site use statement

link to: Skyscape PDA software for TWU RN students

 

Our N222 Course Motto:

Pharmacology is an ancient art as well as a robust and contemporary science. It's sometimes hard to remember that medicines were, not so very long ago, closely connected with the earth and with the vegetation and minerals that are the gifts of the Earth and of their Creator to us. For example, aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) originally came from the bark of the Willow tree; penicillin, from the humble bread mold, and Quinine, from the Cinchona tree. Our stewardship of these gifts of the Earth is a grace, a privilege and a responsibility. This course will allow us to explore the art and science of pharmacology and begin to develop a framework for grappling with this vast amount of rapidly growing and changing information, with an understanding of our personal responsibility as nurses toward ongoing learning to provide safe medication administration, solid medication assessment and monitoring, justice-based advocacy, and current, accurate medication education to our patients. To that end, the scripture reminding us that these ancient gifts of the Earth are given to all for Good may help us to stay focused on the humility of ourselves as fellow gift-recipients, as well as the personal accountability that comes with our nursing knowledge of pharmacology ... to provide safe and just care ... for Good ...

Genesis 1:12
Listen to this passage (as read by Captain Picard!)

The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds ...

And God saw that it was good.

Online Resources:

link to: online interactive math review and quizzes

link to: another online pharmacology math review plus abbreviations, etc

link to: medical abbreviations lookup

link to: medical abbreviation lookup2

link to: medication abbreviation errors video

link to: medilexicon (medical dictionary, drug database, etc)

link to: drug database AltDrug (free, suitable for patient educational use)

link to: Discovery Health's Drug database (free, suitable for patient educational use)

link to: Rx List (free prescription drug information site for patient educational use)

link to: US Food and Drug Administration

link to: Health Canada Drugs and Health Products page

link to: herbal med database

link to: CedarSinai Health Library of Herbals, etc.

link to: NCCAM information about dietary and herbal supplements

link to: MedlinePlus database on Herbals, Supplements, Meds, etc

link to: APA resources - UBC Library Page

link to: APA resources - via TWU Library Page

link to: APA resources - other online pages

link to: APA online Cribsheet

link to: PERRLA APA template software for MS WORD

link to: Medline Plus (drug database plus other good stuff for patient education)

link to: Skyscape PDA software for TWU RN students

 

Course Materials:

• For this term's course materials and other information, go to myCourses via the TWU Student Portal

The N222 textbook is Pharmacology for Nurses, A Pathophysiologic Approach by Adams, Josephson & Holland, 2nd Ed. You will also be required to purchase the matching workbook, as well as any current nursing drug handbook. The nursing drug handbook may be in PDA (remember to access your discount through Skyscape!) or hardcopy format. The picture following is of the OLD edition of the text, however, if you click on the image, it will take you to the publisher's interactive student reference and online study site for the text:

The other required text for the course, Diseases and Disorders A Nursing Therapeutics Manual, by Sommer, Johnson & Beery, you should already have from N116 Health Assessment. If you do not, this book is also available in a PDA version as well. You may get a 25% discount for this as well as a PDA nursing drugbook, such as FA Davis's Drug guide through Skyscape TWU discount for RN students.

The Martha Libster text, Delmar's Integrative Herbs for Nurses, is highly recommended for this course as well, as it is more and more necessary for nurses to be able to understand the basics of herbals and to access information for patients on herbal products:

 

For all other course materials and lecture notes, please go to the TWU myCourse site. This is accessed through the TWU Student Portal.

 

Additional Course Readings:

Week One

link to article: "Preventing Medication Errors"

link to article: "First, Do No Harm"

link to article: "Nurses' Six Rights for Safe Medication Administration"

link to article: "Make a Med Error? Tell Everyone!"

Week Two

link to article: "Herbs--are they worth the risk?"

link to article: "Antimicrobials of Plant Origin"

Week Three

link to article "Using a Portfolio of Particle Growth Technologies to Enable Delivery of Drugs With Poor Water Solubility " (optional article on pharmaceutical delivery problems)

link to article: "The effect of type and concentration of vehicles on the dissolution rate of a poorly soluble drug (indomethacin) from liquisolid compacts." (optional article on pharmaceutical delivery problems)

link to Pharmacokinetics tutorial (optional)

link to article: "The practice of digoxin therapeutic drug monitoring" (optional article)

Week Four

link to online IV Therapy, Fluid & Electrolytes Nursing Notes (optional)

link to pdf doc Acid-Base Balance Worksheet (optional)

Week Five

link to: online article on secondary hypertension (optional)

link to: good online article for patient teaching The Elderly and High Blood Pressure (optional)

link to: DASH Diet information for Patients

Week Six

link to article: Guidelines for assessing constipation (optional)

link to article: Clinical Guideline for Preventing Constipation in Elders

Recipe for Fruit-Lax:

Equal quantities of:

Pitted prunes
Figs
Dark raisins
A few dates for flavor (optional)

Halve the larger pieces of fruit. Place in a medium saucepan. Add small amount of water (just enough to help soften). Cook on a medium setting just long enough to soften the fruit. Let sit about 30 min or more to absorb the water and cool down. Mash it, or puree it in food processor or blender, adding a little OJ or more water if necessary. It should be the consistency of jam. (You can spread it on toast or crackers!)

Keep it in a covered container and stored in the fridge, or you can freeze it as well.

Half a cup of each fruit will make about 1 1/2 cups Fruit-Lax.

Take up to 2 Tbsp daily. I suggest starting with less, in case it works too well . . . !

Week Seven

link to: online article on Depression and Antidepressive Agents (optional)

Week Eight

Week Nine

link to: Antibiotics Worksheet (Organizational outline of ABXs used for systemic infections)

link to: online information on Yeast Infections (optional)

Week Ten

link to: Signs & Symptoms of Hypoglycemia

link to: Signs and Symptoms of Hyperglycemia

Week Eleven

Week Twelve

Week Thirteen

Week Fourteen