Pharmacology Drug Cards

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Attention all current nursing students, recent grads, or anyone that still remembers: I have just started the clinical part of my college's nursing program and pharmacology is, of course, one of the toughest courses that I am faced with this semester. We have been assigned to make drug cards for a number of drugs. All the information must fit on one 5 x 8 index card so we must decide what is the most important info. to include about each drug. We must include the drugs action, use, adverse effects, contraindications, nursing interventions, interactions, routes and dosages. My problem is deciding what is the most important to include under nursing interventions. I am using the Davis Drug Guide and it contains a great deal of info that I could include, but I cannot include it all frown.gif Does anyone have any advice for a novice nursing student on how I might best decide what interventions to include?

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I am a senior nursing student at Allen College in Waterloo, IA. We also had to make drug cards...not fun. As for the nursing considerations section, you can probrably leave out most of the lab test considerations, except for Heparin, warfarin, and others that directly will effect a specific blood value. Stick with the most life threatening considerations. It's hard to say without knowing the specific drugs, but some of the considerations seem so vague: monitor for sensitivity, monitor for reaction. Stick with administration guidelines: must take with milk; must avoid sunlight; etc...

I hope that this helps you. I would definetely put any side effect directly related to the drug. for instance, a antihypertensive agent, important implications would be those related to blood pressure, ortho hypotension, etc...

After awhile you do learn what is important and what's not.

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Originally posted by aerialflyer:

Attention all current nursing students, recent grads, or anyone that still remembers: I have just started the clinical part of my college's nursing program and pharmacology is, of course, one of the toughest courses that I am faced with this semester. We have been assigned to make drug cards for a number of drugs. All the information must fit on one 5 x 8 index card so we must decide what is the most important info. to include about each drug. We must include the drugs action, use, adverse effects, contraindications, nursing interventions, interactions, routes and dosages. My problem is deciding what is the most important to include under nursing interventions. I am using the Davis Drug Guide and it contains a great deal of info that I could include, but I cannot include it all frown.gif Does anyone have any advice for a novice nursing student on how I might best decide what interventions to include?

Are you not allowed to use preprinted cards that book stores sell? This will save you much time that can be used to study other things. It costs around $30.00 for a set. Otherwise, I would put the classification of drug, interactions, contraindications, side effects, and indications. Ben
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No preprinted drug cards are available in our school's bookstore. Sure I'm always looking for ways to save precious study time. Unfortunately, the assignment was to make our own. The card that is giving me the most problem now is insulin. There are so many types. How do you narrow them to fit on one drug card? The instructor said there was one major difference between the types and it was up to us to figure it out. Can anyone drop me any clues? P.S. Where can I find some of those preprinted drug cards anyway?

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Originally posted by acfoulk:

I am a senior nursing student at Allen College in Waterloo, IA. We also had to make drug cards...not fun. As for the nursing considerations section, you can probrably leave out most of the lab test considerations, except for Heparin, warfarin, and others that directly will effect a specific blood value. Stick with the most life threatening considerations. It's hard to say without knowing the specific drugs, but some of the considerations seem so vague: monitor for sensitivity, monitor for reaction. Stick with administration guidelines: must take with milk; must avoid sunlight; etc...

I hope that this helps you. I would definetely put any side effect directly related to the drug. for instance, a antihypertensive agent, important implications would be those related to blood pressure, ortho hypotension, etc...

After awhile you do learn what is important and what's not.

Well, I am a nursing student and our drug cards are "pre-printed", we just fill in the specific information for that drug. It includes generic and brand name, action, (3)major side effects, dose, route, reason pt taking med, measurable outcome...

I hope this helps.

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Originally posted by aerialflyer:

No preprinted drug cards are available in our school's bookstore. Sure I'm always looking for ways to save precious study time. Unfortunately, the assignment was to make our own. The card that is giving me the most problem now is insulin. There are so many types. How do you narrow them to fit on one drug card? The instructor said there was one major difference between the types and it was up to us to figure it out. Can anyone drop me any clues? P.S. Where can I find some of those preprinted drug cards anyway?[/QUOTe

The biggest difference is rate of onset. NPH or lente is intermediate acting, onset in 3-4 hours, peak 6-12 hours, duration 18-28 hours. Regular is rapid action, 1/2 to 1 hour onset, 2-4 hour peak and 5-7 hour duration and finally there is long acting, which is ultralente, onset of 4-6 hours, peak in 18-24 hours and duration of 36 hours. This is the biggest difference. My drug cards are called Mediquick cards printed by springhouse. You could probably order them on the net. go to yahoo and type in springhouse mediquick. You could have them in 4 days!! Good luck.

Ben

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The biggest difference is rate of onset. NPH or lente is intermediate acting, onset in 3-4 hours, peak 6-12 hours, duration 18-28 hours. Regular is rapid action, 1/2 to 1 hour onset, 2-4 hour peak and 5-7 hour duration and finally there is long acting, which is ultralente, onset of 4-6 hours, peak in 18-24 hours and duration of 36 hours. This is the biggest difference. My drug cards are called Mediquick cards printed by springhouse. You could probably order them on the net. go to yahoo and type in springhouse mediquick. You could have them in 4 days!! Good luck.

Ben

Thanks for the tips Ben!

[This message has been edited by aerialflyer (edited September 07, 2000).]

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Originally posted by acfoulk:

I am a senior nursing student at Allen College in Waterloo, IA. We also had to make drug cards...not fun. As for the nursing considerations section, you can probrably leave out most of the lab test considerations, except for Heparin, warfarin, and others that directly will effect a specific blood value. Stick with the most life threatening considerations. It's hard to say without knowing the specific drugs, but some of the considerations seem so vague: monitor for sensitivity, monitor for reaction. Stick with administration guidelines: must take with milk; must avoid sunlight; etc...

I hope that this helps you. I would definetely put any side effect directly related to the drug. for instance, a antihypertensive agent, important implications would be those related to blood pressure, ortho hypotension, etc...

After awhile you do learn what is important and what's not.

Use everything in green is the most important stuff e-mail if you need help

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I am due to graduate this May and our Synthesis prof. is extremly drug happy....the BEST advice on what to include is to read your pharm book then compare it to either a Med/Surg book or your drug reference book and the ones mentioned in both books is the ones you need to know. Hope this helps..it works for me everytime.

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here's what i did:

do your drug cards in powerpoint, print on card stock (i think i paid about $8 for a package of 250 8 1/2 x 11 sheets at a local staples) 2 to a page and cut in half.

i like this website for drugs it's the monthly prescribing reference: http://www.empr.com/

i found this one yesterday: http://www.scribd.com/doc/12617855/nurses-pocket-drug-guide-2009 but i'm still pondering the ethical points of using it. so i ordered the book off of ebay. each drugs info is very concise.

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Attention all current nursing students, recent grads, or anyone that still remembers: I have just started the clinical part of my college's nursing program and pharmacology is, of course, one of the toughest courses that I am faced with this semester. We have been assigned to make drug cards for a number of drugs. All the information must fit on one 5 x 8 index card so we must decide what is the most important info. to include about each drug. We must include the drugs action, use, adverse effects, contraindications, nursing interventions, interactions, routes and dosages. My problem is deciding what is the most important to include under nursing interventions. I am using the Davis Drug Guide and it contains a great deal of info that I could include, but I cannot include it all frown.gif Does anyone have any advice for a novice nursing student on how I might best decide what interventions to include?

What you can do if look up some pharmacy cards and get some inspiration.

Here's one: http://www.pharmacydiscountnetwork.com/index.html

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