NURSING.com Podcast — NCLEX Prep for Nursing Students

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

Bupropion (Wellbutrin) is an antidepressant and smoking deterrent (pharmacologic class: aminoketone) for depression, smoking cessation, and adult ADHD. It increases dopaminergic and noradrenergic transmission via dopamine and adrenaline reuptake inhibition. Nursing considerations: seizure and suicidal ideation risk; never give with an MAOI — allow a 14-day gap between stopping an MAOI and starting; use caution with renal or hepatic impairment; assess mental status and depression; avoid alcohol (seizure risk, hallucinations, anxiety, panic attacks).

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

"I survived, somehow."

Her first night on her own. Five patients, meds on time, chart checks ahead of the orders — and then all hell broke loose: IV pumps beeping, call bells nonstop, ten antibiotics hung on time, a new admit who needed cardiac monitoring that she caught just before leaving. She did nearly everything right. And then she went home and lay awake replaying every decision — the catheter that went in great and came back blood-tinged, the charge nurse she "felt so stupid" for dragging in — "stalking the clock," waiting for a call about a mistake she doesn't know she made.

In this episode of First Shift, Jon Haws, RN — founder of NURSING.com — tells her story, then talks about the spiral: asking the charge nurse was exactly right, not stupid. The spiral means you care, and caring is the job. And the call from the manager? It never comes.

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 neuro. The NCLEX category is basic care and comfort. A nurse is caring for an 80-year-old client who is in rehabilitation after having a stroke. The nurse is teaching the client about how to use a nosey cup. Which of the following best describes this device? A, a cup that allows liquid to flow into the nose and the mouth. B, a cup that has a portion cut out of the front. C, a cup that can be held with a handle and an easy grip. D, a cup that holds more liquid than a standard cup.

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.

Which side of the pH scale is which? Remember: alkalosis has a K, so it's kicking the pH up — acidosis has a D, so it's dropping the pH down. This episode's memory device sorts out acidosis and alkalosis for good.

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

Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) — the must-know liver lab value for the NCLEX, covered in 5 minutes.

In this episode: what AST measures, the normal reference range of about 8-40 (ranges differ slightly for males and females), how AST is found in the liver plus the heart, skeletal muscle, kidneys, brain and red blood cells — and how that differs from ALT which is mostly just in the liver, why AST is part of the liver function tests (LFTs) alongside ALT, bilirubin and protein, when it's ordered including liver disorder symptoms like jaundice, abdominal swelling, nausea, vomiting, weakness, fatigue, loss of appetite, itching and darker urine, at-risk patients like those exposed to hepatitis, heavy drinkers, drug use, overweight and diabetes, how high AST climbs in viral hepatitis (up to 10 times normal) versus chronic hepatitis (4-5 times normal), and other causes of elevated AST like myocardial infarction and kidney disease.

Keywords: AST, aspartate aminotransferase, normal range, reference range 8-40, elevated AST, liver function tests, LFTs, liver panel, amino acid metabolism, viral hepatitis, chronic hepatitis, myocardial infarction, kidney disease, jaundice, ALT vs AST, bilirubin, 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!

Bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol, Kaopectate) is an adsorbent antidiarrheal/antiulcer med for diarrhea, heartburn, indigestion, and H. pylori-associated ulcers. Its exact mechanism isn't fully documented — it's thought to stimulate intestinal fluid/electrolyte absorption, reduce stomach hypermotility, bind E. coli toxins, and has weak antacid properties. Nursing considerations: contraindicated with aspirin hypersensitivity (it's a salicylate); impaction risk in geriatric and pediatric patients; bismuth can interfere with radiologic exams; monitor liver profile (LFTs).

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

"She was trying to place a catheter. She almost delivered a baby instead."

A new L&D nurse, still orienting. Her preceptor steps out for lunch — and in that window, a routine in-and-out cath turns into the wildest twenty minutes of her new career: she can't visualize the urethra ("felt like I was hitting baby head"), her preceptor finally gets the cath in and urine flowing, and then the patient says, "I think I feel something coming out." An entire baby head. The call button, the yelling for doctors — too late. Eight pounds, eight ounces, slides out onto the bed. She never even pushed.

In this episode of First Shift, Jon Haws, RN — founder of NURSING.com — tells her story, then gets honest about the L&D learning curve: OB humbles everyone, the curve is vertical, and sometimes your failures protect you — she's very, very glad she never got that cath in.

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 is working with a family whose child was born with developmental dislocation of the hip. The physician has applied a spica cast to the child. Which statement from the nurse best describes this type of cast to the child's family? A, your child will need to wear this cast for the first year of his life. B, you will have to take the cast off when your child needs to urinate or have a bowel movement. C, this cast will make it so your child will be able to walk some day. D, this cast will keep the hip joints in the correct position so they can heal.

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.

Where do the electrolytes actually live — inside or outside the cell? The PISO mnemonic makes potassium, sodium, and the rest stick so you never mix them up on the NCLEX.

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

Amylase — the must-know pancreatic lab value for the NCLEX, covered in 5 minutes.

In this episode: what amylase measures, the normal reference range of 30-110 units per liter, how this digestive enzyme splits starch into disaccharides and comes from the parotid glands and pancreas, why it's run to diagnose early acute pancreatitis, causes of elevated amylase including pancreatitis, peritonitis, DKA, pancreatic cancer, alcoholism and abdominal trauma, why amylase can be decreased after pancreatectomy or with pancreatic insufficiency, and nursing considerations like diet progression from clear liquids and advancing as tolerated.

Keywords: amylase, normal range, reference range 30-110, elevated amylase, pancreatic function, pancreatitis, acute pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, DKA, peritonitis, abdominal trauma, pancreatectomy, pancreatic insufficiency, digestive enzymes, 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.