Drug knowledge?

[PharmDr.]

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I was wondering why doctors don't have more pharmacology courses. I have looked at Novas curriculum and there is only one pharm. course! Their optometry program has several pharm. courses and they don't even have the same scope of practice that a physician has. Doctors are the ones prescribing the medications and I dont see how only one course is sufficient. I am not trying to down play a doctors knowledge about the drugs they use but how come such a shortage in education in this area? Maybe thats why there are pharmacists that are experts in meds that can fix all the doctors mistakes. Adverse drug interactions and contraindications kill hundreds and even thousands of patients a year b/c of this. This is obviously a big problem in healthcare and it seems that it should be a large priority to fix the problem. I just hope that one day when I become a physician that I could be more efficient with accurate prescribing.

 

[skypilot]

Adverse drug interactions and contraindications kill hundreds and even thousands of patients a year b/c of this. This is obviously a big problem in healthcare and it seems that it should be a large priority to fix the problem.

Yeah! We need more people you working on this problem as well as all the other medical errors that are injuring people all the time.

 

[stoic]

Knowing everything about all drugs is a lot of work. In fact, there are people who go to school for 4 years and earn doctorates in the field. They are called pharmacist. Keep their numbers handy.

 

[IDPHARM]

Unfortunately pharmacists don't know everything about all drugs. That is what Micromedex is for. I guess as pharmacists were better at looking for drug info.

 

[medic170]

3 letters......PDR When the doctor says 'let me get you a Rx and I will be right back, he/she is usually consulting this book, which is the physician's Bible.

The "Monthly Prescribing Guide" is a periodical most office's subscribe to as well, and it also used quite a bit.


Docs are also briefed almost daily by drug reps about their drugs.

 

[HeavyD]

PharmDr.,

Sure about the 1 class at Nova? I'm assuming that you are referring to the DO program and if so, this sounds to be incorrect. At AZCOM, we have a year or pharm. On quarters, so its:4cr. fall, 4cr winter, 3cr. spring. From memory of looking at other programs around the US, a full year of pharm is the standard for 2nd yr med school. Is this 1 pharm class 12 credits at Nova? That would totally suck!

 

[Green912]

At LECOM we had one "pharm course" druing first semester core which covered the basics like dynamics & kinetics. However every system has it's own pharm section with the relevant specifics. So in essence we have it for the entire two years.

 

[DrQuinn]

You all are way off, unfortunately. We get pharmacology lectures throughout the systems classes. The "one course" you are referring to is basic pharmacology... VD, t 1/2, etc. When you take your systems classes, you have separate lectures from Pharmacists about each systems' drugs, so there is PLENTY of pharmacology to go through.

You will not graduate medical school with a sub-standard knowledge of medications... true, pharmacists know a lot more about them, but that's their job! You'd be surprised how astute many physicians are about current literature on medications.

Q, DO

 

[Andrew_Doan]

You all are way off, unfortunately. We get pharmacology lectures throughout the systems classes. The "one course" you are referring to is basic pharmacology... VD, t 1/2, etc. When you take your systems classes, you have separate lectures from Pharmacists about each systems' drugs, so there is PLENTY of pharmacology to go through.

You will not graduate medical school with a sub-standard knowledge of medications... true, pharmacists know a lot more about them, but that's their job! You'd be surprised how astute many physicians are about current literature on medications.

Q, DO

Good points. In addition, physicians complete residencies to increase their knowledge and expertise of medications. This is why cardiologists, for instance, complete 7 years of residency and fellowship. I constantly read and learn about ophthalmic medications during my residency training.

I assure you that cardiology attendings will know more about heart medications than the average pharmacist.

 

[DocHoo]

Is it also true that in med school there is only half a semester of laboratory science where you learn to read results. I'm a undergrad to be a Clinical Laboratory Scientist and one of my professors said the CLS does more diagnosing than the physician but we aren't allowed to say it was us..... How true is this?

 

[DocWagner]

Pharmacology courses only create a foundation, it is further enhanced by microbiology, virology, immunology, and the clinical courses in the first 2 years (IM, cards, FP, Peds, OB etc).
The real "education" happens in years 3 and 4 and further into residency. It is amazing what books CAN'T teach you and only clinical experience CAN.

As for clincal laboratory science...well, my entire life is interpreting lab results and making clinical correlations. A lab result is nothing more than a number until you place it next to the symptoms/signs exhibited by a patient. There are exceptions, but clinical lab courses are integrated through medical school.

 

[DrQuinn]

Is it also true that in med school there is only half a semester of laboratory science where you learn to read results. I'm a undergrad to be a Clinical Laboratory Scientist and one of my professors said the CLS does more diagnosing than the physician but we aren't allowed to say it was us..... How true is this?

Agree with DocWagner. The easy part is performing the test in the laboratory (ok, not EASY... but relatively technical). The hard part is determining WHEN to order the test, when to learn what a positive OR negative test means (had a patient die from Churg-Strauss because the P-ANCA was negative... and they blew it off, even though 30% of patients with CSS are P-ANCA negative).

Everyone... a PT, RN, LPN, PCT, DO, DMD, Pharm D., CLS, MD, whoever, is part of the health care team with an integral part...

Q, DO