Learning Pharmacology (another language?)

MMiz

I put the M in EMTLife
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I'm messing around with learning pharmacology to see if I'm even capable.

I see something like:

Atropine Sulfate

Class: anticholinergic

Action: parasympatholytic, inhibits action of acetylcholine

Indications: hemodynamically unstable bradycardia, asystole, organophosphate poisoning, bronchospastic pulmonary disorders

Contras: tachycardia, hypersensitivity, unstable cardiovascular status in acute hemorrhage and myocardial ischemia, narrow angle glaucoma

Adverse Rxns: headache, dizziness, palpitations, n/v, tachycardia, arrhythmias, blurred vision, dry mouth, paradoxical brady if pushed slowly or at a low dose

Dosage:

Asystole: 1mg IV/IO push; may rpt q3-5min to max of 3mg

Bradycardia: 0.5mg IV/IO push; may rpt q3-5 min to max of 3mg (0.5 if they're alive)

Organophosphate Poisoning: start at 3mg and go up from there until relief of symptoms

I don't know what anticholinergic, parasympatholytic, or acetylcholine even mean.

Even looking up anticholinergic, I barely understand the term.

So how do people learn their meds? Is it rote memorization of a foreign language and it will eventually make sense?

Is there a fundamental step I'm missing?
 

Summit

Critical Crazy
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Anatomy and physiology first
Pathophysiology second
Then pharm
 
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MMiz

MMiz

I put the M in EMTLife
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rescue1

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I recommend a medical physiology textbook (like Costanzo's). For whatever reason, medical school textbooks are actually reasonably priced, and it's not super long. Pharmacology is just fiddling with physiology, so if you understand phys, the only hard part of pharm becomes just memorizing all the names and mechanisms.
 

Qulevrius

Nationally Certified Wannabe
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I'm messing around with learning pharmacology to see if I'm even capable.

I see something like:



I don't know what anticholinergic, parasympatholytic, or acetylcholine even mean.

Even looking up anticholinergic, I barely understand the term.

So how do people learn their meds? Is it rote memorization of a foreign language and it will eventually make sense?

Is there a fundamental step I'm missing?

Pathophys seems to be a bit excessive. Definitely A&P, then Gen Chem (to understand the compounding), then medical terminology. Pharmacology, in general, is very structured and having a solid base with A&P and Chem, will makes things rather easy to understand.
 
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OP
MMiz

MMiz

I put the M in EMTLife
Community Leader
5,519
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I appreciate the feedback, I signed up for A&P.

There are paramedic programs that don't require A&P, Chen, and Medical Terminology and those providers seem to do just fine. What's their secret?
 

Qulevrius

Nationally Certified Wannabe
997
545
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I appreciate the feedback, I signed up for A&P.

There are paramedic programs that don't require A&P, Chen, and Medical Terminology and those providers seem to do just fine. What's their secret?

The paramedic programme curriculum, for the most part, is a very watered down version of nursing school science prereqs, with a few field-specific twists.

Comparatively speaking, a paramedic programme crams 5 college semester classes (worth a total of a minimum of 22 units) into less than 6 months, then throws the students at the mercy of their clinical preceptors. Suffice it to say that, after finishing my nursing school prereqs, I was able to confidently coach my coworkers (paramedic students at the time) with the didactic part of their programme.

The secret, therefore, is either prior knowledge or, alternatively, a metric crapton of self studying.
 

Carlos Danger

Forum Deputy Chief
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I appreciate the feedback, I signed up for A&P.

There are paramedic programs that don't require A&P, Chen, and Medical Terminology and those providers seem to do just fine. What's their secret?

They do fine as far as being able to understand the basic anatomy and pathophysiology of the limited processes that they are able to recognize and manage, and remembering drug indications and dosages and the very basics of how those drugs work. That's all you need to be able to competently follow EMS protocols and do EMS procedures, but it is not the same by any means as having a real understanding of pathophysiology and pharmacology that can be applied much more broadly.

