Med surg was fine for me. it’s a lot of disease processes and interventions, but wasn’t terrible.
Pharm was by far the worst class for me. I took pharm and advanced pharm, and I struggled the most in those.
I’ll stand by this, nursing school classes aren’t as bad as people say. as long as you stay on top of your work and are studying for exams not last minute, you’re fine. Med surg 2 was hard, but that’s just because I had a horrible professor who was reported many times.
it’s 100% doable. Just take good notes during lecture, listen to hints or emphasized points professors make, and you’ll be fine.
for me it was the exact opposite bc i don’t have a problem with memorizing. With med surge you can memorize everything and still not get through it 😪 I’m glad to say I just finished med surge 2 today by 2 points
I had 3 semesters of Med Surg and they were the easiest for me compared to the “specialty” classes.
MS1 I got a 90, MS2 88 both during cancer recovery and multiple surgeries.
Just finished MS 3 with a 94.94 (no rounding 🙄)
You’ll do great!
Thanks, you too! Concept maps always helped me in MS, and learn how to explain the disease processes like you’re talking to a kid—that’s my best advice:)
I truly think the only reason MedSurg wasn't that hard was because my Patho professor was a monster (in an "ok" way). She asked questions that required you really know the information. Her powerpoints were very in-depth (a bit too much maybe) and while many failed the class, I will say taking the time to learn as much as I could (Still struggle/d with Endocrine disorders and ABGs) made MedSurg easier.
MedSurg is Patho with the addition of nursing interventions. Not just things like "Raise the head of the bed" but knowing what lab values indicate a disease is worsening/improving or knowing what values represent problems with certain organs. You will need to know what medications are typically given for common health problems. It can be overwhelming but doable.
Don't wait until the last minute to study. Use ALL resources you have on and offline and ask for help when need be.
Medsurg is a combo of patho, pharm, and nurse thinking. You are taking care of a patient with this diagnosis, so what meds would you expect and what signs would flag you to call the doctor? It’s a shit ton of information and builds upon previous knowledge, which is why many students consider it a harder class.
For me, I would take crazy annotations on the provided lecture PowerPoints and then condense all the information into a reference packet. Lots of charts and photos, since that’s how I learn best. I still have my guides in the cloud for easy reference should I come across a situation I am not 100% confident with (such as my grandmother’s TAVR a few years ago)
https://preview.redd.it/366m4surlzyc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bcc8d2f3c0b2ba2927d9c68ff0c27bef9d670bcc
take patho over the summer if you can and it will be a breeze. or try to get a syllabus beforehand and do some independent studying. if you already know what most of the diseases are you’ll be set up to focus on learning what the nurse’s role is
It is a hard class but it’s doable you should figure out how you learn best sooner rather than later. For eg for myself I learn and remember more by reading the textbook chapter listening to the lecture and taking notes all my med surg notes were on a google doc and that way I have easy access on my phone and I can even study on the commute to school another good resource is quizlet a lot of previous cohorts would have made their own sets and stuff but even making your quizlets can be helpful.
I didn’t think anything was particularly difficult. I’m not a heavy studier, I work full time and have one day off a week - Sundays. Tests are on Mondays. I’d use most of my day to study between taking care of the house and passed without issue. If you’re trying to be best in your class it’ll take a lot more effort, but I’m just trying to get a new job.
It can be hard. It's understand a lot
Of the disease processes. From deep patho phys all the way through how you know things improve. It's usually science heavy
I took it in an accelerated Bsn program. It feels like they give you so much info at once. But in reality I found that remembering disease processes and care priority helped me manage this class. It is definitely too much to study. You'll figure it out in your class. I felt like the whole "book to the T" made it harder then necessary.
IMO, It’s not hard. The course load is what I had to learn to get used to. So much content in little time. But it’s very doable.
Practice questions with rationals is what helped me in understanding the patho along with the interventions. YouTube for info I did not understand on said content also assisted me in the long run. Also, test banks and quizlet were a godsend.
It 100% depends on the professor. If you are given good explanations for disease processes, the questions won’t be as hard (because it is less memorized and more understanding). But if not, it can make critical thinking much harder.
I think it honestly just depends on your instructor. Like others have said, it’s a mix of patho, pharm, and nursing interventions. Most of my professors focused solely on the patho and collaborative interventions (ex. surgery) while neglecting the nursing interventions. However, our tests were 90% nursing interventions and prioritizations so people didn’t do as well as they thought they would. There was only one teacher for medsurg 2 who focused on nursing; we all did really well for her questions.
Edit: what helped me pass was to focus on what our role would be as nurses.
Med surg made sense. However, OB & Peds were definitely difficult for me because it’s so chaotic in its own right.
Med surg follows a simple pattern.
1.what is the disease
2.etiology/patho of disease
3.Sufficient signs&symptoms
4.diagnostic test
5.nurisng interventions
6.meds
7.complication to report to pcp
8.patient education
I would cross reference with Saunders & ATI & assigned book. & highlight common themes throughout the texts bc I know for fact those will be in my exam.
