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Straight A Nursing: Study for nursing school exams & NCLEX

In this show, Maureen Osuna, MSN, RN (Nurse Mo) breaks down a wide range of nursing school concepts so they’re easy to understand. Each episode aims to help nursing students improve their study techniques, pass nursing school exams, and feel more confident in clinical. If you’re nervous about nursing school, not “getting it” in lecture, or feeling overwhelmed with all the information you have to learn, this podcast will help you optimize your study time so you can learn more with less stress.
While nursing school is challenging, it doesn’t have to be impossible. When concepts are explained in a way that “just makes sense”, nursing students have better recall on exams, feel more confident working with patients in clinical, and are better prepared for NCLEX.
Nurse Mo understands the struggles nursing students face and draws on more than 11 years of clinical experience to make nursing school less intimidating. Each episode removes the “fluff” and focuses on the key things a nursing student (and nurse) needs to know about a variety of disease conditions. The show also provides tips for succeeding in nursing school, guidance for students and new nurses, and insider information to help you excel at the bedside.

Copyright: © 2021-2024

Latest Episodes:

#525: MMM - Vasopressors, Part Two: Dopamine and Dobutamine Nov 09, 2026

Show notes

Dopamine and dobutamine are easy to mix up, especially for nursing students. Hit play, and by the end of this episode you'll have a much clearer picture of how they each work and are administered, and importantly, how to avoid mixing them up.

Check out episode #517 for another quick breakdown of two look-alike/sound-alike medications that get mixed up just as often: epinephrine and norepinephrine.

If you're in pharmacology and found this episode helpful, my audio-based program Fast Pharmacology is right up your alley! With over 100 lessons, each 5 minutes or less, you'll master pharm concepts in minutes and gain confidence in clinical. Learn more about Fast Pharmacology⁠.

⁠⁠Nursing School Survival Blueprint⁠⁠- Just starting school and trying to figure out how to juggle it all? Nursing school gets easier when you have a system to help you identify what to focus on as you study, and to connect the dots so you can see that bigger picture.I get you started building that system in my free Nursing School Survival Blueprint. Follow this free Blueprint and take control of your nursing school experience. I'm cheering for you!

💕Did you love this episode? Please take a moment to follow or subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode!

___________________

The information, including but not limited to, audio, video, text, and graphics contained on this podcast are for educational purposes only. No content on this podcast is intended to guide nursing practice and does not supersede any individual healthcare provider's scope of practice or any nursing school curriculum. Additionally, no content on this podcast is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Straight A Nursing is a proud member of the Airwave Media Network.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#524: 15 Drugs To Know For Clinicals, Exams and NCLEX Nov 05, 2026

Show notes

Has learning pharmacology ever made you want to throw your pharm flashcards or your reference drug guide across the room? Instead of trying to memorize every single possible thing you can about a drug, start by focusing on the most important things that affect your nursing judgement and medication administration. If that sounds way more manageable to you, you'll like this episode.

In this episode, you'll learn:

- 3 distinct must-know things that influence your nursing judgment and medication administration for the following commonly seen drugs, grouped loosely by body system:

CARDIAC: Digoxin, Warfarin, Heparin, Metoprolol

RENAL/ENDOCRINE: Furosemide (Lasix), Spironolactone, Metformin, Insulin, Levothyroxine

RESPIRATORY, IMMUNE, & INFECTION: Albuterol, Prednisone, Vancomycin

NEUROLOGICAL & PAIN: Lithium, Phenytoin, Morphine

- How to see the patterns that make pharmacology click

🧠 If you like thinking in patterns and having a systematic way to build things into your memory and your habits, that's the approach I walk through in the Nursing School Survival Blueprint. It's free, and it'll help you build this same kind of thinking into how you study everything in nursing school, not just pharmacology. Get the Blueprint

💊 Fast Pharmacology - Learn pharmacology concepts in 5 minutes or less in this audio based program. Perfect for on-the-go review!

💕Did you love this episode? Please take a moment to follow or subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode…and share with friends so you can help other nurses thrive!

___________________

The information, including but not limited to, audio, video, text, and graphics contained on this podcast are for educational purposes only. No content on this podcast is intended to guide nursing practice and does not supersede any individual healthcare provider's scope of practice or any nursing school curriculum. Additionally, no content on this podcast is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Straight A Nursing is a proud member of the Airwave Media Network.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#523: MMM - Fluid Shifts Explained Nov 02, 2026

Show notes

Hit play to tackle a concept that helps explain a whole lot of things in nursing, from edema and ascites to pleural effusions and pulmonary edema. You guessed it - it's fluid shifts.

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⁠Nursing School Survival Blueprint⁠- Feeling overwhelmed or unsure how to approach nursing school? Download this free Blueprint to understand exactly what's working against you — and what to do instead.

Straight A Nursing Study Resources⁠⁠ - ⁠Check out everything Straight A Nursing has to offer, including free resources and online courses to help you succeed!

