Skagit Valley College

Catalog Course Search Details

 Course Title:   Pharmacy Technician Terminology

 Title Abbreviation:   PHARM TECH TERMINOLOGY

 Department:    AHE

 Course #:    131

 Credits:    3

 Variable:     No

 IUs:    3

 CIP:    510805

 EPC:    399

 REV:    2018


 Course Description  

Emphasis on specific medical terminology and mathematics related to pharmacy. Focuses on how to interpret prescription or medication orders, including how to interpret medical abbreviations, terminology, pharmaceutical equations and solutions.

 Prerequisite  

Prerequisite: Concurrent enrollment in AHE 130.

Additional Course Details

Contact Hours (based on 11 week quarter)

Lecture: 33

Lab: 0

Other: 0

Systems: 0

Clinical: 0


Intent: Distribution Requirement(s) Status:  

Vocational Preparatory Required for certificate  

Equivalencies At Other Institutions

Other Institution Equivalencies Table
Institution Course # Remarks
N/A

Learning Outcomes

After completing this course, the student will be able to:

  1. Correctly identify prefixes, suffixes and root words used in writing prescriptions/medication orders.
  2. Describe various dosage forms, routes of administration and abbreviations used to indicate them in prescription/medication orders.
  3. Correctly interpret written prescriptions/medication orders. Correctly spell and pronounce names of top 200 Rx drugs.
  4. Explain potential sources of error associated with using incorrect, inappropriate or ambiguous abbreviations.
  5. Identify potential for error associated with drugs having �sound alike� names, and strategies for avoiding errors involving them.
  6. Accurately solve pharmacy math problems. Describe the double check process.
  7. Demonstrate understanding of potential harm to patients resulting from errors.

General Education Learning Values & Outcomes

Revised August 2008 and affects outlines for 2008 year 1 and later.

1. Information Literacy

Definition: Recognizing when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.

Outcomes: Students will be able to . . .
1.5 Effectively integrate and use information ethically and legally to accomplish a specific purpose.

2. Critical Thinking

Definition: The ability to think critically about the nature of knowledge within a discipline and about the ways in which that knowledge is constructed and validated and to be sensitive to the ways these processes often vary among disciplines.

Outcomes: Students will be able to . . .
2.1 Identify and express concepts, terms, and facts related to a specific discipline.

8. Mathematical Reasoning

Definition: Understanding and applying concepts of mathematics and logical reasoning in a variety of contexts, both academic and non-academic.

Outcomes: Students will be able to . . .
8.1 Analyze problems to determine what mathematical principles apply.

Course Contents

  1. Rules for forming and spelling medical terms.
  2. Abbreviations used in writing prescriptions.
  3. Abbreviations used in measurement.
  4. General medical abbreviations.
  5. Abbreviations specific to bodily systems.
  6. Trade and Generic names of top 200 drugs.
  7. Pharmacy mathematics in practice.
  8. Critical thinking and reasoning in pharmacy practice.