Real World NP

Awkward conversations are common in healthcare settings. Learning how to actually have these conversations (or start these conversations, or navigate these conversations)…that’s much more rare. Discussing sexual health doesn’t have to be challenging for patients or providers; with some preparation and some practice, it can become as second nature as any other discussion you have in the exam room.

Making assumptions, or avoiding the topic altogether, can create missed opportunities and serious gaps in the patient’s care. A common misconception is that the patients will bring up anything that you should know – in reality, many patients are hoping that you will start the conversation. This week, we talk with Genesis, a college health Nurse Practitioner and sexual health educator, and get some great strategies for handling these conversations. We’ll discuss:

✅ How to obtain a patient’s sexual health history

✅ The Six P’s – what they are and how you can use them to guide your conversation

✅ Strategies for getting comfortable discussing sex with patients

✅ Which patients are candidates for discussing sexual health

While the conversation is important, addressing sexual health with your patients means more than just talk. We also cover strategies for helping your uninsured/underinsured patients, as well as how to increase your effectiveness with STI (sexually transmitted infection) testing and treatment.

Read the blog post here.

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Don't forget to grab your free Ultimate Resource Guide for the New NP

Sign up for the Lab Interpretation Crash Course 

Grab your copy of the Digital NP Binder

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Please note: This episode is intended only for medical providers and students learning to be medical providers. 

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© 2022 Real World NP. For educational and informational purposes only, see realworldnp.com/disclaimer for full details.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You know that moment in the job interview when they ask if you have any questions? Have you ever been totally stumped? Not fun. Even worse is when you get home afterward and think of all the questions that you wish you asked.

If you are on the job hunt, or about to be, we have the questions to ask that will give you lots of information about the job and the workplace, and really help you to understand whether it is the right fit for you.

This week, we have some secret strategies to set you up for success in your Nurse Practitioner job search. We’ll cover:

·    Outside the box ways of finding a job

·    Spotting warning signs in the interview

·    Orientation – and why you want to ask about it

·    Why you should ask about protocols

·    What is team-based care, and what does it mean to you as a Nurse Practitioner?

Job searches can be exciting and stressful at the same time. Investing the time in advance to gather background information on a prospective employer, asking high-yield interview questions, and then reflecting on what you have learned will put you in the best possible position to pick the job that is right for you. 

Read the blog post here.

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Don't forget to grab your free Ultimate Resource Guide for the New NP

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Please note: This episode is intended only for medical providers and students learning to be medical providers. 

While anyone is welcome to view and listen, for legal and safety reasons, we are unable to diagnose, treat, or answer medical questions for individuals through this channel. We always refer individuals back to their primary care providers for medical care.

If you’re a medical provider or student and have specific patient cases you have questions about, I cannot answer those here but would love to help you inside our mentorship program! Join the waitlist at https://www.realworldnp.com/mentoring.

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© 2022 Real World NP. For educational and informational purposes only, see realworldnp.com/disclaimer for full details.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You knew some things would be different when you decided to become a Nurse Practitioner. You would need more education; you’d have a whole host of new job-related responsibilities; you would probably even have different work hours. But did you expect the job search process would also be drastically different as an NP?

This week, we’ll talk about some of the differences between RN and NP job searches, how to navigate the differences, and find the job (and job offer) that is best for you.

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• What to do if you end up in a toxic work environment·        
• How to really calculate your hourly rate as an NP·        
• What does scheduling have to do with a job offer?·        
• Thinking beyond salary when evaluating your job offer·        
• The role of productivity and RVUs

You deserve to go into the job search – and negotiation – process with as much preparation as possible. Whether you are on the hunt for your first job as a new grad Nurse Practitioner or you are an experienced NP looking for a workplace with a better fit, having a good understanding of the ins and outs of

Nurse Practitioner job offers will benefit you.

If you liked this post, also check out:

• Red Flags When Looking For Jobs | Nurse Practitioners 
• New Nurse Practitioner Q & A | How to know when to change jobs
• Clinical Interview Questions for New Nurse Practitioners

Read the blog post here.

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Don't forget to grab your free Ultimate Resource Guide for the New NP

______________________________

Please note: This episode is intended only for medical providers and students learning to be medical providers. 

_______________________________

© 2022 Real World NP. For educational and informational purposes only, see realworldnp.com/disclaimer for full details.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Livestream, I share about our newest course Managing Diabetes, Hypertension & CKD over at https://www.realworldnp.com/courses.

