Straight A Nursing: Study for nursing school exams & NCLEX

By the time pulses disappear in compartment syndrome, real damage has already happened. In the episode, I'm talking about the window before that, because that's where you actually have a chance to catch it before the patient suffers serious consequences. Hit play to review who is most at risk, the two most reliable early cues, and the practical takeaway to help you catch compartment syndrome early...

The Basic Metabolic Panel (BMP) is one of the most common lab tests ordered for your patients. This episode breaks down the 8 components of the BMP, which are sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride, carbon dioxide, glucose, BUN and creatinine. You can read the article "The BMP Decoded" ⁠here⁠. Get the framework that makes nursing school concepts feel more manageable with my free Nursing School...

Your patient has low sodium, what should you assess before you react to that sodium value and why? The answer to this trips up a lot of students and new nurses. You should assess volume status before reacting to a sodium value, because hyponatremia actually breaks down into three different patterns, and each one points to a different cause and a different fix. Hit play on this short episode where...

Picture this: You're a nurse in the PACU and are receiving a patient who is a 34 year old male with a past medical history of obesity and loud snoring reported by his spouse. Although he does not have diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea, you suspect it. He was given general anesthesia with some ketamine mixed in during an elective septoplasty. Once he gets to the PACU, he has a rapid onset of signif...

Vasopressors such as norepinephrine and epinephrine intimidate a lot of new nurses. In this episode I'm breaking down norepinephrine and epinephrine, including how they work and are administered, and importantly, how to avoid mixing them up when it counts. If you're in pharmacology and found this episode helpful, my audio-based program Fast Pharmacology is right up your alley! With over 100 lesson...

Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a hypermetabolic crisis that is fatal if left untreated. It occurs in individuals with a specific genetic condition when they are exposed to certain anesthetic gasses or the medication succinylcholine. By the end of this episode you'll have a thorough understanding of what you need to know about malignant hyperthermia for your nursing school exams and NCLEX, includin...

If you're applying to nursing school, your GPA probably feels like the whole application. And yes, your GPA is important, but it's only one piece of your application. Most competitive nursing programs are weighing several other factors right alongside your GPA, and the entrance exam is the one that trips up more applicants than you'd expect. If your school requires you to take the TEAS, I highly r...

A patient is stable going into surgery and comes out of anesthesia fine. Twenty minutes later in the PACU, she's gasping for air, her neck veins are bulging, and she's coughing up pink, frothy sputum. Yikes! What just happened? And why did it happen so fast? In this episode, I'm breaking down cardiogenic pulmonary edema, including: - A walk through the actual blood flow pathway that explains why p...

Do you know the differences between a MRI, MRA, CT and CTA scan? By the end of this episode you'll understand the purpose and nursing considerations of each of these scans, and you'll be a better nurse for it. ___________________ ⁠Nursing School Survival Blueprint⁠ - Feeling overwhelmed or unsure how to approach nursing school? Download this free Blueprint to understand exactly what's working agai...

This encore episode features a brief update to discuss some new medications that are currently being utilized to treat Parkinson's disease. By the end of this episode you'll have a thorough understanding of what you need to know about Parkinson's for your nursing school exams and NCLEX. Read the article "Parkinson’s Disease NCLEX Review" and view references here. If you found this episode helpful,...

This is a quick review of SIRS vs sepsis vs septic shock, including what distinguishes each from the next, the earliest clinical signs of this whole progression (hint: it's not hypotension), and why knowing these things matters. ___________________ ⁠Nursing School Survival Blueprint⁠ - Feeling overwhelmed or unsure how to approach nursing school? Download this free Blueprint to understand exactly...

Heading into clinical? Ease your nerves by building a mental map of a typical clinical day. Hit play and I'll show you what I mean as I walk you through how I used to run a typical shift in clinical, from start to finish. Have you grabbed the Nursing School Survival Blueprint yet? If you're heading into your first clinical rotation soon, going through this blueprint will help you build the kind of...

New nurses, have you called your first rapid response yet? The scariest part of your first rapid response usually isn't the clinical situation in front of you. It's the moment you have to decide whether you should even call it.  If you're nervous about calling a rapid response, I've got a reframe and some actionable advice for you in this quick episode. See you there! ___________________ 👋 W...

