Help with Concepts

[autopsy]

Hey all, I am about 2/3 the way through my first semester of Nursing school. It has been a very difficult but enjoyable experience so far. In my first term we take nursing techniques, health assessment, pharmacology, and nursing concepts. I am doing extremely well in both techniques and assessment, no worries at all. Pharmacology is rough because there are only 2 exams and I did not do well on the first, but my quiz average and attendance and group project all are going very well, I have to just buckle down for the final and do fairly well, and I'll be okay. Phramacology is straight forward studying the meds, so I dont need help there. But Oh how i am hating concepts. In my school an 80 and above is passing. I got an 88 on the first examination, Than a 78, and than a 74!! So now my average is exactly an 80! I study just as hard as I did for the first one... and I am reading all the material.... the class average is around an 84, and I dont know what im doing wrong. They ask ncles style questions, giving u scenarios and asking what you would do in a certain situation. For me I either know it, or it will come down to 2 answers that seem to fit just fine... its just lately ive been picking the bad ones it tells you to pick the very best answer, so they acknowledge that there are sometimes more than 1 correct answer, but they want the best. Any how at the end of the chapters in my book, i study the review questions which are in a similar format to the ones on the test... I was just wondering if anyone knew a good site or something similatr that helped them get through this class, because im just not getting it, any siggestions are appreciated. I have 2 more tests which are all equally weighted as the first 3, so i have time to lift it up, but I am in danger, please help!!

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

both of these websites have questions on them. they are from pharmacy schools but they are about theory.

http://www.pharmacology2000.com/learning2.htm http://www.kumc.edu/research/medicine/pharmacology/cai/menu1.htm

i am having to take a pharmacology class as a component of my medical coding curriculum. i have made copies of the textbook publisher's chapter questions of our textbook which is pharmacology: an introduction, 5th edition, by henry hitner and barbara nagle. if you would like some of these tests pm me and i will try to figure out a way to get them to you. i will also share the practice exams i have as well, some of them are stored in my computer. i must tell you, however, that they are not in a nclex form and most of these questions are just straight out about drug information or side effects of the drug classifications. the focus of my program is not on the nursing aspects or dosages. as part of my studying i also read through the beginning pages of my nursing drug handbook which has general information about the major classifications of drugs in order to get an overview of the major uses and side effects of these drugs. so far we have covered the drugs affecting the autonomic and peripheral nervous system, the central nervous system, cardiac system and renal system if those are of any use to you.

[autopsy]

Daytonite,

Thank you again for your reply, they are akways helpful. However, this time it seems I have confused you. See it isn't pharmacology that im worried about at all. We have an entirely seperate class called nursing concepts. They give us scenarios, and ask what we would do in them, it is all situational type questions, but no medications are involved. They ask things like what if you forgot to chart something yesterday what would you do a. b. c. d. or if a child will not drink her meds on the first time you ask, what would you do? a. b. c. d. things that seem simple enough they really make it kind of rough, because a lot of the time 2 answers are acceptable.

[cardiac.cure03]

Yuck, I remember those questions! And I know what ya mean about at least 2 seeming like they'd be perfectly fine answers.

Maybe... Instead of trying to figure out the best thing to do, look at the answers and think to yourself... Well, if I DIDNT do that, what would be the worst negative outcome? Obviously, you wanna get rid of the answers w/ the worst outcomes and try narrowing it down that way? I know sometimes it worked for me, sometimes not.

Also, I know it's early but... Looking at a NCLEX book (like Kaplan) breaks down questoins and tries to explain how to answer them. That might help too (if not now, I'm sure it will later in nursing school).

It's probably something you'll get better w/ in time :)

Good luck to ya and best wishes!