Nursing School Week by Week

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!

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

1. 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.
2. Predictable Schedule: Unlike nurses in a hospital, nurses in an ambulatory surgery clinic generally have more regular and predictable schedules.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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

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.

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/nursingschoolweekbyweekLIK21The 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 .

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