PHARMACOLOGY....How in the world do you study this stuff?

Nursing Students General Students

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I am in my very first semester of my nursing program. I took my first Pharm test last week and made a 74 which is a failing grade...Now I'm on "Early Alert"...:cry:

WHAT DO I DO? How do I study this stuff? The class size is 38, at least 20 of us made less than an 80 (passing). Now, we are really stressing because if we do not pass this test, we're scared that we will be not be able to complete to program! :angryfire

Any advice would be wonderful!

Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Memorization is OK for measurements & calculations, but not for pharmacology. This is usually the point in nursing education when students begin to realize exactly WHY A & P and Chemistry were emphasized so much as pre-requisites for nursing school.

Pharm is really difficult if you don't have a grasp of the underlying concepts - why the drug has the actions/side effects that it does. This is not useless knowledge- it is very important to your future nursing practice. Sometimes it helps students to do a keep that physiology book handy - ex; difference between alpha and beta receptors - to really understand how the med works as well as make sense of contraindications and side effects.

Efforts to establish a deeper understanding of pharmacology will pay off in the long run because this is a very important aspect of critical thinking. Superficial memorization may get you through the quiz, but it won't be enough to help you in the future.

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Specializes in CNA - geriatrics.

hey there, i had the exact same problem... first test hard as ... and i failed feeling like i wasn't going to make it. here are some tips as to how i got through it..

1. tutoring (if avalible) take it.

2. nclex, the rn- comprehensive review. they have catergories like respiratory, cardiac, endocrine, etc drugs and are formated like the tests.

3. straight a's in nursing pharmacology book. isbn: 1582556962. second edition. awsome book and easy to use. mainly study the nursing interventions but read everything.

4. mosbys pharmacology memory notecards. isbn: 9780323054065. visual, mnemonic and memory aide. awsome cards.

i used all these and i made it. good luck, pharm is hard class, but i'm sure youll do fine!

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