Is calculus actually used in pharmacy?

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ethyl said:
😕

I'm taking undergraduate medical pharmacy courses and I've only had to do simple algebra. Is calculus something pharmacy schools emphasize greatly? I know it's on the PCAT... but it is certainly my weakness.

how enzymes and such react with cell organelles are observed and the physics and kinetics is important. physics requires calculus.

thats just one example.
 
ethyl said:
😕

I'm taking undergraduate medical pharmacy courses and I've only had to do simple algebra. Is calculus something pharmacy schools emphasize greatly? I know it's on the PCAT... but it is certainly my weakness.

Yes you need calc for kinetics. And there's a metric buttload of it on the PCAT, at least when I took it (first test offered after they'd changed the math section, so it took me by surprise but my quantitative score was still in the 86th percentile).

It's been two years since my last calc course. It will be 4 by the time I get to kinetics - which means it will be a beast trying to remember it.
 
while in school we had to remember it during our 2nd year.

while on rotations and such...
well....
considering my rotations thus far... no
but maybe later
 
We use triple integration of a function to calculate the volume of irregularly shaped object all the time.
 
ZpackSux said:
We use triple integration of a function to calculate the volume of irregularly shaped object all the time.

Obviously. 😛
 
ZpackSux said:

No. It was more of a sarcastic "obviously."

Tsk, tsk, Zpack. I thought ypu would be all over that one :laugh:
 
ZpackSux said:

No. It was more of a sarcastic "obviously."

Tsk, tsk, Zpack. I thought you would be all over that one :laugh:
 
Gosh sorry about that guys -- I am a total spaz.
 
b*rizzle said:
Gosh sorry about that guys -- I am a total spaz.

Did you really need to double double post? :meanie:
 
b*rizzle said:
Gosh sorry about that guys -- I am a total spaz.

Obviously. 😉

As far as calculus goes, the only time I've seen it used during pharmacy school is for pharmacokinetics. Just need to understand it to see how they come up with equations for areas under the curve (Integration, trapezoid summation). Also some in biochemistry for enzyme kinetics (Michaelis-Menten, derivatives). The other time students use it is to tutor high school students on Saturdays. I've sort of seen it used in practice for aminoglycoside dosing.
 
Call me sick, but calculus is the one subject I truly love. 😍

Everything's cut and dry -- not too much deep thinking.
 
I LOVE it too! I don't understand why everyone hates it. I hate organic chem though!

I was happy when the PCAT started adding calculus to the quant section... 😀
 
starsweet said:
I LOVE it too! I don't understand why everyone hates it. I hate organic chem though!

Guess I'm a member of your geek club too; I took a math class for an elective :laugh:

And 👎 with organic chem!
 
ZpackSux said:
Did you really need to double double post? :meanie:


you are awful 😛
 
No, calculus and physics were never used at UoP. Honestly I don't understand the point of requiring these classes from hell. I think it's just to discriminate who can do tough work and who can't.

No one is going to sit there deriving equations while working in a pharmacy, even in PK. If someone's life depended on people integrating equations and doing all sorts of crazy calculus stuff in the pharmacy, people would be dying left and right. It's all plug and chug into equations that are already derived by some Einstein who wrote the PK book.
 
pharm120 said:
No, calculus and physics were never used at UoP. Honestly I don't understand the point of requiring these classes from hell. I think it's just to discriminate who can do tough work and who can't.

No one is going to sit there deriving equations while working in a pharmacy, even in PK. If someone's life depended on people integrating equations and doing all sorts of crazy calculus stuff in the pharmacy, people would be dying left and right. It's all plug and chug into equations that are already derived by some Einstein who wrote the PK book.
I think some time its not necessarily that you can perform calculus and physics, just that you understand what you are looking at on some of the equations and derivitives (as was mentioned before). It helps you understand that when you are looking at a Velocity versus time graph, you can derrive it both ways to get more info. I know for me, it has helped me understand things more thoroughly. In my whole entire 7 weeks of pharm school).
 
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