Straight A Nursing: Study for nursing school exams & NCLEX

Latest Episodes:

#98: Levels of Consciousness Simplified Apr 23, 2020

Show notes

Probably one of the elements of a head-to-toe assessment that is subject to the most uncertainty is the patient’s level of consciousness. Knowing the difference between each level of consciousness will help you chart accurately and communicate your patient’s condition with precision.

So, if you’ve ever wondered what the differences are between obtunded and stuporous, or lethargic and somnolent...pop your earbuds in and take a listen!

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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.

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#97: Albuterol Apr 16, 2020

Show notes

Albuterol is one of those medications you’ll see used so frequently that it almost seems like everyone gets a dose of albuterol here and there. While this isn’t entirely true, it is a pretty common medication that you’ll see regularly in the clinical setting.

In this podcast episode, I’ll talk you through the must-know information about Albuterol so you can ensure it’s given safely and that your professors won’t be able to trick you with any of those challenging NCLEX-style exam questions.

Using the Straight A Nursing pharmacology framework “DRRUGS,” we’ll look at Albuterol in an organized and systematic manner (drug class, routes, regular dose range, uses, guidelines and side effects).

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Crucial Concepts Bootcamp - Start nursing school ahead of the game, or reset after a difficult first semester with my nursing school prep course, Crucial Concepts Bootcamp. Learn key foundation concepts, organization and time management, dosage calculations, and so much more.

Pharmacology Success Pack - Want to get a head start on pharmacology? Download the FREE Pharmacology Success Pack

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

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#96: Perfecting Your Start-of-Shift Routine Apr 09, 2020

Show notes

Learning how to manage your time is one of the biggest hurdles in clinical and even when you’re beginning as a new nurse. After much trial and error with my own practice, I finally settled on a solid start-of-shift routine that helped me start each day off as organized and methodical as possible. I found that on those days when I neglected my routine, I was much more frazzled, unfocused, and ended up wasting more time by trying to play catch up.

In this podcast episode, I share with you seven things to do at the beginning of your shift. Take a listen and then I invite you to devise your own start-of-shift routine so you can feel like the confident, organized nurse you are!

Download a sample Run Sheet here.

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#95: The Low-Down on Dialysis Apr 02, 2020

Show notes

CORRECTION: Mrs Dash is actually not high in potassium :-)

In this podcast episode I'll talk you through the basics of hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. Pop in those earbuds and learn all about key nursing assessments and interventions, how to monitor your patient for complications, what lab values you'll follow, how to keep your patient safe, and the nitty-gritty details you need for those dialysis NCLEX and nursing school exam questions.

Starting nursing school soon? Grab my free guide, the 20 Secrets of Successful Nursing Students here: https://straightanursing.ck.page/4d90f769dc

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#94: Bulletproof Your Patient Mar 26, 2020

Show notes

What does it mean to keep your patients safe? Is it keeping them from falling, avoiding medication errors, or preventing pressure-related injury? Yes, yes and definitely yes! And while you can’t cushion your patient with bubble wrap, you can take steps to do what I call “bulletproofing” your patient against harm.

In this podcast episode I share with you my best tips for creating an organized room and an environment that promotes safety, helps prevent errors and sets things up so anyone could take over for you without missing a beat.

As always, please defer to your facility's protocols as they will always trump my recommendations and advice. These are great guidelines, but every facility is different, so make sure you do your homework.

Looking for the Bulletproof Your Patient checklist? It's right here! (for those viewing on a podcast, player, grab it at https://straightanursingstudent.com/podcast94/)

Bulletproof Patient Checklist Download

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#93: What to Do When You’re Failing Nursing School Mar 19, 2020

Show notes

If you’re failing, in clinical jeopardy or struggling with nursing school, then this episode is for you! I know how hard you’ve been working and I know this must be a really difficult time for you, so just know that I am absolutely rooting for you every step of the way. Even if you’re not currently struggling, you’ll get some great tips that can help you stay ahead of the game. In this podcast episode, I’ll talk you through:

* Steps to take when you’re failing a course

* What to do if you’re failing in clinical or in clinical jeopardy

* How to survive skills check-offs

* My best tips for turning things around

* Advice for filing an appeal

Need a Nursing School Booster Shot? https://straightanursing.mykajabi.com/boostershot

Got test anxiety? I got you! https://straightanursingstudent.com/test-anxiety-in-nursing-school-episode-67/

