Nursing School Week by Week
Get the inside scoop on nursing school from someone who's been through it! Join nursing student Melanie each week for expert tips on studying smarter, passing exams, mastering clinicals, and landing your first nursing job. Whether you're tackling Fundamentals or prepping for the NCLEX, this podcast gives you the strategies and support to succeed.
Episodes
Head-to-Toe Physical Assessment: Listen & Learn! [Rewind]
Send a textMastering the Head-to-Toe Physical Assessment in NursingHey there, future nurses! In this episode, I’m bringing back one of the most popular and highly requested episodes—a full, step-by-step head-to-toe physical assessment, demonstrated on my then-fiancé (now husband!).I’ll walk you through each step, explaining not just what to do but why it matters. We’ll talk about the difference be
Mastering Bedside Shift Report: A Nursing Student’s Guide to ISBAR
Send a textMastering the ISBAR Method: How to Give a Clear, Confident Bedside Shift ReportGiving a bedside shift report can feel intimidating, but it’s a skill every nursing student needs to master. In this episode of Nursing School Week by Week, I walk you through the ISBAR method—Identify, Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendations—so you can communicate clearly, concisely, and profe
The BEST Nursing School Schedule
Send a textFeeling overwhelmed trying to keep up with nursing school lectures, clinicals, and exams while balancing work and life? You’re not alone! In this episode of Nursing School Week by Week, I’m giving you a step-by-step Nursing School Study Schedule—the exact system I used to get straight A’s and pass the NCLEX while working part-time and being a mom to five kids.You’ll learn: ✅ How to stru
Electrolytes Made Simple (Part 3): Calcium, Magnesium & Life-Threatening Imbalances Explained
Send a textMastering Electrolytes: Understanding Calcium and Magnesium in NursingIn this final installment of the Electrolytes series at Nursing School Week by Week, the focus is on calcium and magnesium. The role of calcium extends beyond strong bones to muscle contractions, nerve transmission, and blood clotting, while magnesium maintains muscle and nerve functions. Detailed signs of imbalances
Potassium: The Heart’s MVP – Essential Electrolyte for Nursing Students | Episode 2 of Electrolytes 101
Send a textMastering Potassium: Essential Knowledge for Life-Saving NursingIn this episode of Nursing School Week by Week, the focus is on the critical role of potassium in the body. The discussion includes the importance of potassium for heart function, recognizing the dangers of both hyperkalemia (high potassium levels) and hypokalemia (low potassium levels), as well as the symptoms and causes o
Electrolytes Made Easy: Hyponatremia & Hypernatremia Explained for Nursing Students
Send a textUnderstanding Electrolyte Imbalances in Nursing PracticeIn this episode of Nursing School Week by Week, host Melanie breaks down the critical concept of electrolytes, focusing on their imbalances and the associated dangers. She emphasizes the real-world implications for nursing practice and provides detailed information on the four key electrolytes: sodium, potassium, calcium, and magne
First Semester Success Guide: What to Do NOW to Prepare for August
Send a textPreparation Tips for Nursing Students: Insights from Nurse MelanieIn this episode of Nursing School Week by Week, I share essential tips to help you prepare for nursing school. I cover how mastering time management and organization skills with the use of digital and paper planners can be a game-changer. I also explain the importance of setting up an organized workspace and creating a st
Mastering Cardiac Meds: Your Ultimate Nursing Guide
Send a textIn this episode of 'Nursing School Week by Week', we dive deep into cardiac medications, breaking down complex pharmacology concepts into bite-sized pieces. We start with an overview of the main categories: diuretics, antiarrhythmics, and anticoagulants, using various analogies to make them memorable, like plumbers for diuretics and electricians for antiarrhythmics. We discuss
Go to Nursing School for Free
Send a textNursing is one of those few degrees that you can get for free, if you play your cards right. And this is one of those times when it pays to do some research, because besides paying for your first house, college will probably be your biggest expense in life. Paying out of pocket for nursing school is expensive. Average costs range from $12,000 to $35,000 for an associates degree in nursi
Home Health Nursing For The Win
Send a textThe difference between working in a hospital and working home health is night and day. I’m going to be talking about my experience as a home health nurse, what a day in the life looks like. I’m going to touch on some myths about home health nurses, kind of the reputation that they have and if I think that that’s warranted or not. And how it compares to working in the hospital. These are
FALLS
Send a textToday we're talking about a basic one but a big one. We’re talking about falls. We're gonna get into what constitutes a fall, because it may not be exactly what you think a fall is but it would still count as a fall. We're gonna get into what makes a person more likely to have a fall; we're gonna get into what we as nurses can do to help prevent falls, and we're
