In this episode of the Club Nurse podcast, host Colton Lord delivers a nurse‑focused news roundup. He begins with a shocking malpractice case: Dr. Thomas Shekhnovsky is indicted for second‑degree manslaughter after mistakenly removing a patient’s liver instead of the spleen, underscoring the importance of nurses speaking up in the operating room. The tone shifts to a heart‑warming story about Dodgers relief pitcher Alex Vazia, who publicly honored the nurses and clinicians who cared for his family after the loss of his newborn daughter, illustrating the lasting emotional impact nurses have on patients and families. Lord then addresses a tragic domestic‑violence incident in which LPN Victoria Alexander was fatally shot by her estranged husband at her workplace, providing resources such as the National Domestic Violence Hotline and urging safety practices like the buddy system for nurses. The episode highlights Nurse Blake’s expanding "But Did You Die" comedy tour, noting its role in providing comedic relief and community for nurses across more than 100 North American venues. A poignant tribute follows: astronaut commander Reid Wiseman proposes naming a lunar crater after his late wife, NICU nurse Carol Taylor Wiseman, celebrating a nurse’s legacy reaching beyond Earth. Interspersed throughout are promotions for Nurse.org discounts, event listings, and sports‑night initiatives that give nurses discounted tickets and recognition at professional sporting events. The host repeatedly encourages listeners to follow Nurse.org, engage on social media, and stay connected to the nursing community.
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Nurse.org and major league sports teams are honoring nurses with discounted game tickets and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. From throwing the first pitch to riding the Zamboni to on-court recognition, join the fun. Visit nurse.org/nursenight to find a nurse appreciation event near you and grab your discounted tickets today.
Welcome to Club Nurse. I'm Colton Lord, your host. By you being here today, it shows me that you are someone who wants to learn, grow, laugh, Connect and just let your emotions flow. We are here to share real stories and hear real life experiences from real people. You are not alone in this, and Club Nurse is here to show you that. Don't forget to follow the show and share today's episode with someone you love. Now let's dive into today's conversation.
Welcome back everybody to the Club Nurse Podcast. My name is Colton Lord, your host, and we are covering some nurse news today. It has been a couple of weeks, but I am here to report on some recent things that are happening in the world of healthcare and the world of nursing. Let's dive into this first headline. If you want more information on any of these stories that I cover, go to nurse.org/news and you can find all of these stories with in-depth articles, with links to other sources if you really wanna dive a little bit deeper. If what I'm saying is just a little bit too surface and you're like, I need to know more and I need more context on this, yes, go to nurse.org/news.
Yeah.
website, follow Nurse_Org on Instagram, and that's where all of these articles are posted, all of the most up-to-date breaking news. You'll find all of that on there. So yes, the headline for this one: Nurses Warn Before Surgery. Now Surgeon Who Removed Wrong Organ Faces Manslaughter. Girl, this is crazy. Dr. Thomas Shekhnovsky, 44 years old, was indicted on second-degree manslaughter charges after allegedly removing a 70-year-old patient's liver instead of his spleen during a 2024 surgery at a Florida hospital, resulting in catastrophic blood loss and death on the operating table. The victim's wife, who happened to be a nurse, a registered nurse, was initially told that the patient died from a ruptured spleen. The autopsy later revealed that the spleen was untouched and the liver had been removed. OR staff had reportedly raised concerns about the surgeon's competence before the procedure began. Girl, how many more times do we have to say to listen to the nurses? The nurses know. There is a reason a nurse is speaking up. And even, even if a nurse who is speaking up maybe is wrong, listen, take it seriously because there's a reason. Nurses, they say this from the second you get into nursing school, you develop the sixth sense. Okay? That sixth sense is just your intuition, girl, and that is what you are feeling. So always speak up, even if nobody's listening to you. Speak up, document. I mean, this is just, this is insane and these things should not happen. I understand that it's a difficult situation to be in. Obviously you're going into surgery. I mean, what are you supposed to do at that point? Like, oh, this surgeon's not competent. Like, who makes that decision? So it's crazy. And it is very unfortunate and catastrophic that something like this has to happen. But I'm glad that there's at least justice and that they have caught him doing something that's wrong because he did have a previous procedure that also led to, it was not a patient's death, but it was long-term health complications. The surgeon had removed part of a patient's pancreas instead of an adrenal gland. during a routine surgery. And when he was confronted about that error, he reportedly claimed that the adrenal gland had, in quotes, migrated to another location. That patient has suffered permanent long-term harm. In another case, the Florida Board of Medicine accused Shekhnovsky of performing a bowel resection instead of a scheduled ileostomy, resulting in perforation and the patient's death. If convicted, Shekhnovsky faces a maximum of 15 years in prison. Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast stated, that's the hospital, that Shekhnovsky He was never a Sacred Heart Emerald Coast employee, suggesting he held surgical privileges at the facility but was not directly employed by the hospital. Oh my gosh. This is really— it really is. It's devastating. Reports indicate the OR staff had concerns about the surgeon's competence before the fatal surgery, but it remains unclear whether those concerns were formally escalated. Retired OR nurse Doreen Scherf who spent 42 years in the operating room questioned whether staff spoke up saying, in quotes, I feel that somebody in management should have been notified if the staff was concerned before the surgery ever started. So that's kind of what I'm saying. I don't work in an OR. I don't know how this typically goes. I don't know. There has to be some kind of chain of command if you are concerned about a provider's competence or if you're concerned that a provider might be inebriated or like under the influence, like there has to be some kind of chain of command. But again, I, I'm not faulting anybody here, please, that I like the nurses because I put myself in that position and it's gotta be really hard to speak up. And nurses are so often brushed aside. I'm sure that it's difficult to actually find the courage to be like, no, there's something wrong here. So man, that's a crazy story. Another one. This one's a little bit heartwarming. I mean, it starts with some tragedy, but it is heartwarming. Dodgers pitcher Alex Vazia emotional honoring nurses and clinicians after daughter's death. The Dodgers relief pitcher Alex Vazia earned an emotional save, which is at the end of a baseball game, if you are the winning If you are winning and your pitcher comes in and closes out the game and you win, they get a save. That's a stat in baseball. Yes, girl, I do know that. I know I'm gay, but I do know that. Okay, I used to play baseball. On Healthcare Appreciation Night, striking out 3 straight batters while nearly 30 nurses and medical staff personally invited by Vasija and his wife Kayla cheered from a suite at Dodger Stadium. Vasija fought back tears, thanking the healthcare workers who supported his family through the death of their newborn daughter Sterling Soul in October 2025. Saying, one of the main, main nurses, she was here tonight. She took care of us. The moment highlights the profound lasting impact that nurses have on families during the most difficult moments of their lives, extending far beyond clinical care to emotional support patients carry with them forever. And this is just, this is so true. I think I love seeing these kinds of stories because so often as nurses, we don't see, like, we don't see the impact that we actually have. We're there during the tragedy. We're there during the hard times. You're not seeing that lasting impact that you're having on somebody. So this is a really great reminder for all nurses. What you're doing matters. And even if you're not getting that direct feedback, somebody's going home and they are remembering you forever. Somebody that you cared for 5 years ago still remembers you, that nurse that just so tenderly like took care of them and you were compassionate and you listened to them and you made a difference in their stay. And I know, trust me, I know it's so hard when you're working in the hospital or you're working in your specialty. It's so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and the grind and like almost forget and lose sight of that part of you that is the reason that you became a nurse. It is a very thankless career 'cause you don't hear a lot of these things. You have to just, you know, kind of assume. And then we just forget that we really are making an impact and people remember you. And I know that's not like what we all do this for, so people will remember us, but it's important. You make a huge impact. And think about going into a hospital. It's, if you're not used to it, it's scary, right? If you're not used to that environment, like it's, you're like a fish out of water. Like, where am I? You have a loved one whose life is in danger. A lot of times people do lose loved ones. So as the nurse, like, there's just so much that we can do to like impact people's lives. And I think that's, that's the biggest calling of being a nurse is I'm here to help people. I want to make sure that I can do the best that I can do for somebody at this stage in their life for whatever they're going through. So it's something to hold on to. It's a really heartwarming story. Again, it's sad because this Dodgers pitcher Alex Vazia and his wife Kayla did lose their baby, but The light in the story is the impact that the nurses and the healthcare team, the doctors made on them, and that they were able to be highlighted and remembered and that their efforts were recognized at the Healthcare Appreciation Night, which leads to another point. Make sure you're following nurse.org because there are so many different professional sports teams where there are nurses nights and healthcare nights that nurse.org puts on at these professional sporting events, and they highlight nurses. And I think it's really—
That's awesome.
Fun way for you to be involved and also be recognized. Hello, as a nurse and the things that you do every day, because your job is freaking hard, girl.
