Pharmacology For Nurses

Pharmacology is the study of how drugs work in the body. It’s an important part of a nurse’s job because of the possible interactions and effects particular drugs can have on a patient. You need to have a working knowledge of the major groups of drugs (analgesics, antihistamines, etc.) in order to understand how they work within the body. It is also very important to have knowledge of drug to drug interactions in case a patient’s progress takes an unexpected turn.

However, this is no small task. How can you effectively keep track of the terms, medications, and treatments you need to know about? This is part of why nursing is such a demanding field. Continuing education is the only way to keep up with new dugs and treatments, as well as refresh your memory about older ones.

Another way to keep up on pharmacology is to read and study using simple references made especially for nurses. These easy-to-use references cover medicines, patient symptoms, and drug interactions. We reference materials and give you an easy way to see at-a-glance which drugs are commonly used to treat particular diseases or conditions. Our materials color code the information for you, so if you’re only looking for treatments a doctor may prescribe, you can skim the rest and easily find what you need.

For example, if you’re looking up antianginal agents, we’ll give you a brief definition of angina pectoris, so the objective of these agents is clear. We break these agents down into categories (organic nitrate vasodilators, beta blockers, and calcium channel blockers). For each category, we’ll then tell you what each agent does, when it should be used, when it should not be used, and what you should monitor in patients receiving this treatment.