Looking for any guide, flashcard deck, book, app, or magic formula that’ll help you with the avalanche of information you have to learn for pharmacology?
You’re in luck. We’ve gathered up all the best resources to help you focus your studying, learn quicker, and more easily, and to make pharmacology way less intimidating.
Best Pharmacology Guides And Aids: Our Top Recommendation
We’ve got color-coded flashcards, picture books with study hacks, guides with mnemonics, and apps with a test track. It’s everything you need to conquer pharmacology. So buckle up and let’s get to them.
Pharmacology Review Guides
Nursing Pharmacology (Quick Study Academic) (Best Quick Reference)
This quick reference guide isn’t a book, it’s a 3-fold laminated pamphlet you can put in your bag or a notebook. Written by experts and focused on pharmacology for nurses, this handy little guide condenses almost everything you need to know all in one place.
- Laminated, tri-fold (6 full pages)
- Expert verified
- Fast, easy reference
- Info, facts, numbers, and cheats
Pros: durable, lots of quick information, reference data
Cons: some print is small
Pharmacology Made Incredibly Easy (Easiest To Understand)
Written by Lippincott, this guide is part of the Incredibly Easy series – kind of like . . . For Dummies. It has the latest updated drug and treatment information, with visual aids, vaccine info, herbal remedies and supplements, and more.
- 784 pages
- Visual aids, illustrations, and diagrams
- Easy to scan format
- Special features
- Quizzes
Nursing2021 Drug Handbook (Most Comprehensive)
Another book by Lippincott, this guide is specifically targeted to nursing-focused monographs with new drugs, reference photos, clinical updates, a downloadable app, and more.
- 1904 pages
- 3700 drugs
- 8200 clinical updates
- Photoguide insert
- Downloadable app
- A – Z format
Pros: comprehensive information, new updates, app
Cons: some print is small
Lippincott Pocket Drug Guide For Nurses (Best Pocket-Sized)
Yet another great offering from Lippincott. This has all the same great features as the Nursing 2021 Drug Handbook – but this one fits in your pocket.
- 4100 medications
- 48 new generics
- A – Z format
Pros: lots of info, pocket-sized
Cons: not as comprehensive as a full guide
Pharmacology And The Nursing Process (Best Nursing-Focused)
The quality that makes this pharmacology guide so useful is the fact that it’s written directly for nurses. Every piece of information, advice, and date caters to how nurses use pharmacology on the job. Includes prioritization and the nursing process.
- Nursing focused
- QSEN info
- Prioritization
- Photo reference guide
- Student-friendly design
- Updated content
Pros: focused on nurses, lots of extra information, easy to read
Cons: no cons unless you’re not a nursing student
Pharmacology Flashcards
Mosby’s Pharmacology Memory NoteCards (Best Overall)
These flashcards have everything you need to help you memorize all those names, interactions, and side-effects. You get visual aids, mnemonics, fun drawings, and more.
All of the drug monographs are detailed in easy to understand, bite-sized chunks that make them easier to learn.
- Spiral-bound
- 224 pages
- Mnemonic memory aids
- Reference tabs
- Color-coded
- Original artwork
Pros: lots of visual aids, mnemonics, updated info
Cons: could use a few more explanations
Pharm Phlash! Pharmacology Flash Cards (Most Information)
This flashcard deck shoots for being the most comprehensive and nails it. It’s got every fact, number, and data set you to need to know about every drug. Each section is color-coded with reference sections with things to keep in mind.
- More than 400 cards
- Color-coded
- Extensive information
- A to Z format
- Index
Pros: tons of information, reference sections, color-coded
Cons: a lot of text
Lange Pharmacology Flashcards, 4th ed. (Quick and Easy)
If you need a fast review before a test, these are the flashcards for you. These are quick and easy to read, plus the real-world applications are a real help in understanding a drug’s effects.
- More than 250 cards
- Great for NCLEX review
- Written by medical students
- All concepts are included
Pros: quick and easy, not too thick, easy to tote around
Cons: not as comprehensive as others
McGraw-Hill’s Top 300 Pharmacy Drug Cards (Most Add-ons)
These flashcards cover all the basics: drug names, info, side-effects, safety, etc. In addition, you get reference photos of drugs, audio tutorials plus cards on vaccines.
- 300 individual cards
- Photo reference guide
- Audio Question and Answer session
Pros: easy to read, comprehensive info, extras
Cons: not many visual aids
PharmCards, 5th ed. (Easiest To Read)
If you like crisp design and an easy to read format, these are your flashcards. Colorful, large print gives you all the info you need on the latest drug updates and the most commonly prescribed medications. Bonus: downloadable app.
- More than 250 cards
- Easy to read design
- Clinically-focused approach
- Downloadable app
- Available eBook
Pros: easy to read, downloadable app
Cons: could use further explanations for some sections
Want more flashcards? You can check out medication flashcards for nurses here.
Pharmacology Apps
Some of these apps are free – some have in-app purchases. But they all are great resources to download and use whether you’re studying for a test, the NCLEX, or have a spare minute while waiting in line for a coffee.
Apps For iPhone
- Flashcard Pharmacology
- Davis’s Drug Guide
- Davis’s Drug Guide For Nurses
- Nurse’s Drug Handbook
- Lippincott’s Pharmacology: USMLE & NAPLEX
Apps For Android
- Simple Pharmacology
- Pharmacology Mnemonics
- Pharmacology For Nurses
- Clinical Pharmacology
- Pharmacology Quiz
If there’s anything we forgot – let us know, but this should be just about every resource you could ever need to help you crush your pharmacology class or the NCLEX. Yes, pharmacology isn’t easy, but it’s crucial. If you want to know why understanding pharmacology is so important for nurses, we tell you here. And why pharmacology for nurses is so difficult? Find out.
All it takes is the right tools and a little bit of knuckling down and studying – and all of a sudden, pharmacology doesn’t seem so scary anymore. When you have a firm grasp of pharmacology, not only will you be able to more effectively administer medications – you’ll also be doing it safely.