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Okay, this next one. Oh, another sad one. Another tragedy. A nurse killed at work by estranged husband in domestic violence tragedy. This is LPN Victoria Alexander, who was 38 years old, mother of 2, who was fatally shot by her estranged husband at Excel Care Rehabilitation Facility in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, on April 13th, 2026. Wow. This was just a few days ago. The suspect, Brendan Alexander, 35, died the following day from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. So basically, Victoria Alexander, she had showed up to her 6 a.m. shift. He had kind of blocked her in somehow, some way she was able to— he had written like 2 suicide notes. He was able— she was able to get inside the facility, but he followed her in there. He unfortunately took her life and then he shot himself where he died the next day. Very tragic, very sad. These types of things, domestic violence is so scary. I know that it's one of those things that it's so hard to get out of. I think it would be really, actually really important that we have somebody on here to talk about domestic violence and what that looks like from a nursing perspective and what our role is. Obviously this is— this was a nurse going to work, was not a patient who was involved. Nobody else was injured. This is very tragic. My heart, my condolences, my best wishes really go out to Victoria's family and, and those 2, 2 children of hers. This is, this is really a tragedy. It's always hard when we lose one of our own, especially something like this to domestic violence in such a violent, violent crime. But just a reminder, this is something in this article from nurse.org that domestic violence doesn't stay home. Uh, for nurses whose work schedules and locations are often predictable, the risk of being targeted at work by an abusive partner is real, but system. I know, especially when you're going to work in the morning, it's almost impossible. I mean, you're getting there. It's a little easier to do the buddy system when you're leaving. But again, just a little reminder for everybody out there, try to do the buddy system. I know when I, when I leave work, especially at inner city hospitals, um, you gotta be careful. You know, you know, you never know what's going on. If a patient's upset with you, who's gonna be waiting? So yeah, if you need the National Domestic Violence Hotline, it's 1-800-799-7233, or you can text START to 88888. So those are some good resources, um, for you if you need them. Okay, some better news, some happy news. Um, Nurse Blake added 35+ new cities to his massive comedy tour. Nurse Blake is expanding his But Did You Die comedy tour with 35 new North American dates this fall, bringing the total to over 100 shows across the US and Canada. I have seen Nurse Blake live. I've seen his shows. He is hilarious. He puts on a great show. He's a wonderful human being at that, which also Helps to go see somebody like this. He's a really, really, really, really kind and great human being. I've been on NurseCon, I've been to his comedy show, and he really cares about his audience. He really cares about his fans. He really cares about nurses. So go and enjoy some comedy. It's really funny. And honestly, when you go to these, these shows, these comedy shows that are nurses that are giving, you know, putting on these shows, and it makes you feel a little bit seen. Like they say things, you're like, okay, I'm not crazy. Or It's just a little comedic relief from what we do in our day-to-day work environment. So I highly encourage you to go see Blake. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 17th at 10 AM with VIP meet and greet packages also available at nurseblake.com. He'll be going everywhere. He's going to be mostly on like the East Coast— Hampshire, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama. I'll be in the South. Oh, North Dakota, Minnesota. So Midwest-ish into the East to like the South, Southern United States, and then over here on the West Coast. But that's okay, Blake, we will forgive you. But yes, go see Blake, Nurse Blake, on tour. Um, okay, we have another heartwarming story. This is the last one I'm talking about on the Club Nurse Podcast this week for nurse news. Everyone, the— my whole algorithm, everything was taken over by— I don't want to say this wrong. Oh my God, I've probably heard it 100 times, but Artemis?
Mm-hmm.
Artemis II, the astronauts. Carol was a NICU nurse, astronaut honor's late wife with a bright spot on the moon. Commander Reid Wiseman's late wife, Carol Taylor Wiseman, a NICU registered nurse, died of cancer in 2020 at the age of 46, and they proposed naming a lunar crater Carol after her. Girl, I love this. This is so sweet. Again, it's like a little bit of like tragedy followed by a light, which I love. We have to make light of our tragedies, right? The tribute has deeply moved NICU parents worldwide, with one Montreal mother's emotional Threads post going viral with over 30,000 views, calling Carol a guardian watching over their babies from above. The crater name will be formally submitted to the International Astronomical Union for approval after the mission concludes, potentially making Carol one of the few nurses ever honored with a lunar landmark. This whole space mission and insane— I didn't even understand the levity, the gravity, if you will, of the—
The gravity.
Is that the right word? The gravity? The weight of how serious this mission was and what they were able to accomplish. And I think it's just a great reminder as human beings that when we come together, I'm sure you've heard this on your algorithm, but when we come together, when we work together, we can really achieve amazing things. And even just through their content and seeing them, seeing Earth from like above, it just puts into perspective your life. And I hope that if you're still listening, that this is just your little reminder that This is your life. And that when you zoom out and you see something like Earth from above, like what an actual like miracle it is that we are all here getting to experience this. So whatever hard thing you're going through in life, sometimes we just need like that little, that little sliver of light to just remind us that. But love that. And that's it. That's the Club Nurse Podcast this week. That's nurse news. My name is Colton. You can find me on Instagram @nursecolton. Same with TikTok. I'm getting back into my socials. Okay. I really took, I took a pretty big break from my socials.
Okay.
Sometimes life be that way. But we'll be back on the Club Nurse podcast. Like I told you, we're gonna have some more guests coming up, but otherwise we'll keep doing these nurse news podcasts and keeping you up to date on things that are happening. I thank you so much for being here, and we will catch you guys next time. Bye.
From the bottom of my heart, I wanted to thank you for being here at Club Nurse. I hope you gained something valuable from today's episode, and if you did, remember to share this episode with someone that you Follow me on socials at Nurse Daddies or Colton Lord 17, and be sure to follow nurse.org to stay informed with all of the hottest healthcare topics. Until next time, take care of yourself the way you take care of everyone else. Love ya. Bye.
