Units

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Sample subject outline - Semester 1 2013

Note: Subject outlines often change before the semester begins. Below is a sample outline.

Rationale

The role of a contemporary pharmacist in providing healthcare products and advice consists of a diverse range of skills and abilities in the preparation of extemporaneous formulation, the dispensing of medications, counselling of patients and their families in their correct use and potential adverse effects and performing medication reviews. To assist you in developing expertise in these areas, this unit will provide "real world" experience through a long-term continuous placement in a community, hospital, rural or interprofessional environments under the supervision of qualified preceptors. These placements will consist of a four (4) week block that will commence in the in week 12 of the semester.

This is a capstone unit/experience which provides a culminating learning experience occurring in the final year of a course that brings reflection and focus to the whole course experience whilst, at the same time, leading students to transition into new professional pathways and/or post-graduate study.

This is a designated unit. Designated units include professional experience units, units requiring the development of particular skills, and units requiring the demonstration of certain personal qualities, and are deemed to be critical to progress in your course. If you fail to achieve a passing grade in this unit on two occasions you will be issued with an unsatisfactory academic performance notice and could be excluded from the course. Supplementary Assessment will NOT be granted to students enrolled in designated units.

Aims

The aims of this unit are to:

1. further develop practical dispensing and counselling skills by exposing you to an extended experiential placement in a real world pharmacy environment under the guidance of preceptor pharmacists.
2. enhance your understanding of the role of pharmacists in providing healthcare to patients/clients.
3. present you with real life clinical scenarios that will further develop your analytical and problem solving abilities in providing both pharmacological and non-pharmacological healthcare solutions.
4. provide you with exposure to the business and management practices of a real world pharmacy environment.

Objectives

On completion of this unit you should be able to:

1. properly dispense a range of pharmaceutical products and provide effective counselling on their correct use to patients, their families and/or carers.
2. understand the multifaceted role of the contemporary pharmacists in a range of healthcare environments.
3. apply your knowledge of pharmacological and non-pharmacological health care products to solving practical clinical problems encountered in a real world pharmacy setting.
4. competently discuss aspects of the business practices of modern pharmacies and management duties of pharmacists in the workplace.

Content

Experiential Placements: Students will work under the supervision of a preceptor pharmacist in a community, rural or hospital pharmacy environment for a continuous block of four (4) full working weeks.

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

You will perform four (4) weeks of Experiential Placements in either a Community or Hospital environment with a rural setting for either of these options. The approach to the assessment will be reflective in nature and will also consist preceptor assessment and a research project in Drug Use Evaluation (DUE).

Assessment

Grading: Grading in this unit is Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. A satisfactory performance in all assessment tasks is required to obtain an overall Satisfactory grade in this unit.Feedback will be available on your progress.

Assessment name: Reflective Journal
Description: Submission of a reflective journal which substantiates the experiential learning conducted over the four (4) weeks of clinical placements in the unit. Weight: Pass/Fail
Relates to objectives: 1 to 4.
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: End of Placement

Assessment name: Research Project
Description: A group research project where students gather data on drug use during their placement, which is then analysed and reported by both written report and oral presentation us Drug Use Evaluation (DUE) guidelines. Weight: Pass/Fail
Relates to objectives: N/A
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Group
Due date: End of Placement

Assessment name: Placement Performance
Description: Assessment by the supervising Preceptor on the performance of the student in a range of professional competencies moderated by academic staff/Unit Coordinator. Weight: Pass/Fail.
Relates to objectives: N/A
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: End of Placement

Academic Honesty

QUT is committed to maintaining high academic standards to protect the value of its qualifications. To assist you in assuring the academic integrity of your assessment you are encouraged to make use of the support materials and services available to help you consider and check your assessment items. Important information about the university's approach to academic integrity of assessment is on your unit Blackboard site.

A breach of academic integrity is regarded as Student Misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties.

Resource materials

See Unit Coordinator.

Risk assessment statement

You will be required to participate in a period of off-campus professional experience in a variety of pharmacy settings. During these placements, you will be exposed to a range of risks and hazards that are normally encountered by pharmacists practising in hospital and/or community pharmacies. When undertaking field placements you are automatically subject to the Workplace Health and Safety Policies, Procedures and Regulations operating within the pharmacy. You are required by law to comply with these policies and procedures at all times.

Measures undertaken to minimise risks encountered during the off-campus field placement include:
1. Orientation to the pharmacy.
2. Awareness/familiarisation of specific risks and hazards associated with the particular setting to which you have been assigned.
3. Adequate supervision by a pharmacist.
4. Appropriate theoretical and practical skill preparation prior to commencement of the placement.
5. Review of personal health and immunisation status.

Qld Health Hospital placements will require evidence of Hepatitis B vaccination.

Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of semester.

Last modified: 12-Nov-2012