Bedpan Banter

32 Episodes

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NCLEX Electrolyte Imbalances Review with Nurse Mike

2026-10-0509:28

A tiny lab value can be the difference between a stable patient and a rapid crash, and that is exactly why electrolyte imbalances show up nonstop on nursing exams and the NCLEX. We walk through the Fab Five electrolytes in a way that actually sticks: simple ranges, what each electrolyte does in the body, what high looks like, what low looks like, and how to turn symptom clues into the safest next step. We start with the core test-taking mindset: the NCLEX is a safety exam, so the most danger...

A Nurse-Friendly Guide To Reading EKG Strips Fast with Nurse Mike

2026-09-2115:27

Your patient says, “My chest feels fluttering,” and suddenly that monitor feels louder than your own thoughts. We’re taking the fear out of ECG interpretation by turning EKG strips into a simple, repeatable process you can use on exams and at the bedside. I’m Nurse Mike, and I walk you through the heart’s electrical pathway in plain English, then connect each waveform to what the heart is actually doing so the squiggles finally mean something. From there, we get practical: PR interval ...

Anxiety Medications Breakdown using Memory Tricks w/ Nurse Mike

2026-08-3107:37

Most nursing pharmacology mistakes happen when a question quietly hints at sedation, and you miss what that means for airway and breathing. We slow anxiety medications down into a simple, test-ready framework built around patient safety, ABCs (airway, breathing, circulation), and the patterns that show up again and again on the NCLEX and in nursing school exams. We walk through the “three big players” you must recognize on sight: benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and buspirone. You’ll hea...

You Will Never Mix Up DKA And HHS Again with Nurse Mike

2026-08-1713:11

DKA vs HHS can feel like a blur when you’re studying, but the body tells a clear story if you know what to listen for. I’m Nurse Mike, and I’m breaking these two diabetic emergencies into a simple framework you can use under pressure on exams and in real clinical care: speed of onset, what’s happening at the cellular level, and the few “can’t miss” signs and labs that separate them. We start with the core pathophysiology. DKA is a no-insulin problem that pushes the body into fat burning, ket...

Stop Guessing And Start Nailing ABG Questions w/ Nurse Mike

2026-07-2708:04

ABGs have a way of making smart nursing students freeze, not because they’re impossible, but because they’re often taught like a memorization game. We’re flipping that. Once you see arterial blood gases as relationships between pH, PaCO2, and HCO3, the confusion drops fast and the questions start to feel predictable. We walk through the exact ranges you need for nursing school and the NCLEX, then lock in the rule that keeps everything straight: CO2 is respiratory and bicarbonate (HCO3) is me...

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