💕Did you love this episode? Please take a moment to follow or subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode!

___________________

The information, including but not limited to, audio, video, text, and graphics contained on this podcast are for educational purposes only. No content on this podcast is intended to guide nursing practice and does not supersede any individual healthcare provider's scope of practice or any nursing school curriculum. Additionally, no content on this podcast is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Straight A Nursing is a proud member of the Airwave Media Network.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let’s Breakdown Tetralogy of Fallot - ENCORE! #206 Oct 29, 2026

Show notes

Review the nursing basics for Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF), a cyanotic congenital heart disease. It is characterized by four key defects which together, allow oxygen-poor blood to be pumped out into systemic circulation leading to hypercyanotic episodes called “tet spells.”

In this episode you will learn:

The four key defects that characterize ToF:

Pulmonary stenosis
Right ventricular hypertrophy
Ventricular septal defect
Overriding aorta

Physiological consequences of these defects
Complications of the condition
Signs and symptoms
Key assessments and diagnostic tests
Nursing interventions and other treatments
What to teach parents

Read the article and view references here.

Nursing school gets easier when you have a system to help you identify what to focus on as you study. I get you started building that system in my free Nursing School Survival Blueprint, where I share the key shifts you can make which separate struggling students from thriving ones.

👉 ⁠Download the Blueprint⁠

This is a throwback to episode 206 of the Straight A Nursing School Podcast, where nursing school help is at your fingertips with hundreds of episodes covering your journey from taking the TEAS through passing NCLEX and having success as a new-grad nurse.

💕Did you love this episode? Please take a moment to follow or subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode…and share with friends so you can help other nurses thrive!

___________________

The information, including but not limited to, audio, video, text, and graphics contained on this podcast are for educational purposes only. No content on this podcast is intended to guide nursing practice and does not supersede any individual healthcare provider's scope of practice or any nursing school curriculum. Additionally, no content on this podcast is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Straight A Nursing is a proud member of the Airwave Media Network.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#522: PodQuiz - Prone Positioning Oct 26, 2026

Show notes

Test your knowledge of prone positioning nursing care with this quick set of audio flashcards. Dive right in or brush up on your nursing knowledge of prone positioning first, in episode #521: Prone Positioning Basics - Preventing Complications in ARDS.

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? Let’s dive in!

👉Want more practice like this? ⁠Check out Study Sesh!

💕Did you love this episode? Please take a moment to follow or subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode!

___________________

The information, including but not limited to, audio, video, text, and graphics contained on this podcast are for educational purposes only. No content on this podcast is intended to guide nursing practice and does not supersede any individual healthcare provider's scope of practice or any nursing school curriculum. Additionally, no content on this podcast is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Straight A Nursing is a proud member of the Airwave Media Network.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#521: Prone Positioning Basics: Preventing Complications in ARDS Patients Oct 22, 2026

Show notes

Prone positioning can be so intimidating when you're a nursing student or a brand-new ICU nurse. In this episode, I'm covering the basics and potential complications of prone positioning so you actually understand why we do it, rather than just feeling like you’re trying to keep up.

Imagine walking into your patient's room and finding them lying on their stomach instead of their back. They are intubated and sedated, with cushions tucked around their face, chest, and hips, and the monitor leads are sitting on their back. It’s startling if you've never seen it! But it’s also one of the most effective nursing interventions we have for critical care patients fighting ARDS or severe respiratory distress (I saw this a ton with COVID-19 patients, too).

Hit play to review what you actually need to know about prone positioning for your nursing school exams, clinicals, and NCLEX, including:

What is prone positioning? The "why" behind the pathophysiology and indications of prone positioning
Awake Prone Positioning (APP)
Two ways to prone a ventilated patient (Roto-Prone beds vs. the manual "burrito method")
High-risk nursing complications to watch for
Preventing unplanned extubation: Safety checks used to protect the airway during a turn
Protecting skin integrity: Crucial nursing interventions for pressure injury prevention
How to approach urgent situations with limited access, including emergency response steps and CPR in the prone position
Why you should take advantage of hands-on training whenever it's offered
Current evidence-based practice guidelines you'll see in the ICU

FREE CLASS - If all you've heard are nursing school horror stories, then you need this class! Join me in this on-demand session where I dispel all those nursing school myths and show you that YES...you can thrive in nursing school without it taking over your life!

🎧 #137: The Basics of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)

🎧 #64: Atelectasis Nursing Interventions

🎧 #46: V/Q Mismatch Explained Simply

🎧 #488: The Perfusion Problem

💕Did you love this episode? Please take a moment to follow or subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode…and share with friends so you can help other nurses thrive!

