Pharmacology

Nursing Students General Students

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In my pharm class we are moving really quickly (going over 2-3 chapters a day). For our tests, we are given a study guide. If we do the study guide we're pretty much guaranteed an A or B.

I'm very appreciative of the class not being that difficult, since my other classes more than make up for it, but I feel like I'm not learning anything. I was just wondering what I can do to get the information that I"ll need later. Do I need to memorize as many drugs as I can? Do i need to know the classes? What do I really need to know out on the floor?

Any suggestions are much appreciated. I really don't want to go into clinical unprepared. Thank you!:)

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When you get on the floor, you will realize there just are so many drugs. Don't worry yourself about memorizing so much as it will just be frustrating for you (except getting what you need to do well in this class you are taking).

I found that a good plan was to look at the major body systems you studied in Physiology.... respiratory, cardiac, gastro, renal, etc. Then, get a list of the major "swings" within those systems, what goes wrong physiologically. For example: in respiratory "the problem" is often not being able to breathe normally, right? The problem can be simply that the lungs are permanently damaged and no short term remedy, or maybe it is short term and emergent as in a collapse or puncture. What if the problem is infection, or just post op general anesthesia, or immobility. What if the problem is due to congestive heart failure. What if the problem is due to allergic reaction. Lots of reasons why the lungs react. You have to look for the cause in order to treat.

Think of the drugs as fitting in different "tool boxes" in order to put a "face" on it all. I find that if you start with the "problem" and think of how you want to fix it, instead of starting with the drug and what it's used for, you might be able to make connections better in the long term.

I think that experience as a nurse and seeing many different dx, and what physicians order for tx, then how your patients respond to that tx is when nurses learn all this. It is not going to really go anywhere in school.

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Thanks, that's really good advice. I've just heard upper classmen say how pharm left them completely unprepared for junior year, and that worried me a little.

Thanks again:)

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