Course

Pharmacology Basics

Faculty
Science & Technology
Department
Veterinary Technology
Course Code
VTEC 1304
Credits
2.00
Semester Length
15 Weeks
Max Class Size
30
Method(s) Of Instruction
Lecture
Course Designation
None
Industry Designation
None
Typically Offered
To be determined

Overview

Course Description
This course provides a foundation in basic principles of pharmacology and pharmacy practice for veterinary technologists. Topics covered in this course include pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, dispensing regulations, nutraceuticals, analgesic drugs, and antimicrobial drugs.
Course Content

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics:

  • drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion
  • drug actions including agonists, antagonists, affinity and afficacy 
  • therapeutic index, drug half-life and withdrawal periods
  • drug toxicity and types of adverse reaction

Pharmacy regulations:

  • regulations and labelling requirements for over-the-counter, prescription and controlled drugs
  • safe methods to store, dispense and administer all medication types

Drug classes:

  • analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs 
  • antimicrobial drugs: drug classes and categories, mechanism of action, safe usage and side effects

Vaccines:

  • vaccine types, storage, administration and side effects

Nutraceuticals:

  • types, indications and regulatory oversight

Drug calculations:

  • drug doses, colloid and crystalloid fluid requirements
  • unit conversions including metric to US imperial conversions
Learning Activities

Instructional methods may include recorded lectures, group work, presentations, case studies, discussion boards, preparation of client education handouts, quizzes, written assignments, client communication simulations, and guest speakers.

Means of Assessment

Assessment will be in accordance with Douglas College Evaluation Policy. The instructor will present a written course outline with specific evaluation criteria at the beginning of the semester. Evaluation will be based on the following:

Assignments: 25-50% (no assignment worth more than 20%)

Quizzes: 10-30% (no quiz worth more than 20%)

Final Exam: 20-40%

Total: 100%

 

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

  • define pharmacological terms;
  • explain Canadian dispensing and label regulations for prescription and controlled drugs;
  • describe basic concepts of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics;
  • calculate dosages of various drug formulations;
  • discuss the use of antimicrobials in veterinary medicine including major antibiotic drug classes and common uses, antifungal drugs and antiviral drugs;
  • describe and compare available vaccine formulations;
  • discuss nutritional supplements and nutraceuticals and the indications, research and clinical studies upon which recommendations for their use are based;
  • describe commonly used analgesic drugs including opioids and non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs;
  • assess and describe pain pathways and the use of multimodal pain management strategies;
  • recognise behavioural signs of pain in dogs and cats and assign clinical pain scoring systems.
Textbook Materials

Consult the Douglas College Bookstore for the latest required textbooks and materials. Example textbooks and materials may include:

  • Romich, J.A. (Current Edition). Fundamentals of Pharmacology for Veterinary Technicians. Thomson Delmar Learning.

Requisites

Prerequisites

MATH 1183

Students in the Veterinary Technology program are required to maintain a minimum grade of (C) in all courses in order to progress in the program.

Corequisites

No corequisite courses.

Equivalencies

No equivalent courses.

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers

These are for current course guidelines only. For a full list of archived courses please see https://www.bctransferguide.ca

Institution Transfer Details for VTEC 1304
There are no applicable transfer credits for this course.

Course Offerings

Winter 2025