Pharmacy Calculations 3 unit

Catalog description

This course provides an in-depth exploration of essential pharmacy calculations performed in various pharmacy settings. Includes medical terminology, weights and measures, the metric, avoirdupois, and apothecary systems of measurement and interconversion of units in the metric and common systems of measurement. Pharmacy calculations typically used daily in retail, closed-door, home health, compounding and institutional pharmacies are emphasized. Topics include ratio and proportion, dosage determinations, percentage preparations, reducing and enlarging formulas, dilution and concentration, aliquots, specific gravity and density, and flow rates. Business terms and business math skills, purchasing needs, profit margins, and inventory control are also covered. A laboratory experiential component provides a hands-on experience to develop problem-solving skills, including how to use information from written prescriptions, hospital orders, and labels of products available in a pharmacy. Upon completion, students should be able to correctly perform calculations required to properly prepare a medication order.