Any tips for Pathophysiology

mtnsandsky · Jan 5, 2012

I am taking Pathophysiology this semester and would like to get some input from those who have already taken the class. Are there any extra books you recommend I should get to help supplement this class? And compared to A&P and micro, how would you rate the difficulty of the class on a scale of 1-10; 10 being very hard and 1 being easy. I appreciate any input.
TIA

Pathophysiology was a great class. It ties everything from A and P I and II together. Just do the required reading, attend each class, take notes and study. Because it was engaging, I thought it was easier than Microbio. Enjoy the class, you'll do great.

LadyinScrubs, ASN, RN · Jan 5, 2012

You have already taken A&P--the next step is to understand how the disease process affects A&P. The class goes into the etiology of the problems your patients will present with. For instance: you have a patient with chronic kidney disease. You will understand the cause(s) of the problem, the signs/symptoms, and whether the problem can be reversed or if it acute or chronic.

Pathophysiology is a very intimidating word. You should find the class very interesting and will use the info you learn throughout your career. Relax, learn and enjoy.

thatsthekeyRNC · Jan 5, 2012

I don't think extra materials are necessary. Patho is so interesting, I found it very easy to understand. The information can be overwhelming, but like others have said, everything starts coming together. If you're really concerned, a basic understanding of the a&p of each system would be helpful, but will most likely be reviewed in lecture anyway.

Good luck & enjoy! Patho was probably my favorite class!

NCRNMDM, ASN, RN · Jan 5, 2012

I, too, start pathophysiology this semester. I will share with you some of the things that I will be doing, things that worked during fundamentals, and you can see if you think any of them would be useful to you. During fundamentals, I made notecards for everything. I would write a question on one notecard, and the answer on another notecard. On the back of both of these notecards I would write the same number, starting with the number one and working my way up. After I had made all of my notecards, I would shuffle the deck, lay them all out, and play a matching game. When I thought I had two matching notecards, I would check the back to see if the numbers matched. This system helped tremendously, and I was able to cover all kinds of information. I plan to do the same thing during pathophysiology.

During pathophysiology, I plan to make matching notecards for each disease/illness. To give you an example, I will pretend that I am studying congestive heart failure in class, and will demonstrate how my notecards will sound. My first notecard might say cause/causes of congestive heart failure. This notecard will have a number one on the back. On another card I will write the causes of congestive heart failure, and will place a number one of the back of this card. These two cards match, and they have a question and answer. The next question notecard may say pathophysiology of congestive heart failure. On the answer notecard I will write out the pathophysiology of CHF. I will write a number two on the back of each of these notecards. The next question notecard may say signs and symptoms of congestive heart failure. The answer notecard will list all the signs and symptoms of CHF. Both of these notecards will have a number three on the back.

When I get done making all my notecards, I will lay them out on the floor. Some of the notecards will have questions on them, while others will have long, and complex, answers. I will read the question, and try to find the card that I think answers that question. When I think I am holding the two correct notecards, I will flip them over. If the numbers on the back match, then the notecards go together and I have chosen correctly. If the numbers don't match, then I don't have the right answer.

I hope this will help you, and I hope it makes sense.

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Jan 5, 2012

i always like to recommend the physiology coloring book (not a joke, a real, superb resource). even if you have already taken a&p, this will help you solidify your physiology so when you run into illness/injury you'll have a good framework to hang it on. i've seen it online for download, even, but i like having an actual book to read in bed:d. (no financial interest to disclose)

canut · Jan 6, 2012

That sounds like an interesting take on index/note cards. I usually print off cards but never thought of trying something like what you described, I just might try that.

Saflanut · Jan 9, 2012

I am taking Pathophysiology this semester and would like to get some input from those who have already taken the class. Are there any extra books you recommend I should get to help supplement this class? And compared to A&P and micro, how would you rate the difficulty of the class on a scale of 1-10; 10 being very hard and 1 being easy. I appreciate any input.
TIA

I just finished patho last semester and I aced it. I would highly recommend the Pathophysiology Made Incredibly Easy. It is precise and the pictures help immensely. I had an excellent Physiology prof, that made it easier for me to understand the diseases processes easier. I recommend also while studying to create concept maps that include the pathophysilogical changes in the cellular, tissue and organ level, signs/symptoms and treatment. This way you can also see the relations between the systems such as cardiac and pulmonary.

guest798886 · Jul 30, 2014

great technique, NCRNMDM!