Nursing Tip of the Day! - Maternal Neonatal Nursing

Category: Maternal Neonatal Nursing
Problems with the respiratory system are a major concern because preterm newborns must begin breathing with immature and underdeveloped lungs. The presence of surfactant in adequate amounts is of primary importance.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Maternal Neonatal Nursing

Category: Maternal Neonatal Nursing
The term molding refers to changes in the shape of the head which, allow it to pass through the birth canal. It is caused by overriding of the cranial bones at the sutures and is common, especially after a long second stage of labor.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Maternal Neonatal Nursing

Category: Maternal Neonatal Nursing
Normally, the chest and abdomen rise and fall together during respiration. When an infant has severe respiratory difficulty, the chest falls when the abdomen rises and the chest rises when the abdomen falls, causing a seesaw effect.

Book Recommendations | Nursing Care Plans!

I heard about this book from many nursing students across the nation (YouTube & Facebook). Sadly, my mittens never touched this book while I was in nursing school. So, I finally purchased a copy last week. This textbook is beyond amazing and filled with tons of nursing interventions and rationales for interventions. The most valuable parts of this book are the rationales for interventions. If you can't explain why you're doing something... you're screwed! I would have received straight A's on my nursing care plans if I had this textbook in my arsenal. It provides you with everything and anything your instructor will require for a detailed, well constructed, specific nursing care plan. Now I know why it's a best seller, it should be a requirement for all nursing programs.

Nursing Care Plans: Diagnoses, Interventions & Outcomes 
ISBN: 0323065376 | 978-0323065375

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Maternal Neonatal Nursing

Category: Maternal Neonatal Nursing
Full-term neonates digest simple carbohydrates and proteins well. Complex carbohydrates and fats are less well digested because of the lack of pancreatic amylase and lipase in the newborn.

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NCLEX-RN Practice Question Challenge!

Correct Answer: 1, 2 & 5

1: CORRECT | Right-sided failure caused by failure of right ventricle, which causes backup for circulation
2: CORRECT | Caused by increased venous pressure
3: Indicates left-sided heart failure. Caused by failure of left ventricle, which causes pulmonary congestion
4: Found in left-sided failure
5: CORRECT | Due to fluid retention

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Maternal Neonatal Nursing

Category: Maternal Neonatal Nursing
During the early days after birth, infants may lose up to 10% of their birth weight. This loss is a result of normal excretion of extracellular water, meconium and the fact that newborns often consume fewer calories than needed.

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Nursing Tip of the Day! - Maternal Neonatal Nursing

Category: Maternal Neonatal Nursing
The major secretion of the breasts during the pregnancy and the 1st 7 to 10 days after giving birth is colostrum. Colostrum is ↑ in protein, fat-soluble vitamins and minerals than mature milk but ↓ in carbohydrates, fat and lactose.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Maternal Neonatal Nursing

Category: Maternal Neonatal Nursing
Hyperemesis gravidarum (HEG) is persistent, uncontrollable vomiting that begins in the first weeks of pregnancy and may continue throughout pregnancy. HEG may continue throughout pregnancy, although its severity usually lessens.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Maternal Neonatal Nursing

Category: Maternal Neonatal Nursing
Missed abortions occur when the fetus dies during the first half of pregnancy but is retained in the uterus. When the fetus dies, the early symptoms of pregnancy (nausea, breast tenderness or urinary frequency) disappear.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Maternal Neonatal Nursing

Category: Maternal Neonatal Nursing
After birth, a rapid ↓ in intraabdominal pressure results in dilation of blood vessels supplying the viscera. The resulting engorgement of abdominal blood vessels contributes to a rapid ↓ in blood pressure.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Maternal Neonatal Nursing

Category: Maternal Neonatal Nursing
Around 10 to 13 lbs are lost during childbirth. This includes the weight of the fetus, placenta, amniotic fluid and blood lost during birth. An additional 5 to 8 lbs are lost due to diuresis and 2 to 3 lbs from involution and lochia by the 1st week.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Psychiatric Nursing

Category: Psychiatric Nursing 
Sexual assault is any type of sexual activity to which the victim does not consent. It can range from inappropriate touching to penetration. Sexual assault can also occur verbally over the telephone or online.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Psychiatric Nursing

Category: Psychiatric Nursing
The rape-trauma syndrome is a variant of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and consists of an acute phase and a long-term reorganization process that occurs after an actual or attempted sexual assault.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Fundamentals

Category: Fundamentals
Fever (especially if > than 104° F [40° C]) can be damaging to body cells, delirium and seizures can occur. At temperatures > than 105.8° F (41° C), impaired and damage can occur to many cells, including those in the brain.

