How two nurses turned passion into a podcast powerhouse

In a tiny, reimagined office tucked inside the walls of the USCA School of Nursing, something big is happening.

No, it’s not a code blue, it's Code Boo, one of many wildly creative and deeply authentic episodes from the school’s new podcast, Pacer Nursing Power Hour, created by two passionate USCA Nursing faculty members: Mary Kennedy and Mary Keigans.

Together, they’ve swapped stethoscopes for studio mics and launched a podcast that is part education, part therapy session and 100% real-life nursing. It’s funny, it’s fearless, and it’s filling a gap that no textbook ever could.

Balancing full teaching loads, graduate studies, full-time jobs, podcast production, and social media management, the duo admits with a few laughs and plenty of caffeine that this endeavor has completely taken over their time.

“We just said, this needs to be someone’s actual job,” Kennedy laughed. “I’m running around begging faculty, like, ‘Hey, we need a moment!’ and they just know, it’s podcast time.”

Despite the overwhelming workload, they aren't slowing down.

More Than Just Talk, It's a Movement

The podcast, which posts new episodes every Wednesday at 12:00 a.m. on Spotify, is a lifeline for students, a recruiting tool, and an inside look at the real life of a nurse, both glamorous and the gut-wrenching.

From episodes like "Hollywood vs. Hospital: What Medical Shows Get Wrong" to deeply personal segments like "Can’t I’m in Clinical: A Love Letter to My Social Life", which tackles how students can explain to their families why they can't make it to every reunion or wedding, the podcast covers a variety of topics that nursing students can relate to.

It even features student voices, alumni reflections, and guests like Dr. Katie Chargualaf, dean of the School of Nursing, trauma nurses and simulation lab directors who contribute both wisdom and hilarious stories.

Laughter, Learning, and Lots of Cords

In true Do It Yourself (DIY) fashion, the first few episodes were a crash course in tech, audio while figuring out how everything would work together. They describe their early days with a table too noisy for hand talkers, falling microphones, and desperately calling spouses and friends experienced in trouble shooting technical issues.

“We ran out of holes to plug things into the computer,” Kennedy recalls. “I literally called my dad like, ‘How do you add more holes to a computer?!’”

Through laughter, often a solid hour of it per session, they found their rhythm and their audience.

Built from Passion, Not Paychecks

They’re not getting paid for any of it. Not for the recording. Not for the editing, which Keigans does flawlessly. Not for the hours of social media work, content planning, or design.  It’s purely a labor of love.

“It’s our baby,” they both say, proudly.

And the students? They love it.

From handwritten notes to voice memos saying, “I just finished the second episode, and I’m obsessed,” the feedback has been overwhelming. Hearing their own fears, hopes and humorous horror stories reflected makes a real difference for nursing students.

The launch day came of the podcast with a celebratory dinner and a toast with champagne.

The buildup had been teased for weeks, and when it dropped, it landed big. Weekly releases are already scheduled out and students are already listening.

Kennedy and Keigans even have plans to expand the podcast, potentially bringing in student interns, collaborating with Human Resource professionals on job readiness, and connecting with faculty across departments to dig into communication skills, workplace dynamics and much more.

They’re building something real. Something lasting. Something no nursing program has ever quite done like this before.

In Their Own Words…

“We’re nurses, we can handle someone bleeding out of any orifice at once. But podcasting? We were like, ‘What’s happening?” Keigans said.

“People think we’re joking, but we’re not. This is real. We have a full content calendar, and we’re dead serious about it,” Kennedy added.

Together, they say the long hours, and hard work are worth it because they believe in their students, the School of Nursing and the impact the podcast is making.

New episodes of Pacer Nursing Power Hour with Keigans and Kennedy are released every Wednesday at 12:00 a.m. on Spotify.

For more information, contact USCA Marketing & Communication at news@usca.edu.