[Esther2007]

I will be taking Psychiatric and Neurological nursing in the fall. I just want to know if anyone has any tips for me. I have four months off, which I am happy about. I do not want to spend the entire Summer relaxing. I know I need a vacation, but not four months.
Thanks

[newguard]

make a list of all (or common) psychotic and non-psychotic mental illness then have a shallow definition of each.

if you want an easier one, read about Therapeutic Communication. This topic is very easy to understand. though this is a killer in my exam.

for neuro, review the anatomy, then if you have a list of diseases, read about what interests you most.

[Esther2007]

Thank so much!!!

[gaylordfocker2002]

My school was big on psych meds. i would def. suggest getting a head start on that.

[Esther2007]

Originally Posted by gaylordfocker2002

My school was big on psych meds. i would def. suggest getting a head start on that.

Thanks

[Daytonite]

A link to a Critical Thinking Flow Sheet that I created for nursing students now appears at the bottom of my signature. Download and print it out (you can print one page on each side of a sheet of paper). Make one of these out for each of the major diseases or disorders in these two categories to get a head start in studying ahead. You can find a lot of information on the Internet to supplement much of what is in your books. Spend time in a medical or health science library looking at some good medical textbooks to get some of the information. Some suggested diseases to focus on are (or look at the diseases covered in your textbook):

• Stroke (strokes are a commonly seen condition in many, many patients in the med/surg area and has many different symptoms and complications)
• Alzheimer's disease
• Intracranial hemorrhage (different types/different symptoms)
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Parkinson's Disease
• Addiction (alcohol and drugs) and withdrawal
• Dementia
• Schizophrenia (there are levels)
• Bipolar disorder
• Depression
• Phobias
• the eating disorders (bulimia/anorexia)
• Mental Retardation
• Anxiety and stress

Internet websites that will be helpful in this search are:

• Medline Plus (use the search box) http://www.medlineplus.gov/
• Merck manual of diagnosis and therapy (use search box) http://www.merck.com/mrkshared/mmanual/sections.jsp
• Merck manual of medical information http://www.merck.com/mmhe/index.html
• Family Practice Notebook (use search box) http://www.fpnotebook.com/index.htm
• eMedicine http://www.emedicine.com/
• CDC – National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
• http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/
• National Library of Medicine http://www.nlm.nih.gov/nlmhome.html

[Esther2007]

Thank you so much, I appreciate your assistance.

[kitten0509]

I agree with the above poster about meds... those psych meds can have some drastic side effects and pharm will no doubt be a major part of your studies at some point.