96017 Clinical Practice 4
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particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source
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Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
Requisite(s): 96009 Professional Services 3 AND 96010 Integrated Therapeutics 2 AND 96025 Clinical Practice 3
These requisites may not apply to students in certain courses.
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Description
This subject allows students to apply their theoretical knowledge and coursework skills through elective placements in diverse pharmacy settings. Students can choose from community pharmacies, hospitals, the pharmaceutical industry, rural locations, compounding facilities, specialist clinics, and professional organisations to tailor their practical experience.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
| 002. | Use effective verbal and non-verbal communication, demonstrating empathy and tact in interactions with healthcare professionals and patients |
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| 003. | Communicate complex health-related information in a manner appropriate to the target audience |
| 005. | Communicate with patients and other HCPs in a non-judgmental, non-discriminatory and respectful manner |
| 006. | Develop effective leadership and communication skills within teams in pharmacy practice settings, fostering collaboration, innovation, and optimal patient care outcomes. |
| 010. | Employ an evidence-based approach to patient care and clinical practice |
| 013. | Demonstrate a commitment to continuous learning, employing a reflective approach to maintain professional competence |
| 014. | Describe the expectations of the profession in relation to maintenance of competence and ongoing professional development |
| 016. | Work within own area of expertise and refer appropriately |
| 017. | Demonstrate professionalism by ethical behaviour, adhering to codes of conduct, and accountability |
| 048. | Apply coursework learning in a range of practice settings |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
The learning outcomes for this subject are as follows:
- Reflect on knowledge, skills and attributes required for the evaluation and integration of emerging evidence into practice, promoting the growth of personal and professional learning and the education of others (01.02)
- Analyse and synthesise knowledge of health science concepts and theory, and apply skills of scientific research and clinical reasoning to support decision-making in pharmacy practice. (01.03)
- Demonstrate safe and competent operational, interpersonal and clinical skills for the benefit and care of patients and the wider community. (02.01)
- Engage in team undertakings adopting a range of roles in diverse teams, building cohesion and maximising team contributions. (02.04)
- Demonstrate sound ethical, compassionate and respectful patient-focused care, taking responsibility for personal health and wellbeing. (02.05)
- Capably communicate to patients, their families, carers and members of the healthcare team; contribute to wider health education and promotion, choosing and adapting communication modes to address cultural and linguistic diversity. (02.06)
- Represent pharmacy perspectives in multidisciplinary environments, and optimise patient outcomes through self-awareness and acknowledgement of the contributions of other healthcare disciplines. (02.08)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
Clinical placements provide an important platform for the integration of the knowledge gained through the coursework, emphasising the relevance and application to the practice setting, as well as practicing newly developed skills. The Master of Pharmacy Clinical Practice Subjects contribute to the following UTS:Pharmacy Graduate Attributes:
Lifelong learning
Graduates of the Master of Pharmacy are lifelong learners, committed to and capable of reflection and inquiry in their quest for personal development and excellence in professional practice.
Professional capacity
Graduates of the Master of Pharmacy are client-focused, ethical practitioners with the understanding and proficiency to be leaders in their profession, capable of effectively researching and communicating solutions in a global context.
Global citizenshipGraduates of the Master of Pharmacy contribute to society, resolving to undertake those actions and responsibilities that will enhance their role in local, national and global communities.Cultural competence
Graduates of the Master of Pharmacy are culturally competent professionals, able to reflect on and explain their own cultural perspectives, accommodate cultural differences and achieve optimal outcomes through the adoption of a consultative approach to health care with indigenous Australians and other cultural groups.
Teaching and learning strategies
Experiential learning in real clinical placement settings. In Clinical Practice 4, students learn by reflecting on their experiences in real clinical situations, and through patient-centred tasks related to the learning content of their other Master of Pharmacy subjects.
Experiential Learning (Practice-orientated Learning): As a clinical placement subject, students have the opportunity to engage in clinical pharmacy practice, utilise and further develop their hands-on clinical skills and apply their academic knowledge of pharmacists to real patients and authentic experiences and scenarios within the clinical environment. Learning in the clinical environment is under the mentorship of qualified registered pharmacist. Students are expected to actively engage in all aspects of clinical practice under the guidance of the preceptor registered pharmacist.
Collaborative Learning: pharmacists work within a multi-disciplinary team environment and often collaborate with other health professionals to provide optimal patient care. Through clinical placement, students have the opportunity to work within these collaborative teams and develop both general teamwork skills and specific clinical skills such as; medication history taking, medication reconciliation and case conferencing. Students also have the opportunity to collaborate closely with peers, registered pharmacists, general practitioners and other allied health professionals throughout their clinical placement.
