Ep 16 | Inside the System: Medical Professionals Who Support Informed Choice with Rita Rogers

What does it look like when a nurse chooses to honor patient autonomy even when the system makes it difficult?

In this honest and deeply thoughtful conversation, we’re joined by Rita Rogers, a former Cardiovascular ICU nurse who spent 15 years working at a Level 1 trauma center. Rita shares her personal journey from pursuing emergency medicine out of a desire to help others, to navigating the challenges that came when her commitment to informed consent didn’t align with institutional policies.

Together, we explore:

• How protocols and policies sometimes limit personalized care
• Why informed consent matters for every medical decision, not just vaccines
• What happened when Rita asked questions about COVID-era hospital policies
• How reimbursement systems impact provider decision-making
• Why supporting ethical, curious providers matters more than ever

Rita also opens up about her decision to decline the COVID vaccine during pregnancy, the difficult consequences she faced, and the hope she still holds for a more respectful, patient-centered future in healthcare.

Whether you’re a patient looking for a provider you can trust, or a healthcare professional trying to honor your values in a complex system, this episode is here to remind you: change doesn’t only come from the outside. It’s already happening from within.

Learn more from Rita Rogers

Resources:

Free Training Course

NVIC State Law Mandate and Exemptions

Crowd Health Podcast Episode

Pro-Informed Consent Provider Directory

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