National Emergency Podcast with Nashia Williams, Kate O'Connell cover art

National Emergency

 Preview

Audible Standard 30-day free trial

Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection of titles.
Yours as long as you’re a member.
Get unlimited access to bingeable podcasts.
Standard auto renews for $8.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

National Emergency

By: Kate O'Connell, Nashia Williams
Narrated by: Nashia Williams, Kate O'Connell
Try Standard free

$8.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Nashia Williams and Kate O’Connell have been ER nurses (and best friends!) in New York City for over a decade — and since every nursing year in the trenches equals 10 regular years, they’ve got a lot of battle stories to tell. They’ve learned that the ER is often the last stop for those who've been failed by America’s systems. In fact, if the United States itself walked into Kate and Nashia’s ER, they’d rush the country straight into Trauma 1. Racism. Violence. Poverty. Poor sex education. The mental health crisis. What happens when these issues walk in through the ER doors? And what could have been done to prevent it? Nashia and Kate investigate. They speak candidly with a different guest — patients, medical professionals and experts alike — each episode. They talk with people who understand these issues first-hand, and learn how we can each do our part to prevent these systemic problems from claiming more lives. Through it all — their uniquely dark nurses-station humor keeps us all from crying at the dire state of our country’s health. Join us, as our fed-up and faithful nurses do a head to toe examination of the United States. Many of these episodes contain mature content, and listener discretion is advised. This project is presented solely for entertainment purposes, and it not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist or other qualified professional. All the views expressed are either ours or our guests’, and don’t necessarily reflect the views of Audible and its affiliates.©2023 Pizza Shark Productions LLC (P)2023 Audible Originals LLC Medicine & Health Care Industry
Episodes
  • Trailer

    Trailer
    May 9 2023
    Nashia Williams and Kate O’Connell have been ER nurses (and best friends!) in New York City for over a decade — and since every nursing year in the trenches equals 10 regular years, they’ve got a lot of battle stories to tell. They’ve learned that the ER is often the last stop for those who've been failed by America’s systems. In fact, if the United States itself walked into Kate and Nashia’s ER, they’d rush the country straight into Trauma 1. Racism. Violence. Poverty. Poor sex education. The mental health crisis. What happens when these issues walk in through the ER doors? And what could have been done to prevent it? Nashia and Kate investigate. They speak candidly with a different guest — patients, medical professionals and experts alike — each episode. They talk with people who understand these issues first-hand, and learn how we can each do our part to prevent these systemic problems from claiming more lives. Through it all — their uniquely dark nurses-station humor keeps us all from crying at the dire state of our country’s health. Join us, as our fed-up and faithful nurses do a head to toe examination of the United States. Many of these episodes contain mature content, and listener discretion is advised. This project is presented solely for entertainment purposes, and it not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist or other qualified professional. All the views expressed are either ours or our guests’, and don’t necessarily reflect the views of Audible and its affiliates.
    Show more Show less
    2 mins
    Try Standard free
  • Episode 1: The American Violence Emergency

    Episode 1: The American Violence Emergency
    May 11 2023
    School nurse Robin Cogan’s father lost his entire family to a shooting in 1949 in Camden, NJ. Decades later, her niece Carly survived the Parkland, Florida school shooting. Kate and Nashia describe the terrible feeling of the red phone going off in the ER — and knowing it may mean that victims of a “mass casualty incident” are approaching their doors. They talk with Robin about the root causes of mass violence in America, and Kate is surprised by Robin’s framework.
    Show more Show less
    32 mins
    Try Standard free
  • Episode 2: When the Storm Hits: "Bubblegum, Prayer, and Band-Aids"

    Episode 2: When the Storm Hits: "Bubblegum, Prayer, and Band-Aids"
    May 11 2023
    We are living in an age of increasingly frequent storms, floods, and fires, but our country treats each one almost like it’s a surprise — cobbling together a response without a robust national infrastructure in place. Kate and Nashia discuss their experiences with disaster relief and storms in the ER — on the homefront and abroad. They chat with Judy Sheridan-Gonzalez, former president of the New York Nurses Association, about how she makes health care accessible in the aftermath of a disaster. By the end of the episode, Kate and Nashia sign up to save the world.
    Show more Show less
    26 mins
    Try Standard free
About the Creator and Performer - Nashia Williams

About the Creator and Performer

Nashia Williams is a writer, podcast producer, and ER nurse in hospitals across the NYC metropolitan area, serving the most culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse population in the country. She works in correctional nursing, and has worked as a set nurse on large scale film productions in NYC. After Hurricane Maria, Nashia traveled to Caguas, Puerto Rico, as part of a 27-person medical rescue team, and has traveled to Durgapur, India, leading an educational training exchange with Indian nurses.
Read more Read less
About the Creator and Performer - Kate O’Connell

About the Creator and Performer

Kate O’Connell is a writer, audio producer, and ER nurse in Queens, NYC. She has worked as an employee health nurse at NBCUniversal at 30 Rock, volunteered with the Red Cross at shelters in Queens after Hurricane Sandy, and volunteered throughout 2021 to administer COVID vaccines for the NYC Department of Health. Kate’s work can be heard on WHYY’s The Pulse and at Transom.org, where she wrote and co-produced with Samantha Broun the audio series Pandemic ER: Notes from a Nurse in Queens in 2020.
Read more Read less
Isis Madrid
Carolina Murriel
Ann Marie
Erin Allen
Marina Peña
Credits and Thanks

Meet The Executive Producer

Isis Madrid is a first generation journalist, writer, artist and audio producer currently based in Los Angeles. She is co-founder of Pizza Shark, an award-winning podcast studio and consulting shop working toward radical inclusivity in media. In the past, Isis edited an alt-weekly in Texas, wrote for outlets like VICE, GOOD and The Village Voice, made documentaries in NYC, and worked in The World/BBC’s bustling international newsroom, reporting around the world for them.

Meet the Executive Editor

Carolina Murriel is a journalist, educator, artist and storyteller in New Orleans. She’s co-founder of Pizza Shark, an award-winning podcast studio working toward radical inclusivity in media. Carolina has trained as an end-of-life doula and is pursuing a graduate certificate from the Trauma Research Foundation. She teaches trauma-informed storytelling and works with the personal essay as a healing practice.

Meet the Producer, Reporter

Ann Marie Awad is an independent journalist and podcast creator based in Denver, CO. From 2019-2021, Ann hosted the award-winning podcast On Something, all about life after cannabis legalization. Ann has also produced podcasts in partnership with organizations such as PRX, Sonos, WAMU, WUNC and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, in addition to airing original reported stories on NPR.

Meet the Associate Producer

Erin Allen is an artist and communicator, driven by her curiosity about people’s stories. In addition to working on National Emergency, she hosts WBEZ’s The Rundown podcast. In the past, she’s produced multimedia work at Michigan Radio and WDET and directed live, audio-based events, like Radio Campfire. Her passion for social justice with her communications skills have led her to spaces like Allied Media Projects. With spare time, Erin dances her heart out at music festivals.

Meet the Fact Checker

Marina Peña is a writer and producer whose work has appeared in the LA Times, Yahoo! Finance and LAist, among other outlets. She has produced podcasts such as Imperfect Paradise, Wild, Snooze, Take Two with A Martinez, and The Times with Gustavo Arellano. Marina is passionate about covering the socioeconomic issues that affect underrepresented communities.

All stars
Most relevant
Katie and Nashia, former colleagues and nurses I worked with during my residency, have truly created something special. This informative and engaging podcast sheds light on the realities of emergency medicine, showcasing their expertise and dedication. I couldn't be prouder of them! Keep up the excellent work, Kate and Nashia. Your podcast is a must-listen for any and everyone!!

Powerful and Informative

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Wow, Kate and Nashia (two real ER nurses) have done a fantastic job telling us what is happening in our country's medical system. The stories are shocking and the guests are amazing! Bravo.

An amazing and important podcast. Give a listen.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Loved this platform, narration, and nursing reality view. The hosts are informative and inspiring when sharing their backgrounds, coupled with finding like-minded nurses and topics to discuss issues and concerns. Positivity breeds more positivity! Thank you for bringing these important conversations from the dark to the light with grace and humor. The provoking thoughts and insight to finding the YES in each of us could just be the change this world needs.

Motivational and Thought Provoking

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I am an ER nurse as well, and listening to real issues that we are faced with on a daily basis and never addressed on a larger scale was truly refreshing. Hearing people who live my experiences come together to disseminate factual information and provide resources is inspiring. This podcast has Givin me a sense of rejuvenation. Thank you ladies look forward to season 2!

Relatable and inspiring!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Nashia and Kate truly speak from the heart and from experience throughout this series. They give amazing insight to how our national medical system works/doesn’t work. This is beyond relatable as a healthcare provider. And if you’re in emergency medicine, you MUST LISTEN! Cheers to these two and their brave guests for sharing and exploring traumatic events.

A MUST LISTEN!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews