It’s a huge shift in mindset and level of responsibility to go from introducing yourself as “Hi! I’m the nursing student” to “Hi! I will be your Nurse today”. This episode is not just for Nurses who are making that transition from student to “The Nurse” but also for anyone who will be precepting and mentoring new Nurses. Sarah welcomes Stephanee Beggs to the show for an important discussion on how to successfully make this transition. Stephanee Beggs, BSN, RN, has made the Forbes 30 Under 30 Lis...
May 05, 2023•35 min
Aspiration Pneumonia can come from a variety of sources and sometimes it is difficult to put your finger on when you didn't see your patient aspirate. As the lungs begin to react to the foreign substance, the symptoms start accumulating and it becomes undeniable that aspiration has occurred. Rapid Response RN always emphasizes the importance of advocating for our patients because patient advocacy is a crucial responsibility that can make the difference in a patient’s health and recovery. In this...
Apr 28, 2023•44 min
Delirium is acute brain failure. It’s not just an unavoidable consequence of being hospitalized, it is a condition that can be prevented and treated! That’s why Rapid Response RN has teamed up with some of our favorite nursing podcasts for a pod crawl devoted to delirium. In this episode, Kati Kleber, MSN RN and host of the FreshRN® Podcast, joins our discussion on treating patients with delirium and avoiding its long-term effects. We go over the ABCDEF bundle, common mistakes new nurses make in...
Apr 21, 2023•59 min
Would you know how to identify a blood transfusion reaction? This is one of those nightmare cases because we just expect that when we give blood transfusion, the patient will get better… but what about when they get worse? Host Sarah Lorenzini has dealt with situations where a blood transfusion reaction took place, but it is so rare. So she wants to share evidence-based research to shed some light and insight into this very rare, but potentially life threatening situation. In today’s episode, Sa...
Apr 14, 2023•22 min
We are so excited to be joined by Nurse Alice Benjamin, cardiac clinical nurse specialist, family nurse practitioner, Chief Nursing Officer of Nurse.org, host of the Ask Nurse Alice podcast, and media health expert known as “America’s favorite nurse.” Highlighting the power of nurses’ intuition, Nurse Alice shares an interesting story of a patient found unresponsive and how her initial assessments led her to call a CODE STROKE. In discussing this case, we cover the difference between ischemic an...
Apr 07, 2023•44 min
Today we are diving deeper into hyperkalemia cardiac arrest as we present you with part two of last week’s episode where we talked about our hyperkalemia case study Ms. Wanda. If you haven’t already, we highly recommend you check out episode 46! Ever heard of the hyperkalemia cocktail? This cocktail, when administered in the correct order and the correct way, can help temporarily shoot the potassium back into the cell and lower the serum potassium. Disclaimer here, this treatment does not fix yo...
Mar 29, 2023•20 min
This isn’t your average hyperkalemia story! Today, host Sarah Lorenzini is sharing the story of Ms. Wanda, a frequent visitor to the ER who came in one day complaining of weakness — and then went into cardiac arrest as she was being examined. In this episode, Sarah walks us through her surprising visit and how she reached the diagnosis of hyperkalemia. You’ll learn the signs of hyperkalemia, how to detect it, and what can cause hyperkalemia. Listen to part one of Ms. Wanda’s story, and tune in n...
Mar 21, 2023•17 min
In this episode, host Sarah Lorenzini is answering a frequently asked question: How do I prepare for a career as a rapid response nurse? Listeners have been coming to her DMs wanting to know, so Sarah’s breaking down the role of a rapid response nurse and what the day-to-day grind might look like. She goes over the skills and work styles that compliment this role, and who should avoid it. Sarah also shares the two questions she uses to assess every nurse interviewing to join her rapid response t...
Mar 10, 2023•25 min
“As nurses, we care for a lot of patients with anxiety, right? We have to fight not to get jaded and write off our patient's symptoms. It would've been easy for this nurse to just administer some Xanax or Ativan and gone on with her shift. It's not like the patient's vitals were super high or super low, but this nurse tapped into two things: her intuition and critical thinking skills.” You may recall this quote from an earlier episode, but we’re revisiting it today because discerning between a h...
