Nursing School Week by Week

Home Health Nursing For The Win Apr 03, 2024

The difference between working in a hospital and working home health is night and day. I’m going to be talking about my experience as a home health nurse, what a day in the life looks like. I’m going to touch on some myths about home health nurses, kind of the reputation that they have and if I think that that’s warranted or not. And how it compares to working in the hospital. These are just things to kind of tuck in your back pocket if you’re going through nursing school right now, or if you’re about to go through nursing school. And if you’re anything like me, I had no idea what kind of nursing I wanted to do after I graduated. Some of my friends knew exactly what they wanted to do and I always envied that. But that was not me, and I think in some ways, I’m still looking. You know, but I don’t think there’s any shame in that. I think it’s good to be curious, and I hope I’m forever curious and forever learning. And that’s what I’m doing right now. I’m learning about different specialties within nursing, and that is the beauty of nursing.
Get 20% off Picmonic: https://www.picmonic.com/insiderhookup/nursingschoolweekbyweekLDC24
Get 20% off TruLearn: https://truelearn.referralrock.com/l/weekbyweek/
Use code: "weekbyweek"
Get 20% off Lecturio subscription: Use code: "nursingschoolwbw20" for a 20% discount on all nursing premium plans.

FALLS Sep 30, 2023

Today we're talking about a basic one but a big one. We’re talking about falls. We're gonna get into what constitutes a fall, because it may not be exactly what you think a fall is but it would still count as a fall. We're gonna get into what makes a person more likely to have a fall; we're gonna get into what we as nurses can do to help prevent falls, and we're also going to touch a little bit on the good and bad of placing so much importance on preventing falls.
Get 20-30% off Picmonic: https://www.picmonic.com/insiderhookup/nursingschoolweekbyweekLI423
Get 20% off TrueLearn: https://truelearn.referralrock.com/l/weekbyweek/

Night Shift vs Day Shift (Part 2) Sep 05, 2023

Let's continue talking about the pros and cons of working night shift vs day shift as a new nurse.
Get 20% off a Lecturio Nursing subscription with Discount Code: nursingschoolwbw20
First up, on the day shift, there are more meds to give. So, that can be good if you’re trying to practice your skills, but bad just because it’s more work and it’s going to take longer to do each of your med passes. Especially that first morning med pass. That’s when the patients are getting the bulk of their medications.
And you can have the full gamut of pills, IV bag meds, IV push meds, plus topical medications, all in one med pass, for one patient in the morning. So if you’re doing that for 5 or 6 patients, for one med pass, that can take up a lot of your time and can be stressful to feel like you have to rush rush rush to get it done.
And there were times, only on day shift, when I started my shift at 7am and it was 9:30-10am and I was being called away to do something else, and I’m like, “I can’t. I still am not done with my morning med pass.
You know, my meds are an hour and a half late.” And that’s not ok, but I was just so busy that that’s what the situation was honestly. And that was very stressful to me because I don’t wanna be late on my med pass. I want to give my patients their meds when they’re due because that’s what’s best for my patients.
So it’s very stressful when you feel like you’re just one person, but you’re being given the workload of three people. Especially when you’re a new nurse. You know, maybe a seasoned nurse would not have been late giving those meds, but as a new nurse, that was just my reality. And that was very stressful. But yeah, on night shift, you typically have a lot less meds to give.
And if you’re in clinicals, you can look this up in your patient’s orders, if you get a chance, just compare what medications they’re getting during the day (especially that first morning med pass) versus what they’re getting at night. And it’s almost always a lot less at night.

Night Shift Nursing vs Day Shift Aug 29, 2023

Today I want to talk about the differences between day shift vs night shift for nurses. Maybe you’re on the fence, you don’t know if you want to work day shift or night shift when you graduate, so I want to go over the pros and cons of each to help you make your decision.
Check out Lecturio for incredibly helpful videos and so much more! Get 50% off a subscription through August!
http://lectur.io/nursingschoolweekbyweek
After August, you can still get 20% off Lecturio with this code: nursingschoolwbw20

Now I have worked both day shift and night shift on a med surg unit and in the emergency room, so I feel like I can talk to the pros and cons of both.

Alright, so first up, I definitely have to mention that if you’re in it to make more money, then the night shift is the obvious way to go. Because you’re gonna get that night shift differential, which is usually, some places do it differently. Some places do it like just a set amount per hour more, like 7 dollars more per hour if you’re working on the night shift; then other places will give like 1.25 times your base hourly rate. But either way, you’re gonna make more on the night shift.
And when I calculated it out, it was basically a car payment every month. So about $600 more per month than what I would have made on the day shift. So that’s pretty significant. And if you’re working night shift on the weekend, then you’re gonna get even more cause you’re gonna get that weekend shift differential in addition to the night shift differential. So that’s what I tried to schedule myself when I was working nights. I would try to make it on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night so I would get both of those differentials to maximize the pay. Cause if you’re there, putting in the time, you might as well get paid the most you can possibly make.

