Nursing school's pharmacology course is challenging. Pharmacology is the scientific study of medications, their applications, and their side effects. Nursing students are frightened only by the term. Do not be concerned. This course has already been completed by a number of nurses, and you can too! Here are a few tips to help you study Nursing Pharmacology:
Concentrate on the Generic Name
Instead of memorizing particular medicine names, concentrate on prefixes and suffixes, as well as generic name classification.
The majority of medications in the same class have the same effects and target the same portion of the body. The prefixes and suffixes of these classes are frequently the same.
You will learn the subject more efficiently if you recall medications by their prefixes and suffixes than their names. This also helps to avoid knowing individual adverse effects and drug pharmacokinetic abilities.
Learn to Categorize Medications
Drugs are categorized based on their mechanism of action, the condition they treat, and their chemical structure. Some medications fall into multiple categories. Others are classified together by certain classification systems, but not by others.
Learn Through Concept Mapping
Concept mapping is an instructional approach for individual and group learning that entails the integration of knowledge and the construction of meaning through the connection of concepts. Moreover, concept maps are used by many nursing educators to identify students' misconceptions of ideas and knowledge gaps that need to be addressed.
Make up some amusing mnemonics or acronyms.
This was a great method to recall several medicines from nursing school. If you're not very good at this, there are plenty of free resources online that provide excellent pharmacological mnemonics. Pinterest and Google are both excellent places to start. Here’s an example of mnemonics used in pharmacology.
Before giving medication to your patient, check the TRAMP.
T is for Time.
Check the doctor’s order in the chart to see when the drug will be issued and when it was last given.
R stands for Route.
Check the order to see if it's given orally, intramuscularly, or intravenously.
A is an abbreviation for Amount
Before you administer medication to your patient, make it a habit to double-check the medication sheet as well as the doctor's order. It's important to understand the difference between an adult and a pediatric dose.
M stands for medication.
Check to see that the name and form are correct. Be careful because some medications have similar forms.
P stands for Patient.
Before delivering the prescription, inquire about the client's name and check his or her ID bracelet. Even if you are familiar with the patient's name, you should ask for confirmation.
Buy A Reliable And Up To Date Drug Reference Guide
You may easily switch to the drug's name and locate its adverse effects and typical nursing interventions while you make your flashcards.
This usually keeps you from reading the entire document, which may contain irrelevant information. A drug handbook/study guide will narrow down your search and provide you with only the most pertinent information.
It is the nurse's responsibility to educate patients about medications, dosages, and potential adverse effects. Thus, the nurse's expertise in pharmacology is critical. Patients can be put at risk by a nurse who does not understand pharmacology. For this reason, you need to be serious in your pharmacology classes or you’ll put your future patients in danger.
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