Pharmacology - best way to learn

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Specializes in Med Surg, PCU, Travel.

Pharmacology is coming at me fast and furious...:nailbiting: I'd like to know what are some helpful tips to get medications learned. I realize most textbooks use the body system approach, however I feel like I need to memorize like the top 50 drugs used in nursing school to at least have the appearance of being competent. After that I'll be able to connect the dots into body systems , patho and nursing management. Just the words and spelling alone are a task in itself to learn. Any website or resource has what are the top drugs a student should be expected to know? How did you learn pharm?

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I'm a fellow SN here. But here's my help! :yes:

Memorization, I do not recommend that. Do not worry about seeming like the drug wizard to your instructors :no:. I take it you are just starting out? Pharmacology courses are usually the earlier courses offered, that is where I derive my assumption. Your professors KNOW you are just starting, what you need to do is carry a good drug book with you during clinical. If your pharmacology class is not integrated with your medsurg classes, then I suggest you always look up drugs that pertain to a certain disease.

The top drugs to know:

Insulin (regular)

Insulin NPH

Lispro

Aspart (Novolog)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ For ALL these know your PEAK, this is the MOST important thing to know. Why? b/c that's when they MAY become hypoglycemic. Know that GLUCAGON is the Antidote for extreme hypoglycemia, usually though if the patient is A&Ox3 they'll eat some crackers/juice. Know the mechanism of insulin. etc.

Be familiar with:

Beta Blockers (Propanolol, metoprolol, etc.) (ALL end in LOL)

Aspirin

Heparin (antidote is protamine sulfate)

Coumadin (antidote is vitamin K)

Please know your PT/INR (for Coumadin), know your PTT (for Heparin)

Tylenol (Mucomyst is the antidote) (know that the MAX is 4 g a day but this keeps changing; do some research)

Levothyroxine

Hydralazine

Lisinopril (ACE inhibitors; know COUGH and Hyperkalemia are potential side effects) (K = 3.5 - 5.0)

Digoxin (Therapy for reversal? Digibind, atropine (to fix Bradycardia). ***WATCH your potassium LEVELS! ***WATCH your DIG levels (0.5 - 2.0 and 0.5 - 1.3 for RENAL Pts)

This was a quick run through, I typed this in 5 minutes! LOL. I'm on the go, I may add some later if more comes to mind.

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I found recording the lectures really helped understand the material. Good luck, it's a tough class

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Specializes in Med Surg, PCU, Travel.

I wish they would have started this course earlier, but I'm in third semester already. We been through long term clinicals . We just started pharmacology and its being taken together with our first hospital rotations :( hence the need learn fast. Yeah the instructors can be a bit unnerving blurting out names of drugs. Feels like I will never get there.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

contributed by another AN member!

♪♫ in my ♥

17

Greetings.

Attached are 12 Word documents which I made when I took pharmacology. All the information was based on the ATI study guide since that constituted the final exam in our class.

They are formatted as 3x5 cards and were printed on individual 3x5 cards.

Have at 'em if you think they'll help... they certainly worked for me.

Again, they are entirely my own creation based on the information out of the ATI book. I make no promises as to their accuracy (though I rocked pharm so they couldn't be too bad).

Feedback is welcome.

Attached Files

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Specializes in LTC.

I wanted to say that the word documents posted by Esme12 above are an excellent tool for Pharmacology. They were very helpful to me when I took Pharmacology, both for lecture exams and the ATI exam I also had to take.

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Thanks for reposting this one. I missed this the first time around. Will greatly help me on my studies.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

We have stickies at the bottom of the assistance page that have a ton of resources tips and tricks.

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We have stickies at the bottom of the assistance page that have a ton of resources tips and tricks.

I can't find what you are referring to ... Please direct me :)

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

Go to the main page of

[h=2]Nursing Student Assistance[/h]

scroll all the way to the bottom and there they are.

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Go to the main page of

[h=2]Nursing Student Assistance[/h]

scroll all the way to the bottom and there they are.

Oh wow how did I never see this before lol thanks

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