Alright, another difference between day shift and night shift, is that, and this can be seen as either a pro or a con, depending on how you look at it, but during the day shift there are more doctors around, more physical therapists, more occupational therapists, more social workers around, and more management around.
So this can be a good thing, because if an emergency situation arises or if you need to change verify an order, then the doctor is just a chat or a phone call away. Or if the patient starts going downhill fast, you can reach out to the doctor easily and you don’t feel like, you know, you have to wait until it’s an absolute emergency because you don’t wanna wake up the doctor in the middle of the night, and what if they get mad at you and yell at you? You’re not as worried about that because the doctors are already there working anyway. So that is a good thing, but it can also be a bad thing; because there’s something nice about it, I mean that’s one reason why the night shift is more quiet and less hectic because there are just a lot fewer people there; a lot less doctors putting in orders, changing orders, wanting procedures done right then and there.

Stroke - Case Study Aug 18, 2023

You just graduated from nursing school, and now you're working as a nurse in the emergency department. The EMTs bring in a 26 year old female with generalized weakness of the left lower and upper extremities, and a sudden headache. What do you do? Can you complete all 5 critical actions, or will you carry out a dangerous action? Learn the most important things to do for stroke patients as a nurse.
Check out TrueLearn for an NCLEX program that perfectly integrates with Picmonic!
https://truelearn.referralrock.com/l/weekbyweek/
Get 30% off a Picmonic subscription, or just get one free Picmonic every day!

Stroke Aug 02, 2023

Today we are focusing on Strokes, or Brain attacks. This is one of those conditions that is so important for us nurses to know the signs and symptoms of, because your patient could have a stroke at any point. They could come into the ER with a suspected stroke, or they could be recovering on the med-surg unit, about to be discharged, and then have a stroke. So it can happen at any time, and we want to make sure we know what to look for. We also want to make sure we know what their baseline looks like, so we have something to compare any changes to. This is one reason why, when you’re in nursing school clinicals, your instructors will stress that you do a bedside shift report, or at least that you go into the patient’s room and do the physical assessment within the first hour of your shift starting. Because if you don’t go in there for four hours, and then when you finally do, they have slurred speech and limited arm movement, you’re not going to know if that’s what they were like before your shift, or if those are new changes.

WHAT'S IN MY CLINICAL BAG? Jul 26, 2023

It’s almost time for a new semester to start and a lot of you will be going to clinicals for the first time, and the rest of you will be going to clinicals again. I am all done with clinicals now, but I know when I was going through it, I packed a lot of things that I really didn’t need at all, and then there were some things that I didn’t pack, that I kept having to bum off my friends. So, we’re gonna go through all the things that you need for nursing school clinicals.
Thinking about going to clinicals, especially if it’s your first time going to clinicals. There’s so many questions about what it’s going to be like. But, I mean really, the main thing that you want to bring to clinicals is, it sounds cliche, but is a good attitude. Just show up, ready to learn, bring your questions. Don’t be scared of looking like an idiot. Cause you’re a nursing student. You’re gonna look like an idiot. You’re not gonna know how to do very much. You’re not gonna have all the answers, and no one expects you to. Because you’re a nursing student. They expect you to come eager to try new things. To get in there and volunteer to do things, even though they know you’re nervous about it. And they know that you haven’t done this before, but that’s how you learn. You get in there and you try it. But they do expect you to have the supplies you need, so take this time to get your clinicals bag ready to go and packed.
Check out Picmonic for an audiovisual learning system with unforgettable stories to help your remember EVERYTHING you need to know for nursing school and the NCLEX. Click here for 20% off!

Re-Release: My INSANELY Effective Study System Jul 19, 2023

With a new semester just around the corner, and some of you starting nursing school for the very first time, it is so important to make sure your study system is top-notch and ready to go. As James Clear would say, "You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems."
In this episode, I'm sharing my insanely effective study system for nursing school, step by step. It is efficient and it works. Take what you like, and leave the rest!
This is a study system that is big on active learning, and NOT passive, time-wasting things. I’m NOT talking about re-reading or re-writing your notes. I’m NOT talking about getting cozy on the couch with your textbook and reading the chapter while highlighting. No. Those are passive learning techniques, and are not the best use of your time. In nursing school, you have precious little time, and you’ve got to make the most of it.
I use 4 resources to study for nursing school, and no, the textbook is NOT one of them. All four are mobile apps and can be used with a laptop or tablet as well.
The 1st is Picmonic.
This app uses pictures and stories to help you remember difficult-to-learn concepts and facts.
Click this link to check out Picmonic for free, or to get 20% off a subscription: https://www.picmonic.com/viphookup/nursingschoolweekbyweekLIK21
The 2nd is Nursing.com.
This one has videos that are about 10 minutes long on just about every subject you’ll cover in nursing school.
The 3rd is the Anki flashcard app.
This app spaces out your flashcards and shows them to you at the perfect time for your brain to remember the information.
The 4th app is any podcast app.

