Essentials of pharmacology for nurses

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Individual drug guides and nursing considerations for the most common medications used in nursing pharmacology: Topics and sub-topics in the text are present in a uniform manner throughout the book. With in the sub-topics you can also consistently find medication considerations throughout the lifespan. A nurse’s knowledge of pharmacokinetics (what the body does to the drug), and pharmacodynamics (what the drug does to the body) (Lecture notes, 2011) both subdivisions of pharmacology, allows them to choose the right route based on the assessment of the patient, the speed at which they want the drug to be absorbed at and the magnitude of the therapeutic response that results (Bryant & Knights, 2011). As well as these points nurses must use the five rights of medication administration to safely administer drugs. The five rights being, the right medication, right dose, right patient, right route, and right time. Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP): ISMP's List of Error-Prone Abbreviations, Symbols, and Dose Designations

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 The text is internally consistent in terms of terminology and framework. The inclusion of the glossary is a great addition.

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In nursing school, pharmacology class is challenging for most students. Pharmacology focuses on how drugs work, their effects, and how the body utilizes drugs. Most nursing students find pharmacology very tough. When they are in clinicals, they have to administer medicines to patients under the careful supervision of their instructors. Reviewing the most up to date information, relevance to healthcare/nursing and medication information was accurate Medications are grouped by concept/system it affects and then broken down even further into pharmacological classification in each chapter. Each chapter starts with a basic concept overview to help the reader better understand the action of medications. Chapters are organized in the same format and includes the same important information for safe medication administration. A glossary is included at the end of each chapter. Information, figures, tables were found to be evidenced-based, error-free, and unbiased. Appropriate references are found in each section. Some references used were more than 5 years old which I am sure will be updated. I would recommend referencing the answer keys as well.

Take pharmacology as a subject that is easy to learn, and it’s okay if you don’t know everything about medications and their side effect; it is super normal for students who are taking this type of course. Nursing students must know when to give certain medications to patients not to cause harm in drug interactions. Also, nurses need to know about administering specific dosages without making severe mistakes in administering meds to prevent errors caused by poor nurse practices. Drug dosage calculation is very important. What Are the Problems Nursing Students Have in Pharmacology? The text was extremely easy to read and clear. The depth of the text content itself was toward surface level, but the critical thinking exercises helped for deeper thinking. It is better to research pharmacology after discussing things with your classmates or friends than to learn alone without knowing what you’re learning because you fear that you might get something wrong, leading to failing the course. You can find in-depth online tutorials on youtube about your subject. Nursing Students Should Not Give UpI felt this was well organized, with understanding the basics of pharmacology and then going more into direct drugs.

The book covers majority of the classifications of medications with a strong emphasis on nursing implications and safe medication administration. It includes action, indication, nursing considerations, adverse effects, patient teaching/education, and a medication grid for each classification. I also like that it includes a chapter on legal and ethical considerations for medication administration. As this is the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, let’s continue to raise awareness and champion the valuable contributions our nursing professionals make. Not just one day or one year, but every day in every year.

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Having a firm grasp of pharmacology principles will allow the nurse to do this, again highlighting the importance of pharmacology. Because nurses administer drugs to patients they are legally accountable for their actions. There are also many ethical principles that apply to drug use. In regards to legal accountability the nurse needs to practice within the laws that govern her scope of practice and the laws relating to the control and regulation of drugs. The understanding of these laws, combined with good judgment, clinical skills, and pharmacology knowledge ensures safe and appropriate nursing practice. In the antidiabetic chapter only one brand of rapid insulin is shown which may be construed to endorse only one type of rapid insulin. That may be because it was the first one produced in the 1990s. This chapter needs much updating to include the new class of antibiabetic medications such as GLP1s and SGLT2s. Reviewed by Rachel Seltz-Falk, Professor of Practice of Nursing Level 1, Grand View University on 12/23/21 Simple yet on a level students will learn and can apply the knowledge in the classroom and clinical setting This textbook is designed for entry-level undergraduate nursing students as a basic comprehensive pharmacology textbook. The book includes links to DailyMed for reference to information about medications from the National Library of Medicine/National Institutes of Health. Each chapter starts with learning objectives. Quizzes are found in each chapter with the answers and rationales provided at the end of the text. Critical thinking activities and interactive activities are included. A glossary is found at the end of each chapter. The source is comprehensive for an introductory nursing pharmacology text.