How do medicines work? How do they interact with the body? What do I need to know for my nursing studies and practice?

This book introduces the principles and practice of pharmacology in clear and simple terms. It follows the journey that medicines take in the body, explaining the main pharmacokinetic stages from the site of drug administration, through to metabolism and excretion, and considers the principles of drug action.

Using straightforward language and assuming no prior knowledge of related anatomy and physiology, it builds your understanding before ending in a chapter of case studies, illustrating how the pharmacological principles you've learned apply to everyday nursing scenarios. It is the ideal introduction for all pre-registration nursing students beginning their journey towards future prescribing roles.

Alison Buckley, a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing is a Senior Lecturer in Nursing at the University of Cumbria. She has a long history of leading and developing nursing curricula, with particular academic and professional interests in ethics, law, professional practice, pathophysiology, pharmacology, medicine optimisation and neurocritical care. Her research interests lie in the lived experience of disordered consciousness secondary to acquired brain injury, applied phenomenology and narrative inquiry. She currently takes a lead role in pre-registration nursing education and remains a Registered Nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (UK).