PGC5302 · Pharmacist prescribing skills 2

Overview

This unit will consolidate your ability to make safe person-centred and evidence-informed prescribing decisions as a pharmacist. Throughout this unit, you will learn about the signs, symptoms, diagnostic features and management options for conditions related to cardiac risk reduction such as dyslipidemia, hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Using the context of these primary care conditions, you will apply knowledge and skills relevant to the four step prescribing process of information gathering, clinical decision-making, communicating and documenting treatment plans and monitoring treatment responses. You will further expand your understanding of principles relevant to safe prescribing practice such as quality use of medicines, person-centred care, shared decision-making, clinical governance and interprofessional collaboration. This includes developing an in-depth understanding of scope of practice and related principles to ensure that you make safe, legal and ethical prescribing decisions as a pharmacist prescriber. In this unit, you are required to nominate a “designated prescriber”, who is an Ahpra registered health professional currently prescribing, with at least 12 months experience as a prescriber in an area of practice relevant to your scope of practice. Your designated prescriber must formally agree to provide supervision and mentorship, and assess your prescribing competency in a work-integrated learning environment.

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook lists an examination for this unit.

You will be assessed using the Monash Competency Grading Schema for this unit. This unit contains one or more competency hurdle assessment tasks that you must successfully complete to be able to pass the unit. If you fail to meet the hurdle requirement, you will receive a fail grade for the unit regardless of the total marks you achieve.

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

Learning outcomes

1. Define professional scope of practice in the context of pharmacist prescribing and develop professional development (CPD) plans to ensure safe, competent, and sustained prescribing practice
2. Describe the legal and ethical issues associated with prescribing practice and develop strategies to prescribe legally and ethically
3. In the context of common primary care acute and chronic conditions, apply the steps of the prescribing process to create person-centred and evidence informed treatment decisions: i) Conduct comprehensive, culturally safe patient assessments, including basic physical examination techniques to develop a working diagnosis (where needed) and make prescribing decisions that promote person-centred care. ii) Evaluate and apply evidence-based management options tailored to person-specific factors, ensuring alignment with clinical guidelines and therapeutic goals. iii) Formulate, document, and communicate safe, legal, effective and ethical treatment plans that comply with legislative requirements and codes and guidelines, and support person-centred care. iv) Monitor and evaluate treatment outcomes, including the identification and management of adverse outcomes
4. Prepare accurate prescriptions and identify potential sources of prescribing errors, implementing strategies to minimise risks, enhance patient safety and comply with legal requirements
5. Engage people in shared decision-making, respecting their needs, preferences, and cultural considerations to foster active participation in their treatment plans
6. Collaborate with healthcare professionals to ensure coordinated, informed, and effective prescribing practices within personal scope of practice. This includes identifying when referral to another healthcare professional is required
7. Describe the signs, symptoms, diagnostic features and management options relevant to conditions that relate to cardiac risk such dyslipidaemia, hypertension and diabetes mellitus

Workload

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled online learning activities and independent study. The unit requires on average 10-12 hours of learning activities per week, including teacher directed learning, independent study and reading time,participation in online workshops, research and preparation for assignments. There are three milestones within the 2 unit. By each milestone, you are required to have completed a series of workplace based assessments under the supervision of your designated prescriber. This includes reflective tasks based on prescribing practice that you have observed and prescribing cases directly observed and assessed by a prescriber. Progression within each milestone will depend on your demonstrated competency. We anticipate that the fieldwork requirement of this unit will require at least six days of direct observation spaced evenly across a 12-week semester (2 days direct observation prior to each milestone) but may require longer depending on your demonstrated competency. You are also required to commit to attend: • Three 2-hour online workshops • A final summative two-hour face to face OSCE which will be conducted at the end of semester

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.