Fall 2012 - Pharmacology

gelibean · Aug 22, 2012

Hello SopranoKris! I will also be taking Pharm this semester... Golly! They are requiring so many books/items for this semester. I did online classes but did NOT like it at all... I prefer face to face.

I have about 4 books, online access code and a software, and 3 recommended books. Of course I bought them all for future reference.

Yes I think we will def be doing a lot of math

SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP · Aug 23, 2012

Yep...I purchased all the recommended books, too. I figure since we'll be using them in the nursing program, might as well buy them now so it's less books I have to buy in the future :)

I'm doing online as well. I would much rather have a face-to-face class!!! I was really bummed I couldn't get into any session that fit into my schedule. It seems like all the science classes are offered at the same time!!!

Today's the first day of class

gelibean · Aug 23, 2012

Good luck on your first day of class!! We will succeed!!

Abigail612 · Aug 23, 2012

I am doing pharm this semester as well. We only have 3 books and an online access code. Fortunatly I have a live class, I have done online for patho, health policy, and history. I don't mind doing online classes for stuff that just requires you to read material and write papers like history and health policy, but it is not so good for science classes in my opinion, they are doable but not as easy!

knursing22 · Aug 23, 2012

I am taking pharmacology this semester online. My classes started today. I only have one requried book for the class. I have taken several online classes in the past and I love it. Good luck to you!

SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP · Aug 24, 2012

Got the course syllabus for our Pharm class today...it is 50 PAGES!!! :eek: Holy cow!

Since I'm taking 6 classes this semester, I bought a planner to write out all my assignments, quizzes, exams, etc. Pharm seems to have the most predictable pattern as far as online quizzes & exams (exactly 1 week apart). I'm just worried about the days where I have multiple exams in one day. Luckily, there are no more than 3 in one day, but still...it's a lot! Our Pharm professor is holding an optional on-site face-to-face orientation before we begin our online work. I'm definitely going. I feel weird taking a class where I won't know anyone by sight. Guess I'm "old school"...LOL

gelibean · Aug 24, 2012

Eeeek SopranoKris!! 50 pages?!?! Whoa baby! Lol well at least you have it worked out with a planner!

I LOVE my planner! I've been using one for the past two years and it is the best to keep up with! I like to put different colors and stickers on it to make it more colorful!!

SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP · Aug 26, 2012

Yes! I love color-coding my planner, too :) It just makes it so much more easy to see at a glance what I need to do.

I've gotten a jump-start on our Pharm work. Nothing is due for the first 2 weeks, so I jumped ahead with the reading and math problems. That way, when my other courses have assignments, I won't be so over-loaded with too much work.

Man, I can't believe how easy it is to make a mistake on "simple" math. We have a requirement that we must pass the 3rd math test with a 90% or better or you receive a failing grade for the ENTIRE course...yikes! :eek: I took the pre-test and you could only miss 2 questions out of 50. I missed 3 and when I did the review, I realized each one had a "dumb" math error (e.g. forgot to carry a 1, or transposed a number...ugh!) I think the key to the math portion will be taking my time and going SLOW to answer the questions. All my errors occur when I rush.

I'm very happy to know we're allowed to use a calculator on all of our tests. I'd hate to have to figure out "what is 1/4% of 65?" in my head!

SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP · Aug 29, 2012

We had our face-to-face orientation yesterday for Pharm. It was great getting to meet our classmates and the instructor so we have faces to put with names. We'll be online for the remainder of the semester. After going to orientation, I don't feel as nervous about the class as I orignally did. That's a good feeling!

OK, time to get back to the books!

gelibean · Aug 29, 2012

Well I still have two more days until I start my class. I looked up my teacher that I will be with this semester and I am really nervous. She does not have the greatest reviews and all the other classes are full so pretty much I have to look on the bright side of it... that at least I am able to take the class!!

I was looking at some previous syllabus for the Pharm class (previous semesters) and they appear to be around 36 pages. So I should be expecting somewhere around the same.

I still need to buy one more book today!

SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP · Aug 31, 2012

We've got 11 chapters to cover before Tuesday! :eek: I'm up to Chapter 6. Looks like my long weekend will be spent on Pharmacology. This is going to be a very time consuming class.

The good news is that it is an actual Nursing class (NURS 200), so there are 3 Nursing instructors who teach it. It allows us to get to know them and they get to know us before applying. They run the class exactly like they do all their Nursing classes, so we have a taste of how intensive our classes are going to be in Nursing school. Now I know why they say they don't want you working more than 20 hours per week while attending Nursing school!

Let me know how you like your class. Good luck