Florida gets branded as the “free state”—but Nurse Nicole (BSN, RN, CLNC) says the headlines don’t match reality. In this episode of NursesOutLoud, Jodi O’Malley sits down with a Central Florida bedside nurse and medical freedom advocate to set the record straight: Florida has NOT ended all vaccine mandates.

Nicole breaks down what was promised, what voters thought was coming, and what actually showed up in the filed companion bills—plus what was included (like a potential philosophical exemption, strengthened informed consent language, parental signature requirements, and more).

They unpack how legislation really works, why “breadcrumbs” can distract from the main objective, and how lobbying pressure can derail public promises.

Most importantly, this episode is a call to action for nurses and citizens: read the bills, stop outsourcing discernment to influencers, and engage locally—because local and state policy is where freedom is either protected or quietly traded away.

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DC is quietly rewriting federal student loans—and nursing grad programs were left off the “professional degree” list that gets higher loan caps.

On paper it looks like a tweak. In real life, it’s a direct hit on the nursing profession: NP, CRNA, CNS, nurse midwifery, and nurse educator tracks all get pushed into the “lower cap” bucket in a country that’s been screaming nursing shortage for 30 years.

Some influencers are saying, “Relax, this is good. It’ll force schools to lower tuition.” Let’s be real: programs with waitlists around the block don’t suddenly cut tuition in half because DC lowered federal loan caps. They just:

• Keep prices high,
• Fill seats with students who have family money, private loans, or employer sponsorship,
• And shut out the bedside nurses who can’t bridge the gap.

Loan caps don’t “discipline” schools.

In this 11-minute breakdown, I walk through:

• What changed in the draft loan rules
• How this chokes the pipeline for NPs, CRNAs, CNSs, midwives, and nurse educators
• Why “manufactured scarcity” is profitable for staffing agencies and big systems
• And why we must treat this as a war on the nursing profession, not a harmless policy tweak

👉 Take Action:
• Share this with 3 nurses thinking about grad school
• Call or email your reps: “Add nursing to the professional degree loan list with higher caps”
• Tell your hospital and school leadership you support that change—loudly and proudly

If you’re a nurse who feels that knot in your stomach when something doesn’t add up, you’re not crazy—you’re awake.

🩺 Ethics training for nurses who refuse to be silent: RighteousRN.com

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🩺 Through Cocoa Pharmacy, you can connect with a licensed provider to discuss your situation and access prescription medications — including Ivermectin. Tell them NurseOutLoud sent you!

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🎙️ Affiliates personally used by me

Christian Functional Medicine Academy (CFMA) — For healthcare professionals licensed and unlicensed as well as certified health and wellness coaches. Tell them NursesOutLoud sent you for $100 off.
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— Functional medicine training by nurses, for nurses. Advance your skills in holistic, evidence-based, root-cause healing. Tell them NursesOutLoud sent you for $100 off.

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In this episode of Nurses Out Loud, Jodi O’Malley, MSN, RN, connects three threads that most people never see as related: the quiet war on the nursing profession, the decades-long neglect of women’s health and menopause, and a surprising invitation to Israel that became a spiritual reset.

First, Jodi breaks down how federal student loan rules are being rewritten so that nursing graduate programs were left off the “professional degree” list—the tier that gets higher loan caps. She explains, in plain language, how this move chokes the pipeline for NPs, CRNAs, CNSs, nurse midwives, and nurse educators, and how manufactured scarcity in nursing translates into longer waits, fewer access points, and never-ending burnout at the bedside.

Then she zooms out to the bigger picture: the faulty hormone replacement study that left a generation of women suffering through menopause, the way we medicate people without giving them coping skills, and why she sees all of this as part of a deeper good vs. evil battle over health, truth, and human dignity. Finally, Jodi shares a deeply personal update—how, in the middle of a spiritual valley, she was invited to Israel as a delegate with Trinity Broadcasting Network and the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, and what it means for a whistleblower nurse whose name traces back to “woman from Judea.”

👉 In this episode:

• DC’s loan-cap “reform” and the war on the nursing profession
• How starving nursing grad programs locks in the shortage for years
• Menopause, bad science, and women paying the price
• Why Jodi believes this is a spiritual battle, not just a policy fight
• The story behind her upcoming trip to Israel and Judea

🔹 Nurses: Want to protect your license and your conscience?
Visit RighteousRN.com for ethics CEU training built from real whistleblower case studies and post-2020 nursing reality.

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Support the show

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🎙️ Show Sponsors

🩺 Through Cocoa Pharmacy, you can connect with a licensed provider to discuss your situation and access prescription medications — including Ivermectin. Tell them NurseOutLoud sent you!

⚖️ Righteous RN — CE courses in nursing ethics, advocacy & whistleblower courage. Restoring integrity, grit, and faith to healthcare. Use code NOL20 for 20% off!

🎙️ Affiliates personally used by me

Christian Functional Medicine Academy (CFMA) — For healthcare professionals licensed and unlicensed as well as certified health and wellness coaches. Tell them NursesOutLoud sent you for $100 off.
Functional Nurse Academy (FNA)
— Functional medicine training by nurses, for nurses. Advance your skills in holistic, evidence-based, root-cause healing. Tell them NursesOutLoud sent you for $100 off.

Chemical Free Body - supplements I use and trust.

Immunemist - stop vira...