PM1PS1: Professional Skills for Healthcare 1

Module code: PM1PS1

Module provider: Pharmacy; School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy

Credits: 20

Level: Level 1 (Certificate)

When you'll be taught: Semester 1 / 2

Module convenor: Dr Lizzy Lander, email: e.r.lander@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 12 September 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module will examine and address key questions for future healthcare professionals: what does it mean to work in healthcare? What skills will I need? How can I begin gaining and practising the skills I will need to work in healthcare? Alongside this we will develop and practise key study skills that are essential for students in their university studies and future career such as communication (listening, speaking, reflective and scientific writing), reflection, numeracy, statistics, alongside finding and interpreting scientific literature.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate numeracy and statistical skills to a required standard and safely complete clinical calculations and data handling tasks
2. Demonstrate effective written reflective and scientific communication skills, including using scientific literature
3. Describe what it means to be a professional, and demonstrate professional behaviours in all clinical and educational settings
4. Reflect on a variety of experiential learning activities in the context of personal and professional identity and explore next-step learning needs

Module content

This module enables students to begin developing some key professional and study skills that are essential for study and practice in healthcare roles.

This module provides a foundation for students to support their future studies and professional development. The module will enable students to gain insight into multidisciplinary team working and develop key professional skills, which are essential for practice in healthcare roles such as a Physician Associate, as well as the differing roles of members of the healthcare team. Students will also be provided with an opportunity to consider themselves in context as a healthcare professional and explore how patients’ backgrounds and values impact upon their healthcare experiences.

The module will develop students’ listening, oral and scientific written communication skills in the context of university study and healthcare practice. Students will also develop written reflective practice skills and skills in finding and interpreting scientific literature. Additional key skills acquired during this module are first aid, numeracy for clinical calculations and statistics as well as collaborative problem-solving.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

A variety of teaching and learning methods are used, including lectures, workshops and small group discussion seminars. Problem-based learning in small groups will be used to guide reflection and there will be some interprofessional education and experiential learning in simulated/real clinical settings with guided observation tasks and group feedback.

Study hours

At least 30 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Students on the MPAS programme must also achieve a pass in the clinical calculations test assessment to be able to progress to Part 2 of the MPAS programme.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• 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 (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/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.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Formative calculations tests are available for students to practice before the summative test. A formative reflective essay exercise is available for students to get feedback ahead of the summative assignment

Reassessment

Additional costs