Does anyone know how to answer Pharm ?'s, when u have no clue????

[NSchoolAgain, LPN]

does anyone have any advice as to if a question comes up on the test about a med you have no clue what it is, how to select the best answer?

[splintersurgeon]

go back to basics , classify them , physiology

[caliotter3]

Learn the word endings and what category they go with. If you still can't figure it out, then do as I did and just plain guess. If I see anything that looks familiar I will try to eliminate it one way or the other.

[brichielpn08, BSN, RN]

I dont understand why they test us on pharma, when they know its possible to memorize thousand of medications and you dont even know what will come out in your exam..i guess thats the catch in there to make you fail the exam..so stupid i guess...

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

I dont understand why they test us on pharma, when they know its possible to memorize thousand of medications and you dont even know what will come out in your exam..i guess thats the catch in there to make you fail the exam..so stupid i guess...

It may be impossible to learn the thousand of different drugs and side effects but you can learn suffix and the drugs main side effects.

[truern]

The only med questions I had on the NCLEX had NO clue (suffix, what it was used for, etc)...and I guessed on them. I'd never heard of the meds and couldn't tell you now what they were.

For example, a question may have said:

Your patient is taking this med...what teaching would you do?

a. take with food

b. take on an empty stomach

c. take in the morning

d. take at night

Seriously, nothing like a -pril, -lol, "pt is being treated for hypertension", NADA.

[nmaracle3834]

We had the same question for our Kaplan teacher about pharm. She told us if the question doesn't give you any type of clue and you don't have any idea on what the medication is, she said to pick an answer and just forget about it. Don't dwell on it, worry about it or think about it again during the test. Focus on the rest of the exam.

[brichielpn08, BSN, RN]

We had the same question for our Kaplan teacher about pharm. She told us if the question doesn't give you any type of clue and you don't have any idea on what the medication is, she said to pick an answer and just forget about it. Don't dwell on it, worry about it or think about it again during the test. Focus on the rest of the exam.

I agree to that...This meds are just stupid. We can learn about it when we start our training where you are going to work there is time to learns all this meds. To put this on the exam and you start guessing its just stupid. Just my thought...Im not against it at all..there is other time to learn all this meds but not when your taking a board exam..a lot of confusing questions already and they still add this unknown medication that you've never seen before..its just crazy

[ghillbert, MSN, NP]

Are you kidding? there is time to learn when you start the job? Um.. no! You're meant to be able to recognize drug classes before you get to clinicals, let alone before you're working as a nurse.

[perfectly_4given]

i disagree. we should start learning but it is impossible. the point of clinical is to learn the point of precepting is to learn and feel comfortable the only way to learn is to do. dont be so harsh on the boards.

[shush001]

Its easy for other people to say to just learn the med suffix and you'll go just fine. ive encountered a lot of meds in nclex which has the MOST UNUSUAL suffix. I understand that what the asker may want to know is that if you encounter a really strange med, what will you do to select the correct answer. i had to agree with "callioter" and "nmaracle". They are very REALISTIC. Make a guess, pick an answer, forget about it or at least dont let it make you feel down, then go on with the next answer. =)

[perfectly_4given]

agreed