Voices of Vital Care

Star Worldwide Networks
  • 5.0 (1)
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Voices of Vital Care is a podcast that demystifies allied health careers by spotlighting the professionals, roles and real-world skills shaping today’s healthcare system through conversations with industry experts and educators.

  1. 1d ago

    Healthcare Careers Start Before Graduation | From High School to Healthcare

    Guest: Dr. Leticia Archuleta, Ed.D LCSW LISW LSSW Executive Director at Health Leadership High School What if students could get paid to explore healthcare careers before graduating high school? At Health Leadership High School in Albuquerque, hands-on learning, paid internships, and certifications help students turn “I’m not sure I can do this” into real possibilities. In this episode of Voices of Vital Care, host Nohelani Graf talks with Dr. Leticia Archuleta, Executive Director of Health Leadership High School, about connecting high school students to healthcare training, further education, and their communities. She shares stories of students gaining confidence through certified nursing assistant (CNA) training, patient interactions, and opportunities to use their bilingual skills. In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, the conversation explores how representation, language, cultural understanding, and family support help Hispanic students see themselves as future healthcare professionals. You’ll hear about: • Paid internships and healthcare career exploration in high school • CNA certifications, dual credit, and learning through real-world experience • Bilingual communication and Hispanic representation in healthcare • Financial barriers and helping families understand education options • The growing partnership with Pima Medical Institute • Supporting students’ emotional well-being as they explore patient care. For students, parents, educators, and healthcare employers, this episode explores what it takes to build a clearer path from high school to healthcare, while giving young people room to discover what fits. Subscribe to Voices of Vital Care for more conversations about allied health careers, healthcare education, and the people shaping the future of care. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, stance, or position of Pima Medical Institute. #HealthcareCareers #HighSchoolToHealthcare #HispanicHeritageMonth #AlliedHealth #HealthcareEducation #PaidInternships #BilingualHealthcare #VoicesOfVitalCare

  2. Sep 26

    When a Dental Assistant Speaks Your Language | Bilingual Healthcare

    Guest: Jessuri 'Suri' Alvarez Jaquez Dental Assistant Pima Medical Institute Graduate For Spanish-speaking patients, a bilingual dental assistant can transform fear and confusion into trust, comfort and better communication. Recent dental assisting graduate Jessuri “Suri” Alvarez Jaquez shares how speaking Spanish helps her connect with children and parents, explain dental care more clearly and create a safer experience for families navigating language barriers. Suri reflects on growing up in a Spanish-speaking household, learning to recognize bilingualism as a professional strength and seeing her own mother in the patients she serves. She also discusses pediatric dental care, supporting patients with special needs, reducing dental anxiety and building trust that brings families back. Now preparing for the next step in her career through dental hygiene, Suri shows how language, culture and compassion can become powerful skills in healthcare.Voices of Vital Care explores the people, pathways and perspectives shaping the future of healthcare. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, stance, or position of Pima Medical Institute. #BilingualHealthcare #DentalAssistant #DentalCare #SpanishSpeakingHealthcare #PatientCommunication #PatientTrust #HealthcareCareers #DentalCareers #PediatricDentistry #DentalHygiene #HispanicHeritageMonth #VoicesOfVitalCare

  3. Sep 17

    Seeing Yourself in Healthcare: Family, Culture and Opportunity

    Guest: Yuriana Atayde Campus Director, Albuquerque Pima Medical Institute What if the biggest barrier to a healthcare career is believing there’s a place for you? For Hispanic Heritage Month, Voices of Vital Care explores how family, culture, representation and mentorship shape the path into healthcare. Host Nohelani Graf welcomes Yuriana, a campus director at Pima Medical Institute in Albuquerque and a first-generation college graduate, for a candid conversation about discovering opportunities and finding the confidence to pursue them. From family expectations and imposter syndrome to changing careers as an adult, Yuriana shares the questions students bring through her door and the support that helps them move forward. She also explores allied health careers beyond doctors and nurses, including dental assisting, respiratory therapy and physical therapist assistant roles. Along the way, we discuss: • How a healthcare career can create opportunities for an entire family • Why early career exploration matters for children and teens • How Hispanic representation and cultural understanding can build connection in patient care • The role of mentors in helping students see their potential • Yuriana’s own journey from office assistant to campus leadership Whether you’re a prospective healthcare student, a parent, a career changer or an educator, this conversation offers a personal look at what happens when opportunity starts to feel possible. Subscribe to Voices of Vital Care for the people, pathways and perspectives shaping the future of healthcare. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, stance, or position of Pima Medical Institute. #HealthcareCareers #HispanicHeritageMonth #AlliedHealth #VoicesOfVitalCare #PimaMedicalInstitute

