Introduction to Pharmacy

Man has always used external materials to help prevent, cure, or alleviate the symptoms of disease. In fact, Gregory Higby of the American Institute of the History of Pharmacy has written that, “...the very concept of influencing bodily functions via an outside force must be considered one of humanity’s greatest advances.” Since its independent origins in ancient Arabic civilizations, pharmacy has evolved from a craft dedicated to the compounding of drugs to a profession focusing on helping patients get the best outcomes from medication therapies.

So what is pharmacy? How has it changed and where is it headed?

This course will answer these questions and provide a comprehensive introduction to this profession. We will explore the history of pharmacy and its evolving scope of practice; examine educational and career pathways; tackle issues relating to medication safety and adverse drug events; gain insight into the regulatory and ethical considerations in pharmacy practice; and more.

As we explore these topics together, we will hear from practicing pharmacists throughout the course and ultimately gain a better understanding of what they do and how they help us get the best results from our medications. Maybe you will decide that the dynamic profession of pharmacy is a career path that you want to pursue!  Whether student or healthcare consumer, you’re sure to find the material we cover in this course to be invaluable.

All lectures and instructional materials developed for this course by the Ohio State University are licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Week One: The history of pharmacy and its evolving scope of practice
Week Two: Educational pathways in pharmacy
Week Three: Career pathways for pharmacists & their role in the healthcare system
Week Four: The medication experience
Week Five: Drug discovery and development 
Week Six: Regulatory and ethical considerations in pharmacy
Week Seven: Contemporary issues and the future of pharmacy