Is Pharmacology Hard

In Pharmacology class, studying is a must. What worked best for me was studying with a group.

How to Pass Nursing Pharmacology in Nursing School | What is Pharmacology?

Nursing students can find pharmacology a difficult nursing class to pass in nursing school. Advancements in technology have created an increase in marketing and discovering of medical and non-medical drugs. For this reason, nursing students and nurses must be trained to meet the changing challenges these discoveries create. When any type of drug enters the bodies of human beings, they become the focus of the area of pharmacology. Nurses must know the side effects of various drugs, and how these drugs interact in the body of humans.

What is Pharmacology?

Pharmacology is the study of drugs interactions and actions within a living system. When any type of drug enters that body, the living organism becomes the study of pharmacology. Pharmacology studies drugs that alter the living organism’s ability to function. These drugs can encompass medicinal or non-medicinal drugs.

How Nurses Use Pharmacology on the Job

Nurses use pharmacology on the job to treat their patients and carry out the requests of the patient’s physician. Nurses also use pharmacology to administer drug dosages that the doctor prescribes. Hospitals and clinics prefer nurses who have received training in pharmacology because they receive additional training in drugs and dosing. For example, if nurse administers the wrong dosage of medication to their patients, they could be putting the patients’ lives in danger. Nurses must have a solid understanding of drugs to perform their jobs effectively.

Nurses also use pharmacology to determine the effects of certain drugs of their patients. Many drugs can counteract with one another if prescribed to the patient to take together. Nursing students must study all information related to these drugs to determine their effects on patients. Additionally, nurses must know the effects of medicinal drugs with non-medicinal drugs to determine their effects on patients who may be using non-medicinal drugs but require the prescribed drugs for medicinal purposes.

Nurse must know the drug’s toxicology to decide upon its use for therapy and medicine for each of their patients. They must also have a clear understanding of how all drugs affect the body’s biological functioning.

How to Pass Pharmacology-Great Study Guide

As with most difficult nursing classes, it is a good idea to use a study guide to help you study. Pharmacology textbooks are packed with so much information that it is difficult to decide on what material you will be tested on. Study guide books help show you the material that is most important and what type of information you can expect to be tested on.

A great study guide with practice questions for nursing students who are taking pharmacology is a book by Mary Ann Hogan called “Prentice Hall Reviews and Rationales: Pharmacology“. Here is what it looks like:

Tips on How to Study for Pharmacology in Nursing School

Studying for pharmacology can be extremely difficult due to the overwhelming amount of information to memorize such as drug side effects, target lab values, drug interactions and more. Although the task is difficult, nursing students can follow a few easy steps to help them pass the course.

Use acronyms to study

Acronyms can help nursing students remember the names of drugs. To memorize common drugs, students may use the first letter of each drug name to memorize the drugs. The first letter of each drug can form a word that is easy for the nursing students to remember.

Memorize the names of drugs

It will be a waste of time to try to remember an abundance of drug names at one time. The brain is not capable of retaining such a massive amount of information. It is a better idea to study and memorize a maximum of three drugs at once before studying and memorizing another set of drugs.

Use audio assistance

Students should use a recorder in class help with studying drug information. It may ever be a good idea for individuals to record themselves reading information about drugs and pronounce the names correctly.

Make flashcards with visual cues

Flash cards are great tools that students can use to memorize information related to drugs. Students can also create visual representations on the flashcards that help them associate certain drugs with the parts of the body in which they correspond. Students should make sure that the flashcard and visual cues are easy to remember, and that they have some value to them.

Group drugs that are similar

Grouping drugs into classes may make them easier to remember. Try to learn all of the similarities about the drugs in the group so it is only necessary to learn the exceptions to the rules.

Study as much as needed

It takes a great deal of studying information about drugs to do well in pharmacology courses. Make sure that there is time set aside for breaks so that the studying can be effective. One to two hours of studying at a time is approximately how long nursing students should study before taking a break.

Pharmacology is very important to the success of nurses. In addition to the wealth of information that nurses need to know to help their patients, they must also know the effects of all types of drugs on the human body so that they can provide the best care possible for each of their patients.

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12 Study Tips for How to Study for Pharmacology in Nursing School | NURSING.com

NURSING.com is the BEST place to learn nursing. With over 2,000+ clear, concise, and visual lessons, there is something for you!

Let’s face it. Pharmacology is hard. It is one of the toughest subjects in a nursing program. So if it is on your course list this coming semester, you’re probably feeling anxious and overwhelmed already.

You’re not alone. Many students, including me, have been where you are, and some even felt like they didn’t belong to nursing school anymore.

One of the most common questions we get is; “How to study for pharmacology in nursing school”?

I totally understand this. After all, being subjected to an endless list of medications and their classifications can be stressful.

Despite being difficult, pharmacology is an extremely necessary class. This is why you need a plan to handle it successfully and pass with good grades.

If you need to boost your pharmacology grades, pay keen attention to this information as I shall discuss my top tried and tested tips on how to study for pharmacology nursing.

