How hard is it taking physiology & pharmacology class the same semester?

libby11 · Sep 8, 2012

I've always been a strong student (I mean as far as the books & tests go). I took pathophysiology and pharm together during the same (somewhat abbreviated) summer semester. I thought those two were fine together. I think patho & pharm go together very well; mine complemented each other because they were lined up so we were doing the same system at the same time cardiac, endocrine, respiratory, etc.

When you say physiology; you mean just straight physiology, right? I think you need to have basic physiology before you take pharm. If you don't already understand the physiology it's hard to get a grip on what drugs are doing, what to watch out for, what contraindications can be, the effects... basically everything in pharm...

jazyjaz112 · Sep 9, 2012

I'm currently taking Pharmacology, Complex Nursing, and Advanced Physiology, and I have to say that its working out better than I expected. I was hesitant coming into this semester because I thought that i would be overwhelmed by all of these classes. What I realized is that al of these classes are talking about the same subjects- they are just looking at thing from different areas of expertise. Example: The Heart. Pharm=cardiac drugs (beta blockers, antidysrhythmics, etc) ; Complex= diseases and disorders of the heart; Advanced Physiology= how different parts of the heart work

In my opinion your counselors are right. take the classes together, it help to get a better understanding.

ShineyNickelRN · Sep 9, 2012

Right now I am currently taking Nursing Pathophysiology, Pharmacology, and Nursing Fundamentals together. So far so good. Pathophysiology is hard but I also think it go's well with my other classes. In my school they recommend that we study 3 hours per every hour of class we are in. I am in school for a total of 10 hours a week, so I study at least 30 hours a week at a minimum. I only mention that because I think of it that way and it helps me in breaking down a study schedule. So, I take those hours and break them out along the week and I get it all in and I am doing really well so far. I have had my first two tests and I got a B+ on both my Fundamentals and Pathophysiology exams. I don't know if thinking of it that way will help or not but it does work well for me.

Also, another tip for studying for all of those. My instructors give us notes already typed up for classes and powerpoint slides to print out. They also give us course objectives to follow. See if your instructors do that. So I print out the notes and powerpoints, also the objectives included with the syllabus and I focus on those. I only read the sections of the book that are highlighted in the course objectives and notes. It saves alot of time and I stay organized and caught up that way and I find I am properly prepared for the exams.

libby11 · Sep 9, 2012

I never read my actual Pharm text book, just the slides from the teacher and the ATI book for pharmacology.

CCua · Sep 12, 2012

I took Nursing Pharm and Path in Spring 2012. My Pharm teacher told us in the first day of school "I dont understand why the counselors let you take this class without finishing patho first. You wont learn what you're suppose to be learning this way. I tell them time and time again to not let you guys in without finiahing patho first"

How wrong she was, IMO. I thought they compliment each other well when taken both at the same time. Granted pharm was always 3 chapters ahead of patho but in the end, you'll know the hows and whys and you'll be able to piece the information together quickly because of the fact that they're still fresh in your mind.

My patho teacher told us not to get the book since all the information that we'll need will come from her slides. I studied about 2-3 hours per day for that class. Found it to be the easiest class out of the whole major courses I had to take for Nursing.

Pharm was difficult because of the fact that I had to memorize a lot of drugs and their effects and etc. The drug template that we had to make was what helped me succeed. I read the book, read the power point, and did drug templates. I studied for 3-5 hours for that class per day.

I found the work load for that semester to be more than my other semesters but it was do-able and the hardness rates average.