Day 5 is ready in the Classroom tab. Today I’m studying Schizophrenia & Psychotic Disorders. I covered positive vs. negative symptoms, cognitive symptoms, hallucinations, delusions, paranoid thinking, catatonia, antipsychotic medications, EPS, neuroleptic malignant syndrome, and important safety priorities. The main focus is learning how to communicate with patients correctly, recognize dangerous symptoms, and know what findings need immediate attention. Full study guide is posted in the Classroom tab. 🩺📚

Today I’m studying Pregnancy Complications for the NCLEX. I’m covering preeclampsia, eclampsia, HELLP syndrome, magnesium sulfate safety, hyperemesis gravidarum, GBS, UTI, ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancy, cervical insufficiency, placenta previa, and placental abruption. My main focus is learning how to recognize danger signs, know what to do first, and separate similar conditions like placenta previa vs. placental abruption. I posted the full long-format study guide in the Classroom tab. 🩺📚

Today I covered Antimicrobial Therapies — the big antibiotic/anti-infective meds NCLEX loves to test: 💊 Penicillins & Cephalosporins ⚠️ Cross-sensitivity and allergies 👂 Aminoglycosides: nephrotoxicity + ototoxicity 🔴 Vancomycin: Red Man Syndrome + trough levels 🦵 Fluoroquinolones: tendon rupture risk 🦠 Antivirals and key nursing safety points The full guide is available in the Classroom tab.✅

Today’s NCLEX topic is wound care and wound healing. I covered the basics of how wounds heal, pressure injury staging, Braden Scale risk assessment, wound VAC therapy, diabetic foot care, and major complications like dehiscence, evisceration, hemorrhage, hematoma, and fistulas. I posted the full long-format study guide inside the Classroom tab for anyone who wants the complete notes. 🩺📚

🎥 Videos recommended: 🧠 Spinal Cord Injury 🔗 https://youtu.be/lkOTDW1KZ0A?si=L0P21faYykJjGClH 🦴 Peripheral Nerve and Spinal Cord Disorders Questions 🔗 https://youtu.be/74kX1ue1mUs?si=POMpbK0oimL8YD7W Today’s topic is spinal cord injury 🧠🦴. The big idea is simple: when the spinal cord is damaged, messages between the brain and body are blocked. The higher the injury, the more dangerous it is because more body functions can be affected. Cervical injuries are the highest priority because they can affect breathing 🫁. Remember: C3, C4, and C5 keep the diaphragm alive. If the injury is high in the neck, the patient may need ventilator support and can have quadriplegia, also called tetraplegia. Thoracic and lumbar injuries usually affect the lower body and can cause paraplegia, bowel and bladder problems 🚽, skin breakdown risk 🩹, and mobility issues. A complete spinal cord injury means there is no movement or sensation below the level of injury ❌. An incomplete injury means some signals still get through, so the patient may have patchy sensation or some movement below the injury ✅. One of the biggest NCLEX traps is knowing the difference between spinal shock and neurogenic shock ⚡🩸. Spinal shock is a reflex problem. The patient temporarily loses reflexes, muscle tone, sensation, and movement below the injury. The sign that spinal shock is improving is the return of reflexes. Neurogenic shock is a circulation problem 🩸. The blood vessels dilate, blood pools in the body, blood pressure drops, and the heart rate slows down. Think: low and slow ⬇️🐢 — low blood pressure and slow heart rate. The skin may be warm, dry, and flushed, which is different from many other types of shock. Nursing care focuses on spinal immobilization, airway and breathing support 🫁, IV fluids as ordered, vasopressors if needed, and atropine for severe bradycardia if ordered. Autonomic dysreflexia is another major NCLEX emergency 🚨. It usually happens in patients with spinal cord injuries at T6 or higher. The key sign is sudden, dangerous hypertension. Something irritating happens below the injury, but the brain cannot control the response correctly, so the body overreacts and the blood pressure shoots up.