LPN Degree vs RN: What You Need to Know Jul 12, 2023

There are pros for going straight for your RN, there are pros for doing LPN first, or even just doing LPN. Not everyone who gets their LPN degree is planning on becoming an RN.
The first obvious pro for going the LPN route is that it’s faster. You can get your LPN in just 12 months, whereas getting your RN takes about 18 months. So you’re gonna save like half a year, which isn’t a huge deal. I mean, once you’re in nursing school, the time goes by so quickly anyway, that 6 months feels like nothing. But it is true that getting your LPN is faster and it’s cheaper. So, if you’re just looking for the quickest way to get a steady, fairly well-paying job in the healthcare field, then LPN is a good way to get your foot in the door.

But, I will say, the LPNs get paid significantly less. The average pay for an LPN is $23 an hour, whereas an RN gets $37 per hour. So that’s a $14 an hour difference. So that’s pretty significant. Over a 12 hour shift, that’s gonna be, let’s see, let me calculate that… That’s $168 difference over a 12 hour shift. So that’s about a $2,000 a month difference. So you would make about $2,000 less per month as an LPN than you would as an RN.

But one reason why you might choose to pursue an LPN rather than an RN straight out of the gate is that it’s easier to get into LPN school than RN school. Maybe your GPA isn’t exactly where you want it to be to be competitive, so you could get into an LPN program, complete that, and then, once you have your LPN, it’s much easier to get into the bridge program that will take you from your LPN to an RN. And if you did the LPN program and then the bridge program back to back, that would take you 12 months for the LPN and then another 12 months for the bridge program, so if you’re comparing that to the RN, that would take you about 6 months longer than if you just did the RN straight out of the gate. But, like I said, it’s much easier to get into the LPN program. You don’t have to have the same level of grades that you would need to have to get into most RN programs. And you could even do your LPN program in 12 months and then get a job working in a hospital, and most hospitals do tuition reimbursement, and usually it’s quite a bit for nurses, and they will pay for you to do that bridge program, to go on and get your RN degree. So that would be the most financially responsible way to go about it.

Myocardial Infarction - Case Study Jul 05, 2023

I patient comes into the emergency room with chest pain. What are you, the nurse, going to do about it? Would you recognize it? Go through this case study with us and see what to do when a patient is having a heart attack, or myocardial infarction. Learn the 5 critical actions you must take as a nurse to prevent lasting damage from a myocardial infarction.
Are you looking for an easier way to study for your nursing school classes? Check out Picmonic and get 20% off an already super affordable subscription.
Episode Webpage

Myocardial Infarction Jun 28, 2023

Everything you need to know as a nursing student about Myocardial Infarction, or a heart attack. Know the signs and symptoms of myocardial infarction in patients, know the nursing interventions for a STEMI heart attack. And know what medications to give for a myocardial infarction.
Check out Picmonic for an audiovisual learning system with unforgettable stories to help your remember EVERYTHING you need to know for nursing school and the NCLEX. Click here for 20% off!
Instagram
Facebook
Website: NursingSchoolWeekbyWeek.com
YouTube

Non-Bedside Nursing Jobs (Part 2) Jun 21, 2023

Not all nurses are bedside nurses, and I don’t want you guys to feel like just because you don’t want to work in a hospital, as a bedside nurse, that you’re somehow not a “real” nurse. 61% of nurses work in a hospital setting. So that means almost 40% of nurses work non-bedside nursing jobs. And do not try to tell them they are not “real” nurses. Cause that’s not gonna go over well!

In last week’s episode we talked about 5 great options away from the bedside. We talked about Home Health Nurses, Clinic nurses, Utilization Review Nurses, School nurses, and Camp nurses. So now I’m gonna go over 6 more jobs that you could get as a new grad nurse with no experience that don’t involve working as a bedside nurse.
Check out Picmonic for a super effective audio-visual learning system. Get 20% off right now.
Let's connect on Instagram!
Nursing School Week by Week Website

Alright, first up on our list of non-bedside nurses is a nurse working in an ambulatory surgical clinic. An ambulatory surgery clinic nurse is like a caring guide who assists patients through their surgical journey in an outpatient setting. They play a crucial role in ensuring the safety, comfort, and well-being of patients before, during, and after their surgical procedures. These nurses work closely with the surgical team, including surgeons, anesthesiologists, and other healthcare professionals, to provide care. They prepare patients for surgery by reviewing their medical history, and addressing any questions or concerns. During the surgery, ambulatory surgery clinic nurses assist in setting up the operating room, ensuring sterile conditions, and monitoring the patient’s vital signs. After the surgery, they monitor patients in the recovery area, providing post-operative care and closely observing for any complications or adverse reactions.They educate patients on post-operative care instructions, manage pain medications, and provide emotional support as patients transition out of the clinic and continue their recovery at home. Ambulatory surgery clinic nurses are skilled in managing various surgical procedures, from minor surgeries to more complex interventions. They prioritize patient safety, ensure proper infection control practices, and maintain a comforting environment for patients undergoing surgery in an outpatient setting.