Mar 03, 2023•22 min
Imagine a patient with a SPO2 in the 80’s, not in distress, and acting normal. Their echocardiogram shows an atrial septal defect and a pulmonary artery pressure of 95!!! What can we do for this patient? What could cause such a high PA pressure? Today’s guest Nick McGowan MSN, RN, CCRN, had this experience and is sharing his patient’s story with Sarah. Nick revisits how this case evolved, from getting test results to discovering his shockingly high PA pressure and transferring the patient to the...
Feb 24, 2023•37 min
In today’s episode, our host Sarah Lorenzini will be discussing a very important topic that all nurses need to know about, acute kidney injury, which is a common occurrence in hospital settings. As a rapid response nurse Sarah has seen acute kidney injuries often, but the treatment isn’t always cut and dry. Sarah tells us a story about a patient she was called to see in a rapid response situation and the steps she took to assess and take action when the patient went from a pre-renal kidney injur...
Feb 17, 2023•20 min
It’s a hard conversation, but priapism is a medical emergency! Sarah Lorenzini is joined by her friend and co-worker, Walker, to discuss the symptoms, causes and treatments of priapism. Walker introduces his priapism patient, and walks us through his initial assessment and treatment. You’ll even learn a little bit of its history, and hear Sarah’s firsthand experiences with priapism. They explain why priapism is an emergency situation, and why a fast response is needed to avoid complications. Wal...
Feb 10, 2023•29 min
Join your host Sarah Lorenzini as she’s interviewed by Keith Carlson, fellow nursing podcaster at The Nurse Keith Show . With the ability to stay grounded and alert during chaotic situations, Sarah is the epitome of being an anchor in a storm. In this episode, she shares how she found her niche in nursing, why rapid response nursing suits her work style, and how she coaches other nurses through the stress of emergent situations. Sarah gets fulfillment from helping others, and she does this in so...
Feb 05, 2023•55 min
As health care professionals, it is our job to advocate for our patients, even if our efforts are not well received initially. Especially when we are deeply concerned, or uncomfortable with the situation. This can be tough, but it is essential for the health of the patient. What happens when we are expressing real urgent concern and the provider on the other end doesn’t feel your urgency? On today’s episode, our host and rapid response nurse Sarah Lorenzini, tells us about an experience she had ...
Jan 27, 2023•14 min
Nurses, for the most part, spend significantly more time with patients compared to physicians. Regardless, it can be difficult for nurses to have their voice heard. For instance, how many times have YOU found yourself apologizing to a physician for just doing your job? The education from nursing school teaches a lot of vital skills, but one that’s ignored is the need to effectively communicate with other members of an interdisciplinary team. How do you make a physician take into account your con...
Jan 20, 2023•30 min
One Sunday during football season, after being pressured by his wife, a reluctant patient gave in and decided to finally come into the ER. His calcium levels were high, but his EKG came back normal, he was experiencing no pain, and seemed healthy and responsive — until he wasn’t. Telling her story of treating this patient is host Sarah Lorenzini’s friend and fellow nurse, Kisha RN, CEN. She details her experience with this patient, starting from convincing him to stay for further tests, to shock...
Jan 13, 2023•41 min
We are all praying for Buffalo Bills’ safety, Damar Hamlin, after he was hit, causing a cardiac event, sending him to the ICU. This is a nightmare for any athlete, and disheartening for family, friends and fans. As nurses, medical students, even parents, when viewing these types of tragic events, it is natural to think about what you would do in an emergency situation like this. Especially a parent attending a child’s sporting event, having the knowledge and ability to help out in an emergency c...
Jan 06, 2023•26 min
The most concerning type of syncope! When a patient suddenly passes out from either an arrhythmia or a structural abnormality of the heart... this needs to be investigated and treated... next time they might not wake up from it! If you love learning from other people's mistakes, you will love this episode of when I didn't realize my patient was in V-tach and walked him back to his room! We discuss all of the reasons the heart might cause you to pass out and a little about the challenges of being...
Dec 27, 2022•19 min
This episode covers the two types of orthostatic syncope: Neurally mediated orthostatic syncope (from conditions with autonomic dysfunction) and "non-neurally mediated" orthostatic syncope which is from medications or hypovolemia. We discuss the diagnostic value and dangers of orthostatic vital signs and how to determine what type of orthostatic syncope your patient has had. This is part 3 of a 4 part series on syncope so make sure you check out episode #32 and #33. If you would like to check ou...
Dec 19, 2022•14 min
Part 2 of a 4 part series on syncope. Syncope is one of the top reasons why a rapid response is called... but the question is, what precipitated the syncope? In this episode we discuss a classic case of vasovagal syncope, in which Annie's patient had a six second pause on his ECG in response to some overwhelming news. We break down why atropine might not be the best intervention for this patient and some of the treatment options for bradycardia.
