Up My Nursing Game

Managing blood pressure for dialysis patient can be complicated. Nephrologists Dr. Daniel Weiner and Dr. Bourne Auguste address intradialytic hypertension and hypotension while giving a huge shout out to the dark horse of nephrology: peritoneal dialysis. This episode is a part of NephMadness: a nephrology educational initiative that is modeled after the college basketball tournament but with nephr...

Tina Vinsant, RN, host of the podcast Good Nurse Bad Nurse, joins us for a run through of all the major vasoactive agents given in the hospital. We minimized the jargon and maximized on practical cases, so join us for a memorable discussion of this fundamental subject. Check out Nicole Kupchik's exam reviews and practice questions at nicolekupchikconsulting.com. Use the promo code UPMYGAME20 to ge...

You are in for a treat as Dr. Joel Topf, aka @kidney_boy, gives us the low down on hyponatremia. Dr. Topf discusses this condition in a way that is helpful for nurses by reviewing clinical concepts without getting into unneeded nitty gritty. Check out Nicole Kupchik's exam reviews and practice questions at nicolekupchikconsulting.com. Use the promo code UPMYGAME20 to get 20% off all products. Use...

Propofol and Ativan are a nurses best friend, right? WRONG. Kali Dayton, RN, DNP from the podcast Walking Home from the ICU challenges us to rethink delirium in a way that not only produce better patient outcomes but substantially decrease the nurses workload in the long run. Use the promo code UMNG10 to get 10% off your order from Stoggles. Up My Nursing Game is partnering with VCU Health Continu...

Jami Fregeau, RN walks through rapid responses that nurses can (for the most part) manage independently. Hold on to your seat as we discuss equipment malfunctions and how to be prepared for when it happens to your patient. Use the promo code UMNG10 to get 10% off your order from Stoggles. Up My Nursing Game is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE continuing education credi...

From post-operative to acute illness, managing pain in the hospital is both an art and a science. As the lead advanced practitioner on an Acute Pain Team, Jason Low, RN, NP discusses important clinical concepts such as the multi modal approach, acute on chronic pain, as well as some cultural considerations when discussing pain management with our patients. Use the promo code UMNG10 to get 10% off...

What do you do when you notice that your patient has obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)? Hospitalist James Thomas MD PhD, discusses what OSA is, risk factors, its relationship with heart disease, and how to navigate management of OSA in the hospital setting. Click here to obtain one FREE hour of continuing education credit (1.00) from VCU Health. Buy tickets (virtual and in-person) for the upcoming Nur...

Listen in as I pick Victoria Arsenault's, PharmD, brain about two totally unrelated topics: vancomycin and oral diabetic agents. Learn more about emergency pharmacy at TILEmergencyPharmacist   *TIL= Today I Learned* Residents & students of @ChillaPharmD  posting the things they are learning on their emergency medicine pharmacy rotation. Use the promo code UMNG10 to get 10% off your order from Stog...

Neutropenic fever is a common hospital presentation for oncology patients. Dr. Darien Reed explains what neutropenic fever is, who is at risk for getting it, important assessment findings, and how we work these patients up. Use the promo code UMNG10 to get 10% off your order from Stoggles. Up My Nursing Game is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE continuing education cred...

Dr. Amrit Hansra, interventional radiologist, gives an overview of imaging modalities as well as key nursing takeaways for common IR procedures such as G-tubes, biliary drains, and nephrostomy tubes. Use the promo code UMNG10 to get 10% off your order from Stoggles. Up My Nursing Game is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE continuing education credits for registered nurse...

Patients require transportation for many reasons: to an increased level of care, a decreased level of care, a procedure, or for imaging. Katherine Stradling, BSN, RN, CCRN, TCRN discusses the science of transport, what it's like in the ambulance, and what bedside nurses can do to facilitate safe transport. Objectives Listeners will be able to describe the difference between basic life support (BLS...

Dialysis isn't simply hooking up a patients to a machine for 3-4 hours. Veteran dialysis nurse, Jameisha Rogers RN, talks us through what happens during dialysis starting from reviewing orders to decannulation. Up My Nursing Game is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE continuing education credits for registered nurses. Click here to obtain nursing credit (1.00). What does...

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis is a core marker of healthcare excellence. Dr. Walter Cheng explains that almost every hospitalized patient is at an increased risk for developing a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE) and that nurses play a crucial role in preventing, assessing for, and educating our patients about VTE.  Up My Nursing Game is partnering with VCU Health Co...

Today, ICU patients seem to become sicker and more sedated. Sedation medications, such as Propofol, have become more accessible and can be hung up and left on a drip all day. Heidi Engel, PT, DPT argues that less sedation and more mobilization should be thought of as important as taking medications. In this episode, we discuss how nurses can play a crucial role in mobilizing our patients both in t...

Pregnant and breastfeeding patients aren't always hospitalized for obstetric reasons and can be placed throughout the hospital. Dr. Michelle Solone, OBGYN talks to us about how we can assess these patients, what to look out for, and how nurses can promote pumping and breastfeeding during a hospitalization. Common reasons for non-OBGYN related hospitalization for pregnant patients: Medical: Kidney...

Dr. Brandon Varr, an advanced heart failure and transplant cardiologist, provides insight into how heart failure is managed by diuretics and whether or not fluid restriction is important.  Heart Failure (HF) Refresher Heart Failure (HF) simple means that the heart is not pumping enough blood to adequately supply organs. Body’s “Short Term Fix”: Kidneys sense that there is not enough blood → salt r...

OverviewPatients experiencing homelessness can add extra layers of complexities to emergency or inpatient care. Dr. Joe Mega provides some much needed perspective about the needs of our patients experiencing homelessness and how healthcare professionals can care for them more effectively. Belongings Homeless patients are often concerned about their belongings being stolen due to theft or abatement...

Faiman Chow MS, SLP provides insight into safe swallowing practices, good oral care, the risk factors for aspiration pneumonia, and the use of artificial nutrition in advanced dementia.

We're a year into the pandemic and, as a nurse, I'm curious: what are the best practices for treating COVID in the hospital? I sat down with a returning guest, Dr. Cyrus Shariat, an intensivist, and asked him about COVID pathophysiology, management of respiratory failure, medications, and risk of thromboembolism. 

Dr. Megan Coylewright, interventional cardiologist, and Danielle Durfey, cath lab RN, sit down with me to talk about atrial fibrillation (AF) management including rate v. rhythm control, anticoagulants, the Watchman™ device, and give us a peak inside life in the cath lab.

Dr. Matthew Truong, urologist, shares some pearls for difficult foley insertion, what CAUTI is, what it is not, and how to prevent it.

Palliative care nurse, Michelle Hedding, and I talk about what palliative care is and how nurses can advocate for it for our patients. We also discuss the contemporary issue of communicating with family members during this COVID era of visitor restrictions.

Intoxicated patients in ED and alcohol withdrawal syndrome -- Dr. Natalie Htet and I bust some myths about caring for drunk patients in emergency as well as dive into the complexities of alcohol withdrawal.

Ataxia, GI bleeds, ascites, jaundice... patient's with long term, heavy alcohol consumption can have head-to-toe problems. Dr. Natalie Htet, emergency physician and intensivist, and I go over the expected assessment findings of the ETOH patient, what to look out for, and long-term management of alcoholic cirrhosis.

Dr. Ronald Matuszak , hospitalist, and I discuss the ins and outs of potassium replacement and uncover that potassium replacement protocols are not often indicated. We also discuss the overtreatment of inpatient hypertension and how doctors and nurses can safely, if at all, lower a patient's blood pressure in a hospital setting.