Struggling to take effective notes in nursing school? https://straightanursingstudent.com/taking-notes/

NCLEX-style questions got you shaking in your Danskos? Decipher them with these strategies https://straightanursingstudent.com/nclex-strategies/

Not sure where to place your focus in nursing school? Try these tips: https://straightanursingstudent.com/focus-nursing-school/

Is your study group wasting your time? Turn that time-waster into a life-saver: https://straightanursingstudent.com/podcast74/

Looking for a way to learn and study disease conditions? Grab a LATTE! https://straightanursingstudent.com/latte-podcast/

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#92: Placenta Problems got You Perplexed? Mar 12, 2020

Show notes

Two placental disorders that you’ll need to be able to differentiate are placental abruption (also known as abruptio placentae) and placenta previa. In this podcast episode, we’ll talk through the key differences and nursing interventions so it all makes perfect sense. In this podcast you’ll learn:

* What these two conditions are

* Classification criteria

* Key signs and symptoms for each

* Risk factors for both conditions

* Medical and surgical treatments

* Nursing interventions for both

* How to differentiate between the two for your exams

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#91: Say Hello to Haloperidol Mar 05, 2020

Show notes

Haloperidol (Haldol) is a traditional antipsychotic with some very distinct guidelines that could show up on your next exam or with your next combative, delirious patient.

In this podcast episode, I’ll talk you through:

* What Haldol is used for in the clinical setting

* The multiple ways Haldol can be given (and how we’re going to give it for acute agitation in the hospital)

* THE most important thing you need to know before you give Haldol and what to monitor afterwards.

* The very dangerous thing that could happen to your patient with Haldol administration

* Monitoring parameters

* Common side effects of Haldol

Plus, I’m sharing a sneak peak into my Pharmacology course and an acronym that can help you focus your studying when learning new medications.

Want to learn more about the QT interval? (https://straightanursingstudent.com/qt-interval/)

Want to see how I remember drug side effects? (https://straightanursingstudent.com/psychopharmacology-podcast/)

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Full Transcript- Read the article and view references

Pharmacology Success Pack - Want to get a head start on pharmacology? Download the FREE Pharmacology Success Pack

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!

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#90: Assess These Five Things with Every Patient Interaction Feb 27, 2020

Show notes

When you think about a nurse’s superpowers, you might picture someone performing CPR or rushing to open the airway of a patient in respiratory arrest. But the nurse’s real superpower is his or her ability to assess. It’s the watchful awareness of the nurse that catches subtle changes in patient condition that enable the team to intervene BEFORE the unthinkable happens.

In this podcast episode, I’m going to talk with you about the importance of those routine interactions and how they can provide you with a wealth of data about your patients. By assessing these five things with every patient contact, you can catch changes in patient condition even before your next head-to-toe assessment is due. When you develop a habit of using every patient interaction as an opportunity to assess, you become hypervigilant about your patient and begin to develop those rockstar assessment skills.

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Clinical Success Pack - One of the best ways to fast-track your clinical learning is having the right tools. This pack includes report sheets, sheets to help you plan your day, a clinical debrief form, and a patient safety cheat sheet.

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#89: Oxygenation and Related Concepts Feb 20, 2020

Show notes

A lot of nursing schools are changing to a concept-based curriculum where instead of teaching disorders in isolation, they teach concepts that have broader application. For example, instead of just teaching about asthma, these programs teach oxygenation as a concept and use asthma as an example for beginning students (and then more complex disorders such as ARDS for the advanced students). By learning about oxygenation as a concept, the consensus is that you’ll apply this knowledge more easily in clinical (and on exams) because you’ll have a better understanding of how it interrelates with the patient’s overall condition.

In this podcast episode Nurse Mo talks you through the basics of oxygenation and some related concepts. You will learn:

* The difference between oxygenation and ventilation

* The difference between hypoxia and hypoxemia

* The difference between diffusion and perfusion

* Why hypoxia and hypoxemia do not always co-exist (though they often do!)

* How optimal oxygenation looks in a healthy patient vs how it looks in a patient with a respiratory disorder

* How the body compensates for chronic low oxygen levels

* The importance of airway patency

* Nursing interventions for patients having oxygenation challenges

And to drive the concept of oxygenation home, we’ll talk through three case studies using our fictitious patients, Bob, Sally and James. They are each in distress for very different reasons, but they’re all related to oxygenation. Enjoy!

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