General Forums >> Ask A Nurse >> do nurses use chemistry everyday?
do nurses use chemistry everyday?
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Posted 3 months ago title |
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| Posted 2 months ago A good RN understands not only what the medication is, and what the conversions are, but also how it works.
When you advance in your skill, and especially if you ever move into advanced practice, such as being a neonatal nurse practitioner; you will need not only knowledge of chemistry, but also organic chemistry, and some inorganic chemistry. Physical chemistry would be great, but nursing school does not allow most BSN students the time. One of the great problems found with nurses, is that they don't understand the need to understand how medications, and the pathophysiology function. It has been a significant problem for many advanced practice nurses, and one of the reasons that some nurses do not understand or recognize drug interaction issues. The correct answer is a good nurse needs to learn and remember chemistry, biology, anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology, and a poor nurse can get by just finding their way to the break room. One RN I spoke to today could not understand why they put the endotracheal tube in the mouth, if they wanted a person to breathe through it. And she has been working as an RN (with a BSN) for over 8 years. As the acuity of patients in the health care facilities increases, the need for highly educated, and knowledgeable RNs with a good foundation will also increase. Source(s):RN, Ph.D, CFNP, Papersinn.com
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| Posted 2 months ago charles101 says ...
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| Posted 2 months ago I use chemistry every day. pH, pKa ,lipophilic compounds and onset of action, mEq electrolytes in crystalloids that are administered etc etc etc.... |
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| Posted 2 months ago I use chemistry everyday, multiple times a day in hemodialysis. Did in OR, ER, ICU, Med/Surg and Peds. |
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| Posted 2 months ago I not only use it, I talk about it in class with my students and test them on it. |
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| Posted 2 months ago MrBrown says ...
great... i don't understand chem whatsoever... i wanted to be a nurse because my passion is helping people and children, but if i can't do this chem mumbo jumbo, i guess i'm screwed... |
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| Posted 2 months ago You're not screwed unless you want to be. You've identified your hurdle ---- now it's your job to identify the solution that will get you over that hurdle. Study groups, tutoring, flash cards, etc.......only you can identify the easiest way for you to learn. Try multiple avenues until you find what works for you. I was pushing 30 before I really gave flashcards a serious try and I was amazed how well they work for me. The benefit of flashcards is that you learn the topic forward and backward. Read side A and try to remember what's on side B. Then read side B and try to remember what's on side A ----- it's more challenging than you realize in the beginning but once you've mastered it, you'll see that you really do need the info forward AND backward. When I was in HS, I had a HORRIBLE Spanish teacher and I thought I had a mental block with Spanish - I just couldn't learn it. I took German instead. Now, living in southern CA, German does me no good! My children are learning Spanish and I wanted to learn it so I can speak with them and help them with their homework. My renewed interest in the language (and subsequent attitude adjustment) removed my "mental block" and I'm currently acing Spanish 3 with full intentions of completing Conversational Spanish 1 and 2. I will be fluent in Spanish when I get my RN.............so much for "I can't learn it". That's a load of BS! |
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| Posted about 1 month ago it is the foundation for all medications and chemical processes in the body |
