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Health Sciences
193
Pharmacy
COURSE CODES:
PLACES 2012:
POINTS 2011:
DEGREE AWARDED:
TR072
75
545
B.Sc. (Pharm.)
Special Entry Requirements:
Leaving Certificate
OC3 or HD3 Mathematics
HC3
Chemistry
HC3
In one of
physics, biology,
mathematics,
applied
mathematics,
geography,
geology or
agricultural
science
GCSE
Grade B Mathematics
Advanced GCE (A-Level)
Grade C Chemistry
Grade C In one of
physics, biology,
mathematics,
geology,
geography
or applied
mathematics
Graduate Entry:
A graduate entry route to this degree is also available.
See
for further details.
What is Pharmacy?
Pharmacy is the study of all aspects of drugs, both natural
and synthetic in origin, including their chemistry, their uses in
medicines, and how they work within the body. Pharmacists
work in a variety of settings – community pharmacies, hospitals,
long-term care facilities, and within the pharmaceutical industry
to name just a few. In many respects, their role as a key
healthcare professional is to help people achieve the best results
from their medications.
Is this the right course for you?
While this degree is an essential requirement if you wish to
practise as a community or hospital pharmacist, Pharmacy at
Trinity College opens a wide variety of professional opportunities
in both industry and the healthcare sector.
As much of the course is scientifically led, a strong interest in
this area will be important and will make your four years of study
more enjoyable.
Course content
The Pharmacy syllabus has been designed to provide you with an
all-round education in both the basic and pharmaceutical sciences,
and in the practice of pharmacy itself. There are approximately 16
hours of lectures, 6 laboratory sessions and 1 tutorial per week over
the course of the Junior Freshman (first) year.
Some of the subjects covered during the four years of the course are:
n
Biology:
A basic introduction to the molecular and cellular
basis to life so that you can better appreciate how drugs
and medicines work. It also includes introductory genetics,
microbiology and developmental biology.
n
Physiology:
The biology of the human body is an essential
prerequisite to the study of pharmacology. Physiology covers
the anatomy and physiology of all the major body systems,
such as blood, the heart, digestive and nervous systems.
n
Biochemistry:
A basic introduction to the ways in which
drugs are metabolised and how they act or cause toxicity
by interacting with basic systems within cells and tissues.
n
Microbiology:
Studies bacteria, fungi and viruses. These
are particularly important in pharmacy because these
organisms cause so many diseases. Some medicines must
be made free of microbes by either sterilisation or by being
prepared aseptically.
n
Pharmaceutical calculations and data handling:
Teaches
both mathematics and data handling to assist you with the
application of both in pharmaceutical calculations and statistics.
n
Medicinal chemistry:
Covers the principles of drug design
and isolation.
n
Pharmaceutical analysis:
Deals with the theory and
practice of pharmaceutical analysis.
n
Physical pharmacy:
Covers the fundamental
physiochemical principles of pharmacy of importance to
formulation design, performance and stability.
n
Pharmaceutical chemistry:
Deals with aspects of the
sources, identification, analysis and stability of the materials
used in medicines. Additional topics include advanced drug
discovery and design, molecular mode of action of drugs
and the chemistry of drug metabolism.
n
Pharmaceutical biotechnology:
Develops an
understanding of how genetics and biotechnological
methods can be used to develop new drugs, especially
proteins.
n
Pharmaceutics and pharmaceutical technology:
This
subject is concerned with the formulation, production and
evaluation of all types of medicines such as tablets, creams
and injections.
n
Pharmacognosy:
The study of plants and animals, as well as
substances extracted from them, which are used in pharmacy
and are active in the treatment and prevention of diseases.
n
Pharmacology:
Develops knowledge about how drugs
work at the molecular, biochemical and cellular level that is
essential if drugs are to be used effectively to treat disease
in humans and in animals. The course also gives an
appreciation of factors affecting the therapeutic benefits
and adverse risks of medicines.
