Ever wondered what kind of fluids are hanging in your IV bag and why?Hopefully, this audio podcast will answer all of your questions about:CrystalloidsIsotonic Solutions: Normal Saline, Lactated Ringers, D5WHypotonic Solutions: D51/2 NS, .4

Vasoactives and Low Blood Pressure Part II

Nov 30th, 2011 24m 19s

Dopamine/InotropinDopamine is a dose dependent medication, meaning it activates different receptors depending upon the dose given. Low dose activates dopaminergic receptors which causes vasodilation. At 2-10 mcg/kg/min, beta 1 is stimulated

Vasoactives and Low Blood Pressure Part I

Nov 22nd, 2011 26m 52s

DefinitionsVasoactive is an umbrella term for any drug that makes your heart rate and/or blood pressure go up or down. Vasopressor, on the other hand, is a term for a drug that makes your blood pressure goes up by the process of vasoconstricti

How to Become a CRNA- Nurse Anesthetist

Nov 12th, 2011 5m 6s

Bad News: CRNA is no longer the Best Kept Secret in Healthcare!Yep..Nurse Anesthesia is no longer the best kept secret- a lot of your co-workers in the ICU are thinking about applying and they are going to be your biggest competition. Do you

Sepsis Demystified

Nov 7th, 2011 26m 28s

Why do our ICU patients get sepsis?They are likely on antibiotic therapy, making our patients susceptible to resistant organsims. Plus, our patients are already sick and possibly immunocompromised. Just being in the hospital is a risk as patie

The ICU Assessment

Nov 3rd, 2011 41m 59s

Every ICU has a slightly different requirement as far as what you are assessing as the RN. Even though every patient is unique, there is a general ICU assessment that will work for most. In this audio only version, we will go through a basic

Worst Case Scenario 3: Chest Tubes!

Oct 11th, 2011 43m 1s

Chest tubes are not as scary as they sound. If the chest tube is already in place and there are no immediate problems, chances are your 12 hour shift is going to be ok. If not, we’ll teach you exactly what to do.Chest tubes can be placed in a

Death in the ICU

Sep 8th, 2011 45m 13s

Download the related podcast about Death in the ICU!When physicians have decided there is nothing more they can do for a patient, they will often speak with the families and encourage them to withdraw care. Our facility actually says “Comfort

Hemodynamics: Arterial Lines

Aug 12th, 2011 38m 5s

Everything you need to know about Arterial Lines in this audio only version!What types of patients get arterial lines?What does the nurse need to know about arterial lines?How do you troubleshoot arterial lines? And I need a big favor! Go

Worse Case Scenario 2: Intubation

Jul 1st, 2011 44m 23s

Download to learn more about respiratory failure, and what the nurse does before, during, and after intubation.Causes of Respiratory FailureSepsis, Pneumonia (aspiration), COPD Exacerbation, Trauma, Pulmonary Embolism, Pneumothorax, and Pleur

Worst Case Scenario: Head and Neck

Jun 21st, 2011 1h 2m

Download! What to do if your patient has a seizure, vomits blood or self-extubates, etc.In this crazy job called nursing, everything that can go wrong WILL go wrong at some point in your career. I am dedicating this post to some worst case s

ABG’s and Vents for Dummies

Jun 3rd, 2011 30m 15s

Download!This AUDIO only version will cover the following topics:ABG interpretation made easy!ABG in the real world: the ICUWhat do you NEED to know about Ventillator Settings?great link for practice ABG’s:http://www.realnurseed.com/abg

ICU for Dummies!

May 27th, 2011 51m 32s

Download!What every new nurse wishes he/she knew.In this AUDIO ONLY version, I will blow your mind and tell you everything you need to know about:ICU Dayshift vs ICU NightshiftTraveling with your patients to CT/MRILab results, CBC, BMP &

Pulses Really are Important!

Mar 16th, 2011 7m 47s

Download!Our documentation requires us to chart pulses and whether they have been confirmed by palpation, Doppler, or if they are absent. I usually check pulses while I’m assessing neurological status in an awake patient but every RN has thei

The Neuro ICU for Beginners

Mar 16th, 2011 26m 39s

Download!There are a lot of abbreviations in the Neuroscience ICU and you will almost never hear the layman’s term stroke. That is what confused me when I began. I was listening to report and hearing SAH, IVH, ICP, CPP, SDH, DAI, blah blah b

Logrolling Patients with Spinal Precautions

Nov 18th, 2010 6m 8s

Download!A patient with a cervical injury may have orders to logroll. Please refer to my blog post on Spinal Precautions if you would like more information about spinal injuries. Back to the logroll. Logroll? What are we- lumberjacks? Yep

Spinal Precautions

Nov 18th, 2010 11m 35s

Download!Who Needs Spinal Precautions?Spinal Precautions are taken for patients with neurological deficits and those complaining of neck pain or tenderness after an injury. Examples include patients who have undergone a fall, a violent injur

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