  4. Sep 10

    When Nursing School Gets Real: Learning to Think Like a Nurse

    Nursing school can teach the skills, but what happens when the patient is no longer a simulation? Nursing instructor Jenny Hill, MSN-Ed, RN, joins Voices of Vital Care to explore the transition from the classroom and simulation lab to real-world nursing clinicals, where students begin learning how to think like nurses. Drawing from 20 years as a registered nurse and 15 years at the bedside, Jenny shares what it takes for nursing students to build confidence, develop clinical judgment and recognize subtle changes in a patient's condition. She talks about students freezing under pressure, the difference between being “book smart” and being ready at the bedside, why asking questions matters, and how instructors balance giving students room to learn with protecting patient safety. The conversation also comes full circle as Jenny reflects on seeing former nursing students become colleagues, charge nurses and Daisy Award recipients. It’s a look inside nursing clinical education and the experiences that help transform a student completing a checklist into a nurse capable of seeing and caring for the whole patient. Voices of Vital Care explores the people, careers and experiences shaping healthcare and allied health. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, stance, or position of Pima Medical Institute. #NursingSchool #NursingStudent #NursingClinicals #NursingEducation #RegisteredNurse #NursingCareer #PatientCare #NurseLife #HealthcareCareers #VoicesOfVitalCare

  5. Sep 4

    Travel Nursing: The Freedom, Money & Reality No One Talks About

    What is travel nursing really like beyond the paychecks, new cities and social media highlight reels? Travel nurse Cori Hughes has spent years taking nursing assignments across the country, from Mississippi and Texas to Virginia, Arizona and beyond. In this episode of Voices of Vital Care, she shares what she has learned about building a nursing career around freedom, flexibility and the life you want to live. Cori opens up about the difficult first assignment that taught her how quickly travel nurses are expected to adapt, the confidence it takes to walk into a new hospital, and why asking questions may be one of the most important skills a traveling nurse can have. She also gets candid about the less glamorous side of travel nursing, including loneliness, finding community in a new city, navigating housing and compensation, choosing the right recruiter, spotting assignment red flags and knowing when it may be time to walk away from a contract. She also shares how the Travel Nurse Takeover community has become an incredible resource for nurses in the field, helping travelers find housing, compare assignments, learn about hospital culture and connect with people who understand the unique realities of life on the road. The conversation also explores how much nursing experience you need before becoming a travel nurse, how 13-week contracts can create greater control over your schedule, what to consider when choosing assignments, and why Cori believes the most important question isn't simply where you want to travel, but why you want to travel in the first place. Whether you're a nursing student, a working nurse considering travel nursing, or simply curious about what the career and lifestyle really look like, this is an honest look at what it takes to build a nursing career that can move with you. Voices of Vital Care explores the people, careers and ideas shaping the future of healthcare. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, stance, or position of Pima Medical Institute. #TravelNursing #TravelNurse #NursingCareers

