PHAR 1103: Pharmacy Calculations 1
Department
Pharmacy Technician
Description
This course emphasizes the calculations required to accurately fill prescriptions and prepare pharmaceutical products in a community pharmacy. Systems of measure, conversions between systems, drug strengths, quantities and volumes required to fill prescriptions, prepare stock solutions and compound extemporaneous products are included.
This course is part of the full-time Pharmacy Technician Program.
Year of study
1st Year Post-secondary
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Perform basic mathematical calculations with accuracy.
- Identify units of measure and their abbreviations.
- Convert from unit to unit within a system of measure.
- Convert units from one system to another system of measure.
- Identify expressions of drug strength.
- Convert between expressions of drug strength.
- Calculate the quantities and volumes required for prescriptions.
- Calculate the quantities and volumes of stock mixtures required for extemporaneous prescriptions.
- Calculate the quantities and volumes of ingredients required for extemporaneous prescriptions.
Prior Learning Assessment & Recognition (PLAR)
None
Hours
Lecture, Online, Seminar, Tutorial: 30
Total Hours: 30
Instructional Strategies
Lecture, independent study
Delivery: full-time
Grading System
Letter Grade (A-F)
Evaluation Plan
Type
|
Percentage
|
Assessment activity
|
Assignments
|
5
|
In-class worksheets
|
Quizzes/Tests
|
30
|
Quiz 1: formative assessment
|
Quizzes/Tests
|
30
|
Quiz 2: formative assessment
|
Final Exam
|
35
|
Test: comprehensive assessment
|
Course topics
- 1. Basic mathematical operations
- 2. Systems of measure
- 3. Conversions between systems of measure
- 4. Drug strength
- 5. Quantities required to fill prescriptions
- 6. Extemporaneous compounding
Learning resources
Resources are items that the student is responsible for purchasing. Resource information will be supplied by the department/instructor.
Notes:
- Course contents and descriptions, offerings and schedules are subject to change without notice.
- Students are required to follow all College policies including ones that govern their educational experience at VCC. Policies are available on the VCC website at:
https://www.vcc.ca/about/governance--policies/policies/.
- To find out if there are existing transfer agreements for this course, visit the BC Transfer Guide at https://www.bctransferguide.ca.