Course overview
The aim of this course is to provide foundational knowledge and skills required for contribution to pharmacy practice in a primary health context. This course provides an introduction to issues in pharmacy practice, including: history, role and function of pharmacists; origins and development of drugs; ethics and values of a health professional; introductory absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) principles; calculations based on understanding of dose and the fundamentals of formulation; development of tools necessary for the practice of pharmacy: oral and written communication skills required for the provision of medicines; function and legal requirements of a prescription; retrieval and appraisal information about medicines and health, particularly related to the provision of unscheduled and Pharmacy Only medications and the general management of minor illness in a primary health care setting.
Course learning outcomes
- Describe the basic legal requirements of medicine provision, both prescription and non-prescription
- Explain the pharmacist's contribution to the health care setting in terms of the interface with patients, enabling the identification of standards of ethical professional practice and competency in relation to medicines
- Describe the fundamentals of pharmaceutical formulations and understand the concept of dose and pharmaceutical numeracy which impacts on patient safety and appropriate drug usage.
- Demonstrate competent skills with respect to the provision of prescription and non-prescription medicines
- Demonstrate a functional knowledge of the ailments most commonly encountered in community pharmacy and their management
- Demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills to enable the safe and effective use of medicines