Some pros of being a nurse in an Ambulatory Surgery Clinic are

Quick recovery: In an ambulatory surgery clinic, patients typically undergo minor surgeries or procedures and can often go home on the same day. As a nurse, you get to witness patients’ quick recovery and see them return to their daily lives relatively soon.
Predictable Schedule: Unlike nurses in a hospital, nurses in an ambulatory surgery clinic generally have more regular and predictable schedules.
Close-Knit Team: Ambulatory surgery clinics are often smaller and have a close-knit team of healthcare professionals. This creates a supportive and collaborative work environment where nurses can build strong relationships with their colleagues.
Varied Patient Cases: While ambulatory surgery clinics focus on outpatient procedures, nurses encounter a variety of patient cases and conditions within their scope of practice. This exposure to different medical scenarios allows for continuous learning and skill development.
Efficient Workflow: Ambulatory surgery clinics are designed for efficiency, with streamlined processes and shorter patient stays. As a nurse, you get to work in a well-organized environment

Not All Nurses Are Bedside Nurses Jun 14, 2023

Today I want to address the Elephant in the Nursing School room. I want to talk about this myth that’s out there that says you’re not a “real” nurse unless you work as a bedside nurse in a hospital. And that’s just not the case, and in a bit, I’m gonna give you 10 alternative jobs that you can do as a new grade nurse.
Nursing is a big, huge field. There are over 100 specialties in nursing! How many other fields can claim that? That’s one of the great things about nursing. But nursing school only lasts anywhere from 16 months to 4 years, depending on what type of degree you’re getting. So, that’s obviously not enough time for them to train us in all the types of nursing. But since 55% of nurses work in general medical surgical hospitals, the nursing schools train us to basically be med/surg nurses.
Most, if not all of your clinical rotations will be on med/surg units in a hospital. But what if when you do those clinicals, you feel so much anxiety and stress that it’s just overwhelming. What if you’ve never had a job this physically demanding and you thought you could do it, but you leave each clinical day feeling exhausted and wondering how in the world you’ll be able to do it for 12 straight hours? These feelings are real, and yes, any new job comes with a fair amount of stress as you’re learning all the new things, right? But if you know yourself well enough to know that you really don’t think you’ll be happy working as a bedside nurse, and you’re starting to think maybe you shouldn’t have gone into nursing, then this episode is for you. You need to hear this.
Not all nurses are bedside nurses. Not all nurses work in a busy hospital. Not all nurses work 12 hour shifts.

So, I’m gonna go over the top 10 non-bedside nursing jobs that you could get as a new grad nurse. And these are not just some things I found from a list online. Every one of these jobs, I have researched and I found actual job listings that a new grad could get without any experience.
Instagram: @NursingSchoolWeekbyWeek

Website: NursingSchoolWeekbyWeek.com
Youtube: Nursing School Week by Week
Picmonic Learning System

Sepsis - Case Study Jun 07, 2023

You are working as a nurse in the emergency department when you get a new patient. A 65 year old female with a chief complaint of altered mental status. Will you be able to use your nursing spidey-senses to figure out what is wrong with this patient before she crashes? Once you recognize signs of Sepsis, don't forget to "CALL IT"!
CALL IT = Cultures, Antibiotics, Lactate, Lactate, IV fluids, and Tissue perfusion
https://www.instagram.com/nursingschoolweekbyweek/
https://www.nursingschoolweekbyweek.com/

Sepsis May 31, 2023

With sepsis, or septicemia, it can get real complicated, real fast. But we’re gonna try to just keep it simple today and talk about what you really need to know as nursing students.
Sepsis is when the body has an extreme response to an infection. The body tries so hard to fight off the infection, that it can even damage the patient’s own tissues and organs. Sepsis usually starts with a bacterial infection, but we also see it caused by fungal, viral, or even parasitic infections.
Acronyms used in this episode:
TIME: Temperature, Infection, Mental decline, and Extremely ill
HATTT: Hypotension, Altered Mental State, Tachycardia, Tachypnea, and Temperature
CALL IT: Cultures, Antibiotics, Lactate, Lactate, IV Fluids, and Tissue perfusion
Check out Picmonic for an audiovisual learning system with unforgettable stories to help you remember EVERYTHING you need to know for nursing school.
Click here for 20% off!
https://www.picmonic.com/viphookup/nursingschoolweekbyweekLEW23

