Pharmacology question

Nursing Students Student Assist

Published

i am an alternate on the nursing list and don't find out until next month wether i get in or not. but in the mean time i was wondering what all i could look over before taking pharmacology, as this will be the 1st nursing class they will have me in.

i am ok with math, sometimes it takes me a little longer to get certain things. so i guess you could say that i'm a little worried about dosage calculations.

are their any good books that i can get to help me prepare for any of what is going to be covered in the class?!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

online tutorials for med math calculations are listed on post #2 of this sticky thread: https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-student/nursing-math-thread-264395.html - the nursing math thread

there is also https://allnurses.com/nursing-student-assistance/pharmacology-help-140434.html - pharmacology help! in the nursing student assistance forum. i particularly like the website: http://www.pharmacology2000.com/learning2.htm which is like an online pharmacology textbook with explanations of how certain classes of drugs work.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

thank you so much i will check out these websites! :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in being a Credible Source.

And don't stress... since you're "ok with math" you should be just fine. The required math is very, very basic.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Rehabilitation; LTC; Med-Surg.
i am an alternate on the nursing list and don't find out until next month wether i get in or not. but in the mean time i was wondering what all i could look over before taking pharmacology, as this will be the 1st nursing class they will have me in.

i am ok with math, sometimes it takes me a little longer to get certain things. so i guess you could say that i'm a little worried about dosage calculations.

are their any good books that i can get to help me prepare for any of what is going to be covered in the class?!

learn the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

well i just got accepted on last wednesday!!!!

is there anything else that i can go over to be ahead of the gang when i start in the fall?! my friend who is taking pharm says she's very overwhelmed with all the information and math. i tend to stress out very easily and would like to be able to come in with some good basic knowledge. thanks in advance!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

:yeah: congratulations on getting accepted!!!

"Nursing math" is all basic math. There are formulas you can use to figure out the problems but sometimes the wording of the problems themselves can be a little tricky. The key is to practice, practice, practice!

My school made us buy Calculate with Confidence by Deborah Gray Morris. It was $49.95 well-spent! I really like how they show different ways to solve the problems - they show how to solve by dimensional analysis, ratio proportion, etc. It can really help you find a method that will really work for you. There are a lot of problems to practice with and the book comes with a CD which contains even more practice problems. It's truly a great book! I would really try to practice without a calculator if you can. For my first math test (which was calculating how many mL to give or how many tablets to give, very basic) we were allowed to use a calculator, but for my second math test (which was all IV calculations) we had to do everything by hand and pass with a 90% or better. So you never know! You might not have a calculator on hand when doing dosage calculations on the floor, so it's always good to be able to do the math without one.

For the actual "pharmacology" part, I really like Nursing Pharmacology Made Incredibly Easy! - it's an easy read and really breaks down the information for you which is nice. I haven't taken an actual pharmacology class yet (I take that in the fall) but we have been going over pharmacological concepts in my other nursing classes and my current clinical instructor really likes to ask us about our patient's meds lol.

Good luck! :redbeathe

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Its reaaaaaaaally simple, you just need to practice practice practice

If you could cross multiply, and divide then you could do DOC

This is bad practice, but I figure out the answer looking at it and show the work just to reiterate my answer (plus its a requirement lol)

but if the doctor orders 10 mg of X drug, and you have 5 mg in each unscored tablet

how many tablets are you gonna give?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

thank you shrimpchips, i am so excited about starting nursing this fall!!!! i've waited for this for 2 yrs! i will definately look into those books, probably hit up barnes and noble tomorrow! lol! i guess i am worrying too much, but our school does the same thing where you have to pass the doc test with 90% or higher. if you don't pass you fail the class and are put on probation for a year and can't start your nursing classes back up until after that year! i definately don't want that to ever be an option, i've waited wayyy to long for this to ruin it!

natingale, i think the answer to that question would be 2 tablets?! since their only 5mg a piece, you have to have 2 to get 10mg. i hope i'm right, if not i have no idea lol! but also at the same time, i'm sure all questions are not so simple! there have to be more complicated ones or this wouldn't be the class that weeds out all the people!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Tab = 1 tab/ 5 mg x 10 mg = 2 tab.

I am taking this class now. It is very simple math!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment