Health Sciences and Social Services Curative Health

Pharmaceutical Concepts and Terminology Explained Training

SAQA US 256475 | NQF 3 | Credits 5 | Duration 2 Days
From $610 per delegate

Description

This course provides a comprehensive understanding of pharmaceutical concepts and terminology essential for professionals working in or with the pharmaceutical industry. Participants will gain the ability to accurately interpret and apply pharmaceutical terms in clinical, regulatory, and commercial contexts.

Learning Outcomes

  • Apply correct pharmaceutical terminology in written and verbal communication.
  • Analyze drug classifications, mechanisms of action, and therapeutic uses.
  • Evaluate pharmaceutical documentation including prescriptions, labels, and patient information leaflets.
  • Demonstrate understanding of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics concepts.
  • Implement safe practices in handling, storage, and disposal of pharmaceutical products.
  • Interpret regulatory requirements and ethical considerations in pharmaceutical practice.

Target Audience

This course is designed for healthcare administrators, medical sales representatives, pharmacy assistants, and any professionals requiring foundational knowledge of pharmaceutical language and principles.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment.

Course Outline

Day 1: Foundational Pharmaceutical Concepts

Objectives:
• Define key pharmaceutical terms and concepts.
• Explain the drug development lifecycle and regulatory frameworks.
• Identify different dosage forms and routes of administration.
• Understand basic pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.
• Recognise common pharmaceutical abbreviations and symbols.

Topics:
• Introduction to pharmaceutical terminology: active ingredient, excipient, brand vs generic.
• Drug development stages: discovery, preclinical, clinical trials, registration.
• Regulatory bodies: SAHPRA, WHO, ICH guidelines.
• Dosage forms: tablets, capsules, injectables, topical, inhalers.
• Routes of administration: oral, intravenous, intramuscular, subcutaneous, transdermal.
• Basic pharmacokinetics: absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion (ADME).
• Pharmacodynamics: receptor binding, efficacy, potency.
• Common abbreviations: QD, BID, TID, PRN, stat, etc.

Day 2: Advanced Applications and Practical Integration

Objectives:
• Apply pharmaceutical terminology in clinical and dispensing contexts.
• Interpret prescription labels and medication orders accurately.
• Identify adverse drug reactions and drug interactions.
• Demonstrate understanding of special populations (paediatric, geriatric, pregnancy).
• Apply concepts in a simulated pharmacy or clinical scenario.

Topics:
• Prescription interpretation: patient info, drug name, strength, dose, frequency, route.
• Medication errors: look-alike/sound-alike drugs, abbreviations to avoid.
• Adverse drug reactions: types, reporting (SAHPRA Med Safety).
• Drug interactions: pharmacokinetic vs pharmacodynamic, examples.
• Special populations: paediatric dosing, geriatric considerations, pregnancy categories.
• Controlled substances: schedules, prescribing requirements.
• Over-the-counter vs prescription medicines.
• Case studies: applying pharmaceutical concepts to real-world scenarios.

Practicals

6 hours of practicals To be conducted online or on-campus or in-house
Overview

Practical sessions allow learners to apply pharmaceutical concepts in simulated dispensing and prescription interpretation exercises. These hands-on activities reinforce terminology, dosage form identification, and safe medication handling.

Practical Activities
  • Prescription Interpretation and Dispensing Simulation — Learners receive sample prescriptions and must interpret, verify, and prepare a mock dispensing scenario, including labelling and patient counselling. (3h)
  • Dosage Form Identification and Route Matching — Using a set of physical or image-based samples, learners identify dosage forms and match them to appropriate routes of administration and patient scenarios. (2h)
  • Drug Interaction and ADR Case Studies — Learners analyse case studies to identify potential drug interactions and adverse drug reactions, then propose management strategies. (1h)

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course via daily exercises, scored practical assignments, and a final summative test at the end.

Practical Assignments — 30%

Practical assignments are observed and scored against a rubric during the practical sessions. Each delegate's practical mark is averaged into a single 100% score and contributes 30% to the final total.

Daily Exercises — 20%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 20% to the final total.

Final Test — 50%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 50% to the overall mark.

Final Total
Component Out of Weight
Practical Assignments (rubric-scored) 100% 30%
Daily Average (multiple choice) 100% 20%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice) 100% 50%
Final Total 100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

Certificate of Completion

Awarded to delegates who achieve an overall mark of 50% or higher on the Final Total (Practicals 30% + Daily Average 20% + Final Test 50%).

How it works
  • Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
  • Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
  • You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
  • If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.
Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.

Upcoming Training Sessions
Online training — attend live sessions from anywhere via our virtual classroom.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Wed 09 Sep 2026 Thu 10 Sep 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $610 Register
Thu 01 Oct 2026 Fri 02 Oct 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $610 Register
Mon 19 Oct 2026 Tue 20 Oct 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $610 Register
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Mon 27 Sep 2027 Tue 28 Sep 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $610 Register
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Thu 30 Dec 2027 Fri 31 Dec 2027 Virtual Summer 2027 $610 Register
Mon 17 Jan 2028 Tue 18 Jan 2028 Virtual Summer 2027 $610 Register
On-Campus training — face-to-face sessions at our training venues across Africa and beyond.
Showing all 480 sessions across 26 venues
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Tue 25 Aug 2026 Wed 26 Aug 2026 Bangkok, Thailand Winter 2026 $4,968 Register
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Thu 27 Aug 2026 Fri 28 Aug 2026 Harare, Zimbabwe Winter 2026 $1,728 Register
In-House training — we bring the trainer to your organisation, tailored to your team.
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Thu 17 Sep 2026 Fri 18 Sep 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $794 Register
Mon 05 Oct 2026 Tue 06 Oct 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $794 Register
Tue 27 Oct 2026 Wed 28 Oct 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $794 Register
Thu 17 Dec 2026 Fri 18 Dec 2026 Your Premises Summer 2026 $794 Register
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Wed 10 Mar 2027 Thu 11 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $794 Register
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Tue 15 Jun 2027 Wed 16 Jun 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $794 Register
Wed 07 Jul 2027 Thu 08 Jul 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $794 Register
Thu 29 Jul 2027 Fri 30 Jul 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $794 Register
Mon 13 Sep 2027 Tue 14 Sep 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $794 Register
Tue 05 Oct 2027 Wed 06 Oct 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $794 Register
Wed 27 Oct 2027 Thu 28 Oct 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $794 Register
Thu 16 Dec 2027 Fri 17 Dec 2027 Your Premises Summer 2027 $794 Register
Mon 03 Jan 2028 Tue 04 Jan 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $794 Register
Tue 25 Jan 2028 Wed 26 Jan 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $794 Register
Training Discounts
Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% off per 5 delegates, up to 40% for 100+

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