Feeling torn between patient care and your own recovery? We dig into the real-world playbook for nurse PTO and RTO—what they are, how they accrue, and how to actually use them without guilt, drama, or burnout. From unit-level policies and state rules to the fine print managers forget to mention, we unpack the strategies that help you protect your time, your energy, and your sanity.

We walk through practical scheduling moves that turn a three-shift week into six or seven days off, compare the tradeoffs of stacking shifts, and explain when RTO stretches your rest versus when it backfires. You’ll hear candid stories about cashing out PTO (and the tax surprises), the hidden costs of “just push through,” and the hard-earned lesson that rest isn’t a luxury—it's career insurance. We also explore how holiday rotations, request windows, and equitable rules keep teams safe and morale high, and why “get it in writing” can save your vacation.

From the leadership side, we talk about modeling healthy boundaries, applying policies consistently, and building a culture where time off is respected, not resented. If you’ve ever wondered how to plan mental health resets before you hit the wall, how to combine PTO and RTO for mini-vacations, or how to navigate fairness when everyone wants July or Christmas, this conversation gives you a clear, humane framework.

If this helped you think differently about your time, hit follow, share it with a colleague who needs the nudge, and leave a review so more nurses can find it. Then go submit that PTO request—you’ve earned it.

Send us a text

Support the show

✨ Follow & Support Us ✨

Stay connected and never miss an episode:

• Twitter: @NurseLyfe101

• Facebook: Nursing Lyfe 101

• Patreon: NL 101: Office Hours

💬 Join the Conversation:

We want to hear from YOU! Share your thoughts, questions, and nursing stories on social media using #NursingLyfe101.

🎧 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share Nursing Lyfe 101 with your friends in scrubs. Your support keeps us going! 🩺

Nursing doesn’t pause for the holidays — and neither do the emotions that come with this work.

In this special Christmas Eve episode of Nursing Lyfe 101, Christopher steps behind the mic solo for a reflective, Office Hours–style letter to listeners. This episode is for nurses who are working the holidays, nurses who are off but still carrying work home, and nurses who are trying to close out the year without losing themselves in the process.

Together, we explore the unseen layers of nursing — emotional labor, moral residue, boundary guilt, and sustainable ambition — and why rest, reflection, and presence matter just as much as productivity.

No quizzes. No rushing. Just an honest conversation for the nurses who keep showing up.

From both Christopher and Colby, thank you for being here — and for being you.

If this resonates, share it with a colleague, subscribe for more grounded conversations about nursing life, and leave a review to help others find it. Your presence matters more than you know.

Send us a text

Support the show

✨ Follow & Support Us ✨

Stay connected and never miss an episode:

• Twitter: @NurseLyfe101

• Facebook: Nursing Lyfe 101

• Patreon: NL 101: Office Hours

💬 Join the Conversation:

We want to hear from YOU! Share your thoughts, questions, and nursing stories on social media using #NursingLyfe101.

🎧 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share Nursing Lyfe 101 with your friends in scrubs. Your support keeps us going! 🩺

Remember walking onto the unit as a student nurse, heart racing, praying your patient wouldn’t code while you were in the room? Yeah… same.In this episode of Nursing Lyfe 101, Christopher and Colby head back to their clinical days — the rotations that built their confidence, broke their nerves, and taught them what kind of nurses they wanted to be.

We’re talking:

• Christopher’s first real code in cardiac surgery ICU (and where his love of chest compressions began)
• A med student who actually diagnosed scurvy in the 2010s (yes… like pirates 🏴‍☠️)
• Psych rotation chaos, locked units, and the patient who made Christopher rethink his life choices
• Awkward and gross moments (looking at you, Foley catheter commentary 👀)
• Clinical instructors and preceptors who either lifted us up or scarred us for a decade
• The moment it finally clicked: “Oh wait… I can actually do this nursing thing.”

We also share Scrub Hacks on:

• How to work with nursing students without making them cry
• How to correct gently, praise loudly, and involve them in real care
• What students should actually focus on in clinicals (hint: it’s not a perfect head-to-toe)
• How students can interact with techs, nurses, and management like professionals — and maybe even land a future job

Whether you’re still rocking student scrubs, precepting for the first time, or reliving your trauma from that one clinical instructor, this episode will make you feel seen, laugh a little, and remember where you started.

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio & more — just search “Nursing Lyfe 101.”

Stay curious. Stay kind. And never forget: clinicals are just the beginning.

Send us a text

Support the show

✨ Follow & Support Us ✨

Stay connected and never miss an episode:

• Twitter: @NurseLyfe101

• Facebook: Nursing Lyfe 101

• Patreon: NL 101: Office Hours

💬 Join the Conversation:

We want to hear from YOU! Share your thoughts, questions, and nursing stories on social media using #NursingLyfe101.

🎧 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share Nursing Lyfe 101 with your friends in scrubs. Your support keeps us going! 🩺