The college receives many more applications than it has places available, and it is therefore necessary to select applicants on the basis of academic merit. In order to be eligible for admission to the Bachelor of Pharmacy course applicants from Victoria must fulfil the following basic requirements.
Requirements for entry in 1996
Prerequisites: Units 3 and 4
English with a minimum grade average of C
Chemistry and Mathematical Methods with a minimum grade average of B
When making an academic judgement to distinguish between applicants in the vicinity of the quota cut-off mark, consideration will be given to the full range of an applicant's VCE studies and results with particular reference to the level of performance in CATs in prerequisite studies.
It is believed that the studies Biology and Physics provide a useful background for students commencing the pharmacy course; however such studies do not attract any special bonus when selection scores are computed.
For the information of Victorian VCE students, the `cut off' score for entry to the pharmacy course in 1994 was 143.
Australian candidates who have successfully completed post-secondary studies, or equivalent interstate and overseas qualifications in appropriate subjects, will also be considered eligible for admission to a limited number of places in the Bachelor of Pharmacy course.
Interstate applicants
Interstate applicants will be evaluated on the basis of their local Year 12 examination results, which must include passes in English, chemistry, and a branch of mathematics.
Overseas applicants
Overseas students studying for the Victorian Certificate of Education in Victoria should apply for entry through the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre.
Overseas students undertaking foundation studies or tertiary studies in Victoria who wish to apply for admission to the Bachelor of Pharmacy may do so by contacting the faculty registrar and requesting an application form.
Overseas students residing overseas or interstate applying for scholarships under the Federal Government's Australian Development Cooperation Scholarship (ADCOS) scheme may apply for admission to the college through ADCOS by contacting their local overseas post.
Transfer students
Persons who have completed or partially completed a post-secondary education course will be assessed on individual merit. Credits (if any) for subjects in the pharmacy course will be determined after a person has been selected to commence the course.
Credit transfer
Successful applicants who have completed or partially completed a post-secondary education course will have their prior study assessed on an individual basis.
Credit, if any, for specified subjects in the pharmacy course will be determined in consultation with members of academic staff after due consideration of where and when the applicant's previous study was attempted, the results achieved, and its current relevance to the curriculum of the pharmacy course. The outcome of these determinations will be conveyed in writing to the persons concerned, usually at the time of enrolment.
In cases of disagreement with any such credit determinations, the persons concerned may appeal in writing to the registrar setting out their reasons for requesting a review and enclosing original or certified copies of documents in support of their claims.
Application procedure
Application forms for admission may be obtained from the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre at 40 Park Street, South Melbourne, 3205. The completed forms must be lodged with the VTAC prior to 17 September of the year preceding that in which enrolment is desired.
Intending applicants should note that the Bachelor of Pharmacy is full-time, and that the college's academic year runs from late February to December.
Change to Bachelor of Pharmacy course
Students entering first year in 1995 are advised that the college is currently investigating a proposal to extend the undergraduate course to four years. Under such a proposal it is anticipated that students would be eligible to graduate and register at the end of the final year. As soon as details of any changes to the length and structure of the course are approved students will be notified.
Aims and objectives of the Bachelor of Pharmacy
The aim of the three-year Bachelor of Pharmacy course at the Victorian College of Pharmacy is to provide students with a knowledge and understanding of the sciences and technologies which underpin the practice of pharmacy who, after a further period of supervised professional practice, training and experience, may become registered as pharmacists, capable of building a career in any branch of pharmacy.
The undergraduate studies are to be oriented towards and placed within a pharmacy context.
The postgraduate period of practical training (the current preregistration year) must be regarded as an essential educational bridge which links the undergraduate course and the graduand's work as a registered pharmacist.
By the end of the teaching program, students should have:
an understanding of sufficient basic and applied sciences to be able, given more experience, to integrate and apply the knowledge to practical professional situations;
acquired appropriate dispensing and other manipulative skills to be able, at the end of the preregistration year, to practise competently as pharmacists;
acquired sufficient communication skills in the English language to be able, given more experience, to practise competently as pharmacists;
acquired the personal attributes, qualities and regard for professional ethics and standards needed to practise as responsible health professionals;
a commitment to maintain and build upon their knowledge base by continuing the educational process throughout their careers.
To meet these aims, the graduand should have:
1. A detailed knowledge of
the structural features and physico-chemical properties of drugs, as a basis for the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of drug action; factors affecting absorption; distribution, metabolism and excretion; and the design of dose forms;
human physiology and pharmacology, as a basis for the treatment of disease; the optimisation of the treatment; and the avoidance of side effects, contraindications, adverse effects and toxic reactions;
the formulation and preparation of drugs into effective dose forms so as to optimise therapeutic efficacy;
the dispensing of medicines to individual patients with due regard for the legal, therapeutic and professional requirements;
the laws applying to the professional practice of pharmacy.
2. A general knowledge of
common human disease states, in order to understand the basis of rational drug therapy;
the recognition and treatment of minor ailments and the ability to appreciate the need to refer patients to other health professionals;
the techniques of counselling patients and communicating with other health professionals with respect to the proper use of medication and other matters related to health care;
sources of relevant information and the ability to critically evaluate and use it appropriately.
