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Discussion

what should I get out of patho?

Hi all, I posted this on the prenursing forum a few days ago but realized my question is pretty much for people who've already gone through a lot of the program already, or even graduated.

Basically, what do you think I should focus on the most in patho? I read on another thread someone said don't try to learn it all because it's impossible....which is what I'm trying to do.....if that's true, what from patho has helped you the most? (I've kinda figured out how to get good grades in the class but I'm interested in knowing what will help me most down the road.) This afternoon I overheard people studying the same things I am right now (renal) and after talking to them I realized they were actually in peds and reviewing nclex questions; I kinda forget we'll be going over this stuff a lot more over the next couple years. Any advice? thanks for any tips!!!

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(original post)

I'm a prenursing sophomore, planning to start nursing school in Fall '09 (can't wait!). I'm in Patho right now (a 1 semester class at my school) and I'm having the hardest time getting all the information to stick!!! :banghead: I've already taken A & P & I have a 4.0....but there's soooo much information to absorb in patho, it feels like I can only take so much before it just bounces off my head and what actually makes it inside my brain all blurrs together. I'm doing everything I can think of.....spending hours and hours reading and rereading the book, reviewing anatomy, doing study guides, make flashcards, etc. It's paying off because I'm learning it well enough to do well on difficult tests (hi 90's avg in the class) but I still feel like there's way more I don't know than I do and there's no way to learn it all even though I really do want to! My question for people already in the program is this: does patho "stick" better once you're in clinicals and see/take care of actual people that have the diseases I'm reading about? What's the most important thing to take away from patho going into the nursing program?

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if you open up and take a look at the critical thinking flow sheet for nursing students.doc you will see exactly how pathophysiology fits in with nursing. it is part of our critical thinking in planning patient care. all disease is the result of anatomy or physiology that has gone awry. that results in manifestations (signs and symptoms) of those many conditions which is, generally, how they are often detected and treated clinically. just as doctors often treat these signs and symptoms, so do we nurses.

my question for people already in the program is this: does patho "stick" better once you're in clinicals and see/take care of actual people that have the diseases i'm reading about?

yes.

what's the most important thing to take away from patho going into the nursing program?

hold onto the book because you will need it for future reference. no one expects you to remember everything. what you are expected to know, however, is where to look to
find and retrieve
the information.

I'm almost done with my third quarter of nursing school. What I have found is that when you are taking more indepth classes and working in clinicals the basic ideas you learned in patho will come back to you. You will understand them better the more you use them. You will not even know "everything" when you finish nursing school. When you get a job in some area of nursing, you will continue to understand more and more of the concepts you are just barely understanding now. If you are doing well in your class now, just keep on doing what you're doing. One thing you will need to know for many areas of nursing are lab values (such as hematocrit, RBC, WBC, electrolytes - so if you want to learn those extra well, it would pay off in the long run.

Good luck!

ya. go get a little nursing reference flip book to keep the important general ideas at your fingertips

I'm a patho study group leader and I think getting a basic understanding of the concepts presented in patho will help you to understand the disease processes taught in future classes. At my school all the future med/surg classes build on the concepts learned in patho. Don't expect to be an expert, but the better you understand the basic concepts the easier it will be for you later down the road. :up:

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