NURSING.com Podcast — NCLEX Prep for Nursing Students

Two years on the unit as a tech — then her first night alone as the nurse. The quiet shift that teaches you everything.

"She'd worked the unit for two years. As a tech. And then came her first night... alone. As the nurse."

Not every first shift is a disaster. Some of them are quiet — and the quiet ones teach you something too. The night team took care of her with a fair, gentle assignment. She made it through. And she wrote something worth keeping: it felt "really, really lonely"... with no preceptor beside her. But she didn't mind the sound of silence.

In this episode of First Shift, Jon Haws, RN — founder of NURSING.com — tells her story, then tells his own: his first solo shift in the Neuro ICU, sitting with a family as they withdrew life support. Afterward, the patient's mother hugged him and said, "I love you. I will never forget you." He didn't do anything special. He just stayed.

Three things for the quiet shifts: you're never actually alone — build your team, learn their names, say thank you. Asking for help is the job, not a weakness. And the oxygen mask rule: take care of yourself first, so you can take care of everybody else.

If you're a nursing student or a new nurse, this one's for you. New episodes of First Shift drop every Friday — real stories from nurses' first shifts, and the honest talk that gets you through yours.

Studying for the NCLEX? Try SIMCLEX — the adaptive practice exam that tells you when you're ready: https://nursing.com/simclex

It's time to go out and be your best self today. Happy nursing, y'all.

Today's NCLEX Question of the Day:

The nursing category is musculoskeletal. The NCLEX category is basic care and comfort. A nurse has given a patient with joint stiffness and limited range of motion a nursing diagnosis of impaired physical mobility. Which nursing intervention would be most appropriate when caring for this patient? A, screen for signs of ineffective coping or helplessness. B, ensure that the patient receives enough food and fluids. C, assess the patient's relationship with his spouse. D, monitor for changes in the patient's affect that indicate anxiety or panic.

Think you know the answer? Listen to the episode for the full breakdown and rationale.

Do you actually KNOW if you're ready for the NCLEX, or are you just hoping? Stop guessing and find out for free. Take the free SIMCLEX at nursing.com/simclex. It simulates the algorithms of the NCLEX, the same question rules, the same difficulty, so you get a real feel for what the actual exam is like.

New NCLEX Question of the Day episodes drop every Thursday.

Welcome to Nursing Mnemonics — new episodes drop every Wednesday.

Low potassium signs and symptoms are pure NCLEX gold. This episode walks you through the 6 L's mnemonic so you can recall every sign of hypokalemia without second-guessing.

Go to nursing.com/cheatsheets to get the must-know nursing mnemonics for NCLEX.

Albumin — the must-know protein lab value for the NCLEX, covered in 5 minutes.

In this episode: what albumin is, the normal reference range of 3.5-6 grams per deciliter, how this liver-synthesized transport protein carries bilirubin, calcium, progesterone and medications through the blood, its key role in fluid balance and colloid oncotic pressure keeping fluid in the blood, why it's part of the comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP), how it evaluates liver function, nutritional status and kidney function, causes of low albumin including liver disease, cirrhosis, inflammation, shock, malnutrition and kidney disease, and serum versus urine albumin with nephrotic syndrome signs like swelling around the eyes, belly and legs.

Keywords: albumin, normal range, reference range 3.5-6, low albumin, transport protein, colloid oncotic pressure, osmotic pressure, CMP, comprehensive metabolic panel, liver function, nutritional status, prealbumin, nephrotic syndrome, cirrhosis, edema, malnutrition, NCLEX lab values, nursing labs.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get the 63 must-know lab values to pass the NCLEX at https://nursing.com/63labs — the free study guide every nursing student needs before test day.

New episodes of Lab Values in 5 drop every Tuesday.

Welcome to Med of the Day — new episodes drop every Monday. It's Med Monday!

In this episode: Azithromycin (Zithromax) — a macrolide anti-infective that inhibits bacterial protein synthesis. Broad-spectrum: respiratory infections, otitis media, skin infections, STIs, endocarditis prophylaxis, and cystic fibrosis. The must-knows: watch for C. diff and pseudomembranous colitis (report new diarrhea, or blood or pus in stool), Stevens-Johnson syndrome, angioedema that can close the airway, anaphylaxis, and increased warfarin toxicity; and patients must finish the entire course even once they feel better.

