Pharmacy Calculations: An Introduction for Pharmacy Technicians

Pharmacy Calculations: An Introduction for Pharmacy Technicians is designed for pharmacy technician students enrolled in a training program, technicians preparing for the certification exam, and for on-site training. As the role for pharmacy technicians continues to evolve and expand, one thing remains constant. The safety of patients is the highest priority for anyone working in pharmacy, whether in hospital, retail, or institutional practices. A thorough understanding of pharmacy math ensures accuracy in computations and safety and quality in practice.

This book offers a complete review of the basic mathematics concepts and skills, which provide a foundation for more advanced understanding of pharmacy-related topics. The guide provides students with the pharmacy basics necessary for correctly interpreting prescriptions and drug orders, and for performing dosing calculations that technicians face every day.

The chapters are broken down into four units and are organized to complement most pharmacy technician training curricula and to support the ASHP model curriculum:

· Review of Mathematics

· Systems of Measurement

· Preparing for Problem Solving in Pharmacy

· Dosing Calculations and Other Pharmacy Problems

Key features throughout the book include:

· Chapter objectives

· Key terms and definitions

· Examples of problem scenarios or calculations questions and solutions

· “Tech Note!” —provides a highlight of key points within the chapters

· “Numbers at Work” —illustrates why key concepts are important to know and skills are critical to master

· Practice problems

· A test bank

· Appendices that include the parts of a prescription, a glossary of terms, conversions, and abbreviations tables.

For additional resources related to this book, visit www.ashp.org/techcalculations.