MSc Clinical Pharmacy / Course details

Year of entry: 2024

Course unit details:
Foundations of Clinical Pharmacy

Course unit fact file
Unit code PHAR63001
Credit rating 15
Unit level FHEQ level 7 – master's degree or fourth year of an integrated master's degree
Teaching period(s) Semester 1
Available as a free choice unit? No

Overview

This compulsory unit will provide students with a baseline skillset to be able to review patients and optimise their therapy. It will cover the fundamentals of patient management for a range of commonly encountered patient groups, and will also highlight the role of the pharmacist in patient care. The following key clinical skills will be developed:

  • problem identification
  • clinical calculations
  • taking and evaluating a medication history
  • patient counselling
  • interpretation of laboratory data
  • understanding the relationship between different patient groups and drug handling
  • consultation skills and behaviours
  • responding to medication related enquiries
  • reporting adverse drug reactions
  • responding to medication errors that compromise patient safety
  • reflection on practice
  • utilisation of a professional competency framework to benchmark practice and demonstrate competency against its standards

The unit will combine e-lectures, webinars and tutorials, reading and practical work-based tasks to develop these skills which will be assessed using a practice portfolio.

The blended option will include two study days.

Aims

The unit aims to:

Foster the skills, knowledge and behaviours of a clinical pharmacist through a range of essential skills. Introduce the concept of pharmaceutical care and medicines optimisation. To develop clinical problem-solving skills in a range of patient groups (elderly, paediatrics, renal, liver and surgical patients), develop advanced consultation skills and behaviours, reporting of adverse drug reactions, responding to medicines related enquiries, and resolving medicines related incidents. These skills are underpinned by developing and understanding the benefits of reflection on practice and mapping competency against a professional framework for personal development.

At the end of the unit, the student should be able to:

  • describe the concept of pharmaceutical care and medicines optimisation
  • demonstrate the skills required to deliver effective clinical care in a variety of settings working as part of the multidisciplinary healthcare team.
  • apply a systematic approach to problem solving in a practice setting
  • develop therapeutic decision making in different patient groups.
  • understand the principles of Continuing Professional Development and utilise the principles of Continuing Professional Development in their professional practice
  • demonstrate competency in consultation skills
  • utilise the RPS Foundation Framework to benchmark practice and describe learning and development needs.

Teaching and learning methods

Online Option:

This course unit is delivered online using Blackboard 10. All learning material is presented in week by week folders to help students manage their time. Each week will contain four main elements; background reflective tasks, learning in the form of an e-lecture, embedded video or webinar, further reading and finally a task to consolidate learning (e.g. completion of coursework, formative quiz or participation in a group discussion). The unit will foster an online student community with interactive activities and communications with the unit team.

The unit will cover the fundamentals of patient management for a range of patient groups, and will also highlight the role of the pharmacist in patient care, and emphasise the following key clinical skills:

  • problem identification
  • clinical calculations
  • taking and evaluating a medication history
  • patient counselling
  • interpretation of laboratory data
  • understanding the relationship between different patient groups and drug handling
  • consultation skills and behaviours
  • responding to medication related enquiries
  • reporting adverse drug reactions
  • responding to medication errors that compromise patient safety
  • reflection on practice
  • utilisation of a professional competency framework to benchmark practice and demonstrate competency against its standards

 

Blended Option:

The unit will be delivered using a blended learning approach providing students with a structured on-line learning programme (as described above), complemented by study days.

The study days will consist of application workshops delivered by clinical specialists, thus providing the students a unique learning experience. Workshops will be interactive and will normally utilise a case study to illustrate the major outcomes outlined in the learning objectives.

Knowledge and understanding

  • Demonstrate systematic understanding of specific common patient groups and the issues involved in therapeutic optimisation in these groups (elderly, paediatrics, renal, liver and surgical patients
  • Demonstrate an understanding of some of the theories regarding consultation skills and patient centred care
  • Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of best clinical practice and its application to clinical practice and the pharmaceutical care of patients (consultation skills, reflective practice, providing medicines related information, information inquiries, responding to medicines related errors, reporting adverse drug reactions, pharmaceutical calculations, drug handling in different patient groups).

Intellectual skills

  • Integrate theory and best research evidence of disease pathology and disease management with a patient’s unique biology, values and circumstances in a clinical problem-solving context (drug handling in specific groups, surgical patients, clinical monitoring).
  • Benchmark practice through reflection against recognised competencies and standards.

Practical skills

  • Safely and competently carry out a range of patient-based clinical skills (history taking, consultations, providing advice and information, responding to medicines related queries, responding to an adverse drug reaction, minimising the potential of medicine errors).
  • Use resources to collect and select information about the optimal clinical management of a patient.
  • Carry out constructive peer review.
  • Demonstrate advanced consultation skills and behaviours.

Transferable skills and personal qualities

  • Learn effectively for the purpose of continuing professional development and in a wider context throughout their career including identifying competency against a professional competency framework
  • Develop reflective practice and learning through reflection
  • Evaluate their own academic and personal progression in line with a recognised professional competency framework

Assessment methods

Method Weight
Written assignment (inc essay) 100%

Feedback methods

Provisional marks and feedback for coursework returned within 15 working days.

Exam marks and final marks returned after ratification at exam board. 

Study hours

Independent study hours
Independent study 150

Teaching staff

Staff member Role
Penny Lewis Unit coordinator

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