Advice for Med Surg? ANY & ALL Advice!

[Guest11/16/14]

Also - How much of the material in Pathophysiology & Pharmacology are helpful for learning Med Surg?

[firefly101]

there's quite a bit of patho & pharm. my assignments during my med surg rotation involved being able to describe the pathology of the conditions my patients had to my instructor as well as filling in med-sheets. review basic medication administration since since you will be giving meds: pills, injects, IV push. try to get more comfortable with basic assessments: neuro/cardio/resp/GI - you will be doing those and charting about them. some important things you will learn about or may be asked about by your instructor or other nurses: why are surgical pts at risk for DVT and what can nurses do to help prevent that? what about pneumonia? internal bleeding?

[springchick1, ADN, RN]

I haven't had Med Surg yet but I hear that fluids and electrolytes are a beast!!!!!!

[Girlygirl23]

Buy a review book, I heard Saunders is good, I used Mosbys which is full of nclex type questions. Do about 5 a day as it pertains to what you are learning in class. Read the book and all the notes. Do not simply try to remember the material. I did that for fluid & electrolytes and bombed the exam with a 77! For the final I took time out to fully understand the material and I even watched youtube videos. Passed with an 84! Passed medsurg with a B and I am happy with that! Patho is your foundation, pharm will help, but usually it is taken concurrently. Good luck!!!!!

[Melodies of Legend]

The short answer? All of it. Especially since most instructors try to stress more common drugs. Believe me, they do come up during clinical and you'll be glad you studied your butt off in patho and pharm so you already know what to do and what to expect.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

A ton....fluid and electrolyte and acid base balance....knowing how meds metabolize and how are the needed why are they ordered....they are involved in every aspect of your patients care.

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

This is why a study group is helpful. You can all study alone, then come together to discuss specific topics. It helps to understand processes. As for F&E - I recommend the bood in the "made incredibly easy" series. It was very helpful to me.

[kbrazell]

Yea girlygirl23 is right about Saunders and they also have a cd that's got audio reviews for Fluid and Electrolytes, Acid Base Balance, and Pharmocology and It's great to listen to. on point!!!