Overview
Provides students with the principles and applications that underpin pharmacist prescribing with a special focus on advanced clinical skills, governance and experience through a prescribing practicum.
This paper will begin equipping pharmacists to take on the role of an independent prescriber in their area of practice.
You will learn from doctors, pharmacists, and nurses from a range of backgrounds and discover how to apply core prescribing skills including history taking, physical assessment and clinical reasoning. You will undertake most of your experiential learning in this paper. Our course content and assessments will reflect the most up-to-date practice which will support you as a newly qualified pharmacist prescriber in your workplace.
We offer a blended learning model comprising of flexible e-learning with work-based education that fits around you.
About this paper
| Paper title | Special Topic: Pharmacist Prescribing |
|---|---|
| Subject | Pharmacy |
| EFTS | 0.2500 |
| Points | 30 points |
| Teaching period | Semester 2 (Distance learning) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) | $3,103.25 |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Eligibility
This paper is for practicing pharmacists, looking to extend their role and scope of practice. You will need to be a registered pharmacist with a current annual practising certificate and have passed PHCY621.
- Contact
- More information link
- Teaching staff
Paper Co-ordinator: Associate Professor Alesha Smith
- Paper Structure
This paper is made up of three modules:
- Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Skills
- Clinical Governance and Reflective Practice
- Prescribing Practicum and Competency Assessment
- Teaching Arrangements
This paper will be using a blended learning model, offering virtual lectures/workshops, self-paced online learning, and face-to-face workshops.
You will also undertake experiential learning.- Textbooks
Textbook list is available at Home - Pharmacy - LibGuides at University of Otago
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
Communication, Critical Thinking, Cultural Understanding, Ethics, Information Literacy, Research, Teamwork.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.- Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete the paper will:
- Identify and describe the role of the Te Tiriti o Waitangi in maintaining indigenous health rights for Māori in Aotearoa and in contributing to Māori health advancement.
- Promote health equity by implementing interventions to improve health outcomes for Māori and non-Māori.
- Consult with a person/ whānau to collect demographic, social, medical histories, and understand their preferences, goals, and gain a holistic view of life.
- Effectively communicate clinical information and expert scientific knowledge to different audiences as a prescriber.
- Use appropriate clinical assessments and diagnostic tools to make informed care and follow-up recommendations.
- Apply knowledge of a disease state and its progression to assess current comorbidities and/or diagnoses.
- Demonstrate a shared approach to decision-making by assessing patients’ needs for medicines, taking account of their wishes and values and those of their carers when making prescribing decisions.
- Develop and implement a person-centred care plan to optimise health outcomes.
- Integrate advanced clinical knowledge and reasoning into prescribing behaviour.
- To recognise, evaluate and respond to influences on prescribing practice at individual, local and national levels.
- Prescribe safely within your own legal framework and with awareness of funding.
- Monitor patient response and safety and make necessary adjustments to care to optimise outcomes.
- Utilise health IT and communication tools effectively, and, concisely, and accurately document activities.
- Identify public health issues related to medicine use and their potential impact on prescribing practice.
- Collaborate with individuals and both intra- and inter-professional teams to provide safe, effective and efficient healthcare.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the legal, ethical and professional framework for accountability and responsibility in relation to prescribing.
- Demonstrate awareness of and ability to work within clinical governance frameworks in prescribing practice effectively.
Timetable
This paper will extend pharmacists to take on the role of an independent prescriber in their area of practice.
You will learn from doctors, pharmacists, and nurses from a range of backgrounds and discover how to apply core prescribing skills including history taking, physical assessment and clinical reasoning. Our course content and assessments will reflect the most up-to-date practice which will support you as a newly qualified pharmacist prescriber in your workplace.
We offer a blended learning model comprising of flexible e-learning with work-based placements to gain on-the-job training and experience in a supportive environment.
About this paper
| Paper title | Special Topic |
|---|---|
| Subject | Pharmacy |
| EFTS | 0.2500 |
| Points | 30 points |
| Teaching period | Semester 2 (Distance learning) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for 2025 have not yet been set |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Eligibility
This paper is for practicing pharmacists, looking to extend their role and scope of practice. There is a requirement that you have at least two years of post-registration patient-focused experience in a hospital, community or a primary care setting
- Contact
- Teaching staff
- Paper Structure
The paper is made up of 2 modules:
- Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Skills
- Experiential learning
- Teaching Arrangements
This paper will be using a blended learning model, offering virtual lectures/workshops, self-paced online learning, face-to-face workshops and experiential learning.
- Textbooks
Text book list is available at Home - Pharmacy - LibGuides at University of Otago
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Communication, Critical thinking, Cultural understanding, Ethics, Information literacy, Research, Teamwork.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
- Optimise medicines related health outcome
- Explain the responsibilities of the pharmacist prescriber
- Demonstrate methods of effective communication
- Develop and maintain therapeutic and collaborative relationships
- Undertake a relevant clinical examination
- Integrate clinical knowledge into prescribing behaviour
- Use and interpret basic diagnostic aids
- Competently use diagnostic aids and monitor response to therapy
- Formulate a treatment plan
- Apply clinical assessment skills to:
- inform a working/confirmed diagnosis
- formulate a treatment plan
- prescribe one or more medicine/s if appropriate
- conduct a checking process to ensure patient safety
- monitor response to therapy, review the working/differential diagnosis and modify treatment or refer / consult / seek guidance as appropriate
- Demonstrate a shared approach to decision making by assessing patients’ needs for medicines, taking account of their wishes and values and those of their carers when making prescribing decisions.
- Recognise, evaluate and respond to influences on prescribing practice at individual level
- Prescribe safely, appropriately and with awareness of costs.
- Maintain accurate, effective and timely records
- Demonstrate an understanding of the public health issues related to medicines use.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the legal, ethical and professional framework for accountability and responsibility in relation to prescribing.
- Work within clinical governance frameworks.
- Assessment details
Assessments will comprise of OSCEs, portfolio, and written assessments.