Nursing Pathophysiology Resource Recommendations

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Hello! :)

I am wondering if anyone has any recommendations for a really great book or website to use as a pathophysiology resource for care plans? I have some care plan assignments coming up, but in all my previous care plans completed, my textbooks have never gotten down to the level of detail my instructor wants us to provide in our care plan. He is looking for a step-by-step evaluation in formation of disease down to the cellular level. Any suggestions are appreciated! :)

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

If you are able to invest in a resource that will be useful throughout your nursing career, I wholeheartedly recommend Guyton & Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology. It's pricey, but I believe that when you purchase the latest edition, you can register for discounted updates and access to the online reference. This is the gold standard - used in medical school basic science education. It's currently in the 13th edition, so you can probably pick up an older edition for less money.

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I totally agree with the Guyton, and get it if you can. You might also want to look into the Physiology Coloring Book, not a joke but a really great resource for what you want-- and you could even have pictures. Online bookstore.

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I have the coloring book (lots of fun!), and will definitely check out the Guyton & Hall textbook. I haven't really thought that I did as bad on the pathophysiology for my care plans (or the nursing diagnoses and interventions) when compared to how I was graded. After speaking with several students in my cohort over several semesters, we have figured out that our grades really depend on who we get graded by. That changes all the time. Many of my major assignments have been graded by instructors who are notorious for being bad graders. I also stood up for myself against bullying by my instructors and my grades got even worse. And trying to make an appointment to discuss my grade went over even worse. I was written up for it. Any advice to protect myself against that to improve my grades? ...It's amazing to me how so many in nursing talk about the negative aspects of nursing culture, then the very ones mentioning it go and do the very thing they are lecturing students not to do.

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I don't know about improving your grades specifically, but I can tell you that when everybody else is being tough on you, the common factor is ....you. At this point, you need to pay attention to more than just your grades.

Suggest you take hat in hand to the person who wrote you up for what must have been pretty egregious behavior, apologise sincerely, and ask for help so you can learn how to behave more appropriately. This will influence others' perception of you and therefore may improve your grades on subjective items. This will not work overnight and will take some time, but it will significant improve your chances of success in many areas.

Good luck.

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Hi I got my BSN and take the NCLEX in a week. I've been reviewing and found a group called Osmosis.org that posts lots of videos about different diseases and conditions on youtube. Their videos are usually about 6 minutes long and cover all of the "normal" patho with great visuals and incredibly clear explanations of the normal physiology and then how alterations to that manifest as medical conditions. I wish I had known about this in nursing school. Everything would have been so much easier. Also, there is a group called Janux also on youtube and they have a series of human physiology videos that are super short. The explanations are super clear and cover every single thing from A&P. I put them on and just let them autoplay while I am doing laundry or making lunch. It is amazing how often I think about something I heard on those lectures that helps me figure out something about medical conditions and the patho behind them. Hope this helps

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