Pharmacy Course

Lesson 1 • Pharmacy Practice Settings

Surveys community, hospital, clinical, and specialty pharmacy environments. Students identify how setting shapes pharmacist responsibilities and patient interaction.

Lesson 2 • Professional Ethics and Standards

Covers ethical principles guiding pharmacy practice, including patient autonomy and confidentiality. Ethical reasoning underpins every clinical and dispensing decision.

Lesson 3 • Pharmaceutical Terminology and Nomenclature

Introduces Latin roots, abbreviations, and drug naming systems used in prescriptions and literature. Accurate terminology is essential for safe dispensing and communication.

Lesson 1 • Biopharmaceutics Fundamentals

Explains how drug properties affect absorption and bioavailability. Connects molecular characteristics to clinical drug performance.

Lesson 2 • Human Anatomy and Physiology Review

Summarizes major organ systems and their physiological functions relevant to drug action. Organ system knowledge is prerequisite for understanding pharmacokinetics.

Lesson 3 • Basic Chemistry for Pharmacists

Reviews atomic structure, bonding, and functional groups relevant to drug molecules. Chemical literacy enables understanding of drug stability and interactions.

Lesson 1 • Drug Absorption and Distribution

Covers routes of administration, membrane transport, and volume of distribution. These concepts explain how drugs reach target tissues.

Lesson 2 • Pharmacokinetic Parameters and Modeling

Introduces half-life, clearance, and compartmental models used in dosing calculations. Students perform quantitative PK analyses to support clinical decisions.

Lesson 3 • Pharmacodynamics and Drug-Receptor Theory

Explains receptor types, agonism, antagonism, and dose-response relationships. PD principles link drug concentration to therapeutic and toxic effects.

Lesson 4 • Drug Metabolism and Excretion

Examines hepatic phase I and II reactions, renal clearance, and elimination pathways. Metabolism knowledge guides dose adjustments in organ impairment.

Lesson 1 • Novel and Advanced Drug Delivery Systems

Surveys transdermal patches, inhalers, nanoparticles, and implantable devices. Advanced delivery systems improve adherence and targeted therapy.

Lesson 2 • Parenteral and Sterile Preparations

Introduces intravenous, intramuscular, and subcutaneous formulations and aseptic technique. Sterile preparation competency is critical for patient safety.

Lesson 3 • Liquid and Semi-Solid Formulations

Describes solutions, suspensions, emulsions, creams, and gels. Formulation type determines stability, administration technique, and patient suitability.

Lesson 1 • Endocrine and Metabolic Pharmacology

Covers insulin, oral antidiabetics, thyroid agents, corticosteroids, and lipid-lowering drugs. Endocrine therapy requires precise dosing and patient education.

Lesson 2 • Cardiovascular and Renal Pharmacology

Covers antihypertensives, antiarrhythmics, diuretics, and heart failure agents. Cardiovascular drugs represent the highest-volume therapeutic category in practice.

Lesson 3 • Oncology and Immunology Pharmacology

Introduces cytotoxic agents, targeted therapies, immunosuppressants, and biologics. Oncology pharmacology demands rigorous safety and handling knowledge.

Lesson 4 • Central Nervous System Pharmacology

Examines analgesics, antidepressants, antipsychotics, anxiolytics, and anticonvulsants. CNS drugs require careful monitoring due to narrow therapeutic windows.

Lesson 1 • High-Alert Medications and Safety

Identifies drugs with narrow therapeutic indices and high error potential requiring special safeguards. High-alert drug management is a core patient safety competency.

Lesson 2 • Mechanisms of Drug-Drug Interactions

Explains pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interaction mechanisms including enzyme induction and inhibition. Mechanistic understanding enables prediction of novel interactions.

Lesson 3 • Adverse Drug Reactions Classification

Categorizes ADRs by type, severity, and predictability using established classification systems. Accurate ADR classification guides reporting and prevention strategies.

Lesson 4 • Pharmacovigilance and ADR Reporting

Introduces post-market surveillance systems, causality assessment, and voluntary reporting processes. Pharmacovigilance participation is a professional obligation for all pharmacists.

Lesson 1 • Extemporaneous Compounding Principles

Covers calculations, equipment, and techniques for preparing non-commercial formulations. Compounding skills meet patient needs unaddressed by commercial products.

Lesson 2 • Medication Error Prevention and Reporting

Analyzes root causes of medication errors and implements system-level prevention strategies. A just culture of reporting drives continuous safety improvement.

Lesson 3 • Drug Storage, Handling, and Disposal

Specifies temperature requirements, controlled substance storage, and safe disposal methods. Proper storage preserves drug integrity and prevents diversion.

Lesson 4 • Prescription Interpretation and Processing

Teaches reading, verifying, and processing handwritten and electronic prescriptions. Accurate interpretation is the first line of defense against dispensing errors.

Lesson 1 • Therapeutic Drug Monitoring

Applies PK principles to interpret serum drug levels and adjust dosing regimens. TDM is essential for drugs with narrow therapeutic indices and variable pharmacokinetics.

Lesson 2 • Patient Counseling and Health Literacy

Teaches structured counseling techniques adapted to varying patient health literacy levels. Effective counseling improves adherence and reduces preventable adverse events.

Lesson 3 • Medication Therapy Management

Covers comprehensive medication review, medication action plans, and follow-up protocols. MTM services optimize therapeutic outcomes and reduce drug-related problems.

Lesson 4 • Interprofessional Collaboration in Healthcare

Defines pharmacist roles within multidisciplinary teams and effective communication strategies. Collaborative practice improves patient outcomes and reduces medication errors.