The Teaching Card Deck and the Ten-Minute Class Drill
Six index cards in a three-by-two grid, each with a class header bar and three ruled lines, one card taped at a slight tilt.
THE CARD DECK
1 · angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors What to say: This pill relaxes your blood vessels so your heart and kidneys have an easier job. When to call us: A dry cough that will not settle, or any swelling of the lips, tongue, or face. The thing they get wrong: Using a potassium-containing salt substitute, which pushes potassium up on a drug that already raises it.
2 · corticosteroids What to say: This calms inflammation everywhere in the body, so it also raises your blood sugar and hides a fever. When to call us: Any sign of infection, or if you run out of tablets before the taper is finished. The thing they get wrong: Stopping suddenly when they feel better. Carry the taper schedule in writing.
3 · anticoagulants What to say: This keeps your blood from clotting too easily, so bruising and small bleeds are part of the deal. When to call us: watch Black or tarry stools, pink or brown urine, bleeding that will not stop, or any fall or head strike. The thing they get wrong: Cutting out all leafy greens on warfarin. Keep greens consistent instead.
4 · bisphosphonates What to say: This rebuilds bone, but only if it gets past your esophagus safely. When to call us: Painful swallowing, heartburn that is new, or thigh or groin pain. The thing they get wrong: Lying back down, or taking it with coffee or juice. Plain water, upright, nothing else by mouth.
5 · tetracyclines and fluoroquinolones What to say: These antibiotics get blocked by minerals, so timing matters as much as the dose. When to call us: Tendon pain or swelling, a severe sunburn reaction, or new watery diarrhea. The thing they get wrong: Taking the dose with milk, an antacid, or a calcium or iron supplement.
6 · inhaled corticosteroids What to say: This is your daily controller, not your rescue inhaler, and it works only if you use it every day. When to call us: White patches in the mouth, a hoarse voice, or needing the rescue inhaler more often. The thing they get wrong: Not rinsing the mouth after every dose, which is how oral candidiasis starts.
THE TEN-MINUTE CLASS DRILL
| Minutes | Segment | Tick |
|---|---|---|
| 0–2 | Name all twelve stems and their classes, out loud, from memory | ☐ |
| 2–4 | Run the four-link chain on three classes chosen at random | ☐ |
| 4–6 | Name ten reversal pairings without notes | ☐ |
| 6–8 | Name the four interaction modifiers and one example of each | ☐ |
| 8–10 | Name the six high-alert categories and why each qualifies | ☐ |
If you can teach it to a patient, you know it. If you stumble on a segment, that segment names your next study hour.
CROSS-LINKS
- Every calculation, dose, and rate
→ BOOK 06 - Every reference range and therapeutic level
→ BOOK 07 - Cardiac drugs inside a bedside decision
→ BOOK 08 - All psychotropic pharmacology
→ BOOK 14 - Delegation of medication tasks
→ BOOK 03 - The final countdown
→ BOOK 16
Margin noteif you can teach it to a patient, you know it.
TakeawayThe class is the unit; teach from the class, monitor from the class, and reverse from the class.