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Mastering the Head-to-Toe Physical Assessment in Nursing

Hey there, future nurses! In this episode, I’m bringing back one of the most popular and highly requested episodes—a full, step-by-step head-to-toe physical assessment, demonstrated on my then-fiancé (now husband!).

I’ll walk you through each step, explaining not just what to do but why it matters. We’ll talk about the difference between subjective and objective data, the essential tools you’ll need, and how to structure your assessment based on different body systems. Plus, I’ll throw in some quiz questions along the way to test your knowledge!

Performing a thorough physical assessment is one of the most important skills you’ll develop as a nursing student and new nurse. The more you practice, the more confident you’ll feel in clinicals and beyond.

Alright, let’s get started—grab your stethoscope, and let’s go!

📌 Episode Breakdown:
00:00 – Introduction & Why This Skill is Essential
00:19 – The Importance of a Thorough Physical Assessment
01:42 – Subjective vs. Objective Data: What’s the Difference?
02:17 – Must-Have Tools for Your Assessment
02:54 – How to Structure Your Assessment by Body System
04:22 – Quick Quiz: Test Your Knowledge!
06:38 – Performing the Full Physical Assessment
09:10 – Head & Neck Examination
11:52 – Heart, Lungs & Abdomen Assessment
15:25 – Extremities & Skin: What to Look For
17:48 – Final Quiz & Wrap-Up

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Mastering the ISBAR Method: How to Give a Clear, Confident Bedside Shift Report

Giving a bedside shift report can feel intimidating, but it’s a skill every nursing student needs to master. In this episode of Nursing School Week by Week, I walk you through the ISBAR method—Identify, Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendations—so you can communicate clearly, concisely, and professionally during handoff.

I’ll share my own experiences with shift reports, break down each ISBAR component step by step, and explain why bedside reporting is worth the extra effort. You’ll learn how it boosts patient safety, improves teamwork, and enhances patient satisfaction—plus, I’ll give you practical tips on handling sensitive patient information and navigating tricky situations with confidence.

By the end of this episode, you’ll feel prepared to walk into your next clinical shift and deliver a professional, well-structured bedside report without the stress. Stick around for a quick pod quiz at the end to test what you’ve learned!

Episode Breakdown:

🩺 00:00 Introduction + My Experience with Shift Reports
 📋 00:25 Why Shift Reports Matter
 🔍 00:52 What is ISBAR?
 🛠️ 01:31 Step-by-Step Guide to ISBAR
 🏥 01:53 The Benefits of Bedside Shift Reporting
 💡 03:59 Practical Tips for Giving Reports with Confidence
 📖 04:41 Deep Dive: Breaking Down ISBAR Components
 🎧 06:32 Pod Quiz & Recap
 🔥 14:55 Final Tips + Encouragement
 📚 16:48 Wrap-Up & Additional Resources

Listen now and take the stress out of bedside shift reports! 🎙️

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Feeling overwhelmed trying to keep up with nursing school lectures, clinicals, and exams while balancing work and life? You’re not alone! In this episode of Nursing School Week by Week, I’m giving you a step-by-step Nursing School Study Schedule—the exact system I used to get straight A’s and pass the NCLEX while working part-time and being a mom to five kids.

You’ll learn:
 ✅ How to structure your study time to stay ahead in nursing school
✅ The biggest study mistakes that waste hours (and what to do instead)
✅ Proven study strategies that help you retain information faster
✅ How to balance nursing school with work, family, and life—without burnout

This isn’t just another list of study tips—this is a full nursing school study plan that includes:
📅 A daily and weekly study schedule
⏳ Time management strategies that actually work
📝 The best study methods for long-term retention
💡 Why passive study techniques (like highlighting and re-reading) are a waste of time
💪 How to use active learning to make information stick

And because I know how crucial it is to have a system in place, I’ve put together a detailed, hour-by-hour study schedule that you can tweak based on your personal workload. I’ll even cover when to review lectures, how to use Picmonic and Anki flashcards effectively, and how to prep for exams without cramming.

💡 Want even more study strategies? Be sure to listen to Season 4, Episode 9: "My Insanely Effective Study System", where I break down the exact methods I used to master nursing school content and ace my exams.

If you find this episode helpful, I’d love for you to leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify—your reviews help other nursing students find the podcast and get the support they need. 💙

Hit play now and let’s create a nursing school study routine that sets you up for success! 🎧

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Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Connect with me on:

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Mastering Electrolytes: Understanding Calcium and Magnesium in Nursing

In this final installment of the Electrolytes series at Nursing School Week by Week, the focus is on calcium and magnesium. The role of calcium extends beyond strong bones to muscle contractions, nerve transmission, and blood clotting, while magnesium maintains muscle and nerve functions. Detailed signs of imbalances such as Chvostek's and Trousseau's signs for hypocalcemia and symptoms of hypercalcemia and hypermagnesemia are discussed. Practical case studies emphasize the critical application of lab values in real clinical scenarios. Key strategies for patient education and ways to handle electrolyte imbalances through diet, medication, and IV fluids are elaborated. The episode also provides tips from successful nursing students, stressing the importance of understanding the mechanisms behind electrolyte levels and continuous practice. The discussion concludes with real-life case scenarios for deeper insight into how imbalances impact patient care and the importance of vigilant nursing assessments.

