Drug Cards

cowboysgirl2007 · Sep 17, 2008

Drug cards will be the death of me ! JK but does anyone have any information that will help me with these ? Mine must be hand written in my own words. We are starting with a list of twenty and they have nothing to do with a patient of mine . ( I am sure in due time they will ,we start clinicals next week ) Thanks ahead of time for any suggestions ! Maybe I just need to sleep :zzzzzand the morning will bring some new founded insite !

What information do you have to have on them? Are you guys starting out simple or do they have to be pretty detailed? We are lucky in that we get to use Mosby's Drug Cards. We just go through them, find the drug we need, and pull that card out. The only downside is right now our teachers are keeping things simple and the Mosbys cards are like the PDR's, very detailed. The info we need is: Classification, uses, side effects, contraindictions, and important nursing implications.

My main suggestion when it comes to handwriting out med cards is always follow the same format! If you know which order your cards go in, (like classification first, than uses, etc.) it might help you down the road. That's just the way I memorize things better though, in certain order.

Not sure if this was the question you were asking, hope it helps!

livinlife1257 · Sep 17, 2008

What information do you have to have on them? Are you guys starting out simple or do they have to be pretty detailed? We are lucky in that we get to use Mosby's Drug Cards. We just go through them, find the drug we need, and pull that card out. The only downside is right now our teachers are keeping things simple and the Mosbys cards are like the PDR's, very detailed. The info we need is: Classification, uses, side effects, contraindictions, and important nursing implications.
My main suggestion when it comes to handwriting out med cards is always follow the same format! If you know which order your cards go in, (like classification first, than uses, etc.) it might help you down the road. That's just the way I memorize things better though, in certain order.
Not sure if this was the question you were asking, hope it helps!

Hey thanks ! I feel better this morning my brain is awake ha ha. We have to have Trade name ,generic name, classification, pregnancy cat, route and dosage,actions,indications,contraindications,interactions,adverse rections,nursing considerations as in clinical alerts and patient teaching . pretty much everything. Also it must all be in our own words and we have twenty to start with. well back to the drug book for me and thanks again!

DaniLPN2RN · Sep 17, 2008

My advice with drug cards is to alphabetize them according to the generic name. This has really helped me in clinicals when I need to find one quickly.

NurseCubanitaRN2b, BSN, RN · Sep 18, 2008

Let me say first off THAT'S BRUTAL!!!!!! I've done my drug cards and our instructor didn't care if they were in the drug book words, or in your own words. You really can't put them into your own words because how are you going to put anaphylaxis into your own words as a side effect? Just not going to happen.

What I did was (I copied off the drug book) I put them in alphabetical order by generic name. I didn't add all the fancy stuff that you have to have, I just had the basic stuff like, route, dosage, uses, classification, side effects, and pt. teaching/implementation. That's all you're really going to need. Depending on the school you might need more. I carry them with me to clinicals and I also have the drug book because not all of the drugs that you study will be in your drug card file. That's what I basically did, and although they're time consuming, the drug cards do help.

livinlife1257 · Sep 18, 2008

Let me say first off THAT'S BRUTAL!!!!!! I've done my drug cards and our instructor didn't care if they were in the drug book words, or in your own words. You really can't put them into your own words because how are you going to put anaphylaxis into your own words as a side effect? Just not going to happen.
What I did was (I copied off the drug book) I put them in alphabetical order by generic name. I didn't add all the fancy stuff that you have to have, I just had the basic stuff like, route, dosage, uses, classification, side effects, and pt. teaching/implementation. That's all you're really going to need. Depending on the school you might need more. I carry them with me to clinicals and I also have the drug book because not all of the drugs that you study will be in your drug card file. That's what I basically did, and although they're time consuming, the drug cards do help.

Thanks and yes they are BRUTAL and take forever lol......everyone in my class will be bald by the time we finish ! But I do agree with everyone they will help with clinicals which start this coming week.

NurseCubanitaRN2b, BSN, RN · Sep 18, 2008

I think it's dumb of the instructor to have you put them in your own words. All of it is in medical terminology and it will take even more time to put them into your own words. How do you translate Greek into Greek? Doesn't make any sense to me. Good Luck!

starsgirl78 · Sep 26, 2008

Try not to sweat the drug cards too much. (I LOATHE drug cards!) When I first started doing them they took forever. In the first series that I did I included every little detail. As you go on, you will learn what's important and what's not. Also, abbreviate anything you can. Especially when you get to clinicals. Some of your patients will have 20 or more drugs that they are on. You have to have a drug card for every single one of them, including PRN meds. Supplements too. You learn real quick which info you really need on there. Generally if you go with the stuff in bold and in red, you're ok.