PM0PHS-Foundation in Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences

Module Provider: Pharmacy
Number of credits: 20 [10 ECTS credits]
Level:F
Terms in which taught: Autumn / Spring / Summer module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2020/1

Module Convenor: Prof Becky Green

Email: rebecca.green@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

The module is aimed at Foundation level students who want to learn more about and develop the skills needed in pharmaceutical and health sciences education. This module provides students with an introduction to pharmacy and other health-related professions and focuses on supporting the development of knowledge and skills necessary for students studying on healthcare and health sciences programmes.

Aims:

This module aims to:

• Develop knowledge of the roles of various healthcare and health-related professionals, their professional responsibilities and healthcare values.


• Develop a basic knowledge of public health issues, health behaviours and health promotion


• Develop a basic understanding of medical terminology


• Introduce basic principles of how diseases can be prevented or managed using medicines


• Develop skills in basic numeracy and pharmaceutical calculations


• Introduce the concept of health inequalities, ethical issues and debate ethical dilemmas in healthcare

Intended learning outcomes:

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to:

• Describe the roles and responsibilities of different healthcare professionals.


• Demonstrate knowledge of public health issues and patient behaviours necessary for good health.


• Describe how medicines are used to prevent or treat diseases


• Demonstrate competency in basic numeracy skills and use these skills to perform basic pharmaceutical calculations.


• Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of ethics in healthcare

Assessable learning outcomes:

At the end of the module students will be able to demonstrate understanding of the roles, values and professional responsibilities of various healthcare professionals. Students will be able describe common health challenges that face our society and discuss how diseases might be prevented and/or treated. The numeracy skills and ability to perform basic pharmaceutical and healthcare-related calculations will also be assessed.

On successful completion of this module, student s will be able to:

• Describe the roles and responsibilities of different healthcare professionals


• Demonstrate basic knowledge of public health issues and patient behaviours necessary for good health


• Describe how medicines are used to prevent or treat diseases


• Demonstrate competency in basic numeracy skills and use these skills to perform basic pharmaceutical calculations.


• Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of ethics in healthcare

Additional outcomes:

Students will develop communication and reflection skills through participation in critical discussions of the health inequalities and ethical dilemmas presented. Students will also learn about the values and responsibilities of various healthcare professionals and consider the ethical implications of their professional practice.

Outline content:

Numeracy Topics:

• Topic 1: Diagnostic assessment of numeracy skills


• Topic 2: Numeracy skills and working with data – includes estimation, introduces unit conversion,


• Topic 3: Algebraic Skills – basic algebraic skills that include introduction to logarithms


• Topic 4: Pharmaceutical calculations – dosage calculations, simple dilutions, unit conversions

Pharmacy and h ealth science professional topics:

• Topic 1: roles and responsibilities of health care professionals


• Topic 2: Professional behaviours and communication skills


• Topic 3: Public health and health promotion


• Topic 4: Ethical dilemmas – professional behaviours and values in healthcare professional, and ethics in healthcare


• Topic 5: Case study introducing concepts of treatment of disease

Global context:

Health promotion, health inequalities and ethical dilemmas in healthcare will be considered in a global context.

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

This module will be delivered using lectures, tutorials, interactive workshops, case-based learning, screencasts and guided independent materials using the University’s virtual learning environment.  

Contact hours:

	Autumn	Spring	Summer
Lectures	4	8
Practicals classes and workshops	12	6	4
Guided independent study:
Wider reading (independent)	50	57
Revision and preparation		20	20
Essay preparation			16
Reflection	1	2
Total hours by term	67	93	40
Total hours for module	200

Summative Assessment Methods:

Method	Percentage
Written exam	60
Set exercise	20
Class test administered by School	20

Summative assessment- Examinations:

One written examination of one and a half hours’ duration.

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

One set exercise will be based on Concepts of treatment of disease and submitted at the beginning of the summer term.

One in-class test on numeracy will be sat at the beginning of the Spring term (Week 1). This assessment must be passed at 40% as a requirement for passing this module and progressing.

One in-class test will be sat during the Spring term based on ethical dilemmas and decision making. It is based on material from Ethical Dilemmas topic (Spring term Topic 4). This assessment must be passed at 70% as a requirement for passing this module and progressing.

Formative assessment methods:

Formative assessment methods used to support skills development and improve student performance will include pre and post workshop set exercises.  A diagnostic numeracy test will be used.

Penalties for late submission:

The Module Convenor will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day[1] (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of five working days;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/qualitysupport/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf
You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Assessment requirements for a pass:

Students must achieve an overall mark of 40% to pass this module. Students must also achieve a 40% pass mark in the Numeracy in-class assessment and 70% in the Ethical Dilemmas in-class assessment to pass this module.

Reassessment arrangements:

Reassessment of the written examination will be by re-examination in the August resit period

Students who fail the Numeracy test and/or the Ethical Dilemmas test will be permitted to re-sit before or during the August examination period.



Failed coursework may be reassessed by an alternative piece of work, before or during the August examination period.

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):

Last updated: 4 April 2020