Patients require transportation for many reasons: to an increased level of care, a decreased level of care, a procedure, or for imaging. Katherine Stradling, BSN, RN, CCRN, TCRN discusses the science of transport, what it's like in the ambulance, and what bedside nurses can do to facilitate safe transport. Objectives Listeners will be able to describe the difference between basic life support (BLS) transfer vs. critical care transport (CCT) Listeners will be able to explain the physiologic deman...
Jul 05, 2021•55 min•Ep. 18
Dialysis isn't simply hooking up a patients to a machine for 3-4 hours. Veteran dialysis nurse, Jameisha Rogers RN , talks us through what happens during dialysis starting from reviewing orders to decannulation. 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 (1.00). What does dialysis do? Dialysis eliminates waste, corrects electrolyte deficiencies, and corrects fluid imba...
Jun 07, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 17
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis is a core marker of healthcare excellence. Dr. Walter Cheng explains that almost every hospitalized patient is at an increased risk for developing a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE) and that nurses play a crucial role in preventing, assessing for, and educating our patients about VTE. Up My Nursing Game is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE continuing education credits for registered nurses. Click here to ob...
May 24, 2021•54 min•Ep. 16
Today, ICU patients seem to become sicker and more sedated. Sedation medications, such as Propofol, have become more accessible and can be hung up and left on a drip all day. Heidi Engel, PT, DPT argues that less sedation and more mobilization should be thought of as important as taking medications. In this episode, we discuss how nurses can play a crucial role in mobilizing our patients both in the ICU and on the floor. Up My Nursing Game is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to of...
May 10, 2021•53 min•Ep. 15
Pregnant and breastfeeding patients aren't always hospitalized for obstetric reasons and can be placed throughout the hospital. Dr. Michelle Solone, OBGYN talks to us about how we can assess these patients, what to look out for, and how nurses can promote pumping and breastfeeding during a hospitalization. Common reasons for non-OBGYN related hospitalization for pregnant patients: Medical: Kidney Stones, Chemo, Pyelonephritis, Cardiac Conditions Surgical: Cholecystitis, Appendicitis Trauma Which...
Apr 26, 2021•59 min•Ep. 14
Dr. Brandon Varr, an advanced heart failure and transplant cardiologist, provides insight into how heart failure is managed by diuretics and whether or not fluid restriction is important. Heart Failure (HF) Refresher Heart Failure (HF) simple means that the heart is not pumping enough blood to adequately supply organs. Body’s “Short Term Fix”: Kidneys sense that there is not enough blood → salt retention to expand fluid volume in body Long Term effect of above “Short Term Fix”: Fluid retention →...
Apr 12, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 13
Overview Patients experiencing homelessness can add extra layers of complexities to emergency or inpatient care. Dr. Joe Mega provides some much needed perspective about the needs of our patients experiencing homelessness and how healthcare professionals can care for them more effectively. Belongings Homeless patients are often concerned about their belongings being stolen due to theft or abatement If a patients is concerned about their belongings, ask if there is someone they can call to look a...
Mar 29, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 12
Faiman Chow MS, SLP provides insight into safe swallowing practices, good oral care, the risk factors for aspiration pneumonia, and the use of artificial nutrition in advanced dementia.
Mar 15, 2021•50 min•Ep. 11
We're a year into the pandemic and, as a nurse, I'm curious: what are the best practices for treating COVID in the hospital? I sat down with a returning guest, Dr. Cyrus Shariat, an intensivist, and asked him about COVID pathophysiology, management of respiratory failure, medications, and risk of thromboembolism.
Mar 01, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 10
Dr. Megan Coylewright, interventional cardiologist, and Danielle Durfey, cath lab RN, sit down with me to talk about atrial fibrillation (AF) management including rate v. rhythm control, anticoagulants, the Watchman™ device, and give us a peak inside life in the cath lab.
Feb 22, 2021•43 min•Ep. 9
Dr. Matthew Truong, urologist, shares some pearls for difficult foley insertion, what CAUTI is, what it is not, and how to prevent it.
Feb 07, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 8
Palliative care nurse, Michelle Hedding, and I talk about what palliative care is and how nurses can advocate for it for our patients. We also discuss the contemporary issue of communicating with family members during this COVID era of visitor restrictions.
Jan 17, 2021•54 min•Ep. 7
Intoxicated patients in ED and alcohol withdrawal syndrome -- Dr. Natalie Htet and I bust some myths about caring for drunk patients in emergency as well as dive into the complexities of alcohol withdrawal.
Jan 03, 2021•41 min•Ep. 6
Ataxia, GI bleeds, ascites, jaundice... patient's with long term, heavy alcohol consumption can have head-to-toe problems. Dr. Natalie Htet, emergency physician and intensivist, and I go over the expected assessment findings of the ETOH patient, what to look out for, and long-term management of alcoholic cirrhosis.
Dec 06, 2020•37 min•Ep. 5
Dr. Ronald Matuszak , hospitalist, and I discuss the ins and outs of potassium replacement and uncover that potassium replacement protocols are not often indicated. We also discuss the overtreatment of inpatient hypertension and how doctors and nurses can safely, if at all, lower a patient's blood pressure in a hospital setting.
Nov 01, 2020•55 min•Ep. 4
For this episode I interviewed Dr. Cyrus Shariat, who is an intensivist, about rapid sequence intubation (RSI). We talked about what happens during RSI and, specifically, how nurses can help facilitate this high stakes procedure.
Oct 04, 2020•44 min•Ep. 3
For this episode, I speak with Brittany Hoang, NP CWON, about common wound nursing pitfalls including admitting a patient with wounds, wound vac trouble shooting, ostomy care, and wounds related to oxygen administration and COVID-19.
Sep 06, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 2
General surgeon, Dr. Colin Bohannan, and I discuss topics related to nasogastric tubes (NGT): small bowels obstructions (SBO), Salem Sumps, why NGTs are crucial for healing, as well as some tips and tricks to keep NGTs working.
Aug 02, 2020•31 min•Ep. 1
