FireGuard69 Posted October 20, 2007 Posted October 20, 2007 Does anybody else have trouble with this? I just can't seem to remember everything about the drugs...... Going on week #2, and drug quiz #1, and I am having some problems with the memorization. Any help/tips are much appreciated.
Scaramedic Posted October 20, 2007 Posted October 20, 2007 Understand the mechanism of action/biology/physiology of how the med works and then all that you have to memorize is the dosage.
FireGuard69 Posted October 20, 2007 Author Posted October 20, 2007 I have been trying to do that with a few of the meds I recognize, but it is kinda tough. If we had been doing this later in the year, after we went over more of the physics of it, I think I would be doing a little better. :roll: I am just not too comfortable jumping right in to meds memorization, and I haven't even finished chapter 1 yet....
DwayneEMTP Posted October 20, 2007 Posted October 20, 2007 Meds gave me fits as well, as we studied pharm separate from physiology, which doesn't work well for those of us that need to relate items to remember them... This worked (works) for me pretty well... I read the drug info, imagine the physiological effects it has on the body, and then imagine running a call where that drug is needed. I imagine the patient, the presentation, the clinical findings I would want before I could justify using this intervention, then imagine tracking the changes I would expect to occur after. It seems to make a more complete picture for me, as well as I hope it will begin to form chains of logic and behavior in my mind...helping me to remember important things when time is short. For example: Albuterol. What kind of patient would need this intervention? After the med is delivered, what happens in the body? (Primarily the bronchi and heart, but also the vascular system). How would you track the effects of this med? (Lung sounds, Pulse rate, BP, amongst others). If your imaginary patient gets better, why? What are some reasons your imaginary patient might get worse (I just had a call like this)? Obviously that's not a complete picture...just meant to be an example. For me it simply helps to keep focused on the patient as a complete physiologic machine, as opposed to simply trying to memorize each drug attached to a symptom. On the drugs I feel more comfortable with, I then rationalize why I would choose NOT to use them on a given patient. Why is albuterol good for asthma but not for an MI with difficulty breathing? See what I mean? Anyway...I hope this helps. It's not as easy as memorizing sometimes...but I believe it will leave you (us) with a more concrete working knowledge of meds. Good luck in your studies! Dwayne
chbare Posted October 20, 2007 Posted October 20, 2007 Rough stuff, this is why I advocate a stand alone pharmacology course. I am not fond of simply integrating the pharmacology into the core courses. I honestly think a dedicated pharmacology course would be of great benefit. You may consider writing up drug cards. Take a 3*5 index card, and write all of the info on that card. In addition, do this with any medications your patient takes. Write the meds down, and do cards after the call. Not only will this make you review your pharmacology, but you will have a handy reference of medications at your disposal. Take care, chbare.
spenac Posted October 20, 2007 Posted October 20, 2007 Also hand right out a card for each drug with all the info. Then record this info. Now you have seen, written, spoken and heard the info. By getting all your senses involved you are able to recall more info.
Kaisu Posted October 20, 2007 Posted October 20, 2007 I made up about 4 sets of cards. The first set was the trade name on one side and the generic on the other. There was about 85 cards. I started 5 at a time, repeating them till I got them perfect. Then I would add 2 sets of 5 together. I did it over and over. My next set of cards had the class of drugs, then the mechanism of action, then the indications, etc. I repeated it every chance I had, eventually shuffling the cards. It took me 2 weeks to get them down cold and I scored 99% on the final in pharmacology. It took time, effort and a LOT of repetition. Good luck.
FireGuard69 Posted October 21, 2007 Author Posted October 21, 2007 I made up about 4 sets of cards. The first set was the trade name on one side and the generic on the other. There was about 85 cards. I started 5 at a time, repeating them till I got them perfect. Then I would add 2 sets of 5 together. I did it over and over. My next set of cards had the class of drugs, then the mechanism of action, then the indications, etc. I repeated it every chance I had, eventually shuffling the cards. It took me 2 weeks to get them down cold and I scored 99% on the final in pharmacology. It took time, effort and a LOT of repetition. Good luck. I like that idea. Alot. As soon as I have money (DAMN FMTI and their exorbantant prices!) I will be getting a crap load of flashcards.
DwayneEMTP Posted October 21, 2007 Posted October 21, 2007 You don't want to buy them FG, you need to make them! You can get about a gazillion index cards for 5 bucks or so...a lot of the learning is in the making...don't cheat yourself out of it. Dwayne
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