Study Tips for Pharmacology – NCLEX Review (Nursing)

00:01 Okay, now here's homework that you can either do it right now. You're in charge.

00:05 You can choose to pause the video and do this now or you can write yourself a note to come back and do it later.

00:11 I'm not so good on the come back and do it later stuff.

00:15 I mean to at the time but then I don't ever usually get around to it so for someone like me, it would be better for me to stop here and do this.

00:23 But you are completely in charge. You know what your schedule is.

00:27 You make the best choice.

00:28 But here's what we want you to do when you do do it is look at the drug category in the left and then you wanna look for drugs that are in multiple list.

00:35 So go back through your notes, review, refresh, see which drugs are hard on the liver, the kidneys, or the ears and see which drugs are on multiple list.

00:46 That's an example and a way for you to chunk information.

00:50 We know the research on your brain says if you look for connections, information, that's called chunking, then your brain will remember them and you'll be able to recall when you need it in real-life practice and on an exam.

01:03 Now, let's look at application questions.

01:06 These are the ones that frustrated you beyond belief when you started nursing school.

01:12 Remember that first exam where you studied and studied and studied and you walked out and felt like what just happened? I feel like a truck has ran over me, backed up, ran over me again.

01:24 Well, that's because the questions in nursing school and on the NCLEX are higher level.

01:30 They're more complex. You can't just know information and answer them.

01:34 You have to analyze information and apply information.

01:39 So now we kind of introduce you in the beginning about why would a nurse need to know this, how would you keep a patient safe.

01:46 That's what you have to do with all the information that you're reviewing.

01:50 Say, so what? Why would a nurse need to know this? How would I use this to keep a patient safe? Ah, now you're thinking like an exam question writer, right? This is someone who writes the questions thinks this way.

02:05 How do we take this fact or data and test to see if a nurse or student would know how to take this information keep a patient safe.

02:16 So you know the drill. Those are the types of questions you need to be asking yourself.

02:20 In fact, asking questions to yourself and to the people that you study with is the most effective way to study.

02:28 Just highlighting and underlining is the lowest form when it comes to retention.

02:32 So get a good buddy or fly solo, whatever your style is, but ask yourself questions, have other people ask you questions, that's gonna be the most effective way for you to learn.

02:44 Now, here's another tool. We've talked about summary slides that you can look at.

02:48 We've talked about how you can make lists and chunk information.

02:51 Now, this is how my brain works.

02:53 You may have a different framework and I really encourage you to use it but let me tell you if you're short on time what's a great filing system for your brain.

03:02 I think of patients head to toe.

03:04 And even in practice now, I will think about my patients.

03:08 I'll think from head, heart, lungs, GI, GU, skin, mobility because that helps me make sure that I've got a thorough assessment of your patient.

03:18 I use this when I'm making a plan of care and I don't mean writing a care plan with nursing diagnosis but I use it for making sure I've thought through my patient, every one of their body systems.

03:28 I review the appropriate lab, I know what meds they're on, I know where their assessments are out of line or abnormal for each system, so I know what my top priorities are for the day because my goal is always to move the patient to the next level by the end of my shift.

03:44 It might be a tiny, tiny step but when I walk out, I want to know that that patient got better care because I invested time in being the best nurse I could be for them.

03:56 Now, when you're studying, it works for you too.

03:59 So you can think about side effects or adverse effects or impacts system by system.

04:04 So we've got this here for you.

04:06 Now, I sometimes just use a stick method with like, a circle, a heart, two lungs, and two legs to remind me.

04:12 We've got a pretty fancy graphic for you there but you use whatever you think works best for you.

04:18 Now, you see on the upper corner, we talk about toxicities.

04:21 It's really important in pharmacology that you recognize those and you can also file them by system.

04:28 The most important thing today, I mean, the most important thing you do today, is you have to engage with us. You need to interact and do things.

04:38 I'm right here but I wanna make sure that you're with me because just hearing my voice is no different than falling asleep on the textbook.

04:46 The information isn't gonna get in your brain unless you engage and play and have fun and really let loose and let this information kinda sink in your brain and commit to yourself that you're gonna follow up with some review to make sure it's super solid.

05:01 Now, take a look at this. I've organized them for you in a head to toe way.

05:06 Neuro, pulmonary, GU, renal, cardio, GI. It's all right there.

05:10 This is what we're gonna go over in this review.

05:13 Now, it is not every medicine known to man.

05:16 We've sat down, we've worked with experts, and we think these are the most important things for you to know in getting prepared for a final exam or for the NCLEX.

05:25 But let me just tell you right now and it's what I tell students all the time when they're preparing for a big exam.

05:30 You may come across something that you just go blank on. You don't remember.

05:35 If you're on the NCLEX, you're going to see a drug that you've never heard of before.

05:40 It's okay. What needs to kick in is your best game there to tell yourself it's alright, this is one question.

05:48 I'm gonna deal with it with, make the best educated guess I can, and then I'm gonna Elsa that, let it go.

05:54 Okay, cuz it's a head game when you're in any exam and the more you can prevent yourself from allowing your mind to go south and worrying and fretting, it's the better.

06:04 But this gives you a good overall view of all the different categories that we're gonna look at in this pharmacology review.