BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN PHARMACY (BPharm)

The primary aim of the Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy is to provide the relevant knowledge and skills that are required for entry into the profession. The program prepares graduates for a variety of careers in pharmacy practice, research, and teaching. Our graduates influence the continuously changing healthcare field be it in the community practice, hospital service, healthcare business, pharmaceutical industry, or research. In addition, interprofessional education is integrated into the curriculum as an essential component to prepare graduates for interprofessional collaborative patient-centered practice as healthcare professionals.

 

Program Objectives

• Provide evidence-based patient-centered care to optimize pharmacotherapy outcomes in various multidisciplinary healthcare practice settings.
• Manage pharmacy operations in hospitals, community pharmacies, and industrial settings.
• Promote public health awareness and disease prevention, through innovation in the practice of pharmacy, for the benefit of the individual and community being served.
• Perform duties in accordance with legal, ethical, socioeconomic and professional standards.
• Integrate scholarly research with clinical pharmacy practice and commit to self-directed lifelong learning.

 

Career Prospects

A wide range of career opportunity is available for graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy degree among which include:

• The majority of graduates enter community & Hospital pharmacies practice.

• pharmaceutical sales.
• drug researcher.
• clinical specialty practices in such areas as infectious diseases, pediatrics, psychiatry, intensive care, or cardiology.
• Policy maker or advisor in federal or provincial government, regarding drug products and pharmacy practice.
• Lawyer, journalist or consultant specializing in pharmaceutical issues.

 

Program Structure

To be awarded a Bachelor of Science Degree in Pharmacy (BS Pharm), a student must complete the prescribe courses and earn at least 160 credits, with 120 coming from the concentration courses.

 

Core courses (24 credits)

BIO 210: Anatomy and Physiology I

BIO 220: Anatomy and Physiology II

BCH 310: General Biochemistry

BIO 310: Bioethics

MCB 310: General Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

PHA 310: Physical Assessment and Clinical Skills

PHA 320: Clinical Pharmacology & Pharmacotherapeutics

 

Concentration courses (48 credits)

PHA 210: Introduction to Pharmacy

PHA 215: Pharmacy Practice

PHA 315: Pharmacy Calculations

PHA 325: Pharmacology I

PHA 330: Medication Dosage and Safety

PHA 335: Hospital Pharmacy

PHA 340: Community Pharmacy

PHA 345: Pharmacy Law & Ethics

PHA 410: Pharmacology II

PHA 415: Medicinal Chemistry/Natural Products

PHA 420: Pharmacy Management

PHA 425: Biopharmaceutics and Principles of Clinical Pharmacokinetics

 

Preceptorships (32 credits)

PHA 213: Introductory Pharmacy Practice

PHA 3I3: Hospital Pharmacy Practice

PHA 413: Community Pharmacy Practice

PHA 423: Institutional Pharmacy Practice

PHA 433: Advanced Pharmacy Practice

 

Research Courses (8 Credits)

PHA 480: Research Design & Seminar Presentations

PHA 498: Pharmacy Research Project

 

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

 

BIO 210: Anatomy and Physiology I

This course is an introduction to anatomy and physiology and assures no prior knowledge of the human body by student. It is directed to prepare students for health-related professions such medical laboratory. Topics to be covered include:  The Chemical Level of Organization, Tissue level of Organization, Digestive System, Respiratory System, Circulatory & Cardiovascular System, Lymphatic System and Immunity, The Renal System, Fluid, Electrolyte and Acid-Base Homeostasis.

 

BIO 220: Anatomy and Physiology II

This course is a continuation of Human o anatomy and physiology I. topics to be covered include: Life Processes, Major systems of the human body, Special Senses, Reproductive System, Integument System: Support and Movement.

PHA 210: Introduction to Pharmacy

This course introduces pharmacy practice and the technician’s role in a variety of pharmacy settings. Topics include medical terminology and abbreviations, drug delivery systems, law and ethics, prescription and medication orders, and the health care system. Upon completion, students should be able to explain the role of pharmacy technicians, read and interpret drug orders, describe quality assurance, and utilize pharmacy references.

