Understanding Pharmacology for Pharmacy Technicians

To prepare for a future that will demand more from them, pharmacy technicians will need an understanding of the medications they are handling—their actions, doses, routes of administration, and interactions. Understanding Pharmacology for Pharmacy Technicians, 2nd Edition, provides a basis for pharmacology, the study that includes the medication knowledge technicians need to function in modern pharmacy.

As in the first edition, the chapters are organized around body systems and disease states, presented in an order similar to that of pharmacists’ textbooks, with sections on the nervous, endocrine, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and renal, respiratory, gastrointestinal, and hematologic systems, followed by treatments for infectious diseases, cancer, and conditions of the skin, eye, ear, nose, and throat. All chapters have been updated to reflect the most current medications and information. A new chapter on pharmacogenomics discusses the science of precision medicine and relates its concepts to testing and dosing protocols that are becoming increasingly common in everyday pharmacy.

Key features throughout the book include:

• Case studies: Case studies are based on the issues of patients that pharmacy technicians encounter in various practice settings, and help them relate the abstract knowledge conveyed in each chapter to real people and real-life scenarios. Discussion questions give students examples of how the concepts being developed may apply to their work.
• Alerts: Key points relevant to patient or occupational safety are emphasized in marginal notes highlighted “Alert.” These include look-alike/sound-alike issues, allergy precautions, and contraindications.
• Practice points: Practical advice and real-world applications related to technician work with the medications being discussed are highlighted throughout each chapter, giving immediate emphasis and impact to the material.
• Pronunciations: Generic drug names are accompanied by phonetic pronunciations using common spellings and capitals for accented syllables, requiring no knowledge of diacritical markings or symbols.
• Illustrations: Anatomy and drug action are illustrated with figures throughout the text, giving visual representation to the concepts presented. 

Mary Ann Stuhan, PharmD, RPh

Mary Ann Stuhan has been Pharmacy Program Manager at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, OH, since 2002, where she directed an ASHP-accredited Technician Training Program and advised pre-pharmacy students. She retired in September 2022. Dr. Stuhan received her BS in Pharmacy (Summa Cum Laude) at Duquesne University and her PharmD at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. She began her pharmacy career as a technician, and has practiced professionally in a variety of settings, including retail, government, behavioral health, and teaching hospital. She was Director of Pharmacy at St. Michael Hospital in Cleveland, and continued to practice in long-term acute care at Kindred Hospital, Cleveland. She was a lecturer for the University of Colorado Denver School of Pharmacy NonTraditional PharmD Program.

Dr. Stuhan is past president of the PTCB Certification Council and has held office on the executive board of the Pharmacy Technician Educators Council, which honored her with their Pharmacy Technician Educator of the Year Award in 2007. She is also an active member of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Cleveland Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Ohio Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and Ohio Pharmacists Association. She has been a peer reviewer and written numerous articles and book reviews for the Journal of Pharmacy Technology. Her practice focuses were adverse drug reactions, anemia therapy, and antimicrobial stewardship.