Med/Surg & Pharm what to expect

[Kat2bRN25778]

I was highly highly warned about the Med-surg and Pharmacology semester and was told to expect to be completely exhausted and possibly in tears trying to pass this class! Could someone please tell me what these specific classes cover and why they are considered to be so hard. Also, is it an option to take them separately - different semesters and if you would suggest I do so?? Could you tell me any study sources you may use or suggest?? And lastly I start my first semester this Jan 2015 could someone PLEASE tell me what people mean when I keep hearing on blogs and facebook etc. people referring to the "Trifecta" and "CAS"??

Thanks!

[Meeshie]

CAS is the academic center where you can get help before you start failing.. theoretically. :) It depends on which professors are running the weekly sessions, of course.

And yeah, it's hard.

[iAmPuhda]

I haven't reached Med-surg and pharmacology yet but I am currently taking the trifecta of death! It's just consists of three classes if you haven't heard about it yet which include pathophysiology, health assessment and lab, fundamentals and lab. It's not just for 8 weeks but also the addition of another 8 weeks because they split those classes into halves. Good luck on your classes!

[hazel30, BSN, RN]

Ugh.. Dealing with the trifecta now... *sad face* I don't even want to think about med-surg and pharm.

[Meeshie]

As to why Med-surg and Pharm are considered so hard? Part of it is just... what they are. Pharm covers.. well.. pharm. It's a lot of straight memorization. If you're bad at that.. it's hard. Ontop of that, med-surg is adult health. It's everything you need to know to take care of a patient all wrapped up into not nearly enough time. You need to have your fundamentals down so you don't struggle. Anatomy&Physiology plus Fundys plus how to do head to toe physicals plus Pathophysiology and microbiology. You need to have understood these classes.. not just memorized then brain dumped. Plus 12 hour clinical rotations every week so that you never have enough time to study.