Instagram: Nursing School Week by Week Podcast
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nursingschoolweekbyweek

Website: www.nursingschoolweekbyweek.com

This is Why You Will FAIL Out of Nursing School May 24, 2023

Today I'm talking about the reasons why you will fail out of nursing school, if you fail out of nursing school. I’m rooting for all of you, and I want you all to succeed. I don’t want anyone to fail out of nursing school. But the reality is that according to the National League for Nursing Study, the rate for students that either fail or drop out is 20%. That’s 1/5th.
So at orientation, if you look around, every one out of 5 of you will not make it. Will not be there at graduation. And that’s a pretty sobering statistic, and one that I do want you to keep kind of in the back of your mind, especially if that motivates you to work harder. Because the reality is that some of you will flunk out. Some of you will drop out, and I don’t want that for any of you.
Check out Picmonic for an audiovisual learning system with unforgettable stories to help you remember EVERYTHING you need to know for school.
Click here for 20% off
https://www.picmonic.com/viphookup/nursingschoolweekbyweekLEV23

Case Study - Hypoglycemia May 17, 2023

You are working in the emergency room when the charge nurse says, "You've got a new patient. It's a 45 year old female complaining of dizziness." Little do you know, things are about to go from bad to worse for this patient before you implement life-saving interventions.
Hypoglycemia is a condition that you, as the nurse, will see on a regular basis. Get ready for it with this episode!
Check out Picmonic for an audiovisual learning system with unforgettable stories and characters to help you remember EVERYTHING you need to know for school.
Click here for 20% off!
https://www.picmonic.com/viphookup/nursingschoolweekbyweekLEK23

Hypoglycemia May 10, 2023

Knowing how to recognize hypoglycemia, and knowing what to do about it to get their glucose level back up is super important. This is one of those conditions that you will see on a regular basis.
Hypoglycemia is when the blood sugar level drops below 70 mg/dL. The normal range for blood glucose is between 70-100. A low blood sugar level is very serious and you, as the nurse, must act quickly to fix it. I mean, think about it, What is the main fuel source for your brain? Glucose. Your brain needs glucose, or sugar, for energy. If the brain goes too long without enough glucose, it can cause seizures, coma, permanent brain damage, and even death.

Check out Picmonic for an audiovisual learning system with unforgettable stories and characters to help you remember EVERYTHING you need to know for school. Click here for 20% off.
https://www.picmonic.com/viphookup/nursingschoolweekbyweekLEI23

Top Reasons You Should Become a Nurse Mar 08, 2023

There are so many great reasons to become a nurse. No job is going to be all bad or all good, but a mixture of the two. And nursing definitely has it’s good and it’s bad qualities. But, let’s talk about the good things. The reasons why you should become a nurse.
Check out Picmonic for an audiovisual learning system with unforgettable stories and characters to help you remember EVERYTHING you need to know for school.
Click here for 20% off!
https://www.picmonic.com/viphookup/nursingschoolweekbyweekLCH23

Top Reasons NOT to be a Nurse Jan 26, 2023

I want you all to go into this nursing field with your eyes wide open. So today I'm talking about some powerful reasons why you might NOT want to become a nurse. Nursing isn't for everyone, and it pays to get all the information you can before making this very important decision. If I had to go back, would I still choose nursing? Find out in this episode.
Check out Picmonic for an audiovisual learning system with unforgettable stories and characters to help you remember EVERYTHING you need to know for school. Click here for 20% off! https://www.picmonic.com/viphookup/nursingschoolweekbyweekLAZ23

The 5 Flashcards You Need to Ace Pharmacology Nov 29, 2022

Pharmacology is hands down one of the toughest classes you will take in nursing school. In this episode I'm sharing my personal study system for how to minimize your time studying and maximize the results. One of the main components of this system is the Fundamental Five Flashcards. There are five pieces of information that you need to know for each major drug classification. In this episode, I tell you the most efficient place to find that information and how to lay it all out, so you can ace your next pharmacology test!
Check out Picmonic and save 20%!
https://www.picmonic.com/viphookup/nursingschoolweekbyweekLK322
Check out the Anki Flashcard app.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ankimobile-flashcards/id373493387

Are You Too Old For Nursing School? Sep 26, 2022

It's a common question, and if you're asking yourself if you're too old to go to nursing school, you are not alone. If you are a "non-traditional" student, you actually have a few advantages! Some special challenges that I'll address, for sure, but some definite advantages. If you are struggling with this very life-changing decision to go back to school again or not, I have been there. It's not an easy decision. I spent too much time trying to make up my mind. (We're talking years). Let's save you some time!

