I am a new girl in the forum and really can use your help,

Sounds like a question you need to direct toward your teacher. Everybody has different expectations of their students.

That said, you should get a handle on the basic classes and subclasses of medications, learn general indications and contraindications, common adverse effects, and common interactions.

Right there is a ton (believe me, I've got a final in a week...)

Really, get a handle from your teacher what they're looking for.

Hi Honeybee,

I suspect that viewers are passing over your messages because your questions are quite broad. Be specific in your requests here in the forums and I guarantee someone will answer them.

Here's my advice for success in Pharmacology:

1) Make a reading schedule for the test unit which will have your material completely read 3-4 days prior to each test date.

2) As you read, highlight your text with emphasis on drug actions, nursing actions, contraindications, and patient teaching for each drug. Pay particular attention to the Tables and Information Boxes within each chapter. These are a favorite for many instructors for test questions because they condense the information and provide the detail in a concise format. (Do not read for any longer than 30 minutes at a time. Take a 5-10 min. break and then get right back to reading. You will retain more of the information with this method.)

3) Write notes for everything that you highlighted--if it was important enough to highlight it should be in your notes. (Do not type your notes -- there is quantitative evidence for the act of writing notes for yourself. Students who write notes from their text books and review them ALWAYS do better on tests than students who merely read the text.)

4) Use the 3-4 days prior to your test for simply reviewing your notes and taking the online/CD-ROM unit tests that come with most textbooks. If you have an NCLEX review book or Pharmacology study guide use these review days to study those resources as well. Giving yourself this 3-4 day gap between completing your reading and the test date will give you confidence and will allow you time to ask your instructor specific questions about the material that you feel you haven't mastered.

5) Finally, DO NOT stay up late (especially the night before the test) to study. Go to bed at a decent hour and review your notes again each morning. (Neurological studies have proven that in order to retain and recall information you must have a proper night's sleep -- during sleep the "true connections" are made.)

I follow these steps for all of my courses and so far I have made all A's and one B. (I'm still upset about that B arrrgggg!)

Good Luck! :)

Also, try categorizing your drugs. Learn the actions/expected outcomes/side effects/contraindications for the drug class first. Then learn which drugs fall into that category, and learn a few specifics about the individuals if you have time. But honestly, if you learn them by classes/categories, it will be so much simpler.