Dec 06, 2022•34 min
This episode is Part 1 in a 4 part series on syncope. Syncope and seizure can both present with unresponsiveness. It can be difficult to differentiate between the two very different causes for an unresponsive episode. Fortunately, there are some things to look for to help rule out seizure or confirm that it is the culprit... and they probably aren't the ones you thought you knew.
Nov 26, 2022•10 min
If you are a cardiac nurse, this is your nightmare case! Cardiac Tamponade is a surgical emergency that requires you know more than ACLS to save this patient. The signs and symptoms are subtle and takes an astute clinician to figure it out. In this episode we discuss all the classic textbook assessment findings from Beck's Triad to pulsus paradoxus as well as some of the more subtle clues of declining cardiac output. We talk through when you need a pericardiocentesis and when it's time to crack ...
Nov 11, 2022•41 min
This patient was so backed up, his abdomen looked like he was 9 months pregnant! It was so bad that he was tachycardic and hypotensive. In this episode we talk about common post-surgical complications from constipation, to an ileus, to a small bowel obstruction. We break down diagnostics, pharmacological interventions, and surgical options. Ever given neostigmine? Then you are gonna want to hear this episode. Ever heard of Ogilvie's syndrome... if you care for post-surgical patients this is anot...
Oct 30, 2022•28 min
Nursing pre-shift anxiety is a thing! Many of us stress ourselves out so much leading up to our shift that we don't sleep or eat well or we feel overwhelmed by the thought of another 12 hour shift and we haven't even stepped foot in the hospital yet. But there is hope... This episode does not have any hacks for erasing pre-shift anxiety... but rather how to face it. Sarah discusses the 3 things that she has done to work through the anxiety associated with being a Nurse. So, if you find yourself ...
Oct 14, 2022•14 min
Do you want to grasp ABGs more? Arterial Blood Gases are tricky! It's one thing to memorize the normal ranges for each value, but an astute clinician is able to see the combination of abnormal values and determine what led to this derangement and what to do about it. In this episode, guest Christian Guzman, Critical Care APRN shares an interesting case of... SPOILER ALERT: Necrotizing Fasciitis The patient's presentation was concerning but not very clear what was going on initially. But the Nurs...
Sep 30, 2022•34 min
This episode is jam packed with everything you need to know for your next stroke alert! I was interviewed by Annie Fulton from the Up My Nursing Game Podcast and we got to talk about all things stroke from differentiating between ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke to the life saving interventions of tPA, thrombectomy, ventriculostomies, and the pharmacological interventions for stroke. We discuss the role of the Rapid Response Nurse and the bedside Nurse during a stroke alert. What to assess for fi...
Sep 20, 2022•47 min
Is work life balance even possible as a nurse? I would say yes... absolutely! But it takes some effort and intentionality. As a full time nurse, wife, mother of 5, and podcast host, I get to do a lot of juggling. In this episode, I share 2 nuggets of wisdom that have helped me achieve work/life balance. Find me on Instagram @TheRapidResponseRN Facebook: Rapid Response RN Podcast Online Course: www.RapidResponseandRescue.com...
Sep 06, 2022•19 min
What about when the patient refuses care that they consented to just yesterday? What about when the family disagrees about the patient's wishes? What all am I supposed to document when something goes wrong? What is my role as a Nurse in discussing end of life goals of care with the family? These are questions that I get all the time in my inbox and so I invited someone who has to daily navigate these difficult legal and ethical challenges in healthcare.
Aug 17, 2022•41 min
Here is the link to the youtube video if you prefer to watch the interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1qSfXjx_Zg&t=141s check out more from Cup of Nurses here: Cup of Nurses: https://fanlink.to/CONsite Frontline Warriors: https://fanlink.to/FWsite Apple https://fanlink.to/Applepodcast Spotify https://fanlink.to/Spotifypodcast...
Aug 11, 2022•59 min
Ever heard of "broken heart syndrome"?... it's a real thing. It's also called Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy or stress induced cardiomyopathy. In this episode we discuss a case of a patient who developed this unexpectedly, came very close to death, but made a full recovery. We break down the cause, presentation, and pathophysiology of Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy as well as treatment and prognosis.
Jul 30, 2022•21 min