00:00 Introduction to the Final Electrolyte Series
01:03 Understanding Calcium: Beyond Strong Bones
03:52 Magnesium: The Unsung Hero of Electrolyte Balance
06:11 Electrolyte Review Questions
08:33 Life-Threatening Electrolyte Emergencies
11:15 Diet and Electrolyte Balance
17:32 Patient Education on Electrolytes
24:11 Case Studies: Real-Life Electrolyte Imbalances
32:06 Key Takeaways and Conclusion

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Mastering Potassium: Essential Knowledge for Life-Saving Nursing

In this episode of Nursing School Week by Week, the focus is on the critical role of potassium in the body. The discussion includes the importance of potassium for heart function, recognizing the dangers of both hyperkalemia (high potassium levels) and hypokalemia (low potassium levels), as well as the symptoms and causes of these imbalances. Practical tips are provided on how to manage these conditions, including administering potassium supplements, monitoring heart rhythms, and understanding emergency treatments. Listeners will also benefit from a pod quiz testing their knowledge on essential points covered in the episode.

00:00 Introduction to Potassium
00:51 Understanding Potassium's Role in the Body
02:11 Recognizing and Managing Hypokalemia
06:10 Recognizing and Managing Hyperkalemia
10:48 Potassium Quiz and Key Takeaways
13:39 Conclusion and Next Steps

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Understanding Electrolyte Imbalances in Nursing Practice

In this episode of Nursing School Week by Week, host Melanie breaks down the critical concept of electrolytes, focusing on their imbalances and the associated dangers. She emphasizes the real-world implications for nursing practice and provides detailed information on the four key electrolytes: sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. The episode covers symptoms, causes, and nursing interventions for both hyponatremia and hypernatremia, including practical scenarios and pod quiz questions to reinforce learning. Melanie also shares tips for recognizing and managing these conditions effectively in clinical settings, preparing nursing students for exams and real-life nursing challenges.

00:00 Introduction to Electrolytes
01:52 Understanding Sodium: The Brain's Best Friend
02:22 Hyponatremia: Low Sodium Levels
05:03 Real-World Scenario: Hyponatremia
06:42 Pod Quiz: Test Your Sodium Knowledge
09:50 Hypernatremia: High Sodium Levels
14:26 Pod Quiz: Test Your Hypernatremia Knowledge
17:27 Conclusion and Next Steps

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Preparation Tips for Nursing Students: Insights from Nurse Melanie

In this episode of Nursing School Week by Week, I share essential tips to help you prepare for nursing school. I cover how mastering time management and organization skills with the use of digital and paper planners can be a game-changer. I also explain the importance of setting up an organized workspace and creating a study schedule. You'll hear my advice on refreshing prerequisite knowledge such as anatomy, physiology, and medical terminology. I stress the significance of building a support system, preparing mentally and emotionally, and maintaining self-care routines. Additionally, I offer practical tips on managing finances, gathering essential supplies, meal prepping, and navigating transportation. Leverage apps and technology to aid in your studies. Overall, my goal is to help you set the groundwork for a successful nursing school journey.

00:00 Welcome to Nursing School Week by Week
00:33 Mastering Time Management and Organization
04:47 Creating a Productive Study Environment
10:34 Refreshing Key Prerequisite Knowledge
17:39 Preparing Mentally and Emotionally
24:29 Gathering Essential Supplies
28:07 Final Tips and Encouragement

Nursing Exam Cram Sheet for the NCLEX-RN

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In this episode of 'Nursing School Week by Week', we dive deep into cardiac medications, breaking down complex pharmacology concepts into bite-sized pieces. We start with an overview of the main categories: diuretics, antiarrhythmics, and anticoagulants, using various analogies to make them memorable, like plumbers for diuretics and electricians for antiarrhythmics. We discuss specific medications such as ACE inhibitors, ARBs, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, and diuretics, detailing their mechanisms, common side effects, and useful mnemonics. We also tackle the intricacies of digoxin, heparin, and warfarin, explaining their usage, monitoring parameters, and safe practices. Essential nursing considerations, patient education tips, and the importance of individualizing care are emphasized throughout. Finally, we conclude with a pop quiz to reinforce learning and provide a Cardiac Medications Cheat Sheet for practical use in clinicals.

The episode is sponsored by PicMonic, a tool for enhanced memory retention.

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Nursing is one of those few degrees that you can get for free, if you play your cards right. 
And this is one of those times when it pays to do some research, because besides paying for your first house, college will probably be your biggest expense in life. 
Paying out of pocket for nursing school is expensive. Average costs range from $12,000 to $35,000 for an associates degree in nursing; and a bachelor’s degree is $30,000 to $80,000. And if you go to a private college for nursing, you could be looking at more like $120,000! That’s a lot of money. 
But there are other options.  There are scholarships, grants, military options, tuition reimbursement, and loan forgiveness programs. We are going to talk about all of those options today, and I will let you know which ones are my favorite for going to nursing school for free, and which one I definitely don’t recommend.

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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.

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