This special episode is part of a nursing podcast PodCrawl to celebrate Nurses Week and increase awareness about the different types of shock. This episode covers distributive shock, and you can find episodes about hypovolemic shock, obstructive and cardiogenic shock in the links down below. And, you might even discover a new nursing podcast to binge! In this episode you’ll learn:  The basics about hemodynamics, including the factors that affect blood pressure The hemodynamics of distributive shock Key things to know about each subtype of distributive shock – anaphylactic shock, neuroge ..read more

Shock is defined as a state of cellular and tissue hypoxia that is due to reduced oxygen delivery, increased oxygen consumption by the cells, inadequate utilization of oxygen, or a combination of any of these. There are four main types of shock – hypovolemic, cardiogenic, obstructive, and distributive. This lesson provides an overview of distributive shock. In order to understand shock, it’s important to have some basic knowledge of hemodynamics. Hemodynamics can be understood in very simple terms with just three key components.  Volume – This is the amount of blood inside the blood vess ..read more

Children can have a wide range of gastrointestinal disorders, and exams will require you to be able to differentiate between each one. In this episode, I’m providing a high level overview of common pediatric GI disorders: Gastroesophageal reflux disease Hirschsprung disease Intussusception Hypertrophic pyloric stenosis Biliary atresia Meckel’s diverticulum Short bowel syndrome Plus, there’s a PodQuiz at the end…so make sure you listen all the way through! ___________________ Full Transcript – Read the article and view references  FREE CLASS – If all you’ve heard are nursing school horr ..read more

Children can have a wide range of gastrointestinal disorders, and exams will require you to be able to differentiate between each one. This lesson provides a brief overview of some common pediatric GI disorders.  Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) WHAT IS GERD? Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) involves stomach acid repeatedly flowing into the esophagus, causing irritation to the mucosal tissue. Risk factors for GERD include prematurity, cystic fibrosis, neurological impairments, scoliosis, hiatal hernia, esophageal atresia, obesity, and asthma. When GERD occurs in infants, it m ..read more

Clostridioides difficile, formerly known as Clostridium difficile, is an anaerobic, spore-forming bacillus that causes a serious bacterial infection in the colon. It is spread through the fecal-oral route and once ingested, the spores travel to the small intestine where they become vegetative, and then on to the colon where they reproduce and release toxins. It’s the toxins that cause severe inflammation and the symptoms associated with a C. diff infection (CDI): Toxin A: attracts neutrophils and monocytes Toxin B: weakens the epithelial cells of the colon and is thought to be the main contri ..read more

I’m sharing one of my favorites from the Rapid Response RN podcast with you in this special bonus episode! If you haven’t started listening to this podcast yet, you are going to LOVE Sarah! Her podcast helps nurses boost their confidence when responding to emergencies. New episodes drop every Friday, so make sure you are following the Rapid Response RN show, too! ___________________ Rapid Response and Rescue Class – Take your assessment and emergency response skills to the next level with this training from Sarah Lorenzini, the Rapid Response RN! FREE CLASS – If all you’ve heard are nursing s ..read more

What is dysphagia? Dysphagia is a condition in which the individual has difficulty swallowing. Proper swallowing relies on a complex coordination involving more than 30 nerves and muscles. When even one of these elements fails to work properly, dysphagia can result.  There are four stages of swallowing and each stage relies on multiple muscles working together: The oral preparatory stage –  This stage involves chewing food and mixing it with saliva to form a bolus. The oral propulsion stage – In this stage, the tongue pushes the food into the throat and swallowing is initiated. The ..read more

If you’re learning about advanced Med Surg concepts or even working in the clinical setting, you’ve no doubt heard of pulmonary embolism. But did you know it goes beyond impaired gas exchange? Hit play on this episode to learn how a pulmonary embolism can impair cardiac function, potentially leading to devastating consequences. In this episode, you’ll review foundation concepts to help you understand this connection: Cardiopulmonary circulation Pulmonary embolism pathophysiology The factors that contribute to blood pressure ___________________ Full Transcript – Read the article and view ref ..read more

If you’re learning about advanced Med Surg concepts or even working in the clinical setting, you’ve no doubt heard of pulmonary embolism and might initially think the main consequence is impaired gas exchange. However, another significant complication of a large pulmonary embolism is impaired cardiac function which can lead to decreased cardiac output, significant hypotension and even cardiovascular collapse.  In order to fully grasp this concept, it’s important to have an underlying understanding of cardiopulmonary circulation, the pathology that occurs in a pulmonary embolism, and the f ..read more

If you’ve ever thought that CRNA school might be in your future, the time to start preparing is now…even if you’re not in nursing school yet! In this episode, I’m joined by Jenny Finnell, CRNA and CEO of CRNA School Prep Academy. Not only is Jenny a great mentor, but she’s also extremely knowledgeable about what it takes to get into a CRNA program.  Hit play on this episode to get some of your questions about the path to CRNA school, such as:  How do you know if CRNA school is the right career path for you? What sorts of things does a CRNA do? When is the ideal time to start preppi ..read more