For those who passed the nclex.. how did you study pharmacology?

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I am starting to review content as of tommorrow.. i think ive done enough questions.. and want to do some content review... so how did u guys prepare for pharmacology? and how many hours of time did u spend studying pharmacology? did u only do pharm. questions.. or read pharamcology content? .. and is there any other content reading i should focus on? ..

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Try the book from Kaplan. Its called "280 drugs you need to know for NCLEX". I just graduated myself and I am trying to figure out how to study.

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thanks for the reply.. i will consider the book u are telling me to get :)

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Specializes in ED Nursing, Critical Care Nursing.

Hi,

I reviewed pharmacology content with Mary Ann Hogan's Comprehensive Review for NCLEX-RN, with my ATI Pharmacology textbook, and also with the content review book that came with the Kaplan review course that I completed. I also answerd a TON of questions related to pharmacology (in the Kaplan course and with the CD that came with the Hogan book I mentioned). I would strongly recommend that you study the drugs by drug family/classification. Trying to memorize detailed information for heaven knows how many medications was maddening. I found that knowing basic information (indications, contraindications, adverse effects, nursing responsibilities, and client teaching) for each family of drugs as well as several representative members of each one was far more helpful. Also, as you probably know, many drug families have a particular ending to their generic drug names that help you recognize a particular drug (e.g. "-pril" refers to ACE inhibitors, etc.) I found that knowing those characteristic endings was very helpful, because you may not have ever heard of the particular drug stated in the stem of the question, but you MIGHT know what family it belongs to from its ending, and that can often guide you to the correct answer.

Also, in my own case, I knew that I was strong in many areas of pharmacology and weak in some others. I spent most of my time reviewing the drug classes that always gave me trouble (example...chemotherapeutic agents/cancer drugs and glaucoma medications...those were a pain in my a**). Thus, I spent time on the drug families that I knew that I was weak in.

I would also be certain to know the therapeutic drug ranges for certain common medications (e.g. Lithium, Digoxin, Theophylline, etc).

Finally, I would make sure that you can do all types of basic medication calculations and IV calculations. Everybody I went to school with seemed to really get hung up with drug calculations and which method was best. My advice, pick a method that you can understand and use it consistently. I would know about which injection sites are used with what age groups, whether or not Z-tracking is used for a particular med, whether aspiration and/or massaging is recommended, etc). You may not get any med calculation questions on the actual NCLEX, but there is no way to know for sure, so best to be well prepared for it.

Good luck!

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I heard Saunders was good for Pharm.

Personally, I did not study Pharm. much for boards. I looked over my main heart drugs, and studied the material I received with Kaplan. I also studied what info. I received with Hurst. Other then that, that was it; did not spend much time on drugs. Really, there are just too many to know. I would just go over the main ones- asthma drugs, heart meds., etc.

This was from another post and it helped me. Hope it helps you! GOOD LUCK!

heres some hints that i have seen. Take anything that deals with iron with orange juice. Orange juice helps absorb iron pills... tetracycline drugs need to be taken on an empty stomach

as for any questions you get and have NO CLUE on , i ususally put "take with meal" seems like a lot meds are taken that way. decreases gastric upset...

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Specializes in Psychiatric Nurse.

jlr820:

what a great post!!! :yeah: simple...to the point... from what you have written, others can now follow, or make adjustments to fit their own needs!! great job!!! :up:

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Specializes in Adolescent & Adult Psychiatry.

Hi There!

Since I'm notoriously known as Cheapy the Cheapskate, I decided to befriend youtube and here's what I got...

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=nclex+pharmacology&search_type=&aq=0&oq=nclex+phar

It's the greatest thing since sliced bread and you get to see what RNs think is most important to review for the NCLEX! :)

Personally, I didn't review that much (Probably a week, tops) because if you really think about it, on average, people get 6-7 pharm questions per every 75 NCLEX questions. Half of them, you'll already know and the other half are are drugs that you have know knowledge of, but can try to decipher based on their roots (i.e. -statins, -lols, etc). I will admit, there were two drugs on my test that came from Mars and no med review book would've helped me figure out those! Womp Womp!!! :chuckle

You're not going to remember those big books of meds so I'd just focus on understanding the Latin meanings and common side effects of the meds; that way, you'll be able to figure out practically anything on a test! :yeah:

I'd say 90% review content for other areas including infection control/practicing questions. The other 10% can go towards pharm review. Trust me, they're just the sprinkles on the big 'ol scoop of NCLEX ice cream! :p

Good luck studying!!! :up:

NurseThis21, BSN, RN :nurse:

UIC Alumna

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Specializes in Psychiatric Nurse.

thanks for the youtube videos!! my friends plan to test in the next 30-45 days so they will be greatful!!

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Glad to help! Yes! Someone helped me and I am passing it on!! GOOD LUCK TO YOU! :yeah:

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical.

I reviewed Pharmacology very thoroughly...memorized the name of the meds and understanding why they are given and their side effects...for example, the drug liothyronine is given for pt. experiencing hypothyroidism...so, by knowing that it is given for this metabolic disorder...we could conclude that taking excessive amount of this drug may exhibit sign and symptoms found in patients experiencing Hyperthyroidism (Nervousness,Irritability,Insomnia,Palpitations)....i really hope this technique will help you in passing the NCLEX...Good Luck and Study Hard....

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I didn't study pharmacology. I answered NCLEX style questions from a few different sources, and some of them were on medications. But otherwise, I did not specifically study pharmacology. I figured that no matter how many drugs I knew, the chances of getting one of them was slim. By the way, I passed with 75 questions.

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Specializes in Flight RN, Trauma1 CVICU STICU MICU CCU.

i didn't study for the drugs at all other than highlighting the names of them in my Hurst review book. Out of 83 questions, i had very few drug specific questions. A drug calc, and some questions on drugs i've never seen. Pretty much know your endings olol, sartans, prils, etc. etc. I wouldn't spend too much time worrying about drugs, i'd focus on learning how to properly prioritize.

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