When to take Pharmacology

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I go to a four year university and recently changed my major to nursing. I asked my adviser about taking Pharmacology which is typically taken next year, but it has no pre-requisites except Chemistry, which I have taken. My adviser said I could go ahead and take it, but she likes for students to take it during clinicals. Is Pharmacology that tough? Is concurrently being enrolled in clinicals really necessary?

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Specializes in Critical Care, Emergency Medicine, Flight.

do it asap!!

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If you can take it sooner I'd go for that! We have to take it our first semester in NS where i go!

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I start my first semester in nursing on the 12th and it is required that we take Pharm now.

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What all does pharmacology cover? Is tough? What information does one need to know before hand to be successful?

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Specializes in ICU / PCU / Telemetry / Oncology.

I am taking pharm right now, and just had our first exam a few days ago. It is an intense class, no need to sugarcoat it for you. The course basically starts off with a history of drugs, laws that have been put in place to regulate their safety, and understanding how the body affects drugs and how drugs affect the body (pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, respectively). The course then proceeds to cover the pharmacology used for different systems (gastro, renal, etc) and for different conditions (cancer, anesthesia, etc.). Each system reviews individual drugs, their mechanisms of action and side effects, etc. As you can see, it will be a LOT of information. My class is 5 credits total, and there is a LOT of studying involved. Get ready for it. A study guide will be really helpful to use in addition to your textbook. And I recommend reading the textbook unlike the way you can get away without one in other courses.

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@Ele_123

Pharmacology at my school is taken during the second semester of my nursing program. If I was able to take it sooner than that, I'd probably would. If you're given the choice to take it before nursing school, do that. If not, I'd imagine it wouldn't be any more difficult than the others. You already have Chemistry behind you, so you are at an advantage. :)

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Specializes in Pediatrics and Med Surf Float.

Pharm by us is fall of second level of ADN degree. i actually took it in summer 2 over 6 weeks just to get it over with and i thanked g-d every week of fall semester. nursing alone was hard enough. i say take it ASAP. it will probably give you a boost once you get to the nursing part because you will know the meds and not be lost when learning them in context like i was in nsg care of pt's w/ common health problems. hopefully i wont be as lost in nsg care of pt's with complex problems this semester because i already took pharm. whatever you do decide, know you are going to be studying alot of complex ideas and complicated topics that will require lots of time and concentration to master. good luck how ever you decide

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Can I ask you what school you are attending? I am looking for a school that I can take Pharm before clinicals. Thanks :)

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