Reye’s syndrome is a rare but very serious condition that involves acute encephalopathy, cerebral edema and fatty liver failure. The pathophysiology is not fully understood but what we do know points to mitochondrial injury secondary to viral illness and the use of aspirin in young children. In this episode you will learn: Who is most affected by Reye’s syndrome Complications of the condition Sign...

Test your knowledge of AKI with this quick set of audio flashcards. Dive right in or brush up on your nursing knowledge of AKI first, in episode #509: Acute Kidney Injury for Nursing Students: Causes, Symptoms, Labs & Treatment. These mini-reviews are a great way to study on the go, and they give you a taste of what it’s like inside Study Sesh, my audio study tool for busy nursing students....

Acute kidney injury is one of the most common complications seen in hospitalized patients, yet it's a topic that often leaves nursing students overwhelmed by lab values and terminology. In this episode, I'm breaking down the three types of AKI and showing you how to recognize the clues that help distinguish one from another. We'll talk through: - Common causes - Important assessment findings - Key...

New nurses, this one's for you! We're talking about what that first code actually feels like, why the calm you see in other nurses doesn’t mean you’re not cut out for this, and why your contribution matters even when you're not the one leading. If you're a new nurse and this moment is still ahead of you, or if you've already been through it and it's still on your mind, hit play on this episode! 👋...

The Beers Criteria, or Beers list, is a list of medications which are considered to be potentially harmful medications for individuals over 65 years old due to risks or side effects that outweigh the benefits.  In this episode, you'll learn: Beers criteria  Why this list matters Key medications you’ll see in the clinical setting Implications for your nursing practice. The Beers list is u...

Nursing is full of terms that sound similar, look similar, and sometimes even seem interchangeable. But understanding the differences between these concepts can make a huge difference in your clinical judgment. Hit play for a rapid-fire round of "This vs. That" and we'll clear up seven commonly confused nursing concepts. ___________________ ⁠Nursing School Survival Blueprint⁠ - Feeling overwhelmed...

If you're just heading in to clinical or are still feeling a bit overwhelmed at the end of every shift, this episode is for you. In this episode, I'm sharing how you can reframe your clinical experience to go from just trying to survive, to walking out of every shift sharper than when you walked in. You'll learn: How to approach the moments that genuinely are evaluative Why your brain goes blank i...

Next time you get your patient assignment, skip the panic-prep session and instead, try the five-minute clinical prep routine I'm breaking down in this episode. By the end of this episode, you'll know how to focus your clinical prep on what actually matters so you can walk into clinical feeling prepared and confident enough to learn. ___________________ ⁠Nursing School Survival Blueprint⁠ - Feelin...

It's really helpful to know a few specific things in advance of your pediatric clinicals so you can make the most of your experience from the start.  In this episode, I'm sharing my top 6 pediatric clinical tips, including: How to customize your plan of care based on the child’s developmental stage A quick way to estimate hypotension in children The importance of weight-based calculations Key...

Test your knowledge of respiratory failure with this quick set of audio flashcards. Dive right in or brush up on your nursing knowledge of respiratory failure first, in episode #503: Respiratory Failure. These mini-reviews are a great way to study on the go, and they give you a taste of what it’s like inside Study Sesh, my audio study tool for busy nursing students. 🧠 Ready to quiz yourself?...

Respiratory failure occurs when the respiratory system can no longer adequately meet the oxygen demands of the body, remove carbon dioxide effectively, or both. In this episode you'll learn: - Types and causes of respiratory failure - Signs & symptoms of respiratory failure - Tests used to evaluate respiratory failure - Treatments for hypoxemic respiratory failure and hypercapnic respiratory failu...

Cushing's Triad is one of those concepts that nursing students often memorize for an exam but don't always understand. Hit play to change that, because once you understand the "why," it's actually a much easier concept to remember. ___________________ ⁠Nursing School Survival Blueprint⁠ - Feeling overwhelmed or unsure how to approach nursing school? Download this free Blueprint to understand exact...