  6. Aug 27

    Cosmetic Nursing Isn’t Easy: What It Really Takes to Become an Aesthetic Nurse

    Cosmetic nursing can look glamorous from the outside: injectables, lasers, beautiful results and a career that seems tailor-made for social media. But what does it really take to become an aesthetic nurse, and what happens when the reality of the profession looks very different from the highlight reel? In this episode of Voices of Vital Care, host Nohelani Graf sits down with registered nurse, certified cosmetic laser technician, medical esthetician and public health professional Holly Mueller from Med 44 Arcadia for an inside look at the rapidly evolving world of cosmetic nursing and medical aesthetics. Holly shares the unexpected career pivot that led her from nutrition and public health into nursing and aesthetics, what she wishes more aspiring cosmetic nurses understood before entering the field, and why becoming truly skilled requires much more than learning how to perform a procedure. The conversation also explores the growing influence of social media and AI on beauty expectations, the responsibility providers carry when a patient sits in their chair, and the moments when good care may mean making a decision a patient doesn't expect. For anyone considering a career in cosmetic nursing, aesthetic nursing, medical aesthetics or allied health, this conversation pulls back the curtain on a healthcare specialty that's growing quickly, changing constantly and may be far more demanding than it appears. About Voices of Vital Care: Voices of Vital Care explores the people, careers and real-world experiences shaping allied health and the future of patient care. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, stance, or position of Pima Medical Institute. #CosmeticNursing #AestheticNurse #AestheticNursing #MedicalAesthetics #NursingCareers #AlliedHealth #HealthcareCareers #VoicesOfVitalCare

  7. Aug 22

    When You Can’t Afford a Dentist: Inside America’s Dental Care Gap

    For millions of Americans, getting dental care isn’t as simple as making an appointment. Cost, limited insurance coverage, provider shortages and other barriers can put routine dental care out of reach, allowing manageable oral health problems to become much more serious. And because oral health is closely connected to overall health, the consequences can extend far beyond someone’s teeth. In this episode of Voices of Vital Care, host Nohelani Graf sits down with Dr. Ken Snyder, Executive Dental Director at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, to explore America’s dental care access gap and what happens to patients who have nowhere else to turn. Drawing from decades of experience in community dentistry, Dr. Snyder shares what he has learned caring for children and adults who have gone years, and sometimes much of their lives, without consistent dental care. The conversation examines the rising cost of dentistry, the relationship between oral health and overall health, the role of nonprofit and community dental clinics, prevention and the growing demand for affordable care. It also looks at an important piece of the access-to-care conversation that is sometimes overlooked: the healthcare workforce needed to provide that care. Dental assistants, hygienists, dentists, students and residents all play a role in expanding capacity, while hands-on experience with underserved patients can shape the healthcare professionals they become. Along the way, Dr. Snyder shares powerful examples of what can happen when a patient finally receives the care they thought might never be possible, why St. Vincent de Paul considers itself a “clinic of last resort,” and what he wants the next generation of dental and allied health professionals to understand about treating the person behind the diagnosis. About Voices of Vital Care: Voices of Vital Care explores the people, careers and real-world experiences shaping allied health and the future of patient care. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, stance, or position of Pima Medical Institute. #DentalCare #DentalHealth #AccessToCare #OralHealth #CommunityHealth #CommunityDentistry #DentalAssistant #AlliedHealth #HealthcareCareers #VoicesOfVitalCare

  8. Aug 13

    Becoming a Veterinary Assistant: What Employers Really Look For

    Loving animals might make you consider a career in veterinary medicine. But what does it really take to become someone an employer wants on their team? In this episode of Voices of Vital Care, we bring together the education and employer perspectives with Dr. Katherine Kerr of Pima Medical Institute and Daria McKay of Humane Colorado. Together, they pull back the curtain on the transition from veterinary student to working professional: what happens when classroom learning meets the realities of a clinic, what employers notice that students may not expect, and why the experiences you have before graduation can shape what happens after it. The conversation also raises an important question for anyone comparing veterinary training programs: Is getting through school faster always the best way to prepare for the career waiting on the other side? And when two new graduates walk into an interview, what might give one an advantage that has nothing to do with technical skill? If you're considering becoming a veterinary assistant or veterinary technician, researching veterinary training programs, or wondering what a career working with animals is really like, this is a conversation worth hearing before you take your next step. About Voices of Vital Care: Voices of Vital Care explores the people, careers and real-world experiences shaping allied health and the future of patient care. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, stance, or position of Pima Medical Institute. #VeterinaryAssistant #VeterinaryCareers #VetAssistant #VeterinaryTechnician #VetTech #VeterinaryMedicine #AnimalCareCareers #CareerTraining #HealthcareCareers #VoicesOfVitalCare

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About

Voices of Vital Care is a podcast that demystifies allied health careers by spotlighting the professionals, roles and real-world skills shaping today’s healthcare system through conversations with industry experts and educators.

Information

  • Creator
    Star Worldwide Networks
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    33
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Voices of Vital Care
  • Show Website
    Voices of Vital Care