Medication problems

I am a student nurse( just finished 2nd year). I had phramacology and I got a good grade but I feel like the only drugs I can remember from that class are Digoxin, Metoprolol, and laxatives, Antibiotics and a few more. I am afraid that in real world ( hospital) I am going to have a hard time knowing the drugs, there is a long list of side effets, uses, and actions.
Can someone please help me by telling me what helpes you remember the drugs better ; and for nurses who have worked in the hospital for a while, do you use the drug book often and is it okay to use it often or are you expected to know most of them?
Thank you
No-one can ever hope to know every drug off by heart, not even the pharmacists!.If you don't know it is fine to look it up in the book. If it's any help I've been qualified 20 years and I'm still coming across drugs I never heard of before. I just look 'em up, check for contraindications and interactions and get on with it.When you qualify you will find that different care areas use different drugs with a few that are common across all areas. Before you know it you will recognise them all.Don't worry. If in doubt always look it up or ask. Best of luck with your studies

I hate to laugh but You remind me of myself when I first hit the floor.I thought I had to memorize allo the meds on the floor. I am an infusion Nurse, all I do all night is hang and push drugs. I have only about 2% of the drugs I give memorized. It is not weird to refer to your drug book about 87 times per night, what is weird is the Nurse that does not refer to a drug book at all. I have 2 different drug guide programs on my phone, plus a quick reference drug guide I carry in my pocket, plus a Davis drug book in my bag I carry, plus a Mosby drug guide at my station. After years of experience you may get to the point where you memorize most of the meds you give (pharmacology, interactions, dosing, route, rate, action, antidote, precautions, nursing considerations, etc).All those years of Nursing school were not to teach you everything, it was to teach you what you do not know and how to find the answers to the questions you have.

healthstar, Unquestionably, not even the doctors know every medication much less their side effects, that's why the came up with the PDR, is better to double check in our RN/PDR than making a mistake... we keep a PDR & also a RN/PDR on hand on every unit, where I work. I personally have a mini RN/PDR and when people make fun of you by looking in the PDR just state the obvious " I was told to always double check". However, in time you will learn the most frequent meds. use in whatever unit you'll be working, that comes with experience... best of luck to you in all of your future endeavors~

I just look the information up. As time goes on, one finds oneself looking up less and less.

Thank you so much, I feel much better. Pharmacology is the hardest part of nursing for me.

Trust me: when you are in the hospital, you WILL have a drug reference lying around that will see a lot of use No one expects nurses to know every single drug out there in minute detail...though you should know basic info about each category of drugs (e.g., what do beta-blockers do and why would they be used).Like caliotter, the more I work with specific drugs, the more I remember more about them and the less I need to look them up.

I remember havng to make drug cards, along withcareplans for each pt-I remember feeling the same thing "how will I ever be able to remember all?? New meds coming on the market everyday-PDR can become a good friend....

Quote from dscrnI remember havng to make drug cards, along withcareplans for each pt-I remember feeling the same thing "how will I ever be able to remember all?? New meds coming on the market everyday-PDR can become a good friend....

i have the same problem... im also a 2nd yr student... help me in this reagard also!

It's pretty much been said. No one knows or is expected to know everything about all of the drugs you give. THere will be some as time goes on that you become very familiar with-you will be giving them all of the time.However, as one poster put it new drugs are coming on the market every day and you could not possibly know them all.I have been doing this for 18 years and I still look up any drug I am not familiar with ....looking it up is not the problem...NOT looking it up is!Never be reluctant to check and then double check...any one who doesn't check is scary.