Meet The Expert: David Metzger

David Metzger is a father, pediatric oncology nurse, podcaster, and author. His book, Nurse Papa, explores the strange intersection between his life as a father and his role as a nurse caring for sick children.

• 02:07: I picked adult acute care which seemed like an obvious place to start.  
• 04:11: Why did you have to drop out of your program?  
• 06:21: One of the things that she did that no one else did was she really prepared us to go home.  
• 08:49: Do you think nurses form stronger bonds than doctors? 
• 11:10: The thing that people don't really realize about pediatric oncology is that you may have a child who's 14 gets leukemia.  
• 13:21: I could really feel like what would be like to have a child who was five years old because I have a five-year-old who was dying.  
• 15:27: I will show up and take care of a child no matter who they are.  
• 18:37: You got to put yourself in uncomfortable situations constantly, that's what parenthood is.  
• 20:03: You are going to have a nurse mentor for the first couple of months who is watching you, watching you and guiding you, and making sure you don't kill anybody. 
• 22:30: With children, they will not usually engage with the actual phenomena of dying, but there are so many ways that they will tell you that they're ready to go.  
• 24:40: The ventilator is the next step to prolong life.  
• 28:05: When we got him back in bed, he was like a new boy.  
• 30:10: As a parent and as a caregiver, I had to live in a very healthy state of denial. 
• 32:46: I will talk to absolutely anybody and I love having conversations with strangers and especially with strange kids. 
• 33:59: If a child is in distress next to me, I will help that child.  
• 35:42: What is one thing you wish you had known at the beginning of nursing school?  
• 36:56: If there's only one thing you could do to improve health care in the US, what would it be and why?  
• 37:39: Thriver Rapid Fire Questions  
• 40:45: Aside from Cancer U, what is one resource you would recommend for cancer patients and caregivers?  

Resources

• David's podcast
• David's book Nurse Papa

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