel Love by Donna.
Speaker 3:Summer I Feel Love. That's four.
Speaker 2:That's four Okay go ahead.
Speaker 3:Okay, so I'm going to go with Lotto Sunday Service. I know that's an old song.
Speaker 2:It's not well, it's new, new or old, it don't matter, super old, that's.
Speaker 3:Sunday service by Lotto. This week I'm from Chicago.
Speaker 1:Oh, and I'm from you. Got no Kanye in your playlist, I'm just playing.
Speaker 2:I said this week I'm just playing, I'm just playing.
Speaker 3:I know. If that's the case, I should have some other Chicago people, but no, this week.
Speaker 2:I got a playlist for this week so I can vibe with you, Nurse Ty.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I wonder if there's a way we can create like a top five playlist. We have a link to the episode for each episode whenever they do something like that.
Speaker 2:I know you well. I don't mean to just shout out Spotify, but I know I've created public playlists on Spotify, like with my students, with my classes, what are we vibing?
Speaker 1:and so it's definitely possible oh, wow, maybe, wow, maybe that's something we could do for future episodes. Maybe this episode We'll see Sounds like a plan. All right, we got to the top five. Those are nice. And man, donna Summer.
Speaker 2:I immediately started getting into my it just hit a song in your head.
Speaker 1:You just want to start dancing. Yeah, yeah, it does dance to it and it's like the way, the rhythm and the music it's in a meditative state too. It's just everything about this song. It's a hit, it's classic. Wow, thank you nurse ty my better half. We're just like two parts of a whole yeah thanks for allowing us to interview you.
Speaker 1:Thank you for all the work that you're doing, helping save lives and build future health care leaders and that's important, especially when we have people who believe, misinformed people who think that taking vitamin a in the world that have massive implications. Thank you, professor thank you for the interpretation I'm like luther and you break it down the way it should be done. All right, hey everybody, thanks for joining us today. Peace out. I'm top five, dr J and.
Speaker 2:Petty Professor, nurse, thank you. I feel loved. I feel loved, thank you.
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