YouTube Training for Nurses

After a busy night on the surgical oncology step-down unit, I finally sat down to catch up on my computer charting. When I looked over, I was surprised to find my co-workers engrossed in a YouTube video showing the latest in plastic surgery. This was an actual case showing breast implant surgery. They were learning about it online, for free, at their convenience.

Many student nurses consult YouTube to help them learn how to do clinical procedures and to help them brush up on their skills. It is an invaluable resource. While many of my fellow nurses are new or recent grads, I am learning that nursing school is radically different now than when I attended, and that it has changed for the better.

Since that busy night, I have discovered a variety of YouTube channels that are available for nursing care. The channel RegisteredNurseRN boasts more than 450,000 subscribers and covers a range of topics like diagnosis of clinical conditions such as shock, how to survive in nursing school, and how to prepare for nursing entrance exams. There are also videos explaining the pathophysiology, management, and nursing interventions for different types of shock. We discussed these same topics decades ago—pre-YouTube—

so, some things never change.

Since I wanted to find out about YouTube in relation to oncology nursing, I discovered that the Oncology Nursing Society has a YouTube channel featuring videos by Donna Wilson, RN, a clinical nurse specialist who is also a personal trainer at the Integrated Medicine Center at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital, showing nurses how to get patients moving in order to avoid fatigue and muscle weakness associated with cancer. Other videos feature archived videos of full sessions given at the annual congress and more.

I remember my early days of nursing school. I wish YouTube had been around then to help vanquish my fear. YouTube can only enhance the nursing school experience and one’s career down the road.

For more information on YouTube videos that Oncology Nursing News^® has to offer, visit our sister publication, OncLive^®’s channel, OncLiveTV.