Reflective Learning: Reflective practice is an essential skill for health professionals to develop. Students are encouraged to critically reflect on their learning throughout the subject to identify areas where they may improve their performance and to assist in the development of lifelong learning skills. Specific activities where reflective learning is encouraged are; self-evaluation of learning within the clinical environment and reflection on a learning task (CPD Portfolio, assessment 1).
Ongoing Feedback: Feedback will be frequent and will include ongoing feedback from preceptors throughout experiential placement activities. Students are provided with ongoing feedback relating to the performance of clinical skills, clinical reasoning and understanding of key concepts of clinical practice by preceptors when on clinical placement. Formative feedback about a student’s performance while on clinical placement is provided via the preceptor evaluation assessment at the end of each 2 week placement block.
Content (topics)
Topics that students will be examined include:
- Placement activities
- Clinical competence
- Reflective Practice and Reflective Writing Skills
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Clinical Compliance (must-pass)
| Intent: | The Graduate School of Health has adopted NSW Health policies and procedures for all clinical placement sites utilised throughout the placement program. Students are required to maintain their compliance requirements, and action and submit all relevant documentation to the Clinical Placement team and then NSW Health. Undertaking and continuing the clinical compliance process are the first steps towards starting a career in health. The compliance process is there to protect students and the people students will care for in practice. |
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| Objective(s): | This task is aligned with the following subject learning objectives: 048 This task is aligned with the following course learning outcomes: 02.01 |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Criteria: | Task must be submitted to meet requirements |
Assessment task 2: Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Portfolio
| Intent: | Practicing Pharmacists are required to complete forty points of CPD per year. To cultivate a professional approach to Lifelong Learning, and to familiarise yourself with the types of CPD tasks required in future practice, students are required to complete five hours of CPD relevant to the placements they are undertaking to help develop their skills for practice. |
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| Objective(s): | This task is aligned with the following subject learning objectives: 010 and 013 This task is aligned with the following course learning outcomes: 01.02, 01.03 and 02.01 |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 20% |
| Criteria: | Assessment criteria available via Canvas |
Assessment task 3: Clinical Practice Activities
| Intent: | Pharmacists working in clinical practice are required to be familiar with clinical activities across a range of pharmacy practice settings. The ePortfolio comprises a range of clinical activities that will be undertaken in alignment with your placement setting to demonstrate the application and integration of coursework learning to the practice setting and the practical experiences and competencies gained during the clinical pharmacy placement block. |
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| Objective(s): | This task is aligned with the following subject learning objectives: 002, 003, 005, 006, 010 and 048 This task is aligned with the following course learning outcomes: 01.03, 02.01, 02.04, 02.06 and 02.08 |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 60% |
| Criteria: | You will be assessed on your competency to complete the assessment activity in relation to your placement setting. Marks will be awarded according to the criteria provided in Canvas |
Assessment task 4: Preceptor Evaluation (must-pass)
| Intent: | This task will allow the preceptors to engage with students on placement to facilitate the development of clinical competency and evaluate their performance, professionalism and behaviour during placement. |
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| Objective(s): | This task is aligned with the following subject learning objectives: 002, 003, 005, 006, 016 and 017 This task is aligned with the following course learning outcomes: 02.01, 02.04, 02.05 and 02.06 |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 20% |
| Criteria: | You will be assessed by your preceptor on clinical competency, performance, professionalism and behaviour during placement according to the Preceptor Evaluation Form criterion, available via Canvas. |
Minimum requirements
Students are required to attend 100% of scheduled clinical placements.
Note: there is one (1) must-pass assessments in this Subject. Please check assessment descriptions for details.
Required texts
Australian Medicines Handbook (AMH)
Also:
Coursework Assessments Procedures
Graduate School of Health Policy, Guidelines and Procedures (login required)
Recommended texts
Textbooks and references:
- Australian Pharmaceutical Formulary (APF) and Handbook, 25th Edition, Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, Curtin, ACT.
- Rutter P and Newby D. Community Pharmacy: Symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. (Churchill Livingstone, 2017)
- Electronic Therapeutic Guidelines (Available through UTS Library)
Professional Organisations
- Pharmaceutical Society of Australia
www.psa.org.au - Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia
www.shpa.org.au
Other resources
- UTS Pharmacy Uniform and appropriate attire (NB/ closed-toe footware)
- UTS Pharmacy Identification Badge
- Portable computer (laptop, notebook, netbook, iPad) for use on clinical placements