Course

Pharmacology: Introduction for Nurses

Faculty
Health Sciences
Department
Nursing
Course code
NURS 2114
Credits
3.00
Semester length
15
Max class size
36
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Course designation
None
Industry designation
None
Typically offered
To be determined

Overview

Course description
This course introduces the fundamental principles of pharmacology and safe medication administration within the Canadian healthcare system. This course employs various teaching methods to connect theoretical concepts with practical applications, preparing nursing students to manage medications confidently and competently in different healthcare settings.
Course content

Course content: 

  1. Fundamental principles of pharmacology 
  2. Medication administration including standards of safe medication practice 
  3. Scope of nursing practice in medication administration 
  4. Pharmacology and the nurse-client relationship, including cultural context and client perspectives  
  5. Systems approach to pharmacological management using the nursing process, including considerations for individual differences across the lifespan
  6. Patient and family teaching 
  7. Alternative and complementary therapies 
Learning activities

Faculty will facilitate the student’s integration of nursing theory and promote development of critical inquiry, clinical reasoning, and judgement through learning activities such as lectures, group discussions, client-based scenarios, and electronic resource use. 

Means of assessment

This is a graded course, and the means of assessment are consistent with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. The instructor’s course outline will be available to students by the first day of class and list the evaluative components of the course. 

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: 

  • Integrate principles of safe medication administration for nursing practice.  
  • Relate fundamental principles of pharmacology to various health conditions using the nursing process.  
  • Differentiate the collaborative roles of the nurse, pharmacist and healthcare prescriber in medication management, emphasizing interprofessional communication and patient safety. 
  • Apply pharmacological principles and evidence-informed practices to ensure safe medication administration across patient populations. 
  • Apply medication classifications, their therapeutic effects, and potential adverse reactions to inform clinical decision-making. 
  • Explain the implications of non-prescribed products and their potential safety implications. 
Textbook materials

The instructor's course outline will be available to students by the first class and lists the required textbooks and materials that students must purchase. 

Requisites

Prerequisites

Students in the BSN program are required to maintain a passing grade of 65% (C+) in all courses in order to progress in the program.

Corequisites

NURS 2111 AND NURS 2112 AND NURS 2113 AND NURS 2116

Equivalencies

None

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers

These are for current course guidelines only. For a full list of archived courses please see https://www.bctransferguide.ca

Institution Transfer details for NURS 2114
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) KPU NRSG 2266 (3)
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) TRU HLSC 2660 (3)

Course Offerings

Fall 2025

CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
32
Currently enrolled
0
Remaining seats:
32
On waitlist
0
Building
Coquitlam - Bldg. C
Room
C1002
Times:
Start Time
12:30
-
End Time
16:20
CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
32
Currently enrolled
0
Remaining seats:
32
On waitlist
0
Building
Coquitlam - Bldg. C
Room
C1002
Times:
Start Time
8:30
-
End Time
12:20