Pharmacy Practice
What the exam tests
Pharmacy Practice tests prescription screening, dispensing accuracy, patient counseling, medication reconciliation, compounding, and error reporting.
Core rules
- Prescription screening checks patient identity, allergy, indication, dose, route, frequency, duration, interactions, duplication, and renal or hepatic function before dispensing.
- Counseling should cover the medicine purpose, how and when to take it, what to do about a missed dose, common and serious adverse effects, and storage. Use teach-back rather than yes/no questions.
- Medication reconciliation compares the best possible medication history with current orders at admission, transfer, and discharge; discrepancies are resolved, not just recorded.
- Compounding requires a master formula, beyond-use date, stability data, and, for sterile products, validated aseptic technique and environmental monitoring.
Worked example
A 15 kg child is prescribed amoxicillin 45 mg/kg/day divided every 12 hours. Daily dose = 15 × 45 = 675 mg; each dose = 337.5 mg. With a 250 mg/5 mL suspension, volume per dose = 337.5 × 5/250 = 6.75 mL. Dispense enough for 10 days: 6.75 mL × 2 × 10 = 135 mL. Check the maximum daily dose and the concentration on the bottle before counseling; a 400 mg/5 mL product would give a different volume for the same milligram dose.
Traps
Do not confuse teaspoons with milliliters; do not assume a suspension concentration without reading the label; do not ignore renal function in a child or older adult; and do not record an interaction without acting on it or documenting why it is acceptable.