Diabetes Jul 08, 2022

Diabetes is an important topic in nursing school, and a common diagnosis that you’ll help treat in your future patients.
In this podcast, I talk about the:
Differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Complications such as Neuropathy, Retinopathy, Peripheral Vascular Disease, and Nephropathy.
How it's diagnosed (Hgb A1C test)
Diabetic medications
Purpose of insulin
Triangle of treatment: Medication, exercise, and diet
Signs and Symptoms of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia
DKA and HHNS conditions
Sick Day Care
Check out Picmonic for a great way to memorize the types of insulins.
https://www.picmonic.com/viphookup/nursingschoolweekbyweekLGH22

8 Secrets to Success in Nursing School Jan 11, 2022

These are the 8 secrets to success I've learned in my year and a half of nursing school. Success is no accident. It takes hard work, but it helps to hear tips from someone who's gone before you on this journey.
#1: Take advantage of the Halo Effect
#2: How to choose your study group
#3: Build a strong study system
#4: Reminder notifications
#5: Master assignment list
#6: Study group rules
#7: Strong support system
#8: Prioritize health

Heart Failure Dec 03, 2021

Even as nursing students in clinicals, we see so many patients affected by heart failure. This is definitely a biggie, and one you need to know. Today I'm breaking it down, and hitting the highlights of what you need to know as a nursing student about heart failure.
Picmonic has some great resources to help you remember Heart Failure during test time. Click this link to check out Picmonic for free, or to get 20% off a subscription: https://www.picmonic.com/viphookup/nursingschoolweekbyweekLIK21

So, what is heart failure? Well, it is NOT when the heart stops. That would be cardiac arrest. Heart failure is when the heart isn’t pumping enough blood for your body. And this is either because the heart ventricle isn’t able to fill up all the way, or it’s too weak to pump the blood out once it’s filled up. The main cause of heart failure is hypertension over a long period of time, but it could also be caused by a heart attack that causes part of the heart muscle to die, or a problem with the valves of the heart. There are other causes as well, but you’re probably not gonna be tested on that, so, moving on.

Alright, so if the heart is not pumping as much blood out, that means what essential thing is not getting to the tissues? That’s right, oxygen. And when there’s not enough oxygen circulating throughout your body, there’s one organ that is gonna notice right away. She’s kind of a spoiled little diva, this one. She’s the kidney. And the kidneys are going to sense this lack of oxygen, but interpret it as low blood pressure. So they’re gonna do what they can to increase the blood pressure. What’s one of the main ways we increase blood pressure? By increasing the blood volume. And if you’ll remember back to your anatomy class, the kidneys increase the blood volume by activating the Renin Angiotensin Aldosterone system and this is gonna make the body retain fluids. The kidneys think they’re helping, but they’re really just making things worse, because now the patient is fluid overloaded. So, when you think of heart failure, that starts with an H and an F. I want you to think “high fluids”. HF, Heart Failure equals “high fluids”.

There are two types of heart failure you need to know. Left-sided and right-sided. Left-sided is the most common and this happens when there’s something wrong with the left ventricle. And remember, this means either the ventricle isn’t filling up all the way during diastole, or it isn’t getting all the blood out with that systolic contraction. Either way, it means the blood is gonna back up into the lungs. Because think about how the blood flows through the heart. The unoxygenated blood goes into the right side of the heart, then is pumped to the lungs where it exchanges CO2 for yummy oxygen and then it goes to the left side of the heart to be pumped up through the aorta and out to the whole body. So, if the left ventricle isn’t able to send that blood along that it just got from the lungs, then that blood is gonna back up into the lungs. So I want you to think of the L in Left Sided heart failure like the L for Lungs. Left-sided heart failure equals Lungs, cause we’re gonna see a lot of pulmonary symptoms with left sided heart failure.

The three main signs and symptoms to remember for Left-sided heart failure are: Crackles in the lungs, pink frothy sputum, and orthopnea, which is shortness of breath when lying down flat. So these patients will often tell you they have to prop themselves up on multiple pillows to sleep at night, or they may even sleep in a recliner because it helps them breathe.

The other type of heart failure, Right-sided heart failure is when the right ventricle isn’t contracting effectively. And it’s easy to remember what kinds of signs and symptoms you’re gonna see with right-sided heart failure if you think about where the blood is coming from that goes into the right atrium. It’s coming from

My INSANELY Effective Study System Sep 11, 2021

Today I’m sharing with you my insanely effective study system that I use for nursing school. This is a study system that is big on active learning, and NOT passive, time-wasting things. I’m NOT talking about re-reading or re-writing your notes. I’m NOT talking about getting cozy on the couch with your textbook and reading the chapter while highlighting. No. Those are passive learning techniques, and are not the best use of your time. In nursing school, you have precious little time, and you’ve got to make the most of it.
I use 4 resources to study for nursing school, and no, the textbook is NOT one of them. All four are mobile apps and can be used with a laptop or tablet as well.
The 1st is Picmonic.
This app uses pictures and stories to help you remember difficult-to-learn concepts and facts.
Click this link to check out Picmonic for free, or to get 20% off a subscription: https://www.picmonic.com/viphookup/nursingschoolweekbyweekLIK21
The 2nd is Nursing.com.
This one has videos that are about 10 minutes long on just about every subject you’ll cover in nursing school.
The 3rd is the Anki flashcard app.
This app spaces out your flashcards and shows them to you at the perfect time for your brain to remember the information.
The 4th app is any podcast app.

