PassAssured's Pharmacy Technician Training Systems
Calculations
Weights and Measurements
Pharmacy Technician Training Systems
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Calculations, Weights and Measures
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The Basic Units
Common Systems
Apothecary
Avoirdupois
Household
Conversion Equivalents
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Calculations, Weights and Measures
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(Internet Access is Required for this Feature)
Click Here for Glossary Index!
The most commonly used
Always power of ten
The Basic Units
Length
Length Table ( 02010010 )
Volume
Volume Table ( 02010020 )
Weight
Weight Table ( 02010030 )
Common Systems
Two other systems of measurement are used in the United States. The avoirdupois
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system is the common system of weight - pounds and ounces - used in commerce and
daily life. The apothecary system of volume - pints, quarts, and gallons - is the common
system for commerce and household measurement. The apothecary system of weights
is used only in pharmacy and medicine. While these are no longer official systems of
measurement and their use is strongly discouraged, there are practitioners (and older
compounding formulas) that use these systems. Therefore, pharmacy technicians should
know about them; ignorance of these systems could lead to serious errors in
interpretation or measurement.
The apothecary system of weights and volume was formerly used in pharmacy and
medicine. *No longer official, use is discouraged.
Only one unit of weight is the same in both the Avoirdupois and Apothecary systems, that
is the grain (gr). All other units of weight are different.
*Use of the dram symbol as an abbreviation for teaspoon: Although a fluid dram contains
3.69 ml, it is common practice for practitioners to use the dram symbol, in the Sig or
Directions for Use portion of a prescription document as an abbreviation for teaspoonful.
Since by the USP definition one teaspoonful contains 5mL, the dram symbol in this case
means 5 ml. The use of such symbols, with dual meanings, should be discouraged.
Even more hazardous is the use in the Sig of the apothecary ounce symbol as an
abbreviation for the 30 ml or two tablespoonfuls, and the use of the apothecary symbol
for one - half ounce as an abbreviation for the 15 ml or one tablespoonful. In this case,
pharmacists have mistakenly interpreted the ounce symbol as an abbreviation for one
tablespoonful, giving a dose that is one-half of that which was intended.
Apothecary
Volume
Volume Table ( 02010040 )
Weight
Weight Table ( 02010050 )
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Avoirdupois
Weight
Weight Table ( 02010060 )
Household
Volume
Volume Table ( 02010070 )
Weight
Weight Table ( 02010080 )
Length
Length Table ( 02010090 )
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Conversion Equivalents
Volume
Volume Table ( 02010100 )
Weight:
Weight Table ( 02010200 )
Note: Values given in brackets are approximations that are often used. For
compounding, conversion factors with three significant figures are required.
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