Before taking your exam, review all of your materials, notes, medication cards, and outlines that you have made at home. This will help you refresh your mind with what was discussed in class which is essential when taking lecture exams. Also, some students like to make flashcards of drugs names and their side effects, which is also an excellent way to study pharmacology. Utilize Your Resources

Reviewed by Nancyruth Leibold, Associate Professor, Southwest Minnesota State University on 2/6/21, updated 6/1/21 Many students wonder how to make things easier for them to study pharmacology. Nursing students need to know what material is necessary and what is not because it will save their time and energy in studying unnecessary and unimportant materials to be learned. Try to Memorize Every Single Drug Name and Its Side Effects When it comes to studying pharmacology, the first thing first is to develop a study method that’s customized for you. Everyone has their own way of studying and it should be made according to your preferences. There are many ways on how students can study pharmacology like reading lecture notes, reviewing questions, attending lectures, studying textbooks, writing down summaries of what was learned during classes, etc. Learning What Material Is Essential to Know and What Is Not Nursing school can be challenging, but most students enjoy going to classes and learning about topics related to nursing. However, pharmacology is very hard because there is much information about medications that need to be taught for nursing students to understand the whole picture of what they need to learn during their clinical. After reading your lecture notes or your book for pharmacology, make outlines according to the topics covered by the teacher/professor during lectures or class discussions. These outlines will allow you to know what subtopics/chapters were discussed, including new terms and acronyms learned during the debate, which is vital for you to remember so that you don’t forget them when taking exams. Review Materials Before Taking the TestWhen it comes to memorizing drug pre-fixes and names, their side effects, students need to know about every individual drug. Students need to prioritize learning drugs essential to learning compared to those unrelated to the nursing profession. Certain medications need only high school basic knowledge of taking care of patients to take the information. Cramming The consistency in the presentation of information in each chapter were formatted in the same way starting from learning objectives, introduction, basic concepts and principles, medication types, effects, considerations and safety in preparation and administration, module learning activities, interactive activities, critical thinking activities and a glossary. Answer keys were provided at the end of the book. References were evidenced-based and comprehensive. Medication information is up to date. It is a great book to help nursing students learn medications.

Denosumab (Prolia, Xgeva) might be used in people who can't take a bisphosphonate, such as some people with reduced kidney function. Students should be able to at least recognize these drugs. Relevant cultural and social determinations were included in each chapter. I did not see any culturally insensitive entries in the book. More examples could be included in the learning activities related to medication practices from other cultures or race. The book was current with material that I cover in my course. Also the other videos and web content were current and easy to follow. The Pharmacology Matters team have a series of articles and blogs planned to celebrate awareness days and weeks throughout the year. If you have ideas for future topics that align with a particular celebration, please get in touch at [email protected].

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The text is definitely designed for entry-level nursing students and covers fewer exemplars/drug classes than other texts I have utilized in pharmacology courses (missing immune modulators, contraceptives, chemotherapy agents, meds for OAB and BPH), but presents common drug classes in a concise and understandable way. The glossary and table of contents are excellent.