Nervous about Concepts 1 (aka med surg1)

[HolisticRN2016]

Hello all! So happy I made it thru my 1st semester of nursing school (well actually I have 2 finals next week and then I'm done). It was grueling but 1 semester down 3 more to go. Anywho, I am completely terrified about the next class. We will be learning more of the "how's" and "why's"of oxygenation, homeostasis,perfusion and metabolism. First of all, I've already "heard" that second semester is the one that most students fail. While I am great at memorization, I realize that this class will require a shift and more than just memorizing things and that scares me. I never liked chemistry and although I got b's in my pre reqs, I never quite grasped the concepts of the detailed workings of the body. Again, I can memorize the pathway of blood to the heart and lungs, but to explain exactly what or why it's happening.... I really Couldn't tell ya!. My school is offering an 8 hour orientation over the Xmas break BEFORE the class starts to get us acclamated (sp?) and they've given us an assignment to do BEFORE the orientation. Some of the questions on the assignment reference PTH, and what is the purpose of t3 and t4... I literally looked at these questions and thought I'm screwed. I know this information is critical to becoming a nurse and just giving bed baths and doing assessments and giving medication isn't gonna cut it. I'm afraid that I will have trouble comprehending and applying this information to nursing care. We were also told that we should review a&p. I don't know what to do. I have no problem memorizing things but I often walk away with little understanding. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

[SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP]

Look at YouTube videos on the concepts you're struggling with. I highly recommend Dr. Leslie Samuels' videos.

PTH is parathyroid hormone. The thyroid hormones are T3/T4. You will definitely need to know how they keep each other in homeostasis.What happens when T3/T4 are high or low? What does it mean when TSH is high but T3/T4 is low? Same with calcitonin & PTH. How do these affect the bones in relation to each other?

You will also learn about respiratory & metabolic acidosis/alkalosis. You'll need a though understanding of how the lungs & kidneys work to compensate for pH imbalances, CO2, HC03, etc.

There's a reason why those pre-reqs are required. You need a solid foundation of anatomy/physiology in order to understand disease process. Get out your old notes and review. Go to any supplemental review sessions or tutoring that's offered.

Study to comprehend, not memorize. Do NCLEX questions and read the rationales for each answer to get a better understanding of why that answer is correct.