 

PHA 215: Pharmacy Practice

This course provides instruction in the technical procedures for preparing and dispensing drugs in the hospital and retail settings under supervision of a registered pharmacist. Topics include drug packaging and labeling, outpatient dispensing, hospital dispensing procedures, controlled substance procedures, inventory control, and non-sterile compounding. Upon completion, students should be able to perform basic supervised dispensing techniques in a variety of pharmacy settings.

 

PHA 213: Introductory Pharmacy Practice

This course will provide the student an opportunity to work in pharmacy settings under a pharmacist’s supervision during their first year of studies. Emphasis is placed on effective communication with personnel, developing proper employee attitude, and dispensing of medications. Upon completion, students should be able to demonstrate an understanding of pharmacy operations, utilize references, dispense medications, prepare patient charges, and efficiently operate computers. (Forty hours per week for six weeks at assigned affiliate hospital). Prerequisite: BIO 210, BIO220, PHA 210, PHA 215

BIO 310: Bioethics

This course aimed at presenting the basic concepts, principles, and elements of ethics as well as formulating the ethical principles relevant to medical practice, the doctor-patient relationship, and related areas of concern. The course begins with a brief overview of ethics, and them moves to develop and consider the moral values and principles relevant to medical practice and bioethics. The course aims to consider the defense of general views on the moral values involved in bioethics, as well as the complicated issues of applying this general knowledge to particular situations. The course hopes to develop moral wisdom (knowledge about ethics and the ability to think ethically) and moral virtue (a stronger commitment to act morally). Topics to be covered include: the nature of the Doctor-Patient Relationship, principles of Patient Decision-Making, Life-Sustaining Treatments (including CPR, and medical nutrition and hydration), Reproductive Issues (including contraception, artificial reproductive technologies, abortion), arguments for Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide, and Research Ethics (including a consideration of the Stem Cell controversy), etc.

PHA 310: Physical Assessment and Clinical Skills

Physical assessment and clinical skills provides the student with knowledge and preliminary application of the skills necessary for obtaining a comprehensive patient history and problem identification. Students will learn to design patient-centered, culturally relevant pharmacy care plans and appreciate the role of these plans in patient care. Students will learn and perform basic assessment techniques and the skills necessary for triage and referral. This course will also provide an introduction to the role of home diagnostic and monitoring devices in the diagnosis, staging, and monitoring of various disease states.

 

BCH 310: General Biochemistry

This course introduces students to the major organic substances of living organisms, proteins, carbohydrates and lipids: their structure, analysis and biochemical function. Other topics will include: enzymes; the biochemistry of membranes, including the plasma membrane and specialized intracellular membranes; and the biochemistry of selected differentiated cells, a discussion of metabolic pathways, energy production, and metabolic regulatory mechanism.

 

MCB 310: General Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

The overall goal of this course is to introduce students to the field of microbiology and emerging infectious diseases. It will cover a wide range of topics including bacteriology, virology, microbial pathogenicity and epidemiology, body Defense Mechanisms against infection, the pathophysiology and epidemiology of infectious diseases, host-pathogen relationships and the mechanisms behind the emergence of new microbial threats.as well as the pharmacology of antimicrobial and antiviral agents, The intent is to provide an understanding of the medically relevant bacterial, fungal and viral pathogens and the diseases they produce. The emphasis will be on the pathophysiology of these diseases, the nature of host-parasite interactions and the different clinical syndromes caused by these pathogens. It is not the purpose of this course to teach the clinical management and therapy of infectious diseases.

 

PHA 315: Pharmacy Calculations

This course provides an introduction to the metric, avoirdupois, and apothecary systems of measurement and the mathematical expertise requisite to the compounding, dispensing, and utilization of drugs. Topics include ratio and proportion, dosage determinations, percentage preparations, reducing and enlarging formulas, dilution and concentration, aliquots, specific gravity and density, and flow rates. Upon completion, students should be able to perform correctly the calculations required to prepare a medication order properly.

