Brains!!! Help me w/how to study my patho PLEASE

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ANYONE who has done well in Patho....Please tell me how you did it. Any study tips or tricks that you could share would really help. I know this may sound stupid to some of you who maybe did well in this, but it is just NOT sticking in my brain and I have to do well on my last 2 tests.

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I'm doing well in Patho, here's what I do, attend all the lectures and pay attention! I'm always shocked by the people that say they aren't doing well and then I never see them in class. Our prof said just to skim the book, but I usually try to read it and take notes from the readings. If I'm having trouble with any concepts I look up additional information from websites. I did check out a book from the library from the incredibly easy series, but I didn't see where it had any great tips. During the test if I get stuck I try to remember what the norm would be and then use that to help figure out what would go wrong and what areas would be affected. Hope that helps, good luck.

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

I am doing Patho right now, I have done well on everything but the first 2 tests LOL, A's on all quizzes and case studies. BUT I haven't been applying myself for the tests well. I think I did better on my test today. I spend to much time here instead of studying. LOL

I write flash cards off the notes, I write them a few times so it soaks in. If you can record lectures do that. I didn't know this until recently but apparently they now sell recorders that you can upload onto your PC and into an Ipod or MP3 player. I will be doing this for nursing school. I learn between from Auditory and visual so listening to the lectures a few times would really help me.

If you school has a Learning Center with free tutoring or study assesments check into that. I had no idea all the programs my school has to offer for free. I wish I had known sooner.

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Mi Vida and Silverbells,

Thanks for the tips. ...I do go to every lecture but I am one of those people who never test too well. Second guess too much I think. I am going to the learning center tomorrow and hope there is a Patho tutor available!Thanks for the support tho and helpful ideas!

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
Mi Vida and Silverbells,

Thanks for the tips. ...I do go to every lecture but I am one of those people who never test too well. Second guess too much I think. I am going to the learning center tomorrow and hope there is a Patho tutor available!Thanks for the support tho and helpful ideas!

I am the same exact way, ask them also if they do testing assessments. It is an assessment they can give you and it will determine what studying strategies will work best for you depending on what type of learner you are. I am going to have this done on Friday. Good luck with it. Patho has actually been easier for me then my other science classes, I currently have a B. But I am a terrible tester. I can get A's on everything BUT exams.

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Me too, it is so frustrating! I will def ask about the assessment tomorrow and hope they do have it. I know I am a visual learner, but there is so much more to this that is hard to put a picture to everything. I just got accepted into the Dallas nursing program and I am taking my patho before I even got in to get it over with and I don't want to start off with my first actual nursing class with a C! I know I can do it, just trying to fit all of this info in is difficult ya know?

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
Me too, it is so frustrating! I will def ask about the assessment tomorrow and hope they do have it. I know I am a visual learner, but there is so much more to this that is hard to put a picture to everything. I just got accepted into the Dallas nursing program and I am taking my patho before I even got in to get it over with and I don't want to start off with my first actual nursing class with a C! I know I can do it, just trying to fit all of this info in is difficult ya know?

Heh, that is what I am doing too, I start NS in August and I will have ONLY nursing classes to do. I am doing Patho and 3 credit Nutrition right now.

Youtube the different diseases and systems you are covering too, last night I found some really good ones that helped make the diseases make so much more sense. If you understand the A&P part really well, then the diseases come together and make sense.

I know once I watched a few videos on the Urinary system and I got a really good grasp on how it works W/O disease, then when I was reading the diseases it came together so much better and it just made sense.

I looked on Youtube and I googled whatever I was wanting to search and added animation to the end of it.

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

pathophysiology is how the normal a&p went haywire. when you get into nursing classes you will re-visit pathophysiology again because medical treatment and nursing care focus on the pathophysiology. everything, as you will learn with care plans, starts with what is normal.

  1. you have to know normal anatomy and physiology processes
  2. pathophysiology is where the normal stuff went wrong
  3. diseases (signs and symptoms) can point to specific links in the chain of events where physiologic processes went wrong
  4. use the critical thinking flow sheet for nursing students to help you organize the different diseases, their signs and symptoms and help you learn them. save the sheets and use them later on in nursing classes.

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