The MBBS curriculum has pharmacology subject included in the second year. Pharmacology is all about drugs. In this subject, you study drugs, the physical and biochemical properties of the drugs, their classification, their pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties, their route of administration, contraindications, relevant chemical and pathological tests, dosages, adverse effects, and much more.
Every medical student comes across unheard new terminologies, hundreds of drugs, various detailed mechanisms, and a lot more. The subject is quite vast yet interesting. It becomes complicated to understand hundreds of drugs and their complete properties and so, proper preparation is required to learn and memorize them.
Here are some reliable tips to score high in pharmacology during MBBS:
Know the basic Anatomy, Physiology, and Biochemistry
These subjects are not just for passing the exams but are the base for all the clinical MBBS subjects. It is highly important to know the basic anatomy and physiology of the body to understand the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of a drug and hence to prescribe a drug to a patient. For instance, when talking about heart stroke, you must know the structural and functional features of the heart, blood vessels, and vascular system of the body to know and understand the issues related to heart stroke and what damage and physiological changes it has done to the body and then ultimately formulate the treatment plan for an individual and prescribe the drugs for the same.
Refer to different resources for studying
Medicine is a vast clinical field and is not just limited to textbooks. Apart from college lectures and practical sessions, you must refer to standard textbooks for pharmacology, good online pharmacology for undergrad courses, subscribe to best pharmacology video lectures, attend webinars, seminars, conferences, workshops, and a lot more. You must refer to social media of authentic medical learning platforms to remain updated with medical news, advancements, medical subject questions, NEET-PG preparation questions, general knowledge, and much more.
Don’t just cram the topics, understand them
You can never memorize the facts at the eleventh hour. It will just help you score in exams but will be of no use in practical life. Pharmacology is an interesting subject, and you must understand the facts, mechanisms, and pharmacological processes to memorize them and retain them for a longer duration. Pharmacology undergraduate courses are not difficult to understand but require deep understanding and patience for memorizing.
Take notes
Pharmacology is a vast subject and taking notes is a must. Make reliable notes to keep your back during revision and exams. It helps in quickly recalling all the concepts. Marking important topics in the notes helps in quick revision and makes you exam ready.
Learn through flowcharts, tables, flashcards, and mnemonics
The pharmacology subject has a lot to memorize such as drug names, classification, mechanism, drug indications, contraindications, and adverse effects. Try to make drug cards for each drug classification to memorize them easily. Learning by making flashcards will have a visual impact that will help you retain the information. Mnemonics and flowcharts help in learning numerous facts in a short span and aid in quick revision.
Practice questions and previous year’s papers
After you have learned one topic, practice its questions. It helps you understand the topic more clearly and evaluate your understanding of the topic. Solving previous year’s papers is essential to get familiar with the exam pattern and type of questions asked in the respective exams, may it be university prof exam or entrance examinations like NEET PG or any other competitive examinations.
Categorize the drugs and then learn about them
Categorize the drug classes according to the base name, suffix, and prefix and then mention their mechanism, features, dosage, contraindications, and other required information. It aids in memory and retention. For instance, drugs ending with ‘-pril’ are ACE inhibitors, and drugs ending with ‘-olol’ are beta blockers.
Avoid Confusion and always clear your doubts
Don’t leave any topic behind. Read and understand each and every topic. Always reach out to your seniors, professors, colleagues, or faculty of a renowned online pharmacology course to get your doubts clear and get an in-depth understanding of the subject. Every topic has its significance and hence every topic requires to be completely understood by every medical student.
Revision is must
Reading one day and then reading just before an exam will not be sufficient. You must revise regularly to memorize well regularly. This enhances your understanding of the topic and lets you have a tight grasp of it.
