In this episode, Tim Madeira, cardiothoracic DNP,  provides an overview of the primary heart valve diseases. He expertly guides us through the complex physiological processes underlying conditions like stenosis and valve regurgitation arising from congenital abnormalities, calcifications, infective endocarditis, and trauma. In addition, Tim outlines the latest evidence-based standards in surgical, percutaneous and medical interventions that nurses find themselves managing in the hospital.

Check out Nicole Kupchik's exam reviews and practice questions at nicolekupchikconsulting.com. Use the promo code UPMYGAME20 to get 20% off all products.

Do you need help with your resume, interviewing, or need career coaching? Check out Sarah at New Thing Nurse:

See the show notes at upmynursinggame.com.

Listen in as I chat with Philip Gonzalez, a critical care occupational therapist. He will help us de-mystify the philosophy of occupational therapy, discuss how nurses cane help their patients make the most of their therapy sessions, and introduce us to verticalization therapy.

Discussed in episode
Verticalization therapy is a therapeutic approach using equipment, manual assistance, or other various technologies to gradually tilt a patient from supine to 90 degrees in a slow and controlled manner, traditionally accomplished without any hip flexion using tilt tables.

Check out Nicole Kupchik's exam reviews and practice questions at nicolekupchikconsulting.com. Use the promo code UPMYGAME20 to get 20% off all products.

Do you need help with your resume, interviewing, or need career coaching? Check out Sarah at New Thing Nurse:

See the show notes at upmynursinggame.com.

Understanding Diltiazem is an important part of your cardiac skillset. It's indications range from blood pressure management, long term stable angina, to it's mainstay in the hospital setting: acute rate control of arrhythmias with rapid ventricular rates. This episode will cover Diltiazem's mechanism of action, its multiple indications for both acute and routine use, as well as important nursing considerations.

Mentioned in the episode:

Check out Nicole Kupchik's exam reviews and practice questions at nicolekupchikconsulting.com. Use the promo code UPMYGAME20 to get 20% off all products.

Do you need help with your resume, interviewing, or need career coaching? Check out Sarah at New Thing Nurse:

Up My Nursing Game is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE continuing education credits for registered nurses. Click here to obtain nursing credit.

See the show notes at upmynursinggame.com.

In this episode, I'll give you the inside scoop on amiodarone so you can truly grasp why it is *the* most prescribed antiarrhythmic medication. We'll unpack its unique mechanism of action that makes it so effective, share a real-world case that shows amiodarone in action, as well as have a candid talk about its adverse effects. Join me to find out why after 40 years, this versatile antiarrhythmic still has a prime place in the hospital. The story of amiodarone is a fascinating one - and as nurses, we owe it to our patients to know it!

Check out Nicole Kupchik's exam reviews and practice questions at nicolekupchikconsulting.com. Use the promo code UPMYGAME20 to get 20% off all products.

Do you need help with your resume, interviewing, or need career coaching? Check out Sarah at New Thing Nurse:

Up My Nursing Game is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE continuing education credits for registered nurses. Click here to obtain nursing credit.

See the show notes at upmynursinggame.com.

The key moments in this episode are:

00:03:22 - Ventricular Tachycardia 
00:05:00 - How Amiodarone Works 
00:09:06 - Indications and Dosages 
00:11:47 - Adverse Effects 

Do you want to enhance your understanding and effectively use atropine in the treatment of bradycardia? Starting with atropine's mechanism of action, we will explore its proper use for symptomatic bradycardia, including it's important contraindications.  We'll also cover some of atropine's other fascinating roles beyond the heart. You'll walk away with greater confidence in both the appropriate applications and limitations of atropine for bradycardia.

Check out Nicole Kupchik's exam reviews and practice questions at nicolekupchikconsulting.com. Use the promo code UPMYGAME20 to get 20% off all products.

Do you need help with your resume, interviewing, or need career coaching? Check out Sarah at New Thing Nurse:

Up My Nursing Game is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE continuing education credits for registered nurses. Click here to obtain nursing credit.

See the show notes at upmynursinggame.com.

The key moments in this episode are:

02:07 - Mechanism of Action
04:44 - Indications and Contraindications 
07:45 - Other Uses of Atropine 
09:32 - Real Patient Scenarios

Part one of our cardiac medication mini-series spotlights Milrinone. We'll unpack milrinone's mechanism of action, indications, and potential pitfalls. This high-value overview distills need-to-know details about milrinone for seasoned critical care nurses and students alike.

