Up My Nursing Game!

My Top 4 Nursing Practice-Changing Moments with Annie Fulton, RN

In this episode, I will share with you what I have considered to be my biggest ah-ha moments from the last 2.5 years of hosting this podcast — those that have influenced my practice on just about a daily basis.

Pre- and Post-Kidney Transplant Patient Care with Dr. Silas Norman

Kidney transplant is, by far, the most common type of transplant procedure performed and therefore the most commonly seen in clinical practice. Dr. Norman Silas, MD, transplant nephrologist, discusses pertinent topics for clinical nurses such as the pre-transplant work-up, post-transplant medications, and potential pitfalls when caring for transplant recipients.

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) or here for detailed instructions.

Acute Agitation Management for Nurses with Dee Henderson, RN, MSN

Hostility, uncooperativeness and impulsivity: acute agitation can be one of the most stressful aspects of a nurses job. With forty years of nursing experience, Dee Henderson, RN, MSN, joins us to discuss how both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions can be used to de-escalate the crisis cycle.

What Nurses Need to Know About Ostomies with Sarah Baumgart MSN, CWOCN

Here is the definitive episode about ostomies for the bedside nurse. From comparing and ileal conduit v. ileostomy v. colostomy to coaching your patient on what to expect in life with an ostomy, Sarah Baumgart MSN, APRN, CWOCN, answers many of the questions nurses have about their patients with ostomies.

Stroke Diagnostics, Intervention and Complications with Sarah Lorenzini, RN, MSN

Time is brain. Rapid response nurse, Sarah Lorenzini MSN, RN, is frequently working against the clock to get patients with stroke symptoms to CT and ultimately receiving definitive care. We will discuss what nurses can do to help facilitate fast interventions including tPA, thrombectomy, ventriculostomies, stroke center designation and post-CVA complications.

What is Ketamine? How it Works as Analgesic, Anesthetic and Antidepressant with Tori Arsenault, PharmD

Ketamine seems to be the new “it” drug. Pharmacist Victoria Arsenault returns to the podcast to discuss how Ketamine’s dissociative properties can be used as an analgesic, anesthetic, and antidepressant.

What All Nurses Need to Know About Rural Hospitals with Dr. Kent Herbert

Emergency departments in rural areas work in austere conditions that often require critically ill patients to transfer to larger hospitals that can provide a higher level of care. Kent Herbert, emergency physician, discusses what resources are available at rural hospitals and the process for transferring patients to higher levels of care.

#36 Nutrition

A patient’s nutrition status is often an afterthought for nurses. Clinical nurse specialist, Janice Powers, PhD, RN explains how nutrition improves patient outcomes and reviews evidence based enteral feeding practices in hopes that nurses will play a more central role in facilitating adequate nutrition for our patients.

#35 Marijuana

Healthcare has a complex and convoluted relationship with marijuana. Marijuana is a “schedule 1” substance, meaning it has a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use, yet a synthetic version of it is FDA approved as an appetite stimulant. Dr. Thomas, hospitalist, discusses the relevant historical and political context of the drug, as well as its pharmacology, cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, and some communication techniques for discussing drug use with patients.

JOIN THE PODCAST! I’m bringing on interns to help me with podcast production. Read more about the internship here.

#34 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has a stubbornly high mortality rate with current estimates at about 40%. Critical care veteran Kathleen Vollman, MSN, RN, CCNS lays the foundation of ARDS starting with pathophysiology followed by the “8 Ps” of evidence-based supportive care and summary of long-term prognosis.