Struggling HARD with Pathophysiology

[JayDobro]

Hello fellow Nursing students/Nurses!

Well I start clinical in January, BUT I need to pass my classes (4) this semester. I am doing fine in three, but in one (pathophysiology) I am struggling, hard.

3.46 student never failed an exam, and BAM it hit me, a 58.... I have added 4.5 to my final grade by completing all the extra homework assingnments early. Also, 25% of our grade is based on homework's that I've gotten 100's on so far. With that said, I did not drop this course, because I still have a C even though I failed the first exam. So I want to crush the next exam and was curious to see if it can be done in two weeks. I work a lot, and take four other classes.

I studied but not enough. I have two weeks to study for this next exam. I've done all the extra credit questions (30) and he says it's a tool that should be used as a study guide. He presents his materials in extremely confusing power points that are spread out all over the place. So I have two options; study the extra credit questions that I answered, and read the corresponding text, or study the power points.

I guess I am just stressed at the moment even though I have a solid two weeks to study, I am locking myself at the library for at least 4-5 hours a day starting tomorrow. I have created a few study groups that will be meeting this week at my local University. I also have been talking to others that have succeeded on the first exam. One girl told me, "I studied three days before and got an 86". 'Bashes Head On Wall'

[AgentBeast, MSN, RN]

The 4-5 hour "cram" sessions usualy don't work. You might try studying in 30 minute blocks of time. Study for 30 minutes take a 30 minute break or so then study for another 30 minutes. You'll retain more that way.

[hodgieRN]

Patho is difficult. With anatomy, it's all memorization, but with patho, you have to understand processes and why they happen. Totally different ball game. My advice is:

-Study every single day as much as you can.

-Once you have a section down, go to the next one, then go back. If I came back to a previous section and didn't understand it, I knew I still had work to do. It was constant repetition, over and over. Then, when I though I knew the section, I would go about my day and try to recall it. I would be standing in line at the grocery store and try to recall all the normal ranges of electrolytes or all the steps of nerve conduction. If I couldn't couldn't recall a couple steps, I would go back and re-study the section.

-Always review your notes right after class, even if it's for 30 minutes. If you are taught something and then review it that day, you will retain so much more information b/c it's still fresh. If you just review it before a test, you have to re-learn it for the first time.

-On top of normal studying, dedicate every Sunday to studying your notes (for the week) as if you are taking an exam. Even though my next exam was 4 weeks away, I would have a mock cram section for the week. So when I had to take the real exam, I had already engrained it in my head 3 weeks ago. Then, I would constantly go back and review the same thing over and over until it was redundant.

-(you might laugh at this) but when I had to review something that had multiple processes, I would draw it out and talk out loud to myself and pretend I was teaching someone sitting next to me. Ever explained a test question to someone else and suddenly realize something new yourself? If I couldn't explain the pathway of blood through the heart, then I wouldn't be able to do it on an exam. If you can teach it, then you actually understand it.

- Learn the latin terminology of the each word, not the whole title itself. Most people know what meningitis is. Maybe a brain infection? Well, -itis means inflammation and mening- refers to the meninges of the central nervous system. So meningitis is inflammation of the meninges....which is caused by an infection that can not only affect the brain, but the spinal cord, etc. Encephalitis - enceph(al) mean brain...encephalitis is brain inflammation. Thorax means chest, lung and pneumo mean air, gas...pneumothorax means air in thorax aka collased lung. Based on this, I bet you can guess what a pneumocephalus is.; So, trying to learn that hydrocephalus (which is fluid (CSF) in the brain b/c hydro means water,fluid) is impossible to just memorize b/c there are thousands and thousands of terms. But if you know hydro.....and cephalus...then you know it. If you see a new word, only look at it in parts. Never try and memorize it.

-If you think you know a process, try and do it backwards or know the opposite You may be able to follow a drop of blood through the heart from the vena cava to the aorta, but can you trace it from the aorta backwards to the vena cava? See if you can trace the formation of a scab back through to the laceration. If you know it backwards, then you know it forwards. The side effects of hypokalemia are usually opposite hyperkalemia.

-Study the pictures in the book. Reading notes and power points may not turn on the light until you see a picture with with all the dissection, arrows, and labels. It's a difference between someone telling you to remember name vs. seeing a name with a face.

-Study over, over, and over. Know the "why" and "how," not just "what."

Good Luck!

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

I strongly, strongly recommend that you take advantage of Amazon's free-for-students 2-day shipping and get the Physiology Coloring Book. This is not a joke-- it's a real book that will seriously help you look at the material in another way...and it sounds as if the way you've been looking at it isn't the best one for you. My students swore by it.

[MaleNurse207]

I am also experiencing the same problem. Take the advice given to you, I have and it is slightly helping.