Nurses Notes is here again to present some general concepts which you may find helpful for teaching which may increase learning to any individuals wherever setting they may be.

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■ Education can prevent illness, promote or restore health, ↓complications, ↑independence and coping, ↑individual and family growth. Incorporate throughout health care delivery.
■ Environment should be conducive to learning: Private, quiet, well lit, comfortable, and lack distractions (close door/curtain, shut off TV).
■ Teaching process should follow format of Nursing Process.
■ Both short- and long-term goals should be set to ↑motivation and allow for evaluation. Goals must be pt centered, specific, measurable, realistic, and have a time frame.
■ A variety of teaching strategies that use different senses should be used (written materials, videos, discussion, demonstration).
■ Teaching can be formal/informal, individualized, or within a group
■ Information should move from the simple to complex, from known to unknown, be appropriate for pt’s cognitive and developmental level.
■ Shorter more frequent sessions most effective (15–30min)
■ Learning is ↑with repetition, consistency, practice.
■ Evaluation and documentation are essential elements of teaching.

Being a nursing student in the past, I know that Pharmacology is one of the most dreaded part of a nursing exam. One of the major reason is that it requires memorizing facts by heart, and often than not, it is difficult to decide WHAT TO MEMORIZE. But not anymore, Nurses Notes will share you the C.H.E.C.K. Principle which can be your ultimate framework. C.H.E.C.K. stands for:

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C – heck why the medication is given and know the classification of the drug. In other words, you should know the purpose why the medication is given.

H – ow will you know the medication was effective? What are you assessment parameters in monitoring the effects of the drug?

E – xactly what time should the medcation be given? Some drugs are best taken with meals, some are after meals while some are on an empty stomach. Some medications may also be taken without regard to meals.

C – lient teaching tips? What do you have for them? You should let them know what to expect so they can report unexpected side effects. Don’t forget to give instructions related to the therapeutic and side effects of the drug.

K – eys to giving it safely! Don’t forget the 10 rights of drug administration. You should always be able to identify interventions to counteract the side/adverse effects of the drug.

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So always don’t forget to C.H.E.C.K. the medication, aright? Good luck!