Careers: Offers hands-on training, CPR certification, exposure to neurosurgeons, and mentorship.

Strawberry Letter

iHeartPodcasts

Society & Culture, Relationships

4.5 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 9 January 2026

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Shelli-Ann McKenzie.

Purpose of the Interview

The interview focuses on advocating for healthcare professionals, addressing the challenges they face, and introducing Shelli-Ann McKenzie’s nonprofit organization, Help for Healthcare Professionals (HCPP). The goal is to highlight burnout, financial struggles, and systemic issues in healthcare while promoting programs that support mental wellness, financial literacy, and career development.

Key Takeaways

Healthcare Workforce Challenges
- Nurses and healthcare professionals face high stress, burnout, and long hours, leading to workforce shortages.
- Many professionals struggle financially—24% live in poverty.
- Lack of professors in nursing schools limits the number of students entering the profession.
Understanding Nursing Roles
- Nursing includes multiple levels:
  - Registered Nurse (RN): Associate or bachelor’s degree.
  - Advanced Practice Nurses: Master’s level (e.g., Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Educator).
  - Doctorate Level: Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) or PhD.
- Nurse practitioners often function as an extension of physicians, providing quality care.
Respect and Recognition
- Nurses provide more direct care than any other health profession but often lack recognition.
- Advocacy is key to ensuring nurses can practice at the highest level and improve access to care.
Why HCPP Was Founded
- Born out of COVID-19 crisis and Shelli-Ann’s personal experience with burnout.
- Mission: Provide mental health referrals, financial assistance (gift cards, gas), and professional development.
- Programs include:
  - Financial literacy workshops
  - Entrepreneurship training for healthcare professionals
  - Scholarships and internships for aspiring professionals
Youth Med Program
- Targets ages 13–20 to build a healthcare workforce pipeline.
- Offers hands-on training, CPR certification, exposure to neurosurgeons, and mentorship.
- Tuition-free and designed to scale nationally.
Funding and Community Support
- HCPP is a nurse-owned nonprofit, funded by federal grants and donations.
- Annual event: Night of Grand and Gratitude—a charity awards dinner to raise funds for programs.

Notable Quotes

“No one else was coming to save us—so I created HCPP.”
“24% of healthcare professionals live in poverty.”
“If we don’t have enough professors, we cap nursing students—it’s cyclical.”
“The most rewarding part of nursing is showing up for people in their most vulnerable moments.”
“Every dollar we raise fuels education programs like Youth Med—strategic investment in the future of healthcare.”

#SHMS #STRAW #BEST

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is an I-Heart podcast.
0:02.6	Guaranteed Human.
0:04.4	Hi, I'm Roshan McDonnell.
0:06.0	I host a weekly Money Making Conversation Masterclass show.
0:08.9	The interviews and information that this show provides are for everyone.
0:12.5	It's time to stop reading other people's success stories and start living your own.
0:16.6	If you want to be a guest on my show, please visit our website, Moneymakingconversations.com, and click the be a guest button.
0:25.1	Press submit, and the information will come directly to me.
0:28.3	Now, let's get this show started.
0:30.1	My guest is a dynamic advocate for health care professionals,
0:34.1	entrepreneur and founder of health for healthessionals, HHCP.
0:40.2	She recognizes the immense pressures faced by nurses, doctors, and frontline staff.
0:45.8	HHCP offers tailored resources, financial literacy programs, and career guidance to help
0:51.9	health care professionals regain control of their lives. Please welcome the Money Making Conversation Masterclass, Shelly Ann McKinsey. How are you doing, Ms. McKinsey? Hi, Rashan. Thanks for having me. How are you? Should I call you Nurse McKinsey? That sounds like you, that sounds like somebody on TV. Nurse McKinsey! No, no, no. Just call me Shelly.
1:11.5	I go by Shelly. Okay, now, this says Shelly Ann. Are you Shelly or Shelly Ann? I say I'm Shelly Ann. Okay, cool. You know, because Shelly Ann is country. You know, it's country. Both are false. I'm going to tell you some, Shelly Ann or Shelly. I hear a little accent there, my friend.
1:28.8	Can you give me a background on that accent?
1:30.5	Because it's distinct. I'm going to tell you something, Shelly Ann or Shelly, I hear a little accent there, my friend.
1:28.6	Can you give me a background on that accent?
1:30.5	Because it's distinctive when you communicate.
1:33.3	Not saying it's a bad thing, but where are you from originally, born and raised?
1:36.8	All right.
1:37.5	I originally hail from the island of Jamaica, island of all islands.
	...

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