Don't know how to teach Pharm? Fake it!!!

Nursing Students General Students

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I'm currently taking Pharm as part of an ADN program at my local community college. I also took Pharm from another community college with a highly respected veteran instructor. It's fun to compare and contrast the two because one is highly respected by thousands, and the other is often perceived as a kook.

The kookie one admits that she hasn't taught Pharm before. She's been doing a really bad job of teaching the material. She creates PowerPoint talking points from the textbook, and reads from the book.

We recently studied pharmaceutics, pharmakokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Instead of administering a well written 10 question NCLEX objectively gradeable quiz, she chose to have the students answer the following:

Scenario: You are making a home visit to a client. The discharge prescriptions are the following:

Medication- A: Take 20 mg twice daily for two more days and then once a day for four days on an empty stomach.

Medication-B: Take 500 mg three times a day with meals.

The client says to you, "This is too complicated for me! Can I take 20 mg of Medication-A once a day for eight days? After all, I'll be taking the same amount of drug. And, can I take A and B at the same times? I'll never remember to take them if I have to take one before I eat and the other after."

explain to the client why the medications should be taken as prescribed.

With the number of pharm questions on the NCLEX, I can't imagine how the other students are going to be able to pass the NCLEX if our knowledge continues to tested by these types of questions. :chuckle Sure, who cares about understanding about excipients or disintegration or dissolution. Let's have a long-winded essay about following directions... :bow: If you don't know the subject and you can't test it, then FAKE IT!

Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

This is a common scenerio I deal with in homecare all the time. 50% of our homecare patients don't even have meds on first visit within 24-48hrs discharge.

Instead of a b c d answers, instructor looking for you to pick up clues in scenerio, relate them to pharmacology concerns and address issues with patient's comments. "Critical thinking" exercise ;)

Specializes in ED, ICU, PACU.

I can appreciate your foresight in knowing that you need to pass the NCLEX. But, passing the NCLEX won't necessarily make you a good nurse.

I wish my instructors would have posed questions like yours did. Maybe I would have attended class more.

I am impressed with that instructor who says she doesn't know how to teach. I think she is one great instructor. If she keeps going like that, you may actually learn something that can be applied to practicing nursing rather than being able to pass a test that has no bearing on the real world of nursing.

This is a common scenerio I deal with in homecare all the time. 50% of our homecare patients don't even have meds on first visit within 24-48hrs discharge.

Instead of a b c d answers, instructor looking for you to pick up clues in scenerio, relate them to pharmacology concerns and address issues with patient's comments. "Critical thinking" exercise ;)

You have an interesting perspective. If you don't think it's overly simplistic, then what would your answer be?

I can appreciate your foresight in knowing that you need to pass the NCLEX. But, passing the NCLEX won't necessarily make you a good nurse.

I wish my instructors would have posed questions like yours did. Maybe I would have attended class more.

I am impressed with that instructor who says she doesn't know how to teach. I think she is one great instructor. If she keeps going like that, you may actually learn something that can be applied to practicing nursing rather than being able to pass a test that has no bearing on the real world of nursing.

Heh :chuckle, attendance is mandatory. You might find the question interesting, but the lecture is read from the book. I'm interested in what you would say to a patient in the "real" world. I have found that adaptation to the patient is of great importance. How would you script your answer if you aren't receiving feedback? :bow:

Non-compliance of the elderly due to memory/complicated regimine is a huge problem.

Which is exactly why the question was asked.

The key here is to not only educate the client, but come up with a creative way to make sure that they stay on task.

For example...leave 2x meds at bedside with water...take one before bed, the other when they get up.

Leave 3x meds in the kitchen...take with each meal...breakfast, lunch, dinner.

That way they don't get the meds mixed up.

Non-compliance of the elderly due to memory/complicated regimine is a huge problem.

Which is exactly why the question was asked.

The key here is to not only educate the client, but come up with a creative way to make sure that they stay on task.

For example...leave 2x meds at bedside with water...take one before bed, the other when they get up.

Leave 3x meds in the kitchen...take with each meal...breakfast, lunch, dinner.

That way they don't get the meds mixed up.

Speaking of the elderly getting their meds mixed up, I saw a show on DiscoveryHealth last night about an elderly man who was brought into the emergency room because he would pass out every time he had a bowel movement. It never happened under observation in the hospital, only at home. He came in several times for the same condition, and the doctors were baffled. They even began to suspect his doting wife was poisoning him.

It turned out she had his hemmoroid cream mixed up with his nitroglycerine paste, so everytime he went to the bathroom she was spreading nitroglycerine cream on his bottom!!!!!

Specializes in Peri-op/Sub-Acute ANP.

Patient education is a large part of what nurses do in real life. If you don't understand the basic concepts, you won't be able to teach to someone with no understanding. It looks to me as if she is trying to see if you understand the basic concepts. I see nothing wrong with this question.

Curious - if you have taken this course before, why are you taking it again now?

Specializes in LTC, case mgmt, agency.
Patient education is a large part of what nurses do in real life. If you don't understand the basic concepts, you won't be able to teach to someone with no understanding. It looks to me as if she is trying to see if you understand the basic concepts. I see nothing wrong with this question.

Curious - if you have taken this course before, why are you taking it again now?

She's just trying to see how you'll apply what you already should know based on readings and lectures. My instructor did the same thing and I am truly glad now that I am a nurse. It's not just patient teaching it is also patient safety. Listen a little closer, she may be preparing you to be a great nurse instead of a good nurse.:yeah: I've also learned that you can even learn alot from the so-called bad instructors so keep your ears open. Good luck with your studies.:p

Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.

Ok, so none of us like having an instructor who just reads from the text. I think the instructor has been quite honest in saying she is learning how to teach pharm. I think teaching is much harder than it appears. Give her a break.

Everything you need is in your textbook. Anything the instructor ads is just bonus. This has been my attitude the entire time I've been a student, and it means I don't get frustrated with instructors' teaching much because I assume total responsibility.

The quiz - I like it. It's much more real world than testing on complex science in pharmacology.

Specializes in LTC, case mgmt, agency.
Ok, so none of us like having an instructor who just reads from the text. I think the instructor has been quite honest in saying she is learning how to teach pharm. I think teaching is much harder than it appears. Give her a break.

Everything you need is in your textbook. Anything the instructor ads is just bonus. This has been my attitude the entire time I've been a student, and it means I don't get frustrated with instructors' teaching much because I assume total responsibility.

The quiz - I like it. It's much more real world than testing on complex science in pharmacology.

Nice attitude Multicollinarity. Like your perspective.:up:

Specializes in Peri-op/Sub-Acute ANP.
She's just trying to see how you'll apply what you already should know based on readings and lectures. My instructor did the same thing and I am truly glad now that I am a nurse. It's not just patient teaching it is also patient safety. Listen a little closer, she may be preparing you to be a great nurse instead of a good nurse.:yeah: I've also learned that you can even learn alot from the so-called bad instructors so keep your ears open. Good luck with your studies.:p

Melinurse, not sure what you are getting at. My post was supportive of this technique being used by the instructor. I believe I stated, albeing using different words, many of the sentiments that you have voiced in your post. I fail to see where I implied that the instructor was bad for giving the students this assignment. Am I missing something?

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