The Pharmacology Relief

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
The new method of note taking/studying (which is actually a method I used 30 yrs ago) is working. Glory Hallelujah!!!:D

Went to class yesterday............Now this was supposed to be the class where pharm instructor checks out how we're studying and helps us find a better way to study...........

I walked in there hoping she would but not counting on a darned thing in that direction. Instead I'd already decided something had to give and I decided as a last resort to use the method we used the 1st time I was in nursing school 30 yrs ago. The old tried and true outline the chapers method. It is tedious, and it takes anywhere up to 3 hrs per chapter. But it is working because it is forcing me to really pay attention to what I'm reading, pick out the important stuff, organize it, and then write it down. I'd walked into the class with the 2 chapters we're working on already done in that format.

These two aren't easy chapters. They're diuretics and IV solutions.......which can be awfully tricky with the terminology and the physiology involved in figuring what you're going to use for what condition ect. Because I took all that time outlining the material, I felt like I understood it for the very first time. She puts up a case study. I've never been able to work them at home because I'm too pressed for time. Questions are asked by both instructor and students (when they don't know why they've got it wrong) and I'm answering.........and getting it right! Awesome since I've kept my mouth shut up until this point. lol I knew what such and such meant, I knew what you would do to treat it and why..........It. was. wonderful. :D

Instructor kept grinning at me and winking.

Instructor went over the test we had taken last class as a group. Most of us did pretty well on it. I got an 83 (thank heaven above) And I did answer the questions right along with the rest of the group, didn't feel lost...and if we missed questions it was mostly because we either miss understood what she was asking or read too much into the question. Both common mistakes. (I'd also used the outline method for those chapters)

Then it was time for this "teaching us how to study" thing. I'm glad I came up with my own answer because in that area she dropped the ball in a big way. She chose someone's notes. A student who had stayed after class last time and asked her how to study and pass the tests. Girl had done exactly what the instructor said and she told her she "got it". Okkkkk. Funny but the girl doesn't feel like she got a darn thing. lol

Our instructions to study better:

Read her power points after printing them out (think oh, about 60-90 pages) sit with them while listening to her lecture online and jot in any info she talks about that isn't already in the power point. Then drag out the book and go through the book with the power point and add what the book has that she didn't say in lecture and that isn't in the power point.

That was IT. Period.

I thought to myself, lady you've GOT to be kidding?? It can take up to 3 hours to listen to her lecture. I know it takes at least 2 hrs to read (just read folks not study) through her power point. And I imagine it's going to take a couple more hours or more to add stuff from the book that she didn't include in her material. May take longer as her power points are rarely organized worth a darn and half the slides are completely out of order.

Many of the students who are failing have already been doing this method. It doesn't work. Oh, maybe it would work if we weren't zipping through 2-3 chapters per week and were actually getting some class time. But the speed in which we're going this method takes too long......and leaves you with very little time to study the material you've finally gathered into one place.:faint:

Like I said, I can do a complete outline for a chapter in 2-3 hours. While doing this I have definitely read everything that is in the chapter. No need to go back and read it again. I don't need her power point as MY notes are in ORDER from the get go. But I do listen to her lecture and read through it once just to make sure she hasn't added any extra data. (she hasn't so far) This leaves me with about twice as much time to study the material I've gathered together.......and I've really read it, had to think about it, and do something with it, to make it stick. After that it's just the matter of memorizing the drugs and their individual information.

Then she went on to "teaching" us Math. She put up a couple of IV calculations. Now I haven't done these since last year when I took that special math class. But glory be I remembered how! Even showed some of the students........because all she did was run through how to solve it. Did not go over how to set it up or anything!

Ok. Pharm instructor may care, but she is not very skilled in "teaching". There are just instructors out there like that and you have to learn to deal with them.

And the topper???

Drum roll please!

She gave us our grade for the class so far..............I'm passing with an 82.2!! :D *runs and knocks on wood so as not to curse myself*

Whew! Long way still to go.........but at least I don't have that pressure of failing hanging over my head anymore!! That last 83 and 100 percent on the quiz yanked my grade out of the toilet and I plan to keep it there!

Thank you all for the moral support. You've no idea how much that meant to me when I was so utterly lost and frustrated! You're encouragement helped me to not give up and to dig in my heels and find a way to learn it.

Huge ((((((hugs))))))) to ALL of you. :D
 

SRL

Active Member
She gave us our grade for the class so far..............I'm passing with an 82.2!! :D *runs and knocks on wood so as not to curse myself*:D

Stickers seem so inadequate, so I'm treating you to a virtual plate of warm petri dish cookies.
http://notsohumblepie.blogspot.com/search/label/Science

And for the rest of you peeps with science geeks in your life, nothing says "I love you" like the periodic table done up in frosted shortbread!
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
OMG!! Those cookies are WONDERFUL!!! :D :D :D

The new method of note taking is definately helping. And I've found a less time consuming way to do it. Now I type it instead of writing it out long hand. Cuts about 1/3 of the time off. And it's easier to correct things and is much neater than my handwriting. lol
 

hearts and roses

Mind Reader
I'm so glad for your Lisa! Hooray!!

My professor wants us to use the Cornell method of note taking. So far it's okay - took a little getting used to. I'm used to doing it the way you do, outline, etc.
 

Star*

call 911........call 911
I'm very proud of you ---Einstein.

Could you write your next post in Mandarin? I would just about understand 1/2 of what you're writing in THAT post too. :anxious:- Frilly little genius. I sure hope having a friend this smart pays off some day. :surprise::tongue: I am moving to Ohi you know.
Hello Genius?
Yes Star
I have this thing...
Describe it to me
It's this and that....and it does things like this and it's this color.
Oh thats a Superkollidalkicastilapactainaltoalcaitgyaligfraglim.
Yeah? What's that for?
Basically nothing.
Am I okay? I mean I'm not going to...um....:faint: you know.
Nah...you're fine.
Okay then. No pharmacology needed here?
Nope, I aced that class.
Yes, I remember, couldn't understand 1/2 of what you told me, but I'm sure you were telling the truth.
Well, you're going to be just fine.
Okay then, thanks I feel much better. I'll do what you said and just get a hacksaw and cut it off.
Okay then let me know how that goes, and don't forget peroxide and bandaids.
Will do, thank you frilly little genius. ;)
You're welcome Star.
(hangs up)
.......(gets bill in the mail 2 weeks later. :surprise:) Hey I said you were a genius right? Doesn't come cheap.

And thus concludes our lesson for today.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
:rofl: Star

You ought to know I'd never charge you! lol And I only wish I was acing this class. I can keep my grade in the high B range and still mess up on the final and find myself flunked out of the class. The final is 33 percent of our grade. Makes me break out into a cold sweat just to think about it.......and it's coming up faster than I'd like. THREE weeks until finals. ugh

I've passed a huge part of the worry over to the man upstairs. I only wish I were an Einstein. But I'm doing my part by studying and trying to learn this stuff that is as much a foreign language to me as it is to you.....and I'm hoping the man upstairs does his/her part and lets all the info I'm cramming into my brain surface when I need it.:tongue:
 

judi

Active Member
Lisa - congrats....only a few more weeks of this (I'm assuming its a semester long) and you'll be done.

While its is important to have a good pharm base, its not necessary to know the renin-angiotensin pathway forwards and backwards.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Judi, I wish it were only a few more weeks and I'd be done. But we have another quarter of pharm and it is ALL online, no classroom instruction whatsoever. Then I'll be done with pharm.......except for passing medications in clinicals when it will really stick.

I am soooo taking this one quarter at a time. lol ;)
 
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