After lab interpretation, the three main topics that new NPs struggle with managing are DM, HTN & CKD-- so I decided to review the 100+ page guidelines cover to cover, do a deep dive on all the meds, cold-call specialists with my questions and report back with all the info I wish I could have had as a new NP.

It's got 10.35 hours of continuing education (including 2.8 hours of pharmacology!) from AANP -- also works for ANCC accredited NPs!

It's for adults only in primary care, comes with lifetime access, cheat sheets, algorithms to download, and is completely self-paced! Check it out here: https://www.realworldnp.com/courses

Read the blog post here.

Timestamps:

0:20 - Introduction

0:45 - Background/where this course came from

5:55 - Overview of the course

6:30 - Diabetes module overview

9:17 - Hypertension module overview

13:53 - Renal lab interpretation module overview

15:55 - CKD module overview

19:09 - How the course works & bonus live calls

24:39 - Q&A

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Don't forget to grab your free Ultimate Resource Guide for the New NP

______________________________

Please note: This episode is intended only for medical providers and students learning to be medical providers. 

_______________________________

© 2022 Real World NP. For educational and informational purposes only, see realworldnp.com/disclaimer for full details.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How much did you learn about urology in school? If your answer was “not a whole lot,” welcome. Most Nurse Practitioner programs do not cover urology concerns in great depth, which can contribute to a real lack of clarity once you start practicing. You may double or triple your knowledge of common urology concerns today.  

This week, we talk with Dr. Joseph Acquaye, who answers all of the questions that you submitted about urology. In this interview, we talk about:

• When to refer your patient to urology, and what happens when you do
• Urinary incontinence
• Testosterone replacement
• PSA screening – how to interpret, and when to stop screening
• Imaging – should you order it before sending your patient to urology?

Dr. Joseph Acquaye says that his favorite part of working in urology is the wide variety of topics that he encounters on a daily basis. Whether performing a procedure, working with a couple to understand and address the impact of erectile dysfunction on them, or coming up with an approach to treat the tricky interstitial cystitis, there is always something different waiting in the urology office. 

Read the blog post here.

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Don't forget to grab your free Ultimate Resource Guide for the New NP

Sign up for the Lab Interpretation Crash Course 

Grab your copy of the Digital NP Binder

______________________________

Please note: This episode is intended only for medical providers and students learning to be medical providers. 

_______________________________

© 2022 Real World NP. For educational and informational purposes only, see realworldnp.com/disclaimer for full details.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ever find yourself at work until all hours finishing your charting – or, even worse, taking charting home with you? Wondering how you might possibly get a handle on all of this stuff before you drown? You are most definitely not alone; time management challenges are super common (especially in primary care) for new grads, seasoned NPs, and almost everyone in a patient-facing position.

This week, we talk with Jessica Reeves, a Nurse Practitioner with a knack for time management (and author of Secrets From The World’s Most Productive Nurse Practitioner). We’ll cover:

• Where to start with time management
• The impact of the schedule on your time management – and what you can do about it
• The life-changing magic of dictation
• Using body language to manage the flow of the visit
• Setting limits (focused visit = focused note)

When it comes to clinical topics, things often get better over time and with experience. Time management is different; if you are struggling with time management now, you will likely continue to struggle unless you change your approach. With reflection, time, and practice, you can get your time back into your control and find the work-life harmony that works for you.

Read the blog post here.

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Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction

7:07 - Charting Tips

13:00 - Charting Templates

20:15 - Time Management Practice

22:45 - Time Management in the Visit

30:18 - How to redirect the patient

37:43 - Dictation

41:46 - Scheduling Challenges

53:15 - Advocacy

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Download the FREE Ultimate Resource Guide for NP

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Please note: This episode is intended only for medical providers and students learning to be medical providers. 

© 2022 Real World NP. For educational and informational purposes only, see realworldnp.com/disclaimer for full details.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why can’t diabetes management be like we learned in school? That was complicated enough.

Now you’re on your own, and there are so many questions with your patients to manage diabetes. Symptoms that don’t necessarily follow a straight line. All of the elements of managing diabetes that are beyond your control – patient’s motivation, cost of medications, how realistic a plan may be, how long until they can be seen by the specialist that you referred them to –it gets more complex by the minute.

[Spoiler alert: these are not issues faced exclusively by new grads, either; this is the state of play when it comes to working with diabetic patients.]

This week, we have a great interview with Meghan Kavanaugh. She is a Registered Dietitian AND Nurse Practitioner that works exclusively with patients with diabetes. We cover a lot of ground, including:

• Taking the stigma out of diabetes and diabetes management
• Continuous glucose monitoring – what it is, the double-edged sword that it can sometimes be, and practical tips for patient teaching about it
• Tips for the administrative challenge of working with patients with diabetes
• Addressing cost for un- and underinsured patients with diabetes
• Answers to the questions that YOU submitted

Get your Diabetes Resource Sheet here.

Read the blog post here.

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Don't forget to grab your free Ultimate Resource Guide for the New NP

_____________________________

Please note: This episode is intended only for medical providers and students learning to be medical providers.

© 2022 Real World NP. For educational and informational purposes only, see realworldnp.com/disclaimer for full details.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Heart failure is, without a doubt, one of the more complex topics that you will encounter in primary care. Two types, four stages, four classes, evolving guidelines for treatment, and a host of medications – it’s a lot to wrap your head around. Especially in a 15-minute visit. Let’s talk about the core concepts of heart failure and increase your confidence. We’ll cover:

✅ The two types of heart failure, and how the different types impact the approach to treatment

✅ Diagnostics – which labs, which tests, and the crucial role of ejection fraction in heart failure

✅ The questions you don’t want to forget to ask the patient

✅ Medications used to treat heart failure

✅ What to look for in the chart BEFORE the first visit

Like so many other things with primary care, managing heart failure gets less stressful with time. But until then, having a strategy will increase your efficiency in the visit, your confidence on the subject, and give you clarity about co-managing with cardiology.  

Heart Failure Guidelines 2022

If you liked this post, also check out:

• Resistant Hypertension - Part 1
• Resistant Hypertension for Nurse Practitioners - Part 2
• Medical Decision Making and Referral for New Nurse Practitioners

Read the blog post here.

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Don't forget to grab your free Ultimate Resource Guide for the New NP

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Please note: This video is intended only for medical providers and students learning to be medical providers. 

_______________________________

© 2022 Real World NP. For educational and informational purposes only, see realworldnp.com/disclaimer for full details.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For patients and providers, few things are more frustrating than recurrent UTIs.

This week, let’s talk about recurrent UTIs and how to get real results for your patients.

• Gender - and how to approach all patients in an inclusive way
• The difference between recurrent and relapsing UTI
• Evidence-based versus anecdotal risk factors
• Labs to order, what to look for (and how to look)
• Strategies for management

Adding to the tools in your toolkit will lead to strategies for success, which will make it MUCH easier to work with the frustrated patient with recurrent UTI. Feel confident in your approach and help your patients to break the cycle of recurrent (or relapsing) UTI.

If you liked this post, also check out:

• Microalbuminuria Case Study: Lab Interpretation for New Grad NPs 
• Medical Decision Making and Referral for New Nurse Practitioners
• Pelvic Floor Dysfunction for New Nurse Practitioners

Read the blog post here.

-----------------------

Don't forget to grab your free Ultimate Resource Guide for the New NP

Sign up for the Lab Interpretation Crash Course 

Grab your copy of the Digital NP Binder 

------------------------

Please note: This episode is intended only for medical providers and students learning to be medical providers. 

© 2022 RealWorld NP. For educational and informational purposes only, see realworldnp.com/disclaimer for full details.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You have a patient who has been coughing for weeks, maybe even a couple of months. You’ve already ruled out COVID; where do you turn next?

This week, let’s talk about chronic cough – what it is, how it differs from acute cough, when to refer the patient, and more:

✅ Common causes – things like GERD, asthma, allergies

✅ The special history questions to ask and how they will help with your differentials

✅ What to watch for in the physical exam

✅ Labs and other tests to order

✅ Red flags

Coughs are common in primary care, and you will see them frequently. Knowing whether you are seeing a more common presentation or something more unusual will help you to create the best plan to take care of your patients in the most appropriate setting.  

If You Liked This Post:

• Post Covid Symptoms
• When To Use Antibiotics: Persistent Cough Case Study For Nurse Practitioners
• Should You Use Antibiotics in a COPD Exacerbation? Case Study for Nurse Practitioners 

Read the blog post here.

-----------------------

Don't forget to grab your free Ultimate Resource Guide for the New NP

Sign up for the Lab Interpretation Crash Course

Grab your copy of the Digital NP Binder

------------------------

Please note: This episode is intended only for medical providers and students learning to be medical providers. 

_______________________________

© 2022 Real World NP. For educational and informational purposes only, see realworldnp.com/disclaimer for full details.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.