 

PHA 320: Clinical Pharmacology & Pharmacotherapeutics

This course is designed to prepare students for the pharmacological requirements of practice as a primary care provider. Emphasis is placed on general principles of Pharmacology, drug procurement, storage, distribution, use and control. Autonomic pharmacology and autacoids, anti-microbial agents, Analgesics, anesthetic agents, Respiratory and endocrine pharmacology, euro and psycho pharmacology, GIT pharmacology, Drugs acting on blood and bone marrow, Eye, Skin and ENT; Cytotoxic agents and Toxicology. Obstetric Pharmacology. Alternative medicine.

 

PHA 325: Pharmacology I

This course introduces the study of the properties, effects, and therapeutic value of the primary agents in the major drug categories. Topics include nutritional products, blood modifiers, hormones, diuretics, cardiovascular agents, respiratory drugs, and gastrointestinal agents. Upon completion, students should be able to place major drugs into correct therapeutic categories and identify indications, side effects, and trade and generic names.

 

PHA 330: Medication Dosage and Safety

This course is a study of pharmaceutical dosage forms and considerations in their as well as the safety principles employed in medication- use process. Topics include bioavailability, routes of administration, tablets, capsules, solutions, syrups, suspensions, elixirs, aerosols, transdermals, topicals, ophthalmics, otics, and other dosage forms, identifying the types and causes of medication errors; developing strategies for improving the medication-use process; and defining the role of medication safety resources and reporting systems.

 

PHA 335:  Hospital Pharmacy

This course provides an in-depth study of hospital pharmacy practice. Emphasis is placed on the role of the pharmacist/pharmacy technician in medication dispensing and patient care in hospital settings.  Topics include hospital organizational structure, committee functions, utilization of reference works, purchasing and inventory control, drug delivery systems, and intravenous admixture preparation. Upon completion, students should be able to explain hospital organization/committee functions, interpret and enter patient orders, fill unit-dose cassettes, and prepare intravenous admixtures

 

PHA 3I3: Hospital Pharmacy Practice

This course will provide the student an opportunity to work in hospital pharmacy under a pharmacist’s supervision. Students will gain experience in verification and processing prescriptions, compounding, patient education, patient interaction, drug selection, interpreting telephone and written orders, ordering, inventory control, third, party reimbursement, pricing, pharmacy law, patient counseling, providing non- prescription drug information and all other aspects of hospital pharmacy practice. The overall goals of the externship are to provide the student with a fundamental understanding and appreciation of pharmacy practice. (Forty hours per week for eight weeks at assigned 2 affiliate hospitals). Prerequisite: PHA 213, PHA 315, PHA 325, PHA 330, PHA 335

 

PHA 340: Community Pharmacy

This course covers the operational procedures relating to retail pharmacy. Emphasis is placed on the role of the pharmacist/pharmacy technician in medication dispensing and patient care as well as general knowledge of over-the-counter products, prescription processing, business/inventory management, and specialty patient services. Upon completion, students should be able to provide technical assistance and support to the retail pharmacist.

 

PHA 345: Pharmacy Law & Ethics

This course will provide students with information and skills in the areas of communication and pharmacy law. Students will be provided resources aimed at improving and utilizing communication skills in diverse pharmacy practice settings. The course will also cover the study of law, regulations and court decisions on federal, state, and local levels and the ethical considerations which control and influence pharmacy practice. Professional ethics will be covered in this course

 

 

PHA 410: Pharmacology II

This course provides a continuation of the study of properties, effects, and therapeutic value of the primary agents in the major drug categories. Topics include autonomic and central nervous system agents, anti-inflammatory agents, and anti-infective drugs. Upon completion, students should be able to place major drugs into correct therapeutic categories and identify indications, side effects, and trade and generic names.

 

PHA 413: Community Pharmacy Practice

This course is will provide structured practical experience in community pharmacy practice. Students will have the opportunity to provide clinical pharmacy services utilizing pharmacotherapy, evidence based medicine, and physical assessment in a community/retail setting. Through utilization of competency-based objectives, students gain a greater appreciation for the profession of pharmacy and develop professional attitudes, judgment and technical skills needed to function in the community setting. Students observe/discuss the role of the community pharmacist and actively participate in daily operations that focus on the distributive aspects of practice. (Forty hours per week for four weeks at assigned affiliate community pharmacy). Prerequisite: PHA 213, PHA 313, PHA 340

 

PHA 415: Medicinal Chemistry/Natural Products

Medicinal chemistry/natural products addresses the physicochemical properties of drug molecules, the chemical basis of pharmacology and therapeutics, fundamental pharmacophores for drugs used to treat disease, structure-activity relationships pertaining to drug-target interactions, and chemical pathways of drug metabolism. The main objective of the course is to understand how the chemical structures of drugs determine their biological properties, including absorption, distribution to sites of action, interactions with pharmacological targets, metabolic inactivation, forms and routes of elimination, and therapeutic potential. The course is designed to include basic chemical concepts that govern drug action, general principles of medicinal chemistry, and chemical characteristics of selected drug classes. Students will also gain an understanding of how these principles can be generally applied to making drug therapy decisions.

 

PHA 420: Pharmacy Management

The course is designed to teach students the requisite skills needed to perform managerial functions in various pharmacy practice settings. It provides an introduction to marketing principles, basic accounting principles, project management issues, managing and improving the medication-use process, and topics related to healthcare improvement mechanisms at the micro- and macro-system levels.

 

 

PHA 423: Institutional Pharmacy Practice

This course is will provide structured practical experience in Institutional pharmacy practice. Students will have the opportunity to provide clinical pharmacy services utilizing pharmacotherapy, evidence based medicine, and physical assessment in a community/retail setting. Through utilization of competency-based objectives, students gain a greater appreciation for the profession of pharmacy and develop professional attitudes, judgment and technical skills needed to function in the institutional settings. Students observe/discuss the role of the pharmacist and actively participate in daily operations that focus on the distributive aspects of practice. (Forty hours per week for four weeks at assigned affiliate community pharmacy). Prerequisite: PHA 213, PHA 313, PHA 340

 

PHA 425: Biopharmaceutics and Principles of Clinical Pharmacokinetics

The fate of a medication in the body is determined by several key factors that include the dosage form or delivery system, the route of administration or site of delivery, the chemical structure of the active ingredient, and the functional status of the patient’s biological systems. Dissecting and modeling the interplay among these factors is the purview of biopharmaceutics and pharmacokinetics. The knowledge and algorithms derived from such exercises are routinely applied to facilitate dosage form design, to predict medication dosing regimens, and to optimize treatment protocols for individual patients based on their specific profiles. This course is designed to include key mathematical, physicochemical, and biological principles that govern the fate of a dosage form or its active ingredient as it traverses the many varied barriers between the site of administration, the site of action, and the site and mode of elimination. Learning activities in the course consist primarily of lectures, discussions, and problem-solving exercises or assignments.

 

PHA 433: Advanced Pharmacy Practice

The advanced pharmacy practice is designed to aid the student in developing and applying skills and information previously presented in formal coursework toward the practice of pharmacy. These experiences are directed toward direct patient care where students will be exposed to acute/primary care and ambulatory care; indirect patient care where students will be exposed to aspects of health system and community management. Emphasis is placed on the student’s ability to function as a clinician in a practice setting (hospital, community and ambulatory), along with development of the skills and attitudes related to communication skills, problem-solving skills, and self-assessment skills. (Forty hours per week for eight weeks at assigned affiliate hospital/community pharmacy). Prerequisite: PHA 213, PHA 313, PHA 413, PHA 423

 

PHA 480: Research Design & Seminar Presentation

The research design project involves an individual student or a small group of students working as a team to put the knowledge acquired in previous courses into concrete praxis to design and present a nominated project. The tasks include the study of the available processes, process selection, calculation of material and energy balances, preparation of flow sheets, preparation of a design report and drawing of the plant layout.

 

PHA 498: Pharmacy Research Project

A program of study on an approved research topic in pharmacy will be followed up by a supervisor. This supervised individual study provides an opportunity for in-depth reading and research on a topic selected by the student and supervisor. Students in this program of study may carry out a pilot project in preparation for a thesis or dissertation. Students are expected to select a researchable problem in theology and carry out a study on it. This project should follow the American Psychological Association (APA) format.