Pharmacology is the study of drugs and their actions on the body so that drugs can be consumed by the human body effectively. It is further divided into two parts called Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics.
However, today our main concern is not related to the
study of pharmacology rather with the learning of Pharmacology. If you are a
student of health sciences and have Pharmacology in your curriculum then you
must be asking a single question every day in your life. How to memorise the
drugs or pharmacology?
Well, here we are with seven effective and actionable
tips to memorise the drugs for Pharmacology
1. Create an Effective Learning Strategy
When you will take an overview of this subject then
you will find that not only rigorous but monotonous too. Hence, creating an
effective strategy is a must beforehand because it includes the mechanism of
action, classification, side effects, adverse effects, etc.
Hence, for the starters read all the chapters once
just for the sake and to know what does each chapter have to offer and then
make a strategy chapter wise so that when you come back to the same chapter
after finishing, you are not re-reading it rather just revising it.
For example, take the chapter on cephalosporins where
the classification is extensive and it would take a whole day to memorize all
the drugs but there is an advantage that their names are very similar to each
other and can be easily gulped.
2. Focus on the Basics
It is taught to us from childhood that a house is built
by building a strong foundation hence, build the roots of basics. From above,
it seems like that it is rot learning and nothing beyond that but that’s not
true as everything in our body is connected.
The easiest part is that you can visualize all this
practically because it is the body we are talking about. Therefore, first,
finish the basics such as ADME and learn it by heart which will pave the way
for the rest of the subject.
3. Organize the learning of the chapter
When you start learning a chapter don’t just dive into
learning the classification of the drugs and then memorize it for a whole day
then the next day with the mechanism of action and then with the side effects.
Do it smartly. First, read a little bit about the
physiology of the particular organ we are talking about such as we are talking
about Heart, then learn how the heart pumps blood to different tissues and
organs.
Then jump on to the mechanism of action of the drug,
you will be surprised to know that most drugs are named according to their MOA
to manage their learnings and existence. When you are done learning about all
this, then move on to the side effects and Adverse effects which are also
interlinked to the MOA.
4. Read in-between the lines
This is a very important aspect of learning a subject
deeply. This is not easy as this requires reading chapters from 3-4 times so
that our brain can start forming a connection with what is going on and how
these all chapters are interlinked to each other.
Therefore, read them with focus and attention and you
will find that in every alternative chapter some specific drugs are repeating
each other because a drug affects more than one organ and tissue.
For example, take calcium channel blockers, such as
verapamil, nifedipine, and diltiazem. Each one acts differently so the one
which will be appropriate when someone asks if for hypertensive patients then,
it must be verapamil as it decreases cardiac output which indirectly decreases
blood pressure.
5. Mnemonics
You must be knowing that our brain can easily remember
things when we attach a meaning to them. Hence, we are even able to remember
our fondest memory of somebody or someone.
Therefore, make use of this power of our brain by
creating mnemonics of the classification of the drugs. You can make this
interesting by creating a song out of it or just knit a story of all the
adverse reactions and sing them in your head from time to time. Do not create
clutter in the brain by reading too much information in a day. Just do it
slowly and see the magic.
6. Solve Case Studies
This is the most effective way amongst all to learn
and then apply that concept in your head strongly. There are clinical case
studies available on the internet about Pharmacology.
Not only they cover a single chapter but all the
topics which are interrelated to that particular disease along with the
diagnosis. Students think that if they are not doctors they don’t need this but
the thing is doctors are best trained and known for diagnosis and pharmacists
for drugs.
So take your profession seriously and do those case
studies to understand the situation from all aspects.
7. Eat, Sleep, Revise
Make an exhaustive revision schedule depending on your
memorizing ability. If you forget what you learn in a day then revise again the
next day. Make room for the revision each day, week and then monthly.
You can again use various tools to help you revise
things easily such as flashcards, tables, post-its on the wall or making small
notes whenever you revise depending on your preferences.
At last, hoping that these tips will positively boost
your life. Happy studying and Learning.
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