You Need These Study Apps Aug 09, 2021

"There's an app for that!"
There's an app for everything, and today I’m talking about the top 3 apps you need as a nursing student. I’m about halfway through my nursing school program, and I am telling you - these apps have saved me so much time, and I truly believe they’ve been instrumental in helping me make A’s in my classes.

Follow this link https://www.picmonic.com/viphookup/nursingschoolweekbyweek to check out Picmonic for free or sign up for a subscription with 20% off! Seriously, this is such an awesome resource for nursing students.
Check out Nursing.com for excellent videos and quizes to supplement your education.
Click here to learn more about the Anki flashcard app.

6 Reasons You Should Work During Nursing School Jul 08, 2021

Deciding whether or not to work while you go to nursing school can be a difficult decision. Should you focus on studying? Should you get the experience of working? Today we’re talking about 6 reasons why you should work during nursing school, (and one situation where you shouldn’t.) Some people don’t have a choice. They’ve got rent to pay, or other people to support, and they have to work during nursing school just to stay afloat. But, maybe you are lucky enough to be living somewhere rent-free, or you have a partner who’s working, or you’ve planned ahead, and have saved up money so you don’t have to work. So, I’m gonna cover 6 reasons why you should work, one reason why you shouldn’t, and I’ll also share what I decided to do.

Chronic Kidney Disease Apr 18, 2021

What do you need to know as a nursing student about Chronic Kidney Disease?
Today I'm going to be talking about chronic kidney disease.
When a patient has a problem with their kidneys, it can either be an acute problem or a chronic problem. So it could be acute kidney injury which can often be reversed and fixed or it could be chronic kidney disease and that is not reversible. With chronic kidney disease they will eventually need dialysis or a kidney transplant. Chronic kidney disease is an irreversible loss of kidney function that happens slowly over time. It's often called a “silent disease” because it usually presents with no symptoms at first. We can say that a person has chronic kidney disease once their glomerular filtration rate or GFR is less than 60 ml per minute.

Cirrhosis Apr 04, 2021

Let's talk about Cirrhosis! Learn about the signs and symptoms, the complications, and what you, as the nurse, can do about it.
Over 44,000 people die every year from cirrhosis, so it’s the 9th leading cause of death in the US. Cirrhosis is an incurable form of liver disease that happens slowly due to inflammation and scarring of the liver tissue. When you think of cirrhosis, think of scarring, or “Scarosis”. The main cause is chronic hepatitis C. The other two causes are: drinking too much alcohol, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is when too much fat gets stored in the liver cells, and this can be from obesity or diabetes.

So the liver cells get damaged, they try to fix themselves, but just wind up making scar tissue instead. So instead of having a nice, smooth liver, you’ve got a lumpy mess of a liver with constrictive bands that cut off the flow of blood and bile. Remember bile is made in the liver, and then has to go to the gallbladder to be stored.

So why do we care so much about the liver? What does it do for us?

Our liver detoxifies alcohol and drugs. It breaks down proteins and carbs, and steroid hormones. It makes blood clotting factors, so if your liver isn’t working, you’re gonna have a decrease in every coagulation factor, except factor 8. The liver makes blood proteins, like Albumin, and if you remember, Albumin is the main protein in your blood, and the main thing regulating your oncotic pressure, or the thing that’s keeping your fluids in your blood vessels, and not seeping out into the tissue. So when the liver isn’t making enough Albumin, we’re gonna see edema and ascites. Ascites is when too much fluid builds up in the peritoneal cavity, causing a big swollen belly.

A normal liver will store glucose as glycogen for later use, but with an impaired liver, we could see hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia cause the body’s having a hard time regulating the glucose levels. The liver makes bile, and bile absorbs fat and gets rid of bilirubin. Bilirubin is a yellow pigment that’s a byproduct of your old red blood cells getting broken down. A healthy liver will take that bilirubin and put it in your poop with bile to get rid of it. This is what makes your poop brown. So without that bile, your poop is gonna be pale and clay-colored, because you’re not getting rid of the bilirubin pigment, and that bilirubin is gonna keep building up building up and make your skin and the whites of your eyes yellow.

Hyperthyroidism & Hypothyroidism Mar 20, 2021

This week, the most high-yield topic is hyper and hypothyroidism. You’ll see a lot of your test questions coming from this subject.