Check out Nicole Kupchik's exam reviews and practice questions at nicolekupchikconsulting.com. Use the promo code UPMYGAME20 to get 20% off all products.

Do you need help with your resume, interviewing, or need career coaching? Check out Sarah at New Thing Nurse:

Up My Nursing Game is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE continuing education credits for registered nurses. Click here to obtain nursing credit.

See the show notes at upmynursinggame.com.

The key moments in this episode are:

2:00 - Mechanism of action of Milrinone 
4:36 - Common conditions and indications for Milrinone 
6:10 - Adverse effects and promising findings 

When I found myself struggling to communicate a patient's HIV status during a rapid response, it was a wake-up call that I needed to expand my knowledge. This podcast episodes delves deeper into HIV/AIDS than nursing school did, covering common hospital presentations, labs, medications, and opportunistic infections. By enhancing my own understanding, I hope to equip others to improve care for patients living with HIV/AIDS.

Check out Nicole Kupchik's exam reviews and practice questions at nicolekupchikconsulting.com. Use the promo code UPMYGAME20 to get 20% off all products.

Do you need help with your resume, interviewing, or need career coaching? Check out Sarah at New Thing Nurse:

Up My Nursing Game is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE continuing education credits for registered nurses. Click here to obtain nursing credit.

See the show notes at upmynursinggame.com.

The key moments in this episode are:

00:02:33 - Overview of HIV/AIDS
00:05:00 - Treatment of HIV
00:09:15 - Opportunistic Infections 
00:13:57 - Patient Education 

We often draw blood gasses looking for an ACIDosis, but what about when you discover an ALKAlosis?

In this episode, I share a story of a patient with a history of CHF, admitted for diuresis. She was initially improving but becames lethargic and difficult to arouse. We were surprised when her VBG showed alkalosis instead acidosis. Guest Sarah Lorenzini from the Rapid Response RN podcast, helped me make sense of our finding.

Listen in to learn about this rare acid base imbalance that can occur as a result of a very common intervention.

Check out Nicole Kupchik's exam reviews and practice questions at nicolekupchikconsulting.com. Use the promo code UPMYGAME20 to get 20% off all products.

Do you need help with your resume, interviewing, or need career coaching? Check out Sarah at New Thing Nurse:

Up My Nursing Game is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE continuing education credits for registered nurses. Click here to obtain nursing credit.

See the show notes at upmynursinggame.com.

The key moments in this episode are:

00:02:32 - Patient background and presentation
00:15:14 - Causes of metabolic alkalosis 
00:20:18 - Treatment of diuretic induced metabolic alkalosis, 
00:27:12 - Diagnostic reasoning, antibiotic stewardship 

In nursing, we're taught certain conventions in school. But what happens when those practices don't match up with real-life situations? Join me as we delve into the controversial topics of administering medication one-by-one through feeding tubes, the presence of air bubbles in IV lines, and the appropriate size of IV catheters for blood transfusions. Get ready for a shocking revelations that might just leave you questioning what you thought you knew about nursing. 

Check out Nicole Kupchik's exam reviews and practice questions at nicolekupchikconsulting.com. Use the promo code UPMYGAME20 to get 20% off all products.

Do you need help with your resume, interviewing, or need career coaching? Check out Sarah at New Thing Nurse:

Up My Nursing Game is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE continuing education credits for registered nurses. Click here to obtain nursing credit.

See the show notes at upmynursinggame.com.

Timestamps:

2:31 - Giving Medications through Feeding Tubes, 
6:31 - Air Bubbles in IV Lines, 
9:54 - Choosing IV Catheter Size for Blood Transfusions
13:56 - Recap

Dive into the world of trauma nursing from the FAST exam, to the operating room and subsequent inpatient care. Michelle Dedeo, trauma and neuro clinical nurse specialist, explains key trauma concepts such as the trauma assessment, the triad of death, and massive transfusion protocols.

Guest: Michelle Dedeo

Michelle Dedeo is a clinical nurse specialist in the Seattle, WA area. Her work as a clinical nurse, clinical leader, and nurse educator have focused in trauma and neuro critical care.

Brush up on neuroscience with Michelle's SCRN Prep Podcast

Do you need help with your resume, interviewing, or need career coaching? Check out Sarah at New Thing Nurse:

Check out Nicole Kupchik's exam reviews and practice questions at nicolekupchikconsulting.com. Use the promo code UPMYGAME20 to get 20% off all products.

Up My Nursing Game is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE continuing education credits for registered nurses. Click here to obtain nursing credit.

See the show notes at upmynursinggame.com.