Night Shift vs Day Shift (Part 2)
Send a textLet's continue talking about the pros and cons of working night shift vs day shift as a new nurse. Get 20% off a Lecturio Nursing subscription with Discount Code: nursingschoolwbw20First up, on the day shift, there are more meds to give. So, that can be good if you’re trying to practice your skills, but bad just because it’s more work and it’s going to take longer to do each of you
Night Shift Nursing vs Day Shift
Send a textToday I want to talk about the differences between day shift vs night shift for nurses. Maybe you’re on the fence, you don’t know if you want to work day shift or night shift when you graduate, so I want to go over the pros and cons of each to help you make your decision.Check out Lecturio for incredibly helpful videos and so much more! Get 50% off a subscription through August! http://
Stroke - Case Study
Send a textYou just graduated from nursing school, and now you're working as a nurse in the emergency department. The EMTs bring in a 26 year old female with generalized weakness of the left lower and upper extremities, and a sudden headache. What do you do? Can you complete all 5 critical actions, or will you carry out a dangerous action? Learn the most important things to do for stroke pati
Stroke
Send a text Today we are focusing on Strokes, or Brain attacks. This is one of those conditions that is so important for us nurses to know the signs and symptoms of, because your patient could have a stroke at any point. They could come into the ER with a suspected stroke, or they could be recovering on the med-surg unit, about to be discharged, and then have a stroke. So it can happen at any time
WHAT'S IN MY CLINICAL BAG?
Send a textIt’s almost time for a new semester to start and a lot of you will be going to clinicals for the first time, and the rest of you will be going to clinicals again. I am all done with clinicals now, but I know when I was going through it, I packed a lot of things that I really didn’t need at all, and then there were some things that I didn’t pack, that I kept having to bum off my friends.
Re-Release: My INSANELY Effective Study System
Send a textWith a new semester just around the corner, and some of you starting nursing school for the very first time, it is so important to make sure your study system is top-notch and ready to go. As James Clear would say, "You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems."In this episode, I'm sharing my insanely effective study system for nursing
LPN Degree vs RN: What You Need to Know
Send a textThere are pros for going straight for your RN, there are pros for doing LPN first, or even just doing LPN. Not everyone who gets their LPN degree is planning on becoming an RN. The first obvious pro for going the LPN route is that it’s faster. You can get your LPN in just 12 months, whereas getting your RN takes about 18 months. So you’re gonna save like half a year, which isn’t a huge
Myocardial Infarction - Case Study
Send a textI patient comes into the emergency room with chest pain. What are you, the nurse, going to do about it? Would you recognize it? Go through this case study with us and see what to do when a patient is having a heart attack, or myocardial infarction. Learn the 5 critical actions you must take as a nurse to prevent lasting damage from a myocardial infarction.Are you looking for an easier
Myocardial Infarction
Send a textEverything you need to know as a nursing student about Myocardial Infarction, or a heart attack. Know the signs and symptoms of myocardial infarction in patients, know the nursing interventions for a STEMI heart attack. And know what medications to give for a myocardial infarction.Check out Picmonic for an audiovisual learning system with unforgettable stories to help your remember EVER
Non-Bedside Nursing Jobs (Part 2)
Send a textNot all nurses are bedside nurses, and I don’t want you guys to feel like just because you don’t want to work in a hospital, as a bedside nurse, that you’re somehow not a “real” nurse. 61% of nurses work in a hospital setting. So that means almost 40% of nurses work non-bedside nursing jobs. And do not try to tell them they are not “real” nurses. Cause that’s not gonna go over well!In l
Not All Nurses Are Bedside Nurses
Send a textToday I want to address the Elephant in the Nursing School room. I want to talk about this myth that’s out there that says you’re not a “real” nurse unless you work as a bedside nurse in a hospital. And that’s just not the case, and in a bit, I’m gonna give you 10 alternative jobs that you can do as a new grade nurse. Nursing is a big, huge field. There are over 100 specialties in nursi
Sepsis - Case Study
Send a textYou are working as a nurse in the emergency department when you get a new patient. A 65 year old female with a chief complaint of altered mental status. Will you be able to use your nursing spidey-senses to figure out what is wrong with this patient before she crashes? Once you recognize signs of Sepsis, don't forget to "CALL IT"!CALL IT = Cultures, Antibiotics, Lactate,
Sepsis