I’m gonna talk about hyperthyroidism first, and then I’ll cover hypothyroidism.

So, What is hyperthyroidism? It’s when your body makes too much of the thyroid hormones T3 and T4. I’m not sure how much of the A&P you remember from forever ago, so to review how T3 & T4 are made, your hypothalamus in your brain releases Thyroid Releasing Hormone; this makes the Pituitary gland release TSH, or Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, and that makes the thyroid, the little butterfly-shaped gland on your neck, produce T3 and T4.

In both hyper and hypothyroidism, the main causes are autoimmune disorders. The autoimmune disorder that causes hyperthyroidism is called Graves disease. With Graves disease, the patient will have a goiter, or an enlarged thyroid gland, that’s sometimes so big, you can see it from the door of their room. They’ll also have the characteristic bulging eyes, or exophthalmos. This will also be very noticeable, cause it’ll look like they are staring at you in a creepy way, and their eyes are protruding out of the sockets. Usually, our upper eyelids cover the top half of our iris. But in a patient with exophthalmos, you’ll be able to see the white of their eyeball above their iris, below their upper eyelid. So, if the patient has green eyes, you’d be able to see some white between the green and their upper eyelid. Sometimes the exophthalmos will be so bad that they can’t even close their eyelids all the way.

Hypothyroidism is when the thyroid gland doesn’t make enough T3 and T4. So just the opposite of hyperthyroidism. The most common cause is the autoimmune disorder, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. I remember that Hashimoto’s causes hypothyroidism like hypO, HashimOto. Hashimotos is when your body makes antibodies that destroy your thyroid gland, which decreases T3 and T4. This causes the gland to grow bigger to compensate, which creates a goiter. So you can have a goiter with both hyper and hypothyroidism.

Another cause of hypothyroidism is simply not getting enough iodine in your diet, but this isn’t an issue here in the US, because we put iodine into our salt.

Also, if someone is getting treated for hyperthyroidism, like they get a thyroidectomy, or radioactive iodine ablation, those can both overcorrect to lead to hypothyroidism. Even if they are just taking antithyroid medication, and they take too much.

8 Tips To Get The Most Out Of Nursing Clinicals Sep 20, 2020

If the hospitals in your area are allowing students to come in, then you’ll likely be starting your clinical rotations soon, if you haven’t already. Today I’m going to share some tips that will help you really get the most out of your nursing clinicals.
Tip #1: Daily Goals Post-it-Note
Tip #2: Ask to Watch or Do
Tip #3: Don't correct the Nurses or Techs
Tip #4: Be Brave
Tip #5: Don't Cry
Tip #6: Be a Team Player
Tip #7: Keep a Clinical Journal
Tip #8: Embrace Failure

Physical Assessment Sep 06, 2020

Doing a head to toe assessment is something you will be doing day in and day out for the rest of your nursing career, so let’s learn how to do it quickly, and efficiently.

Tissue Integrity Aug 29, 2020

For the 1st week of nursing school, the most high-yield topic is tissue integrity.

Well, what is tissue integrity? It’s your skin’s ability to repair itself and stay healthy. Let's talk about it!

10 Essential Nursing Supplies Aug 08, 2020

Today we’ll be talking about the 10 essential supplies you need for nursing school. Then I’ll run through about 15 more things that are nice to have. This list may be a little different for each school, so if your school gives you a supplies list, definitely go by that first.

Now, I’m going to assume if you’ve made it through your prereqs, that you already have a backpack and pens and paper. If you don’t I highly recommend a rolling backpack. It may look dorky, but it will save your back because these nursing textbooks are huge and heavy, and there are many of them.

So, the top 10 nursing school supplies are:

1. Planner
2. Textbooks
3. Anki App
4. Stethoscope
5. NCLEX Review Guide
6. Scrubs
7. Shoes
8. Laptop
9. Analog watch
10. Badge clip

What to Expect at Nursing School Orientation Jul 16, 2020

Nursing school orientation is just one of the many things that is so different in 2020. At orientation, your professors will go over the dress code for skills lab and clinicals, the schedule that you could have for your clinical rotations, what skills lab will look like, the books and supplies you’ll need, and they’ll emphasize how much hard work you are going to need to put into nursing school.

You've Been Accepted! Now What? Jul 03, 2020

Today we’re going to be talking about all the little requirements that have to be met in the months leading up to nursing school. This is after you’ve been accepted, but before the actual start date of your program. When you get your acceptance into nursing school, it’s so exciting, because you’ve worked so hard to get to that point, and you should celebrate! But, that acceptance is conditional on you completing a bunch of other requirements and turning them in by different due dates. I’m talking about things like immunizations, drug testing, and getting your fingerprints taken. Nursing schools do NOT mess around. All of these things have specific due dates, and if you don’t get even one turned in on time, they WILL give your spot to someone else.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Nursing School Week by Week

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected