tips studying med surg?

rn4ever? · Apr 30, 2006

Hi there. What I used to do in my med-surg class was to memorize the things that I have to know by heart in the assigned pages like the signs and symptoms first, etc. Then, the second time I read it, I just read thorougly and analyze it. Good luck to you! :)

twinbee25 · Apr 30, 2006

Hi,

what has worked for me is first memorizing certain facts (labs values, certain meds ex: digoxin, lasix, etc)

then what I do b/c I am the type that has to write things out to learn/remember is I start with a blank sheet of paper and "build a patient".

At the top of the paper I write first the "title" (the name of the disease or diagnosis). Then I start with patho, followed by signs/symptoms, followed by assessments, nursing interventions, and include other pertinent details such as diagnostics that would be expected, labs to watch for etc. I box each section, sometimes making squiggly lines instead of straight lined boxes. Also I use different ink color for certain items, such as the interventions or meds expected.

Give it a try and find what works best for you. If I include the main/important things on my "build a patient", then all I have is one sheet of paper to review over when studying.

good luck!

newguard · Apr 30, 2006

caringnursenj and twinbee25 thanks for your reply!

other answers are welcome.

xai · Jul 23, 2006

Med-Surg can be tricky but I think the key thing is that you have to have a very solid foundation in the normal anatomy & physiology of the human body. That way, when studying for M/S, it'll be fairly quick to pick up on the s/sx of the different disorders, as well as the different interventions for each of those conditions.