Send a textWith sepsis, or septicemia, it can get real complicated, real fast. But we’re gonna try to just keep it simple today and talk about what you really need to know as nursing students.Sepsis is when the body has an extreme response to an infection. The body tries so hard to fight off the infection, that it can even damage the patient’s own tissues and organs. Sepsis usually starts with a b
This is Why You Will FAIL Out of Nursing School
Send a textToday I'm talking about the reasons why you will fail out of nursing school, if you fail out of nursing school. I’m rooting for all of you, and I want you all to succeed. I don’t want anyone to fail out of nursing school. But the reality is that according to the National League for Nursing Study, the rate for students that either fail or drop out is 20%. That’s 1/5th. So at orient
Case Study - Hypoglycemia
Send a textYou are working in the emergency room when the charge nurse says, "You've got a new patient. It's a 45 year old female complaining of dizziness." Little do you know, things are about to go from bad to worse for this patient before you implement life-saving interventions. Hypoglycemia is a condition that you, as the nurse, will see on a regular basis. Get ready for it
Hypoglycemia
Send a textKnowing how to recognize hypoglycemia, and knowing what to do about it to get their glucose level back up is super important. This is one of those conditions that you will see on a regular basis.Hypoglycemia is when the blood sugar level drops below 70 mg/dL. The normal range for blood glucose is between 70-100. A low blood sugar level is very serious and you, as the nurse, must act qui
Top Reasons You Should Become a Nurse
Send a textThere are so many great reasons to become a nurse. No job is going to be all bad or all good, but a mixture of the two. And nursing definitely has it’s good and it’s bad qualities. But, let’s talk about the good things. The reasons why you should become a nurse. Check out Picmonic for an audiovisual learning system with unforgettable stories and characters to help you remember EVERYTHIN
Top Reasons NOT to be a Nurse
Send a textI want you all to go into this nursing field with your eyes wide open. So today I'm talking about some powerful reasons why you might NOT want to become a nurse. Nursing isn't for everyone, and it pays to get all the information you can before making this very important decision. If I had to go back, would I still choose nursing? Find out in this episode.Check out Picmonic for
The 5 Flashcards You Need to Ace Pharmacology
Send a textPharmacology is hands down one of the toughest classes you will take in nursing school. In this episode I'm sharing my personal study system for how to minimize your time studying and maximize the results. One of the main components of this system is the Fundamental Five Flashcards. There are five pieces of information that you need to know for each major drug classification. In th
Are You Too Old For Nursing School?
Send a textIt's a common question, and if you're asking yourself if you're too old to go to nursing school, you are not alone. If you are a "non-traditional" student, you actually have a few advantages! Some special challenges that I'll address, for sure, but some definite advantages. If you are struggling with this very life-changing decision to go back to school aga
Diabetes
Send a textDiabetes is an important topic in nursing school, and a common diagnosis that you’ll help treat in your future patients. In this podcast, I talk about the:Differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes.Complications such as Neuropathy, Retinopathy, Peripheral Vascular Disease, and Nephropathy.How it's diagnosed (Hgb A1C test)Diabetic medicationsPurpose of insulinTriangle of treatme
8 Secrets to Success in Nursing School
Send a textThese are the 8 secrets to success I've learned in my year and a half of nursing school. Success is no accident. It takes hard work, but it helps to hear tips from someone who's gone before you on this journey. #1: Take advantage of the Halo Effect#2: How to choose your study group#3: Build a strong study system#4: Reminder notifications#5: Master assignment list#6: Study grou
Heart Failure
Send a textEven as nursing students in clinicals, we see so many patients affected by heart failure. This is definitely a biggie, and one you need to know. Today I'm breaking it down, and hitting the highlights of what you need to know as a nursing student about heart failure.Picmonic has some great resources to help you remember Heart Failure during test time. Click this link to check out Pi
My INSANELY Effective Study System
Send a textToday I’m sharing with you my insanely effective study system that I use for nursing school. This is a study system that is big on active learning, and NOT passive, time-wasting things. I’m NOT talking about re-reading or re-writing your notes. I’m NOT talking about getting cozy on the couch with your textbook and reading the chapter while highlighting. No. Those are passive learning te
You Need These Study Apps
Send a text "There's an app for that!" There's an app for everything, and today I’m talking about the top 3 apps you need as a nursing student. I’m about halfway through my nursing school program, and I am telling you - these apps have saved me so much time, and I truly believe they’ve been instrumental in helping me make A’s in my classes.Follow this link https://www.picmonic.
