A Conversation with Nurse and Comedian Star, Nurse BlakeMany people aren’t lucky enough to take two passions of theirs and mesh them together, but Nurse Blake is.
GayTies.com sat down with the comedian and practicing nurse to talk about his journey so far and how comedy has more in common with healthcare than people realize. What caused you to seek a career in the medical field? I’d love to know a little bit more about your background.
Nurse Blake: “Both of my parents are in the medical field. My dad is a respiratory therapist, and my mom is a medical device sales representative. Growing up, my dad primarily worked the night shift. He would come home from work early in the morning, right around the time I would be getting ready for school, and he would tell me wild stories about his night and how he was able to help people and help save lives. So, ever since a young age, all I wanted to do was get into healthcare. I honestly didn’t consider anything else. I started working in healthcare when I was 17 as a patient transporter, then I worked in surgery and as a patient care tech while going to nursing school.”
GayTies: It’s often said that being in the medical field causes people to develop quite a sense of humor to deal with the chaos of the hospital floors. Would you say that your experiences with patients and coworkers are what gave you the stories and anecdotes that you bring to your standup show?
Blake: “I think that healthcare workers are some of the funniest people out there because we need humor to get through our long, busy, short-staffed shifts, and I would say our humor is pretty dark. It’s honestly not surprising that I went from [being] a nurse to doing stand-up comedy just because I have so many stories, and I honestly will never run out of stories. The stories and jokes I share are accurate and all based on real patients, coworkers, nursing school peers, and managers that I’ve met throughout the years.”
GayTies: How did you decide to get into stand-up? Did you get your start doing TikTok or YouTube videos that gained enough followers that it encouraged you to take your show on the road for live performances?
Blake: “I started making Facebook videos in 2017 which were based on my experience as a nurse after having a panic attack coming home from one of my shifts. I was super burnt out and just needed an outlet to be creative and connect with other nurses, so I started creating funny videos that quickly went viral. Over time, I would post videos on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. I would get so much engagement and comments about coming to cities and doing a show that in 2019 I did five really small shows where I would rent out the small local theater and sell tickets on Eventbrite and that has now led me to doing over 100 shows last year around the world.”
GayTies: Do you still practice nursing, or have you gone completely into comedy? And, if you’re still nursing, do you find that your sense of humor helps to put your patients at ease?
Blake: “Yes, I’m still a nurse and I still have my license. I make sure to always keep it renewed and active. When I’m not doing comedy, I run NurseCon, which is an education and conference company that I started. NurseCon At Sea is actually one of the largest nursing conferences that takes place on a cruise ship, where we provide continuing education courses, night parties, and meet-ups for nurses from all over the country and world.”
GayTies: For decades, gay men were banned from donating blood. Talk to us about Banned4Life, the group you created to help end this discrimination by the FDA.
Blake: “Back when I was in nursing school, I went to donate blood in honor of one of my classmates, Emmy, who suffers from sickle cell anemia. Unfortunately, this was back in 2013 and I was actually turned away from donating blood for being gay. The FDA had banned bisexual males from donating blood for life, so essentially a permanent ban. I decided to create a grassroots campaign for life, where we raised awareness on the issues while also encouraging eligible blood donors to donate blood. After years of advocacy and providing research to the FDA in favor of lifting the ban, I’m happy to say that the permanent gay blood ban is no longer in effect. That campaign made me realize the power I had and the power of my voice. So as much as I love comedy, I love advocacy and being a nurse. I try to advocate for better working conditions and staffing for nurses, which also help patients and improve patient outcomes.”
GayTies: What have been some of the major highlights?
Blake: “I would say some highlights are performing at the Chicago theater, in Chicago … Obviously, haha. Oh, and the Sydney Opera House. Also, when I’m on NurseCon At Sea and I take a step back and just see thousands of nurses of all different ages learning, connecting, and having a good time, that is a major highlight of my life.”
GayTies: What keeps you going every single day? What has this job/career path meant to you?
Blake: “My days are busy, and my days are long, especially when I’m on the road touring. What keeps me going is definitely seeing people in the audience of all different ages, backgrounds, and nursing specialties all coming together for a night to just laugh when our job is extremely challenging. I also love seeing comments and feedback from people who watch my videos and come to my shows. Just knowing that I am able to provide someone to laugh encourages me to continue on with what I do. Nursing is such a great field, and it provides me so many opportunities that are honestly limitless. There are so many things that nurses can do, either working in the hospital or outside the hospital, that help other people.”
Nurse Blake’s Shock Advised Comedy Tour will be making a stop in Rochester, MN on Nov. 8 and in La Crosse, WI on Nov. 9. He will also make stops throughout the Midwest this October and November. www.nurseblake.com. (10/3)