Download your FREE cheatsheet of the 50 most commonly prescribed medications: https://nursing.com/50meds

Six months pregnant, first day in the ER — everything that could go wrong did. The disaster shift every nurse survives.

"She was six months pregnant. It was her first day in the ER. And everything that could possibly go wrong... went wrong."

She'd been out of clinical for four months — a new grad, back for her first ER shift. Her hands were so sweaty the sterile gloves wouldn't go on. She blanked on the foley kit, forgot IVs she'd done as a student, pulled the glucometer strip out mid-reading, forgot to hit START on the blood pressure cuff. In her own words: "Everything that could have possibly gone wrong... with the exception of killing someone... went wrong." She cried the whole drive home.

In this episode of First Shift, Jon Haws, RN — founder of NURSING.com — tells her story, then tells his own: his first day in the Neuro ICU was a total disaster too. He names the massive canyon between nursing school and BEING a nurse, and shares the three things that get you across it: your skills didn't disappear (they're buried under adrenaline), nobody expects you to know much of anything yet, and slow down to speed up. Plus: write the story down — one day you'll tell it laughing.

If you're a nursing student or a new nurse, this one's for you. New episodes of First Shift drop every Friday — real stories from nurses' first shifts, and the honest talk that gets you through yours.

Studying for the NCLEX? Try SIMCLEX — the adaptive practice exam that tells you when you're ready: https://nursing.com/simclex

It's time to go out and be your best self today. Happy nursing, y'all.

Today's NCLEX Question of the Day:

The nursing category is mental health. The NCLEX category is basic care and comfort. Which of the following descriptions best defines general adaptation syndrome? A. Activation of brain signals followed by avoidance and response to a perceived threat. B. The arousal of the hippocampus after being triggered by a specific memory. C. The body's response to stress over both short and long-term periods. D. The development of depression over time as a result of a negative situation.

Think you know the answer? Listen to the episode for the full breakdown and rationale.

Do you actually KNOW if you're ready for the NCLEX, or are you just hoping? Stop guessing and find out for free. Take the free SIMCLEX at nursing.com/simclex. It simulates the algorithms of the NCLEX, the same question rules, the same difficulty, so you get a real feel for what the actual exam is like.

New NCLEX Question of the Day episodes drop every Thursday.

Welcome to Nursing Mnemonics — new episodes drop every Wednesday.

Calcium imbalances show up on the NCLEX all the time. This episode teaches you CATS for hypocalcemia (convulsions, arrhythmias, tetany, spasms) and the groans, moans, bones, stones, and overtones of hypercalcemia — so you can nail any calcium question.

Go to nursing.com/cheatsheets to get the must-know nursing mnemonics for NCLEX.

Ammonia — the must-know liver lab value for the NCLEX, covered in 5 minutes.

In this episode: what ammonia measures, the normal reference range of 19-60 in conventional units (11-35 SI units), how ammonia is the byproduct of protein metabolism that the liver converts to urea, why elevated ammonia means the liver can't make that conversion, causes including advanced liver disease, cirrhosis and hepatitis, how high ammonia leads to hepatic encephalopathy and decreased neuro status, how lactulose treats it by binding ammonia to stool, and using ammonia to monitor hepatic encephalopathy treatment and patients on TPN.

Keywords: ammonia, normal range, reference range 19-60, elevated ammonia, liver function, protein metabolism, urea, BUN, hepatic encephalopathy, lactulose, cirrhosis, hepatitis, neuro status, TPN, NCLEX lab values, nursing labs.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get the 63 must-know lab values to pass the NCLEX at https://nursing.com/63labs — the free study guide every nursing student needs before test day.

New episodes of Lab Values in 5 drop every Tuesday.

Welcome to Med of the Day — new episodes drop every Monday. It's Med Monday!

In this episode: Atenolol (Tenormin) — hear that '-olol' suffix and think beta blocker. An antihypertensive and anti-anginal that blocks beta-1 stimulation, slowing the heart and relaxing vessels. Used for hypertension, angina, and MI prevention. The must-knows: check heart rate and blood pressure right before giving it; contraindicated in CHF, pulmonary edema, cardiogenic shock, bradycardia, and heart block; it can mask hypoglycemia symptoms in diabetes; and advise patients to change positions slowly to avoid orthostatic hypotension.

Download your FREE cheatsheet of the 50 most commonly prescribed medications: https://nursing.com/50meds