The Common Issues Nursing Students Face When Studying For Pharmacology

Pharmacology is the study of how drugs work in the body, their side effects, and their uses.

The majority of nursing students view pharmacology as a challenging subject because you need to know the name of the drugs, their side effects, uses in the body, and nursing interventions in such a short time.

Usually, a student takes a pharmacology class in one semester and is expected to learn up to even 10 chapters in 3 weeks. This can be very overwhelming, especially if you lack an effective study program.

Here are some common problems that students encounter while studying for their pharmacology course.

📚 Cramming

Trying to take in too much information at once is a recipe for disaster when it comes to studying pharmacology.

Juggling other courses alongside pharmacology is very difficult. Regardless of that, you need to set aside time to study and prepare for your pharmacology exams.

Cramming may help you pass the exams, but it would be useless to get good grades yet fail to put into practice what you learned.

📝 Creating the Right Study Method to Use

As a student, you are expected to learn a lot to pass your pharmacology exams but within a short time. This can leave you defeated and overwhelmed as you try to develop a study method.

Additionally, some students do better studying on their own, while others need group discussions to grasp information better. Either way, digesting every material can still be a challenge if your study method is not effective.

🧠 Attempting To Memorize Every Drug and Its Effects

You may find it difficult to memorize all the drugs, their effects, and uses. The best way to do this is through using suffixes and prefixes, as we shall see later on.

✏️ Differentiating Relevant Materials from Irrelevant Ones

As a student you may wonder, “Should I read every chapter and go through all PowerPoint presentations?”

Top Tips on How to Study For Pharmacology Nursing

I can tell you for a fact that studying drugs, their uses, and side effects on human beings is not easy. It requires a lot of patience and determination.

At first, I was scared of this course, mainly because of the amount of information I had to learn within a short time. However, having scored an A on my final exam, I can attest to you that it is very doable. Therefore, fear not. I made it, and so can you.

When other students asked me how I managed to excel in this course, I decided to put together my top tips and ideas.

1. Focus on Generic Name

Instead of trying to memorize individual drug names, focus on prefixes and suffixes and classification of the generic name.

Most drugs in the same class have the same effects and work on the same body part. These classes usually have the same prefixes and suffixes.

If you opt to remember drugs by their prefixes and suffixes rather than their names, you will study the material more efficiently. Additionally, this helps prevent learning individual side effects and pharmacokinetic abilities of the drugs.

2. Create Flashcards

One of the best ways to study pharmacology is by using flashcards. You can either create your own using index cards or purchase ready-made ones.

While using the “SOCK method” to study for my nursing program, I created flashcards to test my memory and determine what I knew and didn’t.

From my experience, I realized that making flashcards is the best study method for pharmacology since you have to read the material and decide what to write on your card. This requires you to learn the material again.

Once you create the card, it is advisable to repeat them aloud.

However, do not create your flashcards 1 or 2 days before exams. Such a short time will not allow you to study them properly. Instead, make them after every class.

Failure to go through what you learned in class the same day usually results in your brain forgetting 70-80% of the content. Making flashcards help prevent this.

Suppose you can find someone else to study with using flashcards, the better. If they don’t know or understand some questions, teaching them is also a better way to improve your understanding.

3. Invest In a Drug Guide

As you create your flashcards, you can quickly flip to the drug’s name and locate its side effects and the common nursing interventions.

This normally prevents you from going through the entire material, which sometimes contains irrelevant information.

A drug handbook/ study guide will condense down your search and give you the only relevant information you’re seeking.

4. Group Drugs According To Their Classifications

Every particular drug in the market belongs to a specific class. For example, whereas some are classified under Beta Blockers, others belong to the ACE inhibitors group.

In case a drug’s name ends in particular letters, ensure that others have almost the same suffix initials. No matter how good you are with names, cramming all of the drug names, in this case, is unrealistic.

As I mentioned initially, all drugs in the same class have almost the same effect on the body. Thus, the sooner you master the suffixes, the earlier you’ll know the class a specific medication falls under.

5. Seek Secondary Opinions from Other Learning Sources

You already have access to a ton of books and online resources for your pharmacology study program. However, some materials have very technical terms that you may not understand.

In this case, you can rely on second or third opinions from study guides.

You could also use our study tools with:

• Over 300 cheat sheets
• 760+ medical images
• 8 eBooks
• 165+ 3D anatomy models,
• And many others

These tools will help you understand better what you’re studying.

6. Create Silly and Fun Mnemonic or Acronyms

This was a fun way to remember some drugs during my time in nursing school. One mnemonic I still remember to this day is:

“Uncle Don has Alzheimer’s so he takes DONepezi“

If you’re not good at this, you can take advantage of the free resources out there with great mnemonics for pharmacology. Pinterest and Google are great places to begin.

7. Save Your Notes

For most nursing programs, medications will come up several times and may be applicable in different courses.

For instance, you will be taught about magnesium sulfate in your OB or women’s health course but come across it again in critical care or medical surgery.

It is, therefore, crucial to keep your notes, flashcards, books, and memory devices throughout your nursing program.

Do not forget to write down any mnemonic name you created in your notebook. This way, when you begin studying another course, you can easily locate it.

8. Make Your Professors Your Best Friends

Just like other nursing courses, tutors will be assigned to hold your hand through your pharmacology course.

If you don’t understand anything, it won’t cost you anything to ask. Your tutors and professors are there for you and want to help you.

Additionally, most nursing schools today offer online learning that enables students and tutors to interact better. You can also schedule an appointment with your tutor or attend a study session.

Therefore, in case you feel lost or require further explanation regarding a particular subject, do not hesitate to ask your course instructor for elaboration.

9. Relate the Action of a Drug with Its Side Effects

While studying medicine, it is practically impossible to memorize every side effect of a drug.

Therefore, to make your work easier, emphasize how the drug functions. For example, opioids as a class of drugs interfere with the central nervous system.

Almost every medicine produces side effects depending on the strength of the drug, allergic reactions, and the patient’s immune response.

Side effects likely to be experienced are drowsiness, breathing problems, and nausea.

10. Practice NCLEX-Type Questions.

Throughout my pharmacology course, I never came across simple questions such as “What is the use of Metoprolol?” and rarely will you find such questions in your exams.

To prepare better for your pharmacology tests, practice critical thinking and test-taking strategies. You can practice NCLEX-type questions on NURSING.com and eliminate text anxiety.

With only $1 for the first 3 days, you can practice and gain more knowledge to ace your nursing program.

If you’re struggling to answer any pharmacology questions, these 12 tips will significantly come in handy.

11. Create Time to Study

In Pharmacology class, studying is a must. What worked best for me was studying with a group.

Do not wait till the last day to cram everything- this is a lot of information to grasp at once. Instead, begin preparing early.

For instance, if you know that your exams are a week away, begin creating flashcards today and go over the mechanism of action.

For tomorrow, plan a one-hour reading session, using some time to go through the mechanism of action again.

Take a 10-minute break in between and spend the remaining time creating cards.

Whenever you get free time e.g., in the bus, go through some of your cards. It will be an added advantage if they’re on your phone, as you don’t need to carry them everywhere.

Creating time every day a week before your pharmacology test makes reading every relevant material more manageable than trying to understand everything one day before.

12. Do What Works Best For You

This is my final tip on how to study for pharmacology nursing. After all, it’s only you who knows what works best for you and what doesn’t.

Pharmacology doesn’t have to dread. Organize yourself and study intentionally. Avoid any distractions by putting your phone away, closing apps, or staying in a quiet place.

Dedicate 30 minutes of your time fully before taking a short break, then do this for some hours again before taking a long break.

Focus more on resources that work best for you, not your classmates, not your tutors, not your parents, but You!

For instance, if you realize that solo studying doesn’t work for you, focus on other tips such as joining discussion groups or seeking clarifications from your professor.

Maybe you enjoy watching Nursing.com visual lessons or love using your flashcard app as you wait for your bus back home. Whatever case, determine what works for you and stick to it.

Pharmacology Resources to Help You Study Better

From podcasts to online books and subscriptions, finding appropriate resources to study for your pharmacology course can be a challenge.

However, my favorite resource and one I’d highly recommend is the NURSING.com Nursing Student Academy.

With NURSING.com, you can access any medication resource for your pharmacology unit. But you’re not only limited to pharmacology, as you can use it throughout your entire nursing school.

Each module you choose contains NCLEX points, letting you focus only on relevant materials.

NURSING.com: Your All-In One Classroom

Did you know that 109,689 nursing school graduates FAILED the NCLEX® last year? Failing such a vital exam could destroy your dream of working in the medical field.

Luckily, Nursing.com understands this. Whether you want to study for your Pharmacology course or wish to pass your NCLEX exams, there is everything to suit your need.

NURSING.com Pharmacology Course

Taking the Pharmacology for Nursing (Med Master) course will prepare you adequately for your pharmacology exams.

With 266 lessons, 113 cheat sheets, and 431 questions, you will definitely be ready to tackle any pharmacology topic.

The key lessons you’ll learn from this course include:

• How to answer questions related to pharmacology
• The common medication suffixes and prefixes
• Drug card templates
• The 50 most commonly prescribed medicines
• Common pharmacological questions
• Well-explained visual lectures of common medications and mechanisms of actions

Yes, nursing school may be hard, and you’ve probably tried everything from podcasts, YouTube videos to apps without any success.

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To get started, all you have to do is follow these 4 simple steps:

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Pursuing pharmacology (or any other nursing course) can be overwhelming. Without proper study tools, you’re probably headed for failure.

Fortunately, you can still ace your grades by signing up for NURSING.com courses and taking advantage of the multiple learning materials available.

So whether you’re studying for pharmacology or any other unit, the options are endless. Sign up today and get started.

Lastly, believe in yourself. You can do this!

I’ll leave you with my favorite quote:

“Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do.” – Dr. Benjamin Spock