Medical-Surgical Class advice

[PrimroseR]

Hi everyone, I am taking a med-surg class and I just had my first exam. I didn't do that great, and I was just wondering if anyone had any advice on how to study and understand the concepts, because it is very easy to become overloaded with the information for each system. I used a variety of books and online resources, including Saunders, ATI, and the class textbook.

Any and all advice is appreciated. Thanks! :)

[tknrosales]

Learning your instructors testing style is critical to doing well on exams. I would maybe focus your attention to one or two resources instead of doing too many. When reviewing your textbook look at the heading of each section, the first few sentences in each paragraph and always read the boxes and charts. If your teacher repeats anything more than once it's probably test material, so write it down!

[Jenngirl34RN]

There is a book called Med-Surg Success that is pretty helpful. Also, check to see if your textbook has a companion workbook. Don't forget to study from your class lecture notes and any material (ie: PowerPoints) from your teacher.

[oceanblue52]

Knowing my Patho really helped me think through test questions in Med-Surg. If you know how the body systems are connected, and then you are presented with a situation, often times you can think about how that situation would affect the body systems and then prioritize what you need to do as a nurse (get a good NCLEX books and become familiar with things like ADPIE and the ABCs). If you have trouble with that, always start with reviewing A&P, and then Patho before delving into Med-Surg. A solid base really helps with understanding the rationale and will give you a framework, rather than just trying to memorize endless Med-Surg factoids. Good luck!