YouTubers Who Saved MY A$$ in Nursing School -Expanded Edition

Feb 11

*the following was originally posted on my tumblr account in 2016, but I've added to the list. -AB

For as long as I’ve been in school, I’ve been supplementing my learning with many internet sources. I’ve got a mile long list of YouTube channel subscriptions, and I decided to dig through them and pull out the few science/nursing/healthcare channels I love. Few? Yeah, try, 18. And that doesn’t include the ones that I haven’t bothered to subscribe to yet. So overall I’d say there are probably 25 YouTube channels that have saved my ass. I’ll get to the list in a minute. First, how do I use these videos?

My Process
I have a general routine when approaching new material, most recently that has been pathophysiology of just about everything. First, I search for some kind of illustrated video less than 5 minutes in length to give myself a general idea of what I’m working with. Then I read the chapter a la NurseNacole (I someday hope to tell her how much that video revolutionized school for me). Then I watch a more in-depth video or listen to a podcast about it, trying to actively connect what I read in the book with what I hear in the audio tutorials. If I get it, I move on. If I don’t, I dig into the text deeper and continue down the YouTube wormhole til I understand. That’s just what works for me.

Who Makes the Cut?
How do I decide what videos or channels I use? I look at a number of criteria: videos that look well made whose content is parallel to my text, videos associated with a health organization, school or hospital, how many subscribers they have, and how often they post. I also latch onto great resources by way of nursing websites or podcasts. Basically, it’s a giant tangled web of sites, podcasts, and channels that I’ve custom-built for myself over the years. As you find things you like, you’ll build your own web. You may not dig this whole list, but I hope there are a few in there that might help.

Drumroll......

My Personal Favorite sciencey YouTube channels in alphabetical order

Armando Hasudungan
- Great illustrated pathos
AsapScience
-Entertaining, short videos
Ask a Mortician
-Food for thought on how we treat death in our culture
Bilderback Health
-Assessment videos by body system
BrightStorm
-Math, chem, bio, etc in a lecture format
Cleveland Clinic
-Watch surgery, PSAs, other misc info
CrashCourse
-Humorous, vivid illustrated videos on bio, psych, etc.
ECGTeacher
-a handful of helpful videos on reading heart strips, placing leads, etc.
EmpowerRN
-Pathos, pharmacology, nursing culture
HandwrittenTutorials
-Pathos and body systems in clear sharpie illustrations
Khan Academy
-Can teach you anything basically
Khan Academy Medicine
-pathos helpful for nursing and medicine students alike
Mayo Clinic
-Watch surgeries, PSAs, other misc info
NRSNG - NCLEX Review
-excellent source of information and LOTS of mnemonics from one of my favs, Kati Kleber
Nucleus Medical Media
-short, beautiful animations on various procedures and biological processes
NurseMendoza
-Patho, advice, nursing culture, etc.
NurseNacole
-Advice for students, new grads, seasoned nurses, etc.
Registered NurseRN
-Labs, NCLEX quizzes, tips for school, jobs, etc.
SciShow
-Short overviews on a variety of health topics
ScrubsBeat
-Valuable advice from many Nursonalities I love (Katie Duke, Sean Dent, Kati Kleber, etc.)
Sean Dent
- A nurse Practitioner talks about all things nursing, serious and humorous topics.
sexplainations
-DownandDirty talk that is medically accurate, non-threatening, and all-inclusive
StudyMusicProject
-for those of us who can’t study in silence but are easily distracted by 80s pop Pandora
University of Iowa Hospitals
- My home base, Magnet teaching hospital

There are many others that I use often and recommend, but these are the top dogs hanging in my subscription list. Without them, I wouldn’t come to school with such a thorough understanding of the material I am presented. Also, some of these channels have helped me with my other, non-patient care skills like delegation, dealing with bullies, surviving rotating shifts....the list is endless.