Standard

Rev.03/17/03

EMS 129 – Pharmacology

Updated: 3/17/03

(To Review Previous Version of this Standard and Guide, Click Here)

Course Description

This unit is designed to help the paramedic implement a patient management plan based on principles and applications of pharmacology. Discussion of pharmacology includes: identification of drugs, drug calculations, drug administration techniques and procedures and drug safety and standards.

Competency Areas	Hours
Identification of Drugs	Class	3
Drug Calculations	D. Lab	2
Drug Administration techniques and Procedures	P. Lab/O.B.I.	0
Drug Safety and Standards	Credit	4

Prerequisite:	Program admission
Corequisite:	ENG 101, MAT 101, SCT 100, EMS 200

Course Guide

Competency	After completing this section, the student will:	Hours
		Class	D.Lab	P.Lab/ O.B.I.
IDENTIFICATION OF DRUGS		9	0	0
Terminology, abbreviations, and anatomy and physiology	Describe historical trends in pharmacology.
	Describe the process called pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, including theories of drug action, drug-response relationship, factors altering drug responses, predictable drug responses, iatrogenic drug responses, and unpredictable adverse drug responses.
Drug sources, functions, and classifications	Differentiate among the chemical, generic (nonproprietary), and trade (proprietary) names of a drug.
	List the four main sources of drug products.
	List and describe general properties of drugs.
	List the component of a drug profile by classification.
	Integrate pathophysiological principles of classification.
	Integrate pathophysiological principles of pharmacology with patient assessment.
	Serve as a model for obtaining a history by identifying classifications of drugs.
Drug laws and regulations	List legislative acts controlling drug use and abuse in the United States.
	Differentiate among Schedule I, II, III, IV, and V substances.
	List examples of substances in each schedule.
	Discuss standardization of drugs.
	Discuss investigational drugs, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval process and the FDA classifications for newly approved drugs.
	Discuss the paramedic's responsibilities and scope of management pertinent to the administration of medications.
	List and describe drugs that the paramedic may administer according to local protocol.
	Defend the administration of drugs by a paramedic to affect positive therapeutic affect.
	Discuss legal aspects affecting medication administration.
	Discuss the "six rights" of drug administration and correlate these with the principles of medication administration.
Drug packaging	List and describe liquid and solid drug forms.
DRUG CALCULATIONS		10	0	0
Systems of weights and measures	Review mathematical principles.
	Differentiate temperature readings between the Centigrade and Fahrenheit scales.
	Describe how to perform mathematical conversions from the household system to the metric system.
Metric and apothecary conversion	Review mathematical equivalents.
Dosage calculations	Discuss formulas as a basis for performing drug calculations.
	Discuss applying basic principles of mathematics to the calculation of problems associated with medication dosages.
DRUG ADMINISTRATION TECHNIQUES AND PROCEDURES		10	20	0
Routes of administration	List and differentiate routes of drug administration.
	Differentiate between enteral and parenteral routes of drug administration.
	Describe mechanisms of drug action.
	Differentiate among drug interactions.
Drug administration	Discuss medical asepsis and the differences between clean and sterile techniques.
	Describe use of antiseptics and disinfectants.
	Describe the use of universal precautions and body substance isolation (BSI) procedures when administering a medication.
	Differentiate among the different dosage forms of oral medications.
	Describe the equipment needed and general principles of administering oral medications.
	Describe the indications, equipment needed, techniques used, precautions, and general principles of administering medications by the inhalation route, the gastric tube, and rectally.
	Describe disposal of contaminated items and sharps.
	Synthesize a pharmacologic management plan including medication administration.
	Integrate pathophysiological principles of medication administration with patient management.
	Describe the purpose, equipment needed, techniques used, complications, and general principles for obtaining a blood sample.
	Comply with universal precautions and body substance isolation (BSI).
	Defend a pharmacologic management plan for medication administration.
	Serve as a model for medical asepsis.
	Serve as a model for advocacy while performing medication administration.
	Serve as a model for disposing contaminated items and sharps.
	Use universal precautions and body substance isolation (BSI) procedures during medication administration.