Pharmacology Tips

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · Dec 20, 2004

I usually tell my precepting nurses:

Know what you're giving and when you should not give it.

If you don't know it, look it up. If you work where there's a Pharmacist available, call him/her. There may be hospital policies on certain meds that you need to know about.

You'll learn a lot here too. Here's a thread that will alert you to some of the meds that cause problems:

https://allnurses.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1005072&highlight=errors#post1005072

jenrninmi, MSN, RN · Dec 20, 2004

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hello fellow students!!
i am starting my 2nd semester soon, which will consist of pharmacology, med surg, health assesment, a&p 2 and one clinical rotation. i have really enjoyed school so far and have a tremendous feeling of accomplishment to have come this far (and a new found respect for nurses!!!!) :) . anyway, i am working on some optional work in pharmacology for the next semester trying to get a heads up on anything and i am rather worried about this class! any advice or tips that anyone would share would be greatly appreciated! thanks & merry christmas :rotfl:

whoa! you sure have a lot on your plate! is this a typical 2nd semester at your school or do some people take the a&p 2 and pharmacology before the program starts? good luck! i'm sure you can do it!!

purplemania, BSN, RN · Dec 20, 2004

Drugs affect either the sympathetic or parasympathetic nervous system. Learn the action of one (the other is opposite) and which drugs affect that system. Helps when you need to know the side effects and actions of a drug.

kcampfire · Dec 20, 2004

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hello fellow students!!
i am starting my 2nd semester soon, which will consist of pharmacology, med surg, health assesment, a&p 2 and one clinical rotation. i have really enjoyed school so far and have a tremendous feeling of accomplishment to have come this far (and a new found respect for nurses!!!!) :) . anyway, i am working on some optional work in pharmacology for the next semester trying to get a heads up on anything and i am rather worried about this class! any advice or tips that anyone would share would be greatly appreciated! thanks & merry christmas :rotfl:

i am almost done with pharmacology, one thing i found is to know the most used trade and generic name for the drug class, the use, the action,the basic ese and ase also the teaching and nursing i know it seems like alot but what i would do would be to make note cards for each drug class hope this helps some

krissypoo · Dec 20, 2004

i just finished pharm and had a hard time with the class. My advice is to speak with your instructer and ask her what the tests will consist of. My teacher told us from day one that we needed to know the action and use of the drugs. Also good to know the side effects- the thing is that every class is different, so its hard to say where to focus your attention. i can say for sure that if your lacking any math skills it would be a wonderful idea to brush up on the basics before the new semister begins. The math almost kept me from passing the class, it was continued out through out the entire semister, even in the drug portion of the class- those math problems kept re-appearing, so if you can, get it down and keep on top of any thing you're unsure of.

GOOD LUCK TO YOU:) , YOU SOUND LIKE YOU WILL BE BUSY!

twarlik · Dec 20, 2004

I agree with everyone's suggestions. Personally, pharmacology is not my strong point. The only way I ever seem to learn medications is by actually administering them and telling my instructors about them. It always helps me to focus on the major classes of drugs, their physiological effects and potential side effects. There are a lot of common drugs that you will see over and over again.

Good luck with next semester. Looks like you're going to very busy!

ERnurse07 · Dec 20, 2004

The basic thing that surrounds medication administration are the 5 rights - all nurses need to know the 5 rights in order to prevent a medication error - they are right patient, right drug, right dose, right route and right time - some schools also add right documentation. Hope this is a little helpful :)

mimo · Dec 20, 2004

Hey everyone,

Thank you all very much for your responses to my post. They were all helpful! I also went out and bought another book (hey what's another one-HA-HA :chuckle ) that was not required but has read as though it might help. It is the real world nursing survival guide pharmacology. I used the fluid and electrolyte book from this series and hope this one proves helpful also. I want to learn ALL I humanly can, I pursued nursing to help people. I don't want to fail, but I sure don't want to harm or by no means kill someone! In my school, everyone in first year will carry the same load except for the A&P 2 course. That is the only pre-req course I have not had that will be added this semester and there are a few of us in the same boat, but all things are possible when you put your mind to it!! I am going to give it my all and turn it over to the Lord. I feel (and have been told by an instucter) that if I can get through this next semester the hardest will be over. Thanks again!!!

MistyLou · Dec 21, 2004

I'm starting second quarter as well; however, we don't have pharm until 4th quarter. Yes..making it this far is a HUGE accomplishment. Give yourself a pat on the back.

Awhile back, someone linked this site for pharm study help, and I bookmarked it.

http://www.studystack.com/java-studysta/frames.jsp

Good Luck on your next quarter, your plate is FULL!!! I'm only taking A&P2 and 2nd quarter clinicals and am sweating it!

gsunursingstudent · Dec 25, 2004

Hello Mimo ! I just finished my first semester of Nursing School (BSN) at Georgia Southern University. Before the semester started I always heard about how terrible Pharmacology was, but I'm here to tell you, IT IS LEARNABLE. Don't expect to know every little thing about each drug because it will drive you crazy. Most of the meds you have heard of before and some of the conditions that the medications are prescribed for, some of your family members may have had as well. I suggest learning the medicines by their classifications, such as Analgesics, Anticonvulsants, Anticoagulants, etc. that way when you see them on a test you may not remember everything about them but you will know the basic knowledge (mechanism of action, indications, contraindications) and the side effects. Also use flash cards, use pneumonics, create a small scenario, don't wait until the day before the test to study (use that night as a review night only), and RELAX because you can do it. Keep us posted after the semester starts and let me know how you're doing. Good Luck !!