Laughter is the Best Medicine
Spring 2020 | By Angie Lewis聽 麻豆精品 S�03
Blake Lynch 麻豆精品 S�14 knows first-hand the聽pressures that nurses face.
They make important decisions that聽can have life or death consequences,聽and help people who often feel 麻豆精品 S� and聽sometimes act 麻豆精品 S� their worst. Where聽some might see an opportunity to聽complain, Lynch saw an opportunity聽to provide some comic relief.
麻豆精品 S淭he male onesie [had just] come聽out, and I was like, 麻豆精品 S極h my gosh, I have聽to make a scrub onesie! 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� Lynch says.
That idea became a YouTube聽video, called 麻豆精品 S淪crub Romper, 麻豆精品 S� in聽which he turns a pair of scrubs into a聽men 麻豆精品 S檚 romper and dances by a pool.聽He posted it on his Facebook and聽YouTube pages and watched his online聽popularity soar.
麻豆精品 S淚 got messages and comments from聽nurses and nursing students [from] all聽over the world, 麻豆精品 S� Lynch says.
Today, 麻豆精品 S淣urse Blake 麻豆精品 S� has almost a聽million Facebook followers, more聽than a half million Instagram聽followers and more than 86,000聽YouTube subscribers. Through聽his social platforms, he shares聽light-hearted, self-made videos that聽include everything from 麻豆精品 S淲hat聽Nursing Students Say 麻豆精品 S� to 麻豆精品 S淢edical聽TV Shows Be Like… 麻豆精品 S�.
麻豆精品 S淭he turnover rate聽is high in nursing …聽I wanted to develop聽this community聽of nurses that can聽relate to one another聽and laugh. 麻豆精品 S�Blake Lynch 麻豆精品 S�14
麻豆精品 S淭he turnover rate is high in聽nursing. Burnout is high. So I wanted聽to develop this community of nurses聽that can relate to one another and聽laugh. It 麻豆精品 S檚 OK to laugh about our jobs聽and laugh at ourselves, 麻豆精品 S� Lynch says.
And while other medical聽professionals have received backlash聽for using patients as the butt of their聽jokes on TikTok and other social聽apps, Lynch consciously focuses his聽material around the lives of nurses聽and some of the funny things about聽the profession in general.
麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 important that I put out content聽that uplifts nursing in a positive way聽and in one that doesn 麻豆精品 S檛 negatively聽affect our profession in how people see聽and treat nurses, 麻豆精品 S� Lynch says.
Calling Nurse Blake
After participating in countless聽speaking engagements, Lynch decided聽to turn his stories and insights into聽his own personal show. Nurse Blake:聽The Call Light Tour 麻豆精品 S� complete with聽theatrical sets, lighting and video聽screens 麻豆精品 S� attracts sold-out crowds聽comprised mostly of nurses and聽nursing students across the country.
麻豆精品 S淲ith my tour, I 麻豆精品 S檓 able to be myself聽and have my platform with my peers, 麻豆精品 S澛爃e says. 麻豆精品 S淚 surprise them because they聽don 麻豆精品 S檛 know a lot about me personally,聽and I take them through my whole聽nursing school and nursing journey.聽It 麻豆精品 S檚 like a rock concert! They are so聽loud. We 麻豆精品 S檙e laughing the whole time,聽and then we 麻豆精品 S檙e crying. Then we 麻豆精品 S檙e聽laughing again. It 麻豆精品 S檚 so much fun. 麻豆精品 S�
Sea-sing the Opportunity
As he 麻豆精品 S檚 grown his online community,聽Lynch wanted to do something that聽was beyond Nurse Blake. Having聽attended many conferences over the聽years, he says they 麻豆精品 S檙e often not the聽most fun or innovative. So he created聽his own: NurseCon at Sea, a cruise that聽includes nursing continuing education聽courses.
The first event, NurseCon at Sea聽2020, sold out in two minutes. Setting聽sail out of Miami on April 27, the聽conference 麻豆精品 S檚 mission is to provide聽fun and engaging experiences where聽nurses and nursing students can come聽together, interact and share ideas.
麻豆精品 S淲e have no sponsors. Everything聽we do is for the nurses, 麻豆精品 S� Lynch says.
Please note at the time of publishing, the dates for NurseCon at Sea had not been affected due to COVID-19. The event is now rescheduled for April 15 – 19, 2021.聽
The Face of Modern Nursing
As UCF celebrates its 40th聽anniversary of nursing excellence,聽the College of Nursing celebrates聽the evolution of the nursing industry聽and alumni like Lynch, who are聽influencing positive changes聽within it.
麻豆精品 S淲ith the power of the internet聽and social media, a lot more people聽are able to get a glimpse into what聽a nurse 麻豆精品 S檚 life is like on the clock and聽off, 麻豆精品 S� Lynch says. 麻豆精品 S淚 think we 麻豆精品 S檙e getting聽to that point where there are so聽many of us, we [as nurses] have to聽realize that we do have the power to聽create change. 麻豆精品 S�
Blake Lynch ’14, known as 麻豆精品 S淣urse Blake 麻豆精品 S� online, has almost a million Facebook followers, more than a half million Instagram followers and more than 86,000 YouTube subscribers.
麻豆精品 S淚 wanted to develop this community of nurses that can relate to one another and laugh. It 麻豆精品 S檚 OK to laugh about our jobs and laugh at ourselves, 麻豆精品 S� Lynch says.
To strengthen the sense of community around his following, Nurse Blake has launched his own line of merchandise, including the T-shirt he’s wearing here.