HUGE Tip To PASS Pharmacology!
Pharmacology is a difficult subject. For others, this subject might not be a concern, but for me, pharmacology has been my greatest weakness in my schooling.
In my nursing program, I was able to pass pharmacology with an A, but I was extremely close to getting an -A. At the end of the semester I didn't do very good on the second to last test and it dropped my grade to a 94%, and at my program you needed a 95% to get an A. I asked my teacher how many I could miss and still bump my grade up to an A. We did the math and I needed to get 57 out of 60 in order to bump it up to an A.
I studied like crazy. I didn't talk to anyone, go anywhere, or study anything else. I focused on that test like it was the last test I would ever take. When I finished the test it didn't show my grade because there were a few math questions. I went down to the teacher's office and he was kind enough for me to look up my test. We looked it over, I got all the math questions right and missed three of the multiple choice and select all that apply! I got a 57 out of 60 and I passed pharmacology with an A, helping me to eventually graduate my program with high honors.
The biggest tip that I can give when it comes to pharmacology is flash cards. Flash cards are not always appropriate for every nursing subject, especially the subjects that require a more comprehensive thought process. There are two different types of flash cards all nursing students should use when studying pharmacology.
The first type of flash cards is your own handwritten cards. Ask your instructor if they were a student in this class, how would they study for it. Ask your instructor where the information on the test is coming from. Some teachers pull questions from a test bank provided by a book that you are using. If that is the case read the book, and use the book for your information on the flashcards.
If the teacher uses the notes from lectures for the tests, study those notes, and make the flashcards from there. The same idea goes for whatever source the teacher is using. When you use the right source and make good flashcards that only have the information you absolutely need, you will be able to memorize all the information you will need to know for your exams.
The second tip is buying Pharm Phlash cards from amazon.com You can get the cards at barns and noble as well, but they are so much cheaper on Amazon. The pharm flash cards are not like your handwritten cards. The handwritten cards should be short and sweet with very little extra "fluff." The pharm phlash cards are more in-depth. It is hard to use the pharm phlash cards as flashcards that you can go through quickly. The pharm phlash cards are broken up in the different categories and there is a good amount of information about each drug.
If you are learning about antipsychotic medications, you can pull out the category of medications from the pharm phlash box and study those cards front to back, over and over again. The cards are durable, and you should keep them as long as you can. They will be handy if you need them when you are on the job, or if you are continuing your education to become a nurse practitioner or nurse anesthetist.
When I bought the pharm phlash cards I recommended them to the other students in the class. One of the ladies in my class was struggling with her pharmacology grades and was really nervous about the ATI final comprehensive pharmacology exam. When the exam was over we were all surprised to learn that this lady got the highest grade in our class. Not only did she get the highest grade out of our class, but her score was also well above the national average for the pharmacology test! This lady came up to me and told me over and over again how grateful she was for me recommending pharm phlash. She said she went over every medication and then pinpointed the ones she wasn't sure about and studied those more in-depth.
Remember that pharmacology is a different type of class in nursing school. You will need to use all of your sources if you want to do well, but remember that writing out flash cards, and using pharm phlash cards will help you score high on your pharmacology exams!
Click on the link below to buy Pharm Phlash! Buying them used you can possibly get a good deal under $15, and if you want to buy them new they are usually above $40. These are an amazing investment that you will use throughout your nursing career!