Podcast
Nursing & Healthcare Exam Prep
Hosted by Ran Chen, EA, CFP® · EN
Nursing & Healthcare Exam Prep is a daily podcast designed to help future nurses and healthcare professionals pass their licensing and admission exams with clarity and confidence.
Built and operated by OpenExamPrep, this podcast breaks down major nursing and healthcare exams into focused, easy-to-digest episodes covering NCLEX-RN, NCLEX-PN, CNA certification, and ATI TEAS, across national exam standards and applicable state-level requirements. Each episode targets one key concept, common exam trap, or high-frequency test topic—making it ideal for studying during commutes, workouts, or short study sessions.
Created by Ran Chen, EA, CFP®, a financial professional and exam specialist who has personally passed multiple professional licensing exams, Nursing & Healthcare Exam Prep was developed from firsthand experience with how challenging—and often poorly structured—exam preparation can be. The goal is simple: make nursing and healthcare exam prep clearer, more accessible, and more effective through structured explanations and modern learning tools. Whether you’re preparing for the NCLEX-RN, NCLEX-PN, CNA, or ATI TEAS, just starting your healthcare education journey, or reviewing before test day, this podcast is designed to guide you step by step—one concept at a time.
Free practice tools, AI-powered explanations, and additional exam prep resources are available at: https://open-exam-prep.com/
47episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Phlebotomy Exam Prep 59, Diurnal Variation Drug and Hormone Tests
1w ago00:03:18Tap to summarizeThis podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - Cortisol levels peak around 8 AM and are lowest in the evening, a critical timing factor for diagnosing endocrine disorders like Cushing's or Addison's disease. - Other common tests like ACTH, TSH, and iron also exhibit significant diurnal variation, making morning collections the standard for accurate interpretation. - Therapeutic drug monitoring requires precise timing for trough levels (drawn right before the next dose) and peak levels (drawn after the dose is administered). - A common exam trap is identifying an incorrect draw time as a pre-analytical error that can lead to misinterpretation of results for time-sensitive tests. - Accurately documenting the exact time of collection is a crucial responsibility for a phlebotomist to ensure the clinical value of timed specimens. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep
Transcribe →Phlebotomy Exam Prep 58, Fasting Requirements by Test
1w ago00:03:58Tap to summarizeThis podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The standard 8 to 12-hour fasting requirement for key tests like glucose, lipid panels, and fasting insulin. - Why the Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT) requires a strict fast for the initial baseline draw. - The unique requirement for morning fasting for iron studies due to diurnal variation. - The critical importance of documenting patient non-compliance with fasting instructions. - That plain water is not only allowed but encouraged during fasting to aid in venipuncture. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep
Transcribe →Phlebotomy Exam Prep 57, Pre-Analytical Errors — The 60% Problem
1w ago00:03:22Tap to summarizeThis podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - Pre-analytical errors, which occur before lab testing, account for up to 70% of all lab mistakes and are a major focus on the Phlebotomy exam. - Improper patient identification is the most critical pre-analytical error; exam questions will test your ability to follow strict ID protocols without exception. - Hemolysis, the rupture of red blood cells often caused by incorrect collection technique, can falsely elevate analytes like potassium. - Violating the correct order of draw can lead to additive cross-contamination, causing dangerously inaccurate results, such as falsely lowered calcium levels. - Prolonged tourniquet application beyond one minute causes hemoconcentration, and drawing from an arm with an IV requires specific procedures to avoid sample contamination. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep
Transcribe →Phlebotomy Exam Prep 56, Quality Control in Phlebotomy
1w ago00:03:18Tap to summarizeThis podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - Daily QC for POCT devices requires running two levels of controls: a low/normal and a high/abnormal. - Levey-Jennings charts are used to visually track QC data over time, helping to identify shifts and trends that indicate potential problems. - The Westgard 1-3s rule requires immediate rejection of a QC run if a result falls outside three standard deviations from the mean. - When a QC result is out-of-range, you must stop patient testing immediately and perform corrective action before rerunning the control. - Meticulous documentation of all QC results, out-of-range flags, and corrective actions is mandatory for regulatory inspections. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep
Transcribe →Phlebotomy Exam Prep 55, POCT Glucose — Fingerstick Technique
2w ago00:01:40Tap to summarizeThis podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - Why washing with soap and water is the correct exam answer over using alcohol for site preparation. - The critical reason for wiping away the first drop of blood to avoid sample contamination with interstitial fluid. - The difference between applying gentle pressure versus the incorrect technique of "milking" the finger. - How to handle and report critical glucose values, a key patient safety topic on the exam. - The required frequency of quality control (QC) checks to ensure meter accuracy before patient testing. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep
Transcribe →Phlebotomy Exam Prep 54, Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) Overview
2w ago00:03:11Tap to summarizeThis podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The definition of Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) and its CLIA-waived status for common tests like glucose and hemoglobin. - Critical quality control (QC) requirements, including the necessary frequency and documentation procedures. - The importance of operator certification and the need for annual competency assessments to perform POCT. - Essential components of proper documentation for POCT results in a patient's medical record. - How to identify and avoid common pre-analytical errors in POCT, such as patient misidentification and improper sample collection. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep
Transcribe →Phlebotomy Exam Prep 53, CSF and Body Fluid Specimens
2w ago00:03:19Tap to summarizeThis podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The phlebotomist's crucial support role during a physician-performed lumbar puncture. - The critical order of draw for CSF tubes 1, 2, 3, and 4 and the rationale behind it. - The specific laboratory destinations for each CSF tube: chemistry, microbiology, and hematology. - How the CSF collection sequence minimizes contamination to ensure accurate microbiology and cell count results. - The identification and handling principles for other body fluids such as pleural, pericardial, and synovial fluid. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep
Transcribe →Phlebotomy Exam Prep 52, Sputum, Throat Swab, Nasopharyngeal
2w ago00:03:19Tap to summarizeThis podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - How to differentiate between a valid deep-cough sputum sample and an invalid saliva sample for accurate testing. - Why first morning sputum collection yields the most concentrated and reliable specimen for respiratory diagnostics. - The precise anatomical landmarks for a throat swab, focusing on the tonsils and posterior pharynx while avoiding contamination. - The correct technique for a nasopharyngeal swab, including insertion depth, angle, and the crucial 5-10 second hold time. - How to identify common exam traps related to specimen rejection and recollection due to procedural errors like sample contamination. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep
Transcribe →Phlebotomy Exam Prep 51, Stool Specimen Collection
2w ago00:02:39Tap to summarizeThis podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The critical importance of avoiding urine and toilet water contamination for all stool samples and the reasons why. - Key dietary and medication restrictions (red meat, certain vegetables, aspirin, Vitamin C) required for the gFOBT and why the FIT does not have these restrictions. - The specific collection protocol for Ova and Parasites (O&P) testing, requiring three separate samples on different days. - The differences in sample requirements for specialized tests like C. diff toxin (requiring a fresh, unformed sample) and calprotectin (an inflammation marker). - A mnemonic to remember gFOBT restrictions: "No Red Meat on the Blue Sheet." For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep
Transcribe →Phlebotomy Exam Prep 50, Urine Drug Screen — Special Handling
2w ago00:04:35Tap to summarizeThis podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The mandatory temperature range (90-100°F) and 4-minute timeframe for urine drug screens. - Why an unbroken chain of custody is legally critical and what constitutes a "broken" chain. - The difference between the collector's role (temperature check) and the lab's role (creatinine/specific gravity check) in detecting adulteration. - The specific triggers, like an out-of-range temperature, that require a directly observed collection. - A simple mnemonic (T-C-C: Temperature, Chain of Custody, Creatinine) to remember the key validation steps. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep
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