The FreshRN Podcast with Kati Kleber

Most hospitals have some form of Rapid Response Team that can be called when patients are becoming unstable to bring people and resources to the bedside quickly. In this episode, we discuss when to call a Rapid Response, what happens once one is called, and some of our own experiences calling or responding to them. Head to FreshRN.com/41 for the complete show notes of this episode. 

Kati spent hours combing through the CDC and WHO recommendations and research articles discussing appropriate PPE for healthcare providers taking care of Coronavirus patients (COVID-19) and translated it into easy-to-understand terms for the bedside nurse. For links to all of her references, click here.

Kati sits down with an experienced mental health professional to outline how nurses can manage fear while still being effective at work and mentally present at home in the midst of the Coronavirus Pandemic.

This episodes provides some coronavirus (COVID-19) background, and dives into why this is such a big deal for the nursing community, Kati's experience as a nurse on the Ebola Team back in 2015, and the challenge of constantly changing updates and fear when you still have to go into work each day.

Ok, you're off orientation, there's no preceptor checking behind you and you're on your own taking care of patients. How do you learn to trust yourself and your nursing judgment? In this episode, we chat about how we began to trust ourselves as we transitioned off of orientation and into our own nursing practice.

Taking care of someone who is unable to interact or make their own medical decisions can be complex. In this episode, we discuss some tips on talking to an unconscious patient and their loved ones, assessment tips, and as well as things to consider like health care power of attorney, consents, and more.

In this episode we talk all things urinary catheters... CAUTIs, tips, tricks, internal and external devices, and nursing considerations.

Music: "Keep My Cool" by Benj Heard

Teamwork is one of those nursing buzzwords, but what does it practically look like during elbow-to-elbow nursing care? In this episode, we chat tips, what good teamwork feels and looks like, and how to be a good team member, and more.

Music: "Keep My Cool" by Benj Heard

Join us as we discuss some tips for floating to another nursing unit. We cover how to start out your shift with success in a different environment, questions to ask, how to manage your nerves, and more. Music: "Keep My Cool" by Benj Heard

When the patient is now donating their organs, there are a lot of things that are now the responsibility of the nurse. In this episode, we discuss what it practically looks like to prepare a patient for organ procurement and some of the variations of the process, as well as our own experiences.

Music: "Keep My Cool" by Benj Heard

We discuss the difference between coma and brain death, how brain death is determined, working with an organ procurement team, and general insights related to this sensitive topic.

So, how do you deal with the family members... like, normally? How do you meet their expectations and work together as a team? We discuss routine communication points with typical family members who are engaged and want to be part of a patient's care, and how you as a fresh RN can speak to them with confidence.

Arterial lines, ventilators, central lines galore! Together with Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Sean Dent, Melissa and Kati discuss some tips and tricks for dealing with typical ICU devices.

Arterial lines, ventilators, central lines galore! Together with Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Sean Dent, Melissa and Kati discuss some tips and tricks for dealing with typical ICU devices

Nursing conferences are fun, but can be pretty overwhelming. Melissa and Kati discuss some practical tips to get the most out the experience and investment.

In this episode, we interview Kathleen Puntillo, PhD RN FAAN who has written about and researched palliative care extensively, about what the nurse needs to know about palliative care and considerations for their patients.

Ever wonder about how the bedside nurses work with nursing leadership? We interview a current practicing nursing supervisor, chain of command, and discuss how the bedside nurse can leverage leadership in various patient situations.

Grab your nasal cannula and crank it up to 4L/min because in this episode, we interview Sean Dent who is an NP in acute care and discuss all things respiratory!