Unit Outline

CSA457 Pharmacy Skills in Practice 4A focuses on concepts associated with professional and clinical pharmacy practice. It builds on material studied in Pharmacy Skills in Practice 3A and 3B. The unit consists of three main areas: community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy and medication management, with associated communication, collaboration, and practical skills. These skills will be developed through online modules and in simulated pharmacy practice activities. Class activities will be complemented with Alcohol and Drug Service (ADS) and Residential Aged Care Facility activities. The overall objective of the unit is to develop practical knowledge and understanding of pharmacy practice. Emphasis is placed on the integration of knowledge gained from all units within the pharmacy course and application of that knowledge to evaluate and solve practice-related problems.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1.	Identify, prioritise and resolve medication-related problems.
2.	Communicate and collaborate while making patient-centred therapeutic decisions.
3.	Search, evaluate and reference drug information and pharmacy related literature.
4.	Compare and contrast the impact pharmacists have on patient outcomes in different settings.
5.	Dispense and supply medications accurately and within the legal, ethical and professional bounds.

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	All Year 3 BPharm Units
Co-requisite	CSA406

Alterations as a result of student feedback

Assessments have been altered following student feedback. The professional services pitch has been removed and replaced with a mid-semester test. Alterations may occur depending on current public health advice.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	In class oral assessments	Week 1	25 %	LO1, LO2, LO4, LO5
Assessment Task 2:	Oral mid-semester test	Week 9	15 %	LO1, LO2, LO4, LO5
Assessment Task 3:	Medication Review Assignment	Week 9	15 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 4:	Drug information Assignment	Week 10	15 %	LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 5:	Practical oral examination	Exam Period	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO5

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: In class oral assessments

Task Description:

You will participate in 13 compulsory workshop sessions. You will be assessed on your communication during oral counselling in 8 of these 13 workshops with feedback given. Your highest 5 grades will contribute to your grade.
Due Dates - Weeks 1-13

Task Length:

5 x verbal assessments

Due Date:

Week 1

Weight:

25 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Identify and resolve medication related problems.	LO1
2	Counsel patients, using patient centred language, in a clear and concise way.	LO2
3	Explain how pharmacists, working in different settings, can impact patient outcomes.	LO4
4	Dispense and supply medications accurately, legally and ethically.	LO5
5	Answers to questions related to pharmacy practice content	LO4

Assessment Task 2: Oral mid-semester test

Task Description:

You will undertake a 15 minute online oral test conducted on zoom, which will include questions about drug related problems, law and ethical related problems, communication and the roles and responsibilities of different pharmacists.

Task Length:

15 minutes

Due Date:

Week 9

Weight:

15 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Identify, prioritise and resolve medication-related problems in clinical scenarios.	LO1
2	Communicate patient-centred therapeutic decisions clearly.	LO2
3	Explain the impact that pharmacists working in different settings can make on patient outcomes.	LO4
4	Dispense and supply medications legally and ethically.	LO5

Assessment Task 3: Medication Review Assignment

Task Description:

You will attend an aged care facility to take part in a residential medication management session where you will record details of a patient, review their medication and write a report to the resident’s GP. Students will be assessed based on the performance in the session and their ability to collect information and communicate with the patient.
Due dates - Weeks 9-12 (one week after visit)

Task Length:

650 words

Due Date:

Week 9

Weight:

15 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Identify and prioritise medication-related problems in your given case.	LO1
2	Resolve, medication related problems to optimise patient outcomes.	LO1
3	Communicate patient-centred therapeutic decisions in a clear and concise manner	LO2
4	Search, evaluate and reference, using appropriate referencing, drug information and pharmacy related literature to support your therapeutic decisions.	LO3

Assessment Task 4: Drug information Assignment

Task Description:

In class you will work in a group to answer a range of drug information questions from either health professionals or patients

Task Length:

1000 words

Due Date:

Week 10

Weight:

15 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Identify suitable literature to answer the research questions.	LO3
2	Evaluate scientific literature to answer the research question.	LO3
3	Reference, using Vancouver reference style, the resources used to answer the research question.	LO3
4	Communicate clearly, using academic English, to answer the questions to a range of different audiences.	LO2
5	Collaborate with your group to make evidence-based, patient-centred therapeutic decisions.	LO2
6	Demonstrate the different roles of pharmacists in answering drug related questions.	LO4

Assessment Task 5: Practical oral examination

Task Description:

You will sit an oral practical exam and the format will be similar to the counselling sessions in class and is based on dispensing and community pharmacy practice knowledge.

This is a hurdle assessment.

Task Length:

20 minutes

Due Date:

Exam Period

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Identify and resolve drug related problems in clinical scenarios.	LO1
2	Counsel patients using patient centred language in a clear and concise way.	LO2
3	Identify legal and ethical requirements of dispensing and supplying medications.	LO5
4	Differentially diagnose and provide appropriate management for a minor ailment in a clinical scenario.	LO1

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.

Required Resources

Required reading materials

In CSA457, students will be using resources that pharmacists use in practice including but not limited to guidelines, codes of conduct and ethics, etc. Students are expected to become familiar with these resources to supplement their learning, with links available in MyLO.