8-10:50 a.m. Mondays • Pickard Hall 212
1-3:50 p.m. Thursdays • Pickard Hall 104

Instructor: Gina Thames, MSN, RN, clinical instructor in nursing

Catalog description: Introduction to current concepts of pharmacology and their relationship to nursing practice. Included are basic principles of drug actions, side effects for major drug classifications and the role of the nurse in drug therapeutics.

About the teacher: Thames recently was named one of eight finalists from 600 nominations for the national Cherokee Inspired Comfort Award that recognizes service, sacrifice and innovation among non-physician health care professionals. She was voted one of the area’s Great 100 Nurses in 2003. An acute care nurse practitioner, she earned her master of science in nursing from UTA in 1999.

Required text: Drug Therapy in Nursing by O.S. Aschenbrenner, L.W. Cleveland and S.J. Venable (2002)

What the prof says: “A few summers ago, I created and produced three teaching videos to help students apply the theoretical information to specific clinical situations. The videos are meant to be a humorous approach to a serious subject and capture the attention of students. One character in one of the videos is the Drug Fairy—me dressed in a wedding gown and tiara with a magic wand. The Drug Fairy helps a nurse in the video draw the right conclusions about her patient and her medications. The videos are shown in lecture at the beginning of the course.”

Course format: The 16-week class averages 100-120 students and is taught in a lecture format. Students take four exams, including a comprehensive final, and 10 on-line quizzes. An optional pharmacology lab presented in a self-paced environment applies the material to clinical situations: Students must critically think through the activities and make decisions about medications to be administered. The course also features a voluntary peer mentoring program—on-campus and online tutoring, plus some one-on-one sessions.

Pop quiz
1. Antibiotic resistance is a major problem due, in part, to people not completing a full dose of prescribed antibiotics. True or false?
2. Herbal medications are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not drugs. What are they considered to be? 
3. Nicotine is a cytochrome P450 enzyme inducer that can ___________ the metabolism of other drugs, thus reducing their serum levels.   
a. decrease
b. neutralize
c. accelerate
d. negate

Answers
1. true
2. dietary supplements
3. c