Best Way to Study Pharmacology

[js2016]

I am a student in an accelerated nursing program. I just completed the first level, and it was super hard! The hardest part about it for me was not necessarily the content, but the lack of organization in the program structure. We did not really get lectures, were expected to sit in class M-F from 8am to 5pm discussing case studies; then go home, read, and fully comprehend 5-10 chapters a night. We did not get worksheets to guide our understanding, no notes, or power point presentations -- nothing! Considering this is a 2nd degree for me, I can't imagine that's normal? Or is it? Oh, yeah, and the university does not have a student learning support center available for us to seek out assistance on our own. And instructors are terrible at responding to emails. Or look at you like your dumb, stupid, and annoying if you ask them a question. ...Anyway, enough of that, what I am really looking for is the overall big picture in organization of content and material. Pharmacology is supposed to be one of the hardest subjects in nursing to understand. I am a multi-modal learner who must organize info to be able to remember it, recall it, and make it useful. Any advice for what would be the best way to tackle what I need to know in pharmacology? Any ideas on a good plan? Or can anyone recommend an excellent tutoring service? Any help is appreciated.

Sincerely,

Stressed Out Student Nurse

[LJR89]

When I first started studying for pharm I just tried to memorize the monographs. It did not work. I failed my first two exams by a lot.

so I talked to the instructor and she guided me towards a better way to study.

I would make sure I understood the pathophysiology of the condition the drug is intended for, then make sure I understood the mechanism of action. This made it easier to know what side effects were important to monitor for and what interventions would be necessary. Then I would compare the information from my text book, ATI, my drug guide, and mosbys pharmacy flash cards. Anything that was stressed or highlighted in multiple resources I made sure I knew 100%.

i would end up spending about 30 min on each drug, which was very time consuming, but I only missed 1 or 2 questions per exam after that and pulled off an excellent grade.

also since the generic names often sounded like gibberish I would try to come up with some mnuemonic to try to remember what the drug was.

But it as always. Everyone studies differently. This worked well for me, but might not be feasible if you are trying to also read 5-10 chapters a night.

pharm is tough but you can do it! Good luck!