Pharmacology is the study of drugs and how they affect the body. An expansive and complex topic, it’s the foundation of safe nursing practice. Nearly 50% of US adults take prescription medications daily. Vocational school programs take a deep dive into the science of therapeutic drugs, preparing LVN students to meet patients’ many treatment needs.
What Do Nurses Need to Know about Pharmacology?
Nurses play a crucial role in medication management. Whether administering drugs or counseling patients on self-care, safe nursing practice hinges on a broad knowledge of pharmacology.
CyberTex’s Vocational Nursing program covers pharmacology that includes:
Medication Classes
Medication classes are groups of drugs with similar therapeutic effects. Examples include antibiotics, antidepressants, and immunosuppressants.
Drug Names
Medications are systematically named with three designations:
- A chemical name used for scientific and research purposes.
- A simplified generic term easier to identify.
- A brand name chosen by the developer.
These names may vary by region or market. LVN students are broadly familiarized with this drug nomenclature.
Mechanisms of Action
“Mechanism of action” refers to the specific biochemical process by which a drug produces its intended effect. Examples include activating, enhancing a biochemical process, and inhibiting specific molecular activity.
Indications and Contraindications
Indications are the medical conditions for which a drug is approved or may be considered beneficial. Contraindications are circumstances that make a drug unsafe for a particular patient. For example, medications wholly metabolized by the liver are often contraindicated for patients with liver disease.
Dosage
Dosage refers to the amount of medication ordered within a specific time frame. Amounts are measured in quantity, such as milligrams, micrograms, and milliliters. Frequency is noted by the hour or day. Courses cover units of measure and dosage calculations.
Routes of Administration
How drugs are administered orally, topically, intravenously, etc., affects how they’re absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and eliminated. LVN students learn about the routes of administration, including administration techniques and precautions.
Side Effects and Adverse Reactions
Side effects are the impacts of drugs beyond their therapeutic benefits. Some are positive, while others are less desirable, but most are usually predictable, mild, and manageable. Adverse reactions, however, are unexpected, unintended, and far more severe responses to medication. Pharmacology courses explore the differences in how they are managed and reported.
Drug Interactions
Drug interactions occur when a combination of medications or other substances, such as food or alcohol, changes how the body processes them. Drinking grapefruit juice, for example, can increase the concentration of certain drugs in the bloodstream to life-threatening levels, while some medications can interfere with the absorption of dietary nutrients.
Lifespan Considerations
How drugs are metabolized changes as we age. Pharmacology courses review the effects of meditation on different age groups, from newborns to seniors.
Monitoring and Assessment
The effects of drugs must be monitored to ensure they’re fulfilling their therapeutic purposes. Pharmacology courses teach assessment techniques nurses can use to assess how well medications work.
Safety Considerations
Standardized protocols have been developed to make medication use safer. Nursing students learn many error prevention strategies, from infection control procedures and drug reconciliation efforts to patient identification rules and double-check policies for high-risk medicines.
Patient Education
Education empowers patients to manage their medications safely. LVN students will discuss teaching methods, including how to tailor approaches to individuals’ needs by addressing age, sensory, literacy, and cultural factors.
Legal and Ethical Issues
Patients and nurses each have rights and responsibilities related to medication administration. Pharmacology courses tackle topics such as informed consent, patient rights, scope of practice, research ethics, and more.
Pharmacology Resources
Pharmacology is an ever-evolving field in which even experts need resources for reference. Nursing programs introduce LVN students to where pharmacology information is found, from books like the PDR (Physician’s Desk Reference) to software applications and online databases.
Why Is Pharmacology Important for Nurses?
Pharmacology is critically essential for nurses in several key ways:
Safe Drug Administration
Nurses are responsible for administering medications to patients in acute and long-term care settings. As an LVN, understanding pharmacology helps you calculate dosages correctly and give drugs safely.
Monitoring and Assessment
Nurses are a doctor’s eyes and ears. Pharmacology knowledge helps nurses recognize signs of therapeutic success and symptoms of drug toxicity or adverse reactions.
Decision-Making
Nurses are often asked to administer drugs based on physical parameters. Administering drugs requires sound clinical judgment and knowledge of the medication ordered. For example, a patient who is vomiting may not be able to eat enough to process a scheduled insulin dose safely.
Understanding the indications and contraindications of insulin helps nurses decide whether to give a drug as ordered or withhold it pending a physician’s review. Pharmacology knowledge can save lives.
Individualized Care
Patients are unique and may respond differently to medications. Nurses with pharmacology expertise know how to consider age, weight, and medical history when making care plan recommendations.
Addressing Side Effects
Doctors prescribe drugs, but it’s up to nurses to monitor for side effects. By addressing undesirable symptoms, such as dry mouth and constipation, nurses can avoid physical complications while improving patient compliance with their treatment regimen.
Interdisciplinary Collaboration
Nurses work closely with physicians, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals to improve patient care. A firm grasp of pharmacology facilitates effective communication between disciplines.
Patient Education
Nurses play a vital role in educating patients about their medications. They must explain dosing instructions, potential side effects, and the importance of medication adherence. A strong understanding of pharmacology allows nurses to communicate this information more effectively.
Advocacy
Advocacy is a nurse’s most significant responsibility. Only by understanding a patient’s treatment plan, including their medications, can you communicate pharmacology-related concerns to healthcare providers and ensure that patients receive the best possible care.
How Do You Learn About Pharmacology and Become a Nurse?
Pharmacology is a broad and challenging subject that requires formal training. For nurses, it’s not a topic you can learn quickly. Foundational knowledge, such as anatomy and physiology, and practical opportunities to gain experience administering medications are needed.
CyberTex offers a comprehensive curriculum that teaches pharmacology and puts it into a broader perspective. During this class students learn about drug classifications, administration, mechanism of drug action, pharmacokinetics, interactions and adverse effects of drugs. LVN graduates are equipped with the many skills they need to make a tangible difference in the quality of care their patients receive.
Final Thoughts
According to physician and philosopher Paracelsus, pharmacology doesn’t consist of compounding pills. Instead, it addresses the very processes of life “which must be understood before they can be guided.” Only through a vocational school program can nurses learn about pharmacology to relieve pain, support healing, and educate others.
Licensed Vocational Nurs
Classes for the Vocational Nursing program are conducted in a student-friendly atmosphere conveniently located in Austin, Texas. After graduating from the Licensed Vocational Nursing program, students can apply to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN), become a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN), and start their exciting new career immediately.
Contact us today to learn more about our CyberTex Austin campus.