3 credit hours
This course is the third of four courses in a sequence designed to run concurrently with and to complement clinical medicine I – IV. This course will also complement the behavioral health course with the coverage of behavioral health medications. It is designed to prepare the student for the clinical study of and use of therapeutics by providing knowledge of the way drugs modify biological function. It includes a systematic study of the effects of drugs on different organ systems and disease processes, the mechanisms by which drugs produce their therapeutic and toxic effects, and the factors influencing their absorption, distribution, and biological actions. The course will also include principles of altered dynamic/kinetic properties genetics and across the lifespan. The course consists of a combination of lectures synchronized with clinical medicine lab I and clinical medicine III. Areas of study will include medicines for hematology, oncology, endocrinology, pediatric pharmacology, psychiatric medications, drugs of abuse, geriatric pharmacology, and drugs used in the reproductive system. Knowledge and skills obtained in this course will be critical for progression through the clinical phase of the program.