Who's program teaches the apothecary system?????

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · Feb 4, 2012

I don't recall many if any apothecary questions on the NCLEX, except for perhaps maybe one question Nitro as the bottle is sometimes labled Nitro gr 1/150 as occasionally is the order, "give nigroglycerin gr 1/150 SL q 5 min x 3 PRN chest pain, if no relief by 3rd call 911". We were taught the basic apothecary terms as the liquid Rx bottles still have apothecary measurments on them, but more from a "point of interest" stance than "know this or fail" stance. Some of the old docs still write for asprin in grains in addition to nitroglycerin. We were taught to know how to do the conversion so that we could double check the calculations, but most facilities do not permit the use of apothecary measurments and require metric units. However in facilities still utilizing paper charting it may not be caught right away, and while the order would still need to rewritten clarified we were taught to recognize the units.

We were most definitely permitted to use a calculator but we still had to show our work (a difficult concept for some of my classmates). And maybe 5-10% of the required calculations required the use of apothecary measurements if that.... Most of our questions were weight based dosing with multi step conversions & calculations, plus determining not only the correct dose but whether the dose was within the safe parameters. (i.e 10-15/mg/kg/day in divided doses (q 4-6 hrs) max dose 750mg/day)

garnetgirl29, BSN, RN · Feb 5, 2012

I have those mg/kg/day problems down pat, but we only had a handful of those, some infusion rates & gtts/min, but the majority was apothecary. I'm just frustrated that my program enforces the apothecary system so harshly when it's barely used and is very innacurate. On top of that, the instructor did not give us a clear list of conversion facts to memorize, so we were on our own to find many of them (a few were in the book, but not all) and the conversions varied among different sources.

Honestly, I don't understand her reasoning on this.

Iridescent Orchid, CNA, LPN · Feb 7, 2012

[color=#2f4f4f]we've touched on apothecary, but didn't go too in depth, for my instructor said it's pretty much obsolete. we still have constant questions on our exams dealing with the system though...she said she doesn't want us to forget it and that we must learn it even though it most likely will never be used because it is a part of our curriculum. i am still having a hard time with it, but i'm hanging in there and glad that we didn't focus too much on it throughout the chapter. i hope nothing apothecary will be on the n-clex and if so, i hope there isn't much of it.

VioletKaliLPN, LPN · Feb 9, 2012

I went to Gaston College. I am an August 2011 graduate, an LPN since September 1st! I took NCLEX ASAP after I graduated.

We did learn the apothecary system, drams, grains, etc. Yes, some students complained and griped, and failed out, but I did not feel that our education was unfair. No calculators were allowed, only scratch paper and our brains.

I have a learning disability related to Mathematics, and I passed that pharm class with an 88! I practiced math conversions for 3 hours a day, I kid you not, in order to correctly solve those problems for the pharm math test AND the final exam. We had a math test you had 3 tries to pass, if you did not pass it then you were removed from the program.

VioletKaliLPN, LPN · Feb 9, 2012

I am currently earning my LPN-RN through excelsior college.

I wanted to add that my education through GC has been complemented many times. I KNOW my drugs, and I know what I needed to know as a new nurse.

MySonIsAdorable · Feb 9, 2012

We studied it and we are tested over it. Honestly it makes sense to me because some Doctors still use it, and many OTC drugs use the household system as well as the metric but many parents and patients understand the household system better. It may be a pain but if one day we need to know it, it will be worth it if we don't have a working phone, or computere, or calculator! Just saying what if.

garnetgirl29, BSN, RN · Feb 9, 2012

Thanks for the input! I keep hearing classmates talk about how it's not used anymore, other programs don't teach it, etc, so I was curious. VioletKaliLPN , I'm at Gaston College! I chose this program because I heard it was very thorough. I was planning to do the LPN-RN bridge program here as well, but the college sent me a letter saying I'm nearing my Pell limit, and since they don't participate in government loans, I'm looking into other programs. I passed the 2nd calculations exam & by the third exam, our ENTIRE class passed! Ms. D said this was the first time in about 8 years. I'm very proud of my classmates. :)

CT Pixie, BSN, RN · Feb 11, 2012

Yup, we did it too. It's obsolete but we still had to know it. We were not allowed to use calculators at all during my program...ever..ever. You do have a computer built in calc for the NCLEX. I don't recall apothecary on my NCLEX-PN.

spectrabrite, LVN · Feb 24, 2012

We had to learn apothecary in my LVN program and were tested on it. I have in clinicals even seen orders written in grain. If it is still used out there then we sure better know it regardless of NCLEX.

KimberlyRN89, BSN, RN · Feb 28, 2012

We touched on it vaguely in our Dosage &Calculations class, and we had one question based on it one semester for a dosage exam..it's just good to know for a basis & general info I suppose :)

Nikki0727 · Feb 29, 2012

I'm just curious because this system seems rediculously innacurate to me. My program requires it. In fact, more than half of my calculations test was covernting drams and grains to the metric & household system. And, we are not allowed to use a calculator.
Are there apothecary questions on the NCLEX PN? NCLEX RN? Is a calculator allowed?

I am now into my second semester of the LPN program. First semester we were taught the apothecary. I dont understand why we need to know this because we havent done anything with that.

Hopefully its not on the NCLEX