Authors

  1. Bankole, Ayomide Okanlawon PhD, RN
  2. Marchi, Nadine DNP, RN, CRRN, CHSE, CNE

Article Content

Nursing students often feel overwhelmed learning medications efficiently. A guided note-taking strategy was adapted for students in a pharmacology course to aid their learning and organization of medications. The pharmacology-guided note-taking tool included information such as name of drug, action, adverse effects, interactions and contraindications, nursing implications, and client education. Students were expected to complete the guided note-taking tool every week and consult other resources because some of the medications were not discussed in class. The objective was to learn about the medication characteristics and how to research medication information. The instructor graded the tool every week on a complete/incomplete basis, and the students earned 1 point per worksheet if completed. During the first week of class, the instructor provided both individual and general feedback to the students. To evaluate the usefulness of the tool for learning, the students completed a survey after the first examination in the course. Ninety-seven percent of the students reported that the tool aided their learning and understanding of medications, and 90% indicated that the tool was helpful when preparing for the examination. We plan to incorporate the tool in a clinical course in the future.