Pathophysiology!!! Does it get easier later?!

[irish_fiddler747]

Hey everyone! I'm a prenursing sophomore, planning to start nursing school in Fall '09 (can't wait!). I'm in Patho right now (a 1 semester class at my school) and I'm having the hardest time getting all the information to stick!!! I've already taken A & P & I have a 4.0....but there's soooo much information to absorb in patho, it feels like I can only take so much before it just bounces off my head and what actually makes it inside my brain all blurrs together. I'm doing everything I can think of.....spending hours and hours reading and rereading the book, reviewing anatomy, doing study guides, make flashcards, etc. It's paying off because I'm learning it well enough to do well on difficult tests (hi 90's avg in the class) but I still feel like there's way more I don't know than I do and there's no way to learn it all even though I really do want to! My question for people already in the program is this: does patho "stick" better once you're in clinicals and see/take care of actual people that have the diseases I'm reading about? What's the most important thing to take away from patho going into the nursing program-- i.e. what aspects of patho have ended up helping you the most? thanks!!!

[donsterRN, ASN, BSN]

Pathophysiology, to me, is incredibly interesting, but really doesn't begin to make sense until you can apply this stuff in your nursing courses. So, in that regard, yes... you'll get it and I think you'll love it. Once you're in clinicals and in practice and seeing patients and working with them, getting a clear clinical picture of their illness will become second nature.

I'm wishing you much luck and success in school!

[irish_fiddler747]

thanks! I love what I'm learning now, which is why it's frustrating 'cause I wish I could remember it better....thanks for the encouragement though! :)