6 Reasons You Should Work During Nursing School
Send a textDeciding whether or not to work while you go to nursing school can be a difficult decision. Should you focus on studying? Should you get the experience of working? Today we’re talking about 6 reasons why you should work during nursing school, (and one situation where you shouldn’t.) Some people don’t have a choice. They’ve got rent to pay, or other people to support, and they have to wo
Chronic Kidney Disease
Send a textWhat do you need to know as a nursing student about Chronic Kidney Disease?Today I'm going to be talking about chronic kidney disease. When a patient has a problem with their kidneys, it can either be an acute problem or a chronic problem. So it could be acute kidney injury which can often be reversed and fixed or it could be chronic kidney disease and that is not reversible. With
Cirrhosis
Send a textLet's talk about Cirrhosis! Learn about the signs and symptoms, the complications, and what you, as the nurse, can do about it.Over 44,000 people die every year from cirrhosis, so it’s the 9th leading cause of death in the US. Cirrhosis is an incurable form of liver disease that happens slowly due to inflammation and scarring of the liver tissue. When you think of cirrhosis, think
Hyperthyroidism & Hypothyroidism
Send a textThis week, the most high-yield topic is hyper and hypothyroidism. You’ll see a lot of your test questions coming from this subject.I’m gonna talk about hyperthyroidism first, and then I’ll cover hypothyroidism.So, What is hyperthyroidism? It’s when your body makes too much of the thyroid hormones T3 and T4. I’m not sure how much of the A&P you remember from forever ago, so to review
8 Tips To Get The Most Out Of Nursing Clinicals
Send a textIf the hospitals in your area are allowing students to come in, then you’ll likely be starting your clinical rotations soon, if you haven’t already. Today I’m going to share some tips that will help you really get the most out of your nursing clinicals.Tip #1: Daily Goals Post-it-NoteTip #2: Ask to Watch or DoTip #3: Don't correct the Nurses or TechsTip #4: Be BraveTip #5: Don&apos
Physical Assessment
Send a textDoing a head to toe assessment is something you will be doing day in and day out for the rest of your nursing career, so let’s learn how to do it quickly, and efficiently.Connect with me on: Instagram: @NursingSchoolWeekbyWeek YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nursingschoolweekbyweek Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nursingschoolweekbyweek LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nurse-m
Tissue Integrity
Send a text For the 1st week of nursing school, the most high-yield topic is tissue integrity. Well, what is tissue integrity? It’s your skin’s ability to repair itself and stay healthy. Let's talk about it!Connect with me on: Instagram: @NursingSchoolWeekbyWeek YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nursingschoolweekbyweek Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nursingschoolweekbyweek LinkedIn: https
10 Essential Nursing Supplies
Send a textToday we’ll be talking about the 10 essential supplies you need for nursing school. Then I’ll run through about 15 more things that are nice to have. This list may be a little different for each school, so if your school gives you a supplies list, definitely go by that first.Now, I’m going to assume if you’ve made it through your prereqs, that you already have a backpack and pens and pa
What to Expect at Nursing School Orientation
Send a textNursing school orientation is just one of the many things that is so different in 2020. At orientation, your professors will go over the dress code for skills lab and clinicals, the schedule that you could have for your clinical rotations, what skills lab will look like, the books and supplies you’ll need, and they’ll emphasize how much hard work you are going to need to put into nursin
You've Been Accepted! Now What?
Send us Fan MailToday we’re going to be talking about all the little requirements that have to be met in the months leading up to nursing school. This is after you’ve been accepted, but before the actual start date of your program. When you get your acceptance into nursing school, it’s so exciting, because you’ve worked so hard to get to that point, and you should celebrate! But, that acceptance i
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