#500 - Sympathetic vs. Parasympathetic Nervous System - Your Secret Weapon for Pharm

#500 - Sympathetic vs. Parasympathetic Nervous System - Your Secret Weapon for Pharm

Author: Maureen Osuna, MSN, RN - Nursing school educator, author, and nursing student enthusiast. July 16, 2026 Duration: 36:47
In this episode, I break down the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems in a way that goes way beyond the vocabulary test version. You'll learn: - what triggers each system - which neurotransmitters and receptors are involved - what happens to each major body system when one is dominant, - how understanding this makes drug mechanisms predictable instead of mysterious. By the end, you'll be able to look at medications like atropine, epinephrine, metoprolol, and albuterol and understand exactly why they do what they do, including the side effects. If pharmacology has felt like a wall of memorization up until now, this episode is the key that changes that. LINKS MENTIONED: Nursing School Survival Blueprint - It's free & it walks you through how to study with intention, how to reduce cognitive load in real study sessions, and how to build the kind of understanding that actually shows up on your exams and in clinical. #485: Why Nursing School Feels Overwhelming - Learn how cognitive load theory explains why you struggle to retain information no matter how much you study — and the five-step approach that helps nursing students study smarter, not longer. Read the coinciding article and view references for this episode here. 💕Did you love this episode? Please take a moment to follow or subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode! ___________________ The information, including but not limited to, audio, video, text, and graphics contained on this podcast are for educational purposes only. No content on this podcast is intended to guide nursing practice and does not supersede any individual healthcare provider's scope of practice or any nursing school curriculum. Additionally, no content on this podcast is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Straight A Nursing is a proud member of the Airwave Media Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Maureen Osuna, known to many as Nurse Mo, brings her experience as a nursing school educator and her genuine enthusiasm for student success to every episode of Straight A Nursing: Study for nursing school exams & NCLEX. She understands that feeling of sitting in a lecture where the concepts just aren't clicking, or the overwhelm that comes from a mountain of complex material. That's precisely where this podcast steps in. Maureen dedicates each session to breaking down those challenging nursing school topics-from pharmacology to pathophysiology-into clear, manageable explanations that actually stick. You'll hear practical strategies for studying more effectively, not just harder, with the direct goal of performing better on your course exams and ultimately, the NCLEX. It's about building a foundation of real understanding that translates directly to clinical confidence, so you can move from anxiety to assurance at the bedside. Tune in for a supportive, expert-guided resource that feels like having a knowledgeable mentor right in your ear, helping you navigate the demanding journey of nursing education one clear concept at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Straight A Nursing: Study for nursing school exams & NCLEX
Podcast Episodes
#512: Your First Clinical Day: What to Actually Expect [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:51
Heading into clinical? Ease your nerves by building a mental map of a typical clinical day. Hit play and I'll show you what I mean as I walk you through how I used to run a typical shift in clinical, from start to finish…
#511: MMM - Your First Rapid Response as a New Nurse [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:26
New nurses, have you called your first rapid response yet? The scariest part of your first rapid response usually isn't the clinical situation in front of you. It's the moment you have to decide whether you should even c…
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Duration: 23:43
Reye’s syndrome is a rare but very serious condition that involves acute encephalopathy, cerebral edema and fatty liver failure. The pathophysiology is not fully understood but what we do know points to mitochondrial inj…
#510: PodQuiz - Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:52
Test your knowledge of AKI with this quick set of audio flashcards. Dive right in or brush up on your nursing knowledge of AKI first, in episode #509: Acute Kidney Injury for Nursing Students: Causes, Symptoms, Labs & Tr…
#508: MMM - Your First Code Blue [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:44
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What is the Beers List of Medications? - ENCORE! #169 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:06
The Beers Criteria, or Beers list, is a list of medications which are considered to be potentially harmful medications for individuals over 65 years old due to risks or side effects that outweigh the benefits. In this ep…
#507: MMM - This vs. That: 7 Nursing Concepts Students Always Mix Up [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:06
Nursing is full of terms that sound similar, look similar, and sometimes even seem interchangeable. But understanding the differences between these concepts can make a huge difference in your clinical judgment. Hit play…
#506: Clinical Is Not a Test (Most of the Time) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:43
If you're just heading in to clinical or are still feeling a bit overwhelmed at the end of every shift, this episode is for you. In this episode, I'm sharing how you can reframe your clinical experience to go from just t…
#505: MMM - Your Quick Clinical Prep Routine [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:28
Next time you get your patient assignment, skip the panic-prep session and instead, try the five-minute clinical prep routine I'm breaking down in this episode. By the end of this episode, you'll know how to focus your c…