Teaching Clinical Pharmacology to Undergraduate Nursing Students: Barriers and Strategies

This study examined perceived learning barriers to and strategies for teaching clinical pharmacology to undergraduate nursing students. The purposes of this study were to discuss barriers and strategies for teaching clinical pharmacology to undergraduate nursing students and compare those findings to student evaluation responses. This study used a comparative, cross-sectional design and examined data from nursing faculty who had taught pharmacology and from student evaluations over the past five years to compare perceived barriers and strategies. Several barriers were identified, including content saturation, course placement, English as a second language, and resources. Effective teaching strategies identified were lectures, teaching by drug class, reviewing pathophysiology, and case studies. Students’ evaluations revealed that students found that the course content was substantial and felt that the textbook did not fully demonstrate nursing considerations. Other answers were nonspecific. Using these strategies is critical to effectively deliver pharmacological material and to foster understanding among undergraduate students. Faculty members agree that having pharmacological concepts threaded throughout the curriculum increases students’ knowledge of medications and medication management. Additional creative approaches to teaching clinical pharmacology to undergraduate nursing students are needed.