3. An understanding of
the processes involved in the development of new drugs and the approval of new medicines for therapeutic purposes;
commonly used diagnostic reagents and tests, appropriate to the practice of pharmacy;
the place of pharmacy in the health care system;
the hazards associated with commonly used chemicals;
the abuse and misuse of drugs, medicines and other substances;
nutrition, as it relates to its influence on diseases and their treatment.
Note
The objectives are grouped into three sections, ie those requiring a `detailed knowledge,' a `general knowledge' and an `understanding'. These terms are not defined with precision, but are used to give an indication of the depth in which each topic is presented. The order in which the topics are listed is not to be taken as implying any emphasis or priority.
Curriculum
The academic course occupies three years of full-time study. Four grades of pass will be awarded in the following subjects of the course (high distinction, distinction, credit, pass).
First year
Pharmaceutics I
Medicinal chemistry I
Physiology
Mathematics
Pharmacy practice I (including human behaviour)
Second year
Pharmaceutics II
Medicinal chemistry II
Pharmacology I (including biochemistry)
Pharmaceutical microbiology
Pharmacy practice II
Third year
Pharmaceutics III
Medicinal chemistry III
Pharmacology II
Pharmacy practice III
Pharmacy project
BPharm degree rules
The detailed provisions governing the structure of the course and the progress of students through the course are set out in the Bachelor of Pharmacy regulations. The following rules amplify and supplement the provisions within the regulations.
1. The College Board is responsible for all matters relating to the course and the progress of students within the provisions of the course regulations and subject to other relevant Monash University statutes and regulations applicable at the college.
2. Subject to these rules, students must pass the examinations in all the subjects prescribed for study during the first year of the course before the college will admit them to the course of study in the subjects prescribed for the next year of the course and likewise for each succeeding year.
3. A candidate who fails to attain the standard set by the examiners at the examinations in any year may be admitted to repeat the course of study in the following year or may be excluded from the course.
4. A candidate who fails to attain the standard set by the examiners at the annual examinations on more than one occasion or who fails to attain the standard set by the examiners at the annual examinations after having been granted advanced standing in the pharmacy course or having failed in another tertiary institution may be excluded from the course.
5. Candidates who present themselves initially for the whole of the Pharmacy I, II or III examination may, at the discretion of the board of examiners, be granted credit for single subjects in which they have attained the standard set by the examiners.
6. With reference to the Pharmacy III examination, the single subject credits referred to in rule 5 may not be held beyond the Pharmacy III examination held in November the following year, after which time re-entry for the whole examination shall be required.
7. After two years have elapsed following the candidate's initial entry to the Pharmacy III examination, the college will not accept a further enrolment from the candidate.
8. Where sickness or other circumstances warranting compassion arise, candidates for examinations may apply for special consideration. The application which is required to be accompanied by a medical certificate or other documentary evidence must be lodged with the faculty registrar as soon as possible and not later than forty-eight hours after the relevant examination.
9. A candidate must observe the examination rules published in the general information chapter of this handbook.
10. The college will publish the results of examinations but the College Board may, in the case of a candidate's failing to observe the examination rules, omit the results of the said candidate and take action in accordance with the provisions of Statute 4.1 Discipline.
11. Supplementary examinations will be held when necessary at the discretion of the board of examiners. Individual examiners may prescribe additional examinations, either written, oral, or practical when and as required. Candidates are therefore advised to be available after the completion of the annual examinations and pending publication of the examination results.
Costs, charges and allowances
Fees
(Please note that fees set out below were correct at the time of printing but are subject to alteration.) Students enrolling for the BPharm course on a full-time basis will be required to meet the following charges:
Item
$
Apparatus deposit* 60
Annual student membership of 20
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia
(Victorian Branch)
Annual subscription to the 50
Victorian Pharmacy Students
Association (granting access to
Monash sporting facilities)
Service fee 60
Total 190
Students enrolling for the BPharm
course on a part-time basis will be
required to meet the following
charges:
Apparatus deposit* 60
Annual student membership of 20
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia
(Victorian Branch)
Annual subscription to the 29
Victorian Pharmacy Students
Association (granting access to
Monash sporting facilities)
Service fee 36
Total 145
* Refundable, less cost of
breakages, at the termination of
the course. Any student who breaks
apparatus valued at more than $60
may be required to pay a further
$60 deposit.
Full-fee
paying overseas students commencing studies in 1995 are required to pay fees of
$8400 per semester. These fees will incorporate the charges set out above.In addition to the above fees, approximately $700 per annum is required for textbooks, dissecting instruments, stationery, etc.
Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS)
As from January 1989 all Australian students, other than those specifically exempted, who enrol in post-secondary institutions are liable to incur a charge under the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS). In 1994 the course contribution set by the Federal Government was $2355 for each year of equivalent full-time study.
Australian Government means-tested allowances
Information on the Government living, incidentals, dependants, and travel allowances may be obtained from:
Director
Victorian State Office
Department of Employment, Education and Training
222 Exhibition Street
Melbourne Vic 3000
Telephone: 666 7166
Special assistance for students
Limited funds for loans to students are available for specific purposes. Details can be obtained from the faculty registrar.
Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI)
Bachelor of Pharmacy graduates from the Victorian College of Pharmacy, after a period of practical experience, are eligible to become Members of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute. This means that such graduates are able to practise in many areas of industry as professional chemists, and receive the salaries determined for Members of RACI.