Undergraduate - UnitPAC2331 - Pharmacists as communicators

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Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Offered	Sunway First semester 2012 (Day) Parkville First semester 2012 (Day)
Coordinator(s)	Dr Safeera Hussainy (Parkville); Dr Wong Yoon Sim (Sunway)

Synopsis

This unit aims to provide students with fundamental knowledge, skills and resources to interact with patients and other health care professionals to effect positive therapeutic outcomes. The unit focuses on definition, development and refinement of communication skills for pharmacists in all aspects of professional practice. This professional practice is defined in terms of the expectations and structure of the Australian Health Care System and in context of global approaches to health.
Students will develop an understanding of:

• effective communication with patients and prescribers; health literacy; the problems of medication non-adherence and means of overcoming them; the role of the pharmacist in patient education.

Students will develop abilities in:

• the areas of accessing information; written and oral communication (including effective communication in special settings); patient counselling; problem-solving in clinically- oriented situations; and creating, maintaining and utilising individual patient records.

Students will develop an appreciation of concepts in systematic care of patients.

Outcomes

After completing this unit, students will be able to:

1. Apply specific strategies and resources to enhance communication with patients and other health care professionals.
2. Communicate with patients and other health care professionals in a considered and systematic way, focussing on best clinical outcomes.
3. Apply approaches to communication with patients and other health care professionals in special settings and with specific groups of people.
4. Identify clinical and other health terminology used.
5. Interpret health terminology for clinical decision-making and for translating into meaningful language for patients.

Assessment

Three tutorial assignments: 15% in total; oral exam (objective structured clinical exam, OSCE): 40%; final exam: 45%.

Chief examiner(s)

Dr Safeera Hussainy

Contact hours

Parkville campus: 36 hours of lectures/whole class tutorials, 18 hours of group tutorials, and 7 hours of formative assessment activities.
Sunway campus: 34.5 hours of lectures/whole class tutorials, 3 hours of workshops, 18 hours of group tutorials, and 7 hours of formative assessment activities.

Prerequisites

PAC1311 Pharmacy, health and society I
PAC1322 Pharmacy, health and society II

Additional information on this unit is available from the faculty at:

http://www.monash.edu.au/muso/support/