___________________

The information, including but not limited to, audio, video, text, and graphics contained on this podcast are for educational purposes only. No content on this podcast is intended to guide nursing practice and does not supersede any individual healthcare provider's scope of practice or any nursing school curriculum. Additionally, no content on this podcast is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Straight A Nursing is a proud member of the Airwave Media Network.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#520: MMM - Compartment Syndrome: Risk Factors and Early Signs Oct 19, 2026

Show notes

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.

___________________

⁠Nursing School Survival Blueprint⁠- Feeling overwhelmed or unsure how to approach nursing school? Download this free Blueprint to understand exactly what's working against you — and what to do instead.

Straight A Nursing Study Resources⁠⁠ - ⁠Check out everything Straight A Nursing has to offer, including free resources and online courses to help you succeed!

💕Did you love this episode? Please take a moment to follow or subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode!

___________________

The information, including but not limited to, audio, video, text, and graphics contained on this podcast are for educational purposes only. No content on this podcast is intended to guide nursing practice and does not supersede any individual healthcare provider's scope of practice or any nursing school curriculum. Additionally, no content on this podcast is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Straight A Nursing is a proud member of the Airwave Media Network.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Components of the BMP - ENCORE! #303 Oct 15, 2026

Show notes

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 Survival Blueprint. In it, I walk you through:

- the key shifts that separate struggling students from thriving ones,

- how to study with intention,

- how to reduce cognitive load in real study sessions, and

- how to build the kind of understanding that actually shows up on your exams and in clinical.

Take control of your nursing school experience with this free Blueprint as your guide. 👉 Download the Blueprint

I'm cheering for you!

This is a throwback to episode 303 of the Straight A Nursing School Podcast, where nursing school help is at your fingertips with hundreds of episodes covering your journey from taking the TEAS through passing NCLEX and having success as a new-grad nurse.

💕Did you love this episode? Please take a moment to follow or subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode!

___________________

The information, including but not limited to, audio, video, text, and graphics contained on this podcast are for educational purposes only. No content on this podcast is intended to guide nursing practice and does not supersede any individual healthcare provider's scope of practice or any nursing school curriculum. Additionally, no content on this podcast is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Straight a Nursing is a proud member of the Airwave Media Network.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#519: MMM - Three Types of Hyponatremia Oct 12, 2026

Show notes

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 I review the three types of hyponatremia, including their causes and fixes.

For a more in-depth dive into the causes, signs & symptoms, and treatments of hyponatremia, listen to episode 17.

___________________

⁠Nursing School Survival Blueprint⁠- Feeling overwhelmed or unsure how to approach nursing school? Download this free Blueprint to understand exactly what's working against you — and what to do instead.

Straight A Nursing Study Resources⁠⁠ - ⁠Check out everything Straight A Nursing has to offer, including free resources and online courses to help you succeed!

💕Did you love this episode? Please take a moment to follow or subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode!

___________________

The information, including but not limited to, audio, video, text, and graphics contained on this podcast are for educational purposes only. No content on this podcast is intended to guide nursing practice and does not supersede any individual healthcare provider's scope of practice or any nursing school curriculum. Additionally, no content on this podcast is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Straight A Nursing is a proud member of the Airwave Media Network.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#518: Noncardiogenic Pulmonary Edema for Nursing Students Oct 08, 2026

Show notes

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 significant respiratory distress. His SpO2 is dropping even with supplemental oxygen, he has pink frothing sputum, and diffuse crackles bilaterally. What's going on with this guy? How serious is this?

In this episode, I'm breaking down noncardiogenic pulmonary edema, including:

- Pathophysiology and common causes

- Two types of negative-pressure pulmonary edema (NPPE), which is the cause you'll see most often in the OR or PACU

- Who is most at risk for NPPE

- Nursing care for patients with noncardiogenic pulmonary edema using the Straight A Nursing LATTE method which includes common signs and symptoms, priority assessments, key tests utilized to evaluate the condition, treatments, and follow-up education

- A side-by-side breakdown of cardiogenic pulmonary edema vs noncardiogenic pulmonary edema with references to the patient mentioned above and the patient mentioned in episode #515, so you'll walk away knowing exactly how to quickly tell these two conditions apart at the bedside

If you've ever looked at a patient with crackles and hypoxemia and immediately thought "heart failure," this episode is going to change how you approach that assessment.

Episodes mentioned:

#515: Cardiogenic Pulmonary Edema

#137: The Basics of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)

To thrive in nursing school, you need a study system that helps concepts like this actually stick, instead of just memorizing lists of symptoms. I get you started building that system in my free Nursing School Survival Blueprint. 👉 Download the Blueprint

💕Did you love this episode? Please take a moment to follow or subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode!

___________________

The information, including but not limited to, audio, video, text, and graphics contained on this podcast are for educational purposes only. No content on this podcast is intended to guide nursing practice and does not supersede any individual healthcare provider's scope of practice or any nursing school curriculum. Additionally, no content on this podcast is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Straight A Nursing is a proud member of the Airwave Media Network.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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