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Nursing Tip of the Day! - Medical Surgical Nursing

Category: Medical Surgical Nursing
Losses of sodium-rich body fluids from the GI tract, kidney or skin indirectly result in hyponatremia. Because these fluids are either isotonic or hypotonic, sodium is lost with an equal or greater proportion of water.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Medical Surgical Nursing

Category: Medical Surgical Nursing
In hyponatremia that is caused by water excess, fluid restriction is often all that is needed to treat the problem. If severe symptoms (seizures) develop, small amounts of IV hypertonic saline solution (3% NaCl) are given.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Medical Surgical Nursing

Category: Medical Surgical Nursing
A major cause of magnesium deficiency is prolonged fasting or starvation. Chronic alcoholism commonly causes hypomagnesemia as a result of insufficient food intake. Fluid loss from the GI tract interferes with magnesium absorption.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Medical Surgical Nursing

Category: Medical Surgical Nursing
The basic treatment of hypercalcemia is promotion of excretion of calcium in urine by administration of a loop diuretic (e.g. furosemide [Lasix]) and hydration of the patient with isotonic saline infusions.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Psychiatric Nursing

Category: Psychiatric Nursing 
Frotteurism ("rub or scrape") is characterized by rubbing/touching a nonconsenting person. The disorder is usually seen in men and typically occurs in busy public places, particularly in subways and buses (for a quick escape).

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Psychiatric Nursing

Category: Psychiatric Nursing 
Gender identity (the sense of maleness or femaleness) is not inborn but usually is established by the time a child is 3 years old. Gender orientation is predisposed but, gender identity is determined by how we are raised.

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Nursing Tip of the Day! - Psychiatric Nursing

Category: Psychiatric Nursing 
Vaginismus is an involuntary constriction response of the muscles that close the vagina. This condition interferes with penile insertion, intercourse and may even be elicited during a normal gynecological examination with a speculum.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Fundamentals

Category: Fundamentals 
A "slow code" happens when a terminally-ill patient goes into cardiopulmonary failure. The medical staff goes through the motions of attempting resuscitation but do not make a sincere, honest attempt to revive the patient.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Fundamentals

Category: Fundamentals 
A chemical code involves the use of drugs for resuscitation without the use of CPR. A “no code” or a DNR order allows the person to die with comfort measures only and without the interference of technology.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Fundamentals

Category: Fundamentals 
The diagnosis of death is based on brain or cerebral death. In the United States, brain death is defined as irreversible loss of all brain functions, including the brainstem. Brain death can be made in patients whose hearts artificially beat.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Fundamentals

Category: Fundamentals 
Brain death occurs when the cerebral cortex stops functioning or is irreversibly destroyed. The cerebral cortex (the higher brain) is responsible for voluntary movement and actions, as well as for cognitive functioning.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Fundamentals

Category: Fundamentals 
Death is the irreversible cessation of circulatory and respiratory function or the irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain, including the brainstem. Trauma and disease can affect physical manifestations at the end of life.

YouTube Vlog | Following Orders Given

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Medical Surgical Nursing

Category: Medical Surgical Nursing 
Polycythemia is the production and presence of ↑ numbers of RBCs in the body. The increase in RBCs can be so great that blood circulation is impaired as a result of the ↑ blood viscosity (hyperviscosity) and volume (hypervolemia).

YouTube Vlog | Working & Paying For Nursing School

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Medical Surgical Nursing

Category: Medical Surgical Nursing
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a component of tobacco smoke. CO has a high affinity for hemoglobin and combines with it more readily than does O₂, thereby reducing the smoker's O₂-carrying capacity.

NCLEX-RN Practice Question Challenge!

Correct Answer: 4

1: Transient changes in LOC can be due to hypotension, check neurological function every 2 to 4 hours
2: Priority is patient safety
3: No information to indicate oxygenation issues, more important to put client back to bed
4: CORRECT | Cold, pale client needs to be reclining in bed. Patient safety is an issue due to decreased perfusion

NCLEX-RN Practice Question Challenge!

Correct Answer: 1

1: CORRECT |  Headaches are a common side effect of a lumber puncture procedures. However, assessing for leakage of cerebrospinal fluid or the presence of a hematoma (that may increase the likelihood of complications) is required to determine if further interventions are indicated at this time
2: Appropriate action, assess before intervening
3: Assessment of BP is appropriate, but assessing the site takes precedence because it may be directly linked to symptoms
4: Appropriate action if the patient is not following the pre-procedure and post-procedure instructions, assess before intervening

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Nursing Tip of the Day! - Medical Surgical Nursing

Category: Medical Surgical Nursing
Wheezing is an unreliable sign to gauge the severity of an asthma attack. Many patients with minor attacks wheeze loudly, whereas others with severe attacks do not wheeze because of the marked reduction in airflow.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
The intraaortic balloon pump (IABP) provides temporary circulatory assistance to the compromised heart by ↓ afterload (via reduction in systolic pressure) and augmenting the aortic diastolic pressure, resulting in ↑ coronary blood flow.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
An acute and reversible sensory-perceptual change common in ICU patients termed ICU psychosis involves: alterations in mentation (delusions), psychomotor behavior (restlessness) and sleep-wake cycle (nighttime agitation).

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Fundamentals

Category: Fundamentals
Metabolic acidosis results because of the high acid content of the blood, which causes a loss of sodium bicarbonate. This carbonate buffer system, results in a bicarbonate deficit. Severe diarrhea or renal disease cause metabolic acidosis.