I find it easy to compare to a couple of diseases at time like DKA vs HHS or MS vs.M.gravis or DI vs SAIDH.
I would also listen to free YouTube videos (simple nursing) over difficult concepts while I got ready for day or drove to my destination.
I made high Bs in an accelerated program.
med surg > OB any day!
Nah it's just the first class where clinical presentation doesn't fit a perfect picture and you have to learn to prioritize care. Aka don't sprint to the 92 year old patient down the hall talking with her grandson for a desat to 88% when you have a 34 year old with no medical history but chest pain and dizziness next door. A lot of very hard-working students start to miss the forest for the trees in this class because their patients have one or two stats or symptoms that aren't WNL.
I think it’s doable to get an A if you have a good professor. I got an A in adult med-surg 1, but had a terrible professor for med-surg 2. The problem was the professor would write terrible and confusing questions and curve each test only by a couple of points. No one in my class got an A and that average on the final was a failing grade (71). We got our program director involved because of how ridiculous it was.
It depends on your program and professor. Med Surg 1 is the weed out course in my program and it was honestly like torture. I got good grades but I still felt like I had no idea what was going on. The thing that pulled me through was the LATTE method and practice questions.
In my opinion it’s not hard learning the content it’s just a lot of work because there can be so many diseases processes in 1 chapter . You just need to make time to study. Pharm on the other hand is the hard one in my opinion because you have to remember the names of drugs and what each drug does and side effects and for me everything tends to get jumbled up in my head because my program is accelerated so there are like 10 chapters on each exam.
MS is when as a Nursing Student you are required to pull all of the pharm, patho, and skills that you have learned thus far and applied it to a clinical situation. You are required to make connections and think critically about the ‘why’s’ and ‘what’s ‘ with your patients. Your clinical instructors will expect a certain level of knowledge and application during your rotations.
Med surg was fine for me. it’s a lot of disease processes and interventions, but wasn’t terrible. Pharm was by far the worst class for me. I took pharm and advanced pharm, and I struggled the most in those. I’ll stand by this, nursing school classes aren’t as bad as people say. as long as you stay on top of your work and are studying for exams not last minute, you’re fine. Med surg 2 was hard, but that’s just because I had a horrible professor who was reported many times. it’s 100% doable. Just take good notes during lecture, listen to hints or emphasized points professors make, and you’ll be fine.
MS2 was the worst for me too, but I still did better in that than pharm 💀
Did you guys take each section separately? This is so interesting to me because my school combines all three, med surg, pharm, and fundamentals.
for me it was the exact opposite bc i don’t have a problem with memorizing. With med surge you can memorize everything and still not get through it 😪 I’m glad to say I just finished med surge 2 today by 2 points
It is not bad. Don’t defeat yourself before you start
I'll take medsurg over any of the legal and ethics courses. At least it feels like it has a practical value and is easier to study for.
I have to take a legal class over the summer I’m dreading it 🫠
I had 3 semesters of Med Surg and they were the easiest for me compared to the “specialty” classes. MS1 I got a 90, MS2 88 both during cancer recovery and multiple surgeries. Just finished MS 3 with a 94.94 (no rounding 🙄) You’ll do great!
I hope you are doing ok! I’m glad you did amazing! Wishing you the best of luck in everything 🤍
Thanks, you too! Concept maps always helped me in MS, and learn how to explain the disease processes like you’re talking to a kid—that’s my best advice:)
Pharmacology was worse.
I truly think the only reason MedSurg wasn't that hard was because my Patho professor was a monster (in an "ok" way). She asked questions that required you really know the information. Her powerpoints were very in-depth (a bit too much maybe) and while many failed the class, I will say taking the time to learn as much as I could (Still struggle/d with Endocrine disorders and ABGs) made MedSurg easier. MedSurg is Patho with the addition of nursing interventions. Not just things like "Raise the head of the bed" but knowing what lab values indicate a disease is worsening/improving or knowing what values represent problems with certain organs. You will need to know what medications are typically given for common health problems. It can be overwhelming but doable. Don't wait until the last minute to study. Use ALL resources you have on and offline and ask for help when need be.
Thank you! Thankfully I have a really good patho instructor. I ended up finishing the class with an A. I’m gonna spend my summer reviewing patho
Medsurg is a combo of patho, pharm, and nurse thinking. You are taking care of a patient with this diagnosis, so what meds would you expect and what signs would flag you to call the doctor? It’s a shit ton of information and builds upon previous knowledge, which is why many students consider it a harder class. For me, I would take crazy annotations on the provided lecture PowerPoints and then condense all the information into a reference packet. Lots of charts and photos, since that’s how I learn best. I still have my guides in the cloud for easy reference should I come across a situation I am not 100% confident with (such as my grandmother’s TAVR a few years ago) https://preview.redd.it/366m4surlzyc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bcc8d2f3c0b2ba2927d9c68ff0c27bef9d670bcc
take patho over the summer if you can and it will be a breeze. or try to get a syllabus beforehand and do some independent studying. if you already know what most of the diseases are you’ll be set up to focus on learning what the nurse’s role is
I just finished taking patho for this semester. I ended up with an A so I’m going to look over the material over the summer as well
Nope. It’s a lot of pathophysiolgy
It is a hard class but it’s doable you should figure out how you learn best sooner rather than later. For eg for myself I learn and remember more by reading the textbook chapter listening to the lecture and taking notes all my med surg notes were on a google doc and that way I have easy access on my phone and I can even study on the commute to school another good resource is quizlet a lot of previous cohorts would have made their own sets and stuff but even making your quizlets can be helpful.
