#15 - Flash Cards Don't Work! How to REALLY Study Pharmacology
Meg writes,
I’ve just started Pharmacology and I am completely overwhelmed. I’ve heard flash-cards are the best way to learn, is this true?
No, Meg. This may surprise you, but flash-cards are not the best way to study Pharmacology.
Let me tell you a story about Stephanie.
Stephanie was a junior when she took my Pharmacology class. Up until this time, she earned A’s and B’s, excelled at clinicals and was thriving in nursing school. Unfortunately, she barely passed her first Pharm test with a 76%, and failed the second one with a 68%. She was disappointed, discouraged and in serious danger of failing.
When we met 1:1, I asked her how she had been studying. She said she read the book before class, took notes, reread her notes after class and made flash cards for all of the medications.
In fact, she had spent 14 hours studying for this exam, and yet failed.
At this point, she wondered, with all the effort she had made, if she Could or even Should be a nurse.
That day, I shared a new strategy with Stephanie, one she had not tried before. She not only passed her next exam, she earned a 96%. For Stephanie, it was not about being smart enough or working hard, it was about strategy.
What strategy worked for Stephanie? Concept mapping.
That day in my office, I explained how the brain stores information, why flash cards don’t work and why concept maps do. Here was Stephanie’s first attempt at concept mapping Digoxin, a heart failure medication. Putting all of the important information on one page, using simple visual cues, such as a heart, allowed Stephanie to connect and give meaning to the facts she was learning.
Meg, I hope Stephanie’s story was helpful.
Making concept maps takes time and practice.
If you are interested in learning more about concept mapping or how to study effectively in nursing school, please like and share this video and subscribe.
And as always, if you have another question about nursing school or life, Nursing School Masterclass can help!
