Word(s) of the Day

Nursing School Edition #7

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Pathophysiology

Some terms from my Week 5 class in Patho:

Leukemia:

  is a malignant disease of the bone marrow that causes an increase in white blood cell production.

The term tumor as related to neoplasm means: 

new growth.

Neoplasms that are confined to a local area and do not spread are called:

benign.

Metastasis

  is the spread of the neoplasm to distant sites.

Next Up: Microbiology

Week 5 Micro:

What are the two major categories of cells?

a. Bacteria and viruses
b. Prokaryotes and eukaryotes
c. Pathogens and non-pathogens
d. Plants and animals

What are the primary functions of the innate immune response?

A. Produce antibodies in response to the pathogen
B. Create memory cells to prepare the body for future attacks
C. Attack the pathogen and alert the adaptive immune response
D. Signal T cells to produce cytokines in response to the pathogen

What type of transmission occurs when a pathogen is spread though sneezing or coughing?

A. Common vehicle
B. Indirect contact
C. Airborne
D. Direct contact

Inflammation:
is caused by the dilatation of blood vessels which allows the passage of fluid, antibodies, and WBCs into the infected body area.

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Summer’s end in September

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I can’t believe summer has come to a close already. Just starting out in September and the first weekend is spent relaxing, looking at fall decorations and putting away those summer ones. Time can not be flying by any faster!

Some news from me: I am now set up in Arizona at my condo. I am still adjusting to just how HOT it is here! Every day is over 100 degrees! It’s wild to say the least. I’m also having a lot of fun trying to find what my style is for decorating the house. Sometimes I want a dark/rustic farmhouse look and sometimes I want to go full on industrial! So it’s been fun adventuring around the city checking into all the craft, furniture and design stores. I brought along my cat Solo and needless to say he cozied right on in. Loves to bathe in the sun, attack all the cat toys and basically made himself right at home.

I started my third semester and half of the classes are in person at the school. It was weird going back to in-person classes again. However, it was nice because I met some people who are equally confused and stressed out about school and even wore my scrubs! So exciting…and nerve-wracking.

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Goals:

Some goals that I have for September is to get all my nursing school notes organized. Come up with a better financial plan for saving. Study and get the highest possible grades on my assignments and to adventure around Arizona a little more. Maybe find a nice local coffee shops and some hiking trails.

What are some goals that you have for September?

“A goal without a plan is only a dream.”

-Brian Tracy

Word(s) of the Day

Nursing School Edition #6

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I just started my 3rd semester of nursing school and do you know what that means? More info about nursing school and the classes I’m in. It also means more “Word of the Day,” POP Quizzes and other beneficial educational and fun information. I hope you’re excited to learn new things or maybe just to refresh your memory. I know I am more than ready for this semester and couldn’t be more excited to bring you along. I would say, sit back and relax but instead: Let’s open our mind and learn!

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Pathophysiology

1. Pathology is:

a. a disease

b. the bacteria that causes the disease

c. the study of disease

d. the complication of diseases

2. Etiology of a disease means the:

a. study of cause

b. predicted outcome of the disease or condition

c. cause is unknown

d. disease was caused by a hospital environment

3. A chronic disease usually has which of the following elements?

a. It is related to the respiratory system.

b. It happens suddenly but lasts only a short while.

c. It persists for a long period of time, often for the individual’s entire lifetime.

d. It has a sudden onset.

4. Diseases caused by an abnormality of an individual’s genetic makeup can be classified in which of the following categories?

a. Trauma

b. Hereditary

c. Nutritional imbalance

d. Inflammation

5. Adenomas, carcinomas, and sarcomas are examples of:

a. malnutrition

b. hyperplasia and neoplasms

c. trauma

d. impaired immunity

6. When a cell adapts to irritants or damage by changing to another type of cell, it is called:

a. hypertrophy

b. hyperplasia

c. metaplasia

d. Dysplasia

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These were questions I picked out of study material that we learned in WEEK 1 for my Pathophysiology class. The correct answers are displayed in bold green text. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. Happy Studying!

Moving to Arizona

Moving to Arizona

Word of the Day, POP Quiz!

Nursing School Edition #5

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What is a heart murmur? A heart murmur is is an abnormal noise between heartbeats. It can be a blowing, whooshing, or swishing sound. A heart murmur is when the blood makes an extra sound as it moves through.

The atrioventricular valve between the left atrium and the left ventricle is known as the ____ valve. Bicuspid / mitral valve

What is an angioplasty? An angioplasty is a surgical repair or unblocking of a blood vessel.

