Course unit details:
Foundations of Clinical Pharmacy
| 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 communication and 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
- 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
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.
Pre/co-requisites
| Unit title | Unit code | Requirement type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medicines Optimisation & Therapeutics 1 | PHAR60411 | Co-Requisite | Compulsory |
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.
At the end of the unit, the student should be able to:
- Demonstrate competency in consultation skills
- Demonstrate the skills required to deliver effective clinical care in a variety of settings working
- as part of the multidisciplinary healthcare team.
- Describe the concept of pharmaceutical care and medicines optimisation
- Demonstrate systematic understanding of specific common patient groups and the issues involved in therapeutic optimisation in these groups
- Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of best clinical practice and its application to clinical practice and the pharmaceutical care of patients
- Integrate theory and research of disease pathology and disease management with patient information to apply best evidence to practice in a clinical problemsolving context
- Safely and competently carry out a range of patientbased clinical skills
- Use resources to collect and select information about the optimal clinical management of a patient
- Learn effectively for the purpose of continuing professional development and in a wider context throughout their career
- Evaluate their own academic and personal progression.
Teaching and learning methods
This course unit is delivered online using Blackboard Ultra. 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
- 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.
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.
- 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
| Assessment task | Length | How and when feedback is provided | Weighting within unit |
Clinical Skills Practice Portfolio This includes the following, mapped against the professional competency framework:
Items 1-3 to be submitted in week 7 Items 4-6 to be submitted in week 14 | 2500 words | Feedback on items 1-3 will be provided by week 11 via Blackboard. Feedback for items 4-6 and the final mark will be provided after the examination board via Blackboard | 100% |
Feedback methods
Feedback on items 1-3 will be provided by week 11 via Blackboard.
Feedback for items 4-6 and the final mark will be provided after the examination board via Blackboard.
Recommended reading
An up-to-date reading list for the unit is available on Reading lists online via Blackboard.
Study hours
| Independent study hours | |
|---|---|
| Independent study | 150 |
Teaching staff
| Staff member | Role |
|---|---|
| Esnath Magola-Makina | Unit coordinator |
Additional notes
Other scheduled teaching and learning activities: (32 hours)
- 2 hours of tutorials with Education Supervisor using a nominated online communication tool, eg, Zoom
- 4 hours e-lectures
- 20 hours online tutorials/ webinars/ eLearning packages
- 4 hours participation in online discussion boards
- 2 hours online self-assessment tests.