Med-Surg I . . . advice, plz!

Achoo!, LPN · Nov 5, 2006

Well we have 3 med surg classes actually. Health alterations, complex health alterations I and complex health alterations II. The first class is just getting into the basics. It touches on CAD, CHF, emphysema, diabetes, things like that. next semester will get into fluids and electrolytes, blood gases, things like that. It is alot of pathophysiology, so if you have a good handle on A&P you should be ok.

BeccaznRN, RN · Nov 5, 2006

I think the worst part of med/surg was just getting used to the critical thinking aspect of it. You'll be thrown a lot of information, and you must know your assessments, nursing interventions, etc. based on the disease process (which is where your patho will fit in). Once you know all that, then they throw questions at you that require you to apply all the info you've learned. You can't just know the info - you must apply it as well.

The best way to prepare is to get a NCLEX review book and start answering the practice questions. I did this when I went into med-surg I.... I was surprised by how many of those questions I answered wrong when I was sure that I answered them correctly! The best thing about the review book will be that you'll get used to answering those critical thinking-style questions, which is what they will use for your med-surg exam questions.

Best of luck!

crb613, BSN, RN · Nov 5, 2006

I really liked med surg but for me fluid & electrolytes was the hardest. This is what I would focus on. Everyone is different but this seemed to be where most of our class had problems.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Nov 5, 2006

i would recommend that you find someone who is in that semester now and get a copy of the syllabus for the med/surg class. then, you'll know exactly what it is they are studying and can start the reading. you should get a good nclex review book (like the one by saunders) because it puts subjects into nice concise outlines and lists to help you prioritize and study. here are two websites you should also browse through:

http://go.dbcc.edu/hhps/nursing/study_skills.html - study skills for the nursing student from daytona beach community college nursing department with some good advice.

http://go.dbcc.edu/hhps/nursing/test_taking_skills.html - test taking skills also from daytona beach community college nursing department. a couple of sample questions and how to choose the correct answer for these application type questions.

http://www.efn.org/~nurses/ - this is a website maintained by the nursing students at lane community college in eugene, oregon. for study and learning tips specific to nursing students click on "tips for learning" at the left side of this home page.

opps! forgot to include these two sites which you should check every week for a new question that they post. you should copy and print these questions into a notebook or file to keep for study:

http://www.learningext.com/students/qofweek.asp - question of the week. every monday a question from the online nclex-rn examination course from ncsbn and it's answer is posted here on this page.

http://www3.us.elsevierhealth.com/cgi-bin/mosby/cdonline/saxton/question - mosby's question of the week from mosby's comprehensive review of nursing.

emtb2rn, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Nov 6, 2006

I'm enjoying Med-Surg too even with the volumes of reading. Neuro was really cool and ortho/trauma is very comfortable ground for me. I really like the critical thinking aspect of nursing school. When I'm trying to unwind, I sometimes just fire up Davis NCLEX for Success and try to critical think through questions on sections we haven't covered yet. Kinda geeky but fun in a weird way.

marilynmom, LPN, NP · Nov 6, 2006

I've really enjoyed Med/Surg as well, it is my favorite class. You will do fine! I think it is just really interesting and that makes it enjoyable for me to study. Plus with Med/Surg it is stuff you will actually use on a day to day basis in the hospital.

StudentNurseSteph, BSN, RN · Nov 6, 2006

I'm in Med/Surg I right now.. i def dont feel like it's as hard as my maternity classes were..and from what i hear its one of the easier classes we take.. but its all diff depending on schools.

Lori RN_09_2b · Nov 7, 2006

Thanks everybody for your replies! I'm pretty anxious to get started on it just so I know what to expect.

Daytonite, you're wonderful. Thanks for the great links--I'll be checking them all out this week. Once again, you've come through with great info!

Lori

gwt · Nov 10, 2006

Hi,

We just had exam #2 this week. It covered DM, cardiac, lytes, fluid imbalance, acid-base imbalances and ABGs. Every question was NCLEX style, 110 of them. I'm taking my B and running with it!!! Good luck!

G