PMMAH1: Advanced History Taking and Clinical Assessment

Module code: PMMAH1

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

Credits: 20

Level: Postgraduate Masters

When you'll be taught: Double Presentation: Semester 1, and Summer

Module convenor: Mrs Caroline Gowlett, email: caroline.gowlett@reading.ac.uk

Module co-convenor: Mrs Ida Osei, email: ida.osei@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s): When taking this module, you must be working in a clinical practice. (Open)

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: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module is aimed at practising healthcare professionals who are in roles requiring, or that will require, advanced skills in history taking and clinically assessing patients.  Through academic study days and workplace-based learning, you will be supported to develop skills in analysing, evaluating and recording information in relation to enhanced patient care roles.  This module is particularly suited for students who are working, or planning a role as, an independent prescriber.

The module can be studied stand-alone or as part of the MSc in Advancing Healthcare Practice.  You will be supported to reflect on your experiences by developing a professional portfolio of their learning, which can be mapped to a relevant professional framework, such as the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Competency Framework for all Prescribers.

This module aims to provide an overview of the major body systems.  It will provide you with a systematic understanding of history taking and physical assessment skills to develop your knowledge, skills and behaviours in consulting with patients/carers and diagnosing disease affecting core body systems. 

Module learning outcomes

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

1. Demonstrate advanced skills in conducting consultations and history taking with patients/carers, including data gathering, synthesis, critical analysis and communication
2. Demonstrate the ability to undertake respectful physical examinations of patients, including inspection, palpation, percussion and auscultation
3. Demonstrate the ability to analyse available data to differentiate normal and abnormal results, using this information to identify a differential diagnosis and plan, including applying clinical decision-making skills; responding to red flags; seeking advice; and documentation
4. Critically reflect on personal development of knowledge, skills and behaviour in relation to personal limitations, advanced clinical practice and continuing professional development.

Module content

This module will focus on supporting practitioners to apply a range of clinical and scientific knowledge to assess, diagnose and propose treatment plans for common disease states of the major body systems.  The workshops will focus on history taking, consultation skills, therapeutics and physical examination for common ear, nose and throat (ENT), respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological, mental health, abdominal and musculoskeletal conditions.  There will be an opportunity for optional venepuncture training.

Students who are uncomfortable with physical contact should contact the admissions tutor to discuss the module requirements prior to enrolling.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

This module will use a range of teaching and learning methods.  The University teaching is based around face-to-face workshops using a mixture of presentations, problem-based learning and case-based learning facilitated by the programme team and specialist healthcare professionals.  The workshops are underpinned by directed learning via Blackboard and self-directed learning, where practitioners are required to use a range of sources to gain information to support the development of their knowledge and skills.

A significant proportion of the programme is designed to be workplace-based learning, through which practitioners can undertake activities to develop their knowledge, skills and behaviours.  This will be guided by the professional portfolio of learning which focuses on supporting students to develop confidence and competence through workplace-based assessment.  Where students are unable to complete the workplace-based learning, there will be opportunities to undertake simulated learning at the University to support equivalent skills development.

This module is taught twice to two different cohorts of students - first in Semester 1 and then repeated in Semester 2. The 200 study hours are listed for the first iteration of teaching in Semester 1, and these same study hours are repeated for the second iteration of teaching in Semester 2. 

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 all of the following to pass this module:

1. A pass in the OSCE station with all essential criteria met
2. A mark of 50% in the professional portfolio of learning and it must contain all mandatory content
3. An overall module mark of 50%

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.

1. Workplace-based assessments during workplace-based learning
2. Workplace-based assessments during simulated learning
3. Feedback on workplace-based learning from supervisors
4. Feedback from peers during workshops
5. Feedback from programme team during workshops
6. Mock OSCE assessment

Reassessment

Additional costs