Of course many self-motivated paramedics learn on their own over time (and many don't), but having a good didactic foundation upon which to base your experience is invaluable. A&P is an excellent place to start.

I would also recommend a pharmacology course (outside of whatever your get in your paramedic program) and then pathophysiology. Foundational sciences like chemistry are helpful but not necessary if your pharm and phys courses are thorough. Personally, it wasn't until I took those courses at the graduate level that I really started to understand everyday things that I had been seeing and doing for years, and also when I started to really appreciate how much I didn't know.
 

akflightmedic

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I appreciate the feedback, I signed up for A&P.

There are paramedic programs that don't require A&P, Chen, and Medical Terminology and those providers seem to do just fine. What's their secret?

Instructor: "If you see X on the monitor, give half purple box. If you see Y, then give brown box"...

Yep, they "do just fine"...
 

akflightmedic

Forum Deputy Chief
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I have wrote about my experience before, however I shall share again as it highlights so many issues/concerns within our industry.

I became a Paramedic at the age of 19. I attended an in-house program hosted by the county I worked for, the program was 5 months in length, it cost me $1500 to attend, the book was a little over $100 (notice I said book singular), and class time was two nights a week from 1800-2200 and all day Saturday. Clinical time was even more short, I do not remember the exact hours due to how long ago this was.

My instructor "one of the best in the state" literally taught us recipes. See this, do this. There was very little critical thinking, very little room for use of clinical judgment or outside the box type thinking. ACLS truly consisted of what I posted above which you may have thought was a joke. However, here is the kicker...I passed Paramedic school, I passed National Registry and I was a Paramedic. I thought I was a good paramedic...why? Because I had zero frame of reference. I ran the calls in my county, I did the best I knew to do and I called it a day. Additionally, all the other paramedics were just like me...there were a few who went on to become nurses, some who even went to medical school. The majority simply did what I did and we did not challenge each other, we did not seek new information, we did not question. We all grew up in this area, majority would never leave the area, and we were all "good enough".

Then, I moved to Florida. Holy Crap! I felt like such an idiot. I managed to get employed, however I had to self teach paramedic and then some all over again. I was now in a place carrying NTG drips, performing RSI, Surgical Crics, CPAP....I went from carrying about 18 medications to over 80 medications at my disposal!!! Eighty+ medications...many of which I was told I would never need to know and procedures which I was told I would never be allowed to do by my initial paramedic instructor. I was working for an all ALS service who received State and National recognition, they were determined to be better. They challenged each other, they sought new and better ways to improve. I was so far behind the curve despite having been a medic for several years at that time.

I rose to the challenge. I pushed myself and learned what I could. I became an instructor in everything possible so that I would be forced to learn more in order to teach. As many of you know, I eventually became a Flight Medic. I then went abroad to austere, remote, war zones and practiced clinical medicine in addition to the emergency. It was not until I stepped out of my bubble that I was then able to compare and realize what crappy instructors I had, what a crappy system I started in,and what a terrible disservice we did for the taxpayers.

This is why I cannot help but laugh when people say they had the best instructor or went to the best school....my response is "how do you know?"

We have to always question and critically evaluate our education and training. We cannot be afraid to strive to do better, to be better.

Far too many systems are exactly like the one I came from and they get away with it.
 

Jn1232th

Forum Captain
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I had noooo idea about any pharm when I started medic school other than the basics I learned in anatomy and physiology ( acytcholine and such) but it will come to you. Just studying and repetitiveness.
 

Jn1232th

Forum Captain
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I appreciate the feedback, I signed up for A&P.

There are paramedic programs that don't require A&P, Chen, and Medical Terminology and those providers seem to do just fine. What's their secret?

I strongly recommend A and P. That was my only requirement for my program but I don't see how someone can be a paramedic and not have a basic understanding of Anatomy and physiology. Learning meds is much easier when you understand why and how they work. Well for me at least.
 
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