The ____ arteries supply muscles of the thorax. Intercostal

An average cardiac cycle takes ____ seconds. 0.8

​Lymphatic ____ are spaces between groups of lymphatic tissue. Sinuses

Liver macrophages are called ____ cells. Kupffer

Hydrochloric acid is secreted into the stomach by ____ cells. Parietal

The taste of ____ detects monosodium glutamate. Umami

The collapsible, muscular tube that is situated behind the trachea is called the: Esophagus

During the ____ phase of the menstrual cycle, the zona pellucida develops around each egg. Menstrual

The anterior portions of the nasal cavities just inside the nostrils are known as the: Vestibules

Sickle-cell anemia is a hereditary disease in which leukocytes have an abnormal sickle shape due to abnormal hemoglobin. FALSE

​Hyperparathyroidism results in the softening and deformation of the: BONES

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A quote my Anatomy and Physiology Professor gave to my class:

“Just because you watch ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ doesn’t mean you can do the operation.”

Charles Barkley

Word of the Day

Nursing School Edition #4

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Abdomen:

The abdomen contains many of our vital organs. The stomach, small intestine, large intestine, the liver, spleen, gallbladder, he pancreas, the uterus, the fallopian tubes, the ovaries, the kidneys, the ureters, the bladder, and many blood vessels.

Word of the Day

Nursing School Edition #3

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Aortic Regurgitation

This is a condition where the hearts aortic valve doesn’t close tightly enough. Due to this, some of the blood pumped out of the heart leaks backward.

This can have many complications, the most extreme is heart failure.

Q: What can cause this?

A: Congenital heart valve disease, other genetic heart diseases.

Q: What are some of the symptoms?

• heart palpitations
• chest pain
• shortness of breath
• fatigue
• weakness
• fainting
• swollen ankles and feet

Q: Can this be treated?

A: Yes! This will typically require a surgery to fix the valve. Sometimes it can be treated with medications.

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HEART.ORG

PENNMEDICINE

Off with April and onto May

I feel like April came and went in such a hurry. What did you do for the month? Here is how I spent my April.

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First semester down and onto my second for nursing school.

Halfway through April, I finished my first semester and I started my second semester of nursing school. I had a week’s break and then it was back to studying. This time around I has an even fuller schedule since I’m in five classes! Having five classes means I have to stay organized and on top of my game. I wanted to try out a different digital planner than the one I already use. I shopped around Etsy and decided to try out a new one that had room for multiple classes. So far it is working out great and really keeping things in check.

Working out even more!

In March I was starting to work out again, and I’m happy to say I stayed on top of that in April as well. I decided on not setting any hardcore goals and instead stayed with easier ones. Some goals were: workout a few times in April, go on a walk every day that you can, and try to go hiking. I managed to achieve every one of those goals and I can’t wait to do even more in May.

Hiking in Muir Woods

I was really excited when one of my friends and I found time to go hiking. We originally planned on a Mt. Tamalpais trail that traveled in a 5.2 mile loop into Muir Woods here in California. While we did make it down to Muir Woods we accidentally got turned around and instead hikes a 10 mile loop!! We were exhausted, a little nervous but overall we managed to do it! That’s a story for later 😅

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I can’t wait to see what May has in store for me. What were some of the things you did in April? Any plans for May? Let me know in the comments below, can’t wait to hear them! Stay safe 💚 Kat

“After a day’s walk, everything has twice its usual value.”

G.M. Trevelyan

School Update:

Semester 1 Complete!

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Semester one of nursing school was completed. It was a nice and tough semester, especially with my math class. I managed to struggle through and pass with all A’s and a B in math. I surprised myself, to say the least and I’m glad I pushed myself. Thinking back to how my learning styles have changed, I definitely see a pattern on some things. I definitely am a crash course student. What that means to me is that if I cram semi last minute I tend to retain information more and score higher on tests. I think that is a TERRIBLE habit to have, but for some reason it works for me. These last couple months I have tried to curb that habit and I actually did a little better with it. These classes were asynchronous which worked out great with my work schedules. My next semester (which starts in a week) is also asynchronous, so that kind of eases some stress. Are you wondering what asynchronous means, just like I was before taking these? Asynchronous basically means that students are given a time frame, usually a one-week window. During that time frame  they need to connect to their class at least once or twice a day. Doing it on your own with a timeline guidance is great for non hands-on classes. 

I wanted to keep tabs on how my classes are going and what grades I earn because this is a big journey for me. This also keeps me motivated in a sense to share how nursing school is and what happens throughout it. I’m excited to start my next set of classes and a little nervous as well. I’m taking a full semester with not four, but five classes! So this should be interesting. 

“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.”

—Mother Teresa

Late night studying.

Late night studying.