Pathophysiology studying

[direw0lf, BSN]

My plan was to read the assigned chapters and take handwritten notes (I remember best when I write) before each class day. Well I messed up, our pathos reading is 2 chapters. 2 chapters you say, that's great, will be done in one night with time to spare for my gen ed homework! Wrong! Each chapter is nearly 100 pages long. I'm on page 47 in chapter 1. This plan of mine is not going to work.

I looked at the teacher's ppt lecture. The sentences on the ppt are word for word from the book.

I need ideas please, how did you study for pathos?

I have the book "Pathophysiology Reviews and Rationales" too. I guess I'm just not sure how to study. Thank you.

[akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P]

Probably the best way to study pathophys is to have a good, solid understanding of "normal" physiology first. This you usually get from your A&P courses. The reason I suggest this is simply because it's easier to understand how things are deranged from normal instead of studying it as if it's an entirely new subject that's unrelated to normal physiology. Studying that way also makes it easier to get through 100+ page chapters... because you're looking for the changes from "normal" and not trying to understand everything.

[direw0lf, BSN]

Thank you! You know I was reading this first chapter thinking things like "I just had learned this about gap junctions in Bio unity, A&P, bio diversity..." but I took down notes anyway. I'm going to just write down the changes from normal.

[stacylethani, BSN]

I recommend using the teacher's powerpoints and study guides. Most importantly, use the teacher for a reference for anything you're having difficulty understanding.

I loved patho and I struggled immensely in Anatomy.

Use YouTube videos and pictures/diagrams as well!

[joseyjo]

Ask the teacher! She knows best how to study for the tests she (or he I guess) is writing :) Some teachers mainly use their PPTs, some use study guides, some use the text, some use a combo of all the the above. My patho teacher last semester used almost exclusively the tables and charts in the patho book. Good luck!

[direw0lf, BSN]

Thanks all. I am so excited this semester. The teacher gave us some hints today about what to study exactly. I don't think my "Review and Rationales" book is going to be as helpful because she said unlike other nursing classes this will be more like memorizing vocabulary and not nursing style questions, but we'll see.

[joseyjo]

Yeah, my patho was more like a "standard" college class, and less like a nursing class also. There was a lot of memorization, but as the class went on there was more and more clinical application. Just make sure you thoroughly understand each topic. Patho is the foundation for pretty much everything you will learn in nursing school!