freakin out about pharm.....

Nursing Students General Students

Published

Specializes in Ortho, Neuro, Detox, Tele.

hey all...Just REALLY feeling down today...I walked into today's test and thought I knew my stuff down COLD.....walked out a little unsure, but still thought I passed.....wound up with a 74%(80 is passing)...ARRGGHHHH!!! I'm trying hard to get this stuff, but I guess I just keep missing way too many, and I'm not failing each test by much so it's really ticking me off..:banghead:..I'm hoping to make up some points on the IV calc tests, but I can offically miss 44 out of the next 240 points to pass! (i really can't think of it like that, I need to approach it as just saying I need to pass everything that's left!) If I can get 80's on the remainder...I'll pass!

I don't really know what I'm doing wrong, maybe I'm not studying enough, but I spent 8 hours studying all the powerpoints, the book, resources, etc....I'm going to take my voice recorder to class R and from now on....maybe that'll help me sink it into my brain...and I'm going to dad's to sit with Grandma all weekend, so nothing fun for me...study and read pharm HARDCORE!!! :trout:

Just had to vent....any tips?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency.

Did your instructor go over the test? If not, arrange some time to sit down with her/him and review it to find out exactly where you got off track. Was it drug class, side/adverse effects, contraindications, dosage, implementation, etc? If you know where to focus, it'll make your studying more productive.

G'luck.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in being a Credible Source.
I don't really know what I'm doing wrong, maybe I'm not studying enough, but I spent 8 hours studying all the powerpoints, the book, resources, etc....

You studied 8 hours total or a couple of hours per day and then 8 hours the day before the test? Eight hours does not strike me as a particularly intense study effort. It's not slacking but it's not aggressive, either.

You say you studied it but did you know it? For every ppt slide, could you summarize it without looking at it? Could you glance at the tables and graphics in the book and summarize them? Could you look at section headings and sub-headings and summarize what they contained? Could you concisely define every term?

People often confuse studying with learning.

As the last poster said, you need to do a "post-mortem" on your exam and get a handle on the nature of your struggles so that you can tailor your studying. Doing so will also let you pose specific questions on this board and to your instructor which may help clarify things for you.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, IM, OB/GYN, neuro, GI.

I don't do well on pharm tests either but I usually make B's. Try grouping them by there classification and studying that way it really helps.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg <1; Epic Certified <1.

We don't even do pharm in our school as a separate subject and I so wish we did. I feel so dense about the meds and it drives me nuts as it's obviously a very important subject as it pertains to nursing.

I'm not clear on how your grades stack up over the semester, but I do know that I usually figure I can bomb one test (meaning in the 70's for me) and still maintain a fairly strong B going in to finals. By then I know that I just about have to not show up to flunk the semester. From previous posts I've seen you make, it sounds like you usually do well. I'm sure you'll be fine.

My concerns usually center more on what I'm NOT learning to take forward in to my new career and how it will ultimately affect my ability to be a great RN. That, I don't know how to rectify, except I have been told over and over that the important stuff I will need to know will be taught once I'm on the job somewhere. Man, oh, man, I hope that's the truth!!

Hang in there!! We have a big test on Monday over renal/GU & cancer....I am NOT looking forward to the outcome of that!! :uhoh3:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment