How to Study for Pathophysiology I & II (From a student Who LOVE This Class)

Allison Pham

Okay, real talk, Pathophysiology I & II are no joke. If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve heard how intense these classes are. And it’s true: they’re dense, fast-paced, and packed with info. But I promise you, if you lean into it and study smart, patho can actually become one of the most rewarding classes you'll take. I absolutely loved it, even though it kicked my butt sometimes. So here are my tips for how to survive (and maybe even enjoy) Patho.

1. Start Early (For Real, Not Just in Theory)

Let’s not kid ourselves , these exams are not the type you can cram for a night or two before.

Each exam covers so much material, and it’s deep. The big part here is to not merelly memorize all of the slides but to UNDERSTAND what is going on with that disease (i promise if you try to memorize every single slide without understanding, material gonna be vanish~~~ by the time you sit for exam)

Here’s what helped me:

• Watch the recorded lectures on Brightspace  - seriously, lifesaver! Sometimes in class, I miss small details. Rewatching with subtitles helped me pick up on things I missed.

• Don’t let things pile up. Even if you’re just previewing the slides before class, or skimming the right after lecture, then comeback to them a little bit during weekend, doing a little every day saves you big stress later.

  
  

2. Use Your Resources Wisely

Binghamton University students are so blessed with many many wonderful available resources, and your job is to utilize them!

• UTS Tutors and Professor Office Hours - gold. Seriously!! After I reviewed the material on my own, I would go to tutoring or office hours with specific questions. This part is important: don’t go in unprepared and expecting them to reteach you the whole lecture. Instead:

  • Study/ Review on your own.

  • Identify the parts you’re stuck on.

  • Show up with questions. 100% of the time, they had answers that helped me understand something I was stuck on. It’s like untying a knot, once it’s gone, everything else clicks.

    
    

3. Find a Study Method That Works for YOU

Not everyone studies the same way. But here’s what worked for me:

• Rewatch lectures (especially ones I zoned out in… it happens, iykyk).

• Go to office hours or UTS with questions.

• Then: active recall, baby! I would grab a friend (or honestly, talk to my teddy bear lol) and teach the topic like they were a total newbie. Let’s say it’s Right vs. Left Heart Failure, I’d go:

  • What are they?? What are the causes? Risk Factors?

  • What are the signs/symptoms aka clinical manifestations?

  • What’s the diagnostic testing or treatment ?

  • What are some nursing interventions?

  Teaching it out loud helps me realize what I know, and more importantly, what I don't

• The Whiteboard Method: love love love. I used a black marker to listed the disease, S/S, Causes/ Risk Factors, Diagnostic Testing, treatment & nursing management . Next, I went back to the slides to see what info I haven't recalled and/or missing. Then, I use another color marker (red,pink, blue) to fill in the gap of the materials that I did not remember. This gap would be the part I would focus on reviewing more before jumping into practice questions.

• Practice questions from ThePoint. These let you test your understanding of the patho concept and let you apply them. They provide very nice rationale after every questions as well. Quick tip: Study first then practice questions!

  
  

4. Build a Strong A&P Foundation

Patho is all about what goes wrong, so it makes sense that you first need to know what’s normal.

If you’re ever stuck on a topic, especially a system like the heart or lungs, go back to your anatomy & physiology notes. No need to do a thorough review, just a quick refresh on the geographic area (know where organs located) and how things normally work. For example, if the topic gonna be the cardiovascular system in class that day, I'd review of the blood flow of the heart (atp I learn it by heart hehehe)

If you understand how an organ/ system is supposed to work, it's SO much easier to spot when and why it's not working, and that makes understaining or explaining the disease process so much easier. Trust.

Final Thoughts

Pathophysiology is a beast, but it’s also such a foundational class for everything else in nursing. It makes you think like a nurse. It trains your brain to look for the why behind every symptom and the how behind every treatment.

Yeah, it’s challenging. But when it starts to click? Best. Feeling. Ever.

You got this 💪And hey, don’t forget to take breaks. Get a snack (love me some dark choco). Go outside. Take a walk. Get a coffee (you deserve it). Your brain needs time to rest, too.

Good luck & go crush Patho! 🫀🧠💊