Tips for studying Nursing Pharmacology

[SylviasBaby28]

This post is for anyone who is/will be taking Nursing Pharmacology. This class is certainly challenging and I'd like to share some tips that I found helpful.

To begin with, have a good handle on the terminology.

• Know and understand the action of the drug. What is it doing to the body and why? Knowing this can help you to understand what adverse/side effects, drug-drug effects, or drug-food interactions may be expected.
  
• Have a good understanding of what cholinergic/parasympathetic and anticholinergic/sympathetic responses are. Knowing these responses is key to almost all of the drugs that you will have to deal with.
  
• Have a good understanding of what acetylcholine, serotonin, noriepinephrin, and dopamine is and does in the body. Some of these books group symptoms under a "syndrome" name. For example: serotonin syndrome (dizziness, diaphoresis, pyrexia, tremor, etc) or GI upset (nausea, vomiting, etc)
  
• Pay attention to drug suffixes. A lot of the times common suffixes=same class drugs which may equal to similar adverse effects
  
• Once you have an understanding of the classes of the drugs, KNOW THE PROTOTYPE and familiarize yourself with other drugs (especially more recently used) within the same class
  
• Know your ideal serum levels relevant to diagnoses that the drugs are being used for
  
• Pay attention to Black Box warnings, as well as toxicity precautions. (This is especially important for drugs that have a narrow range of therapeutic levels and for the more elderly and infant patients
  
• Some of these drugs/conditions have associated mneumonics to them...if this is your learning style, seek them out. Pinterest has a TON of them, just search for Nursing Pharmacology
  
• Finally, practice answering NCLEX-styled questions on what you are learning. Practicing is the best way to land these drugs.
  

Here are some sites that I found helpful:

Nursing Pharmacology: Table_of_Contents

nursing--pharmacology / Pharmacology Games and Quizzes Page

20 Pharmacology Nursing Flashcards | NurseBuff

~Best of luck!!

[Une Infirmiere, BSN, RN]

Pharm was my favorite subject in Nursing School...It helped the scientist in me understand what nursing questions are all about. To the above, I will add this: MNEMONICS!!!!

Mnemonics will take you a long way...There are thousands of them, just google them or make your own!!

Ahhhhh!!!!! I wish I could be a Nurse during the day and Pharmacist by night Lollll.... For now I stick to patient teaching!!!!

[studentnurse312]

Super helpful, thank you! I'm taking the NCLEX on 9/16 and I'm continually worried that I don't have the pharm down well enough.