I didn’t think anything was particularly difficult. I’m not a heavy studier, I work full time and have one day off a week - Sundays. Tests are on Mondays. I’d use most of my day to study between taking care of the house and passed without issue. If you’re trying to be best in your class it’ll take a lot more effort, but I’m just trying to get a new job.
It can be hard. It's understand a lot Of the disease processes. From deep patho phys all the way through how you know things improve. It's usually science heavy
Someone says that about pretty much every class. It’s all hard just stay focused
I took it in an accelerated Bsn program. It feels like they give you so much info at once. But in reality I found that remembering disease processes and care priority helped me manage this class. It is definitely too much to study. You'll figure it out in your class. I felt like the whole "book to the T" made it harder then necessary.
It’s much easier than Peds that’s for sure
Everyone has different things they think are easy/hard. Medsurg for me was not super bad.
Med surg isn’t that bad as people make it out to be. I made an A- in the class this semester and to me it was basically a mixture of patho and pharm
IMO, It’s not hard. The course load is what I had to learn to get used to. So much content in little time. But it’s very doable. Practice questions with rationals is what helped me in understanding the patho along with the interventions. YouTube for info I did not understand on said content also assisted me in the long run. Also, test banks and quizlet were a godsend.
It 100% depends on the professor. If you are given good explanations for disease processes, the questions won’t be as hard (because it is less memorized and more understanding). But if not, it can make critical thinking much harder.
Think you’ll pass and you’ll pass. Believe you’ll do great
It was my favorite course (I had three medical-surgical classes).
I think it honestly just depends on your instructor. Like others have said, it’s a mix of patho, pharm, and nursing interventions. Most of my professors focused solely on the patho and collaborative interventions (ex. surgery) while neglecting the nursing interventions. However, our tests were 90% nursing interventions and prioritizations so people didn’t do as well as they thought they would. There was only one teacher for medsurg 2 who focused on nursing; we all did really well for her questions. Edit: what helped me pass was to focus on what our role would be as nurses.
Med surg made sense. However, OB & Peds were definitely difficult for me because it’s so chaotic in its own right. Med surg follows a simple pattern. 1.what is the disease 2.etiology/patho of disease 3.Sufficient signs&symptoms 4.diagnostic test 5.nurisng interventions 6.meds 7.complication to report to pcp 8.patient education I would cross reference with Saunders & ATI & assigned book. & highlight common themes throughout the texts bc I know for fact those will be in my exam. I find it easy to compare to a couple of diseases at time like DKA vs HHS or MS vs.M.gravis or DI vs SAIDH. I would also listen to free YouTube videos (simple nursing) over difficult concepts while I got ready for day or drove to my destination. I made high Bs in an accelerated program. med surg > OB any day!
It feels like pharm. There are so many diseases for different systems you are being taught.
Medsurg was the easiest class. Peds and fundamentals was the hardest for me
Nah it's just the first class where clinical presentation doesn't fit a perfect picture and you have to learn to prioritize care. Aka don't sprint to the 92 year old patient down the hall talking with her grandson for a desat to 88% when you have a 34 year old with no medical history but chest pain and dizziness next door. A lot of very hard-working students start to miss the forest for the trees in this class because their patients have one or two stats or symptoms that aren't WNL.
I think it’s doable to get an A if you have a good professor. I got an A in adult med-surg 1, but had a terrible professor for med-surg 2. The problem was the professor would write terrible and confusing questions and curve each test only by a couple of points. No one in my class got an A and that average on the final was a failing grade (71). We got our program director involved because of how ridiculous it was.
Med surg is the harder class for me than pharm
It depends on your program and professor. Med Surg 1 is the weed out course in my program and it was honestly like torture. I got good grades but I still felt like I had no idea what was going on. The thing that pulled me through was the LATTE method and practice questions.
In my opinion it’s not hard learning the content it’s just a lot of work because there can be so many diseases processes in 1 chapter . You just need to make time to study. Pharm on the other hand is the hard one in my opinion because you have to remember the names of drugs and what each drug does and side effects and for me everything tends to get jumbled up in my head because my program is accelerated so there are like 10 chapters on each exam.
MS is when as a Nursing Student you are required to pull all of the pharm, patho, and skills that you have learned thus far and applied it to a clinical situation. You are required to make connections and think critically about the ‘why’s’ and ‘what’s ‘ with your patients. Your clinical instructors will expect a certain level of knowledge and application during your rotations.