PODI12008 - Introductory Pharmacology and Microbiology in Podiatry Practice

Showing: 2026 HE Term 1
General Information

Unit Synopsis

In this unit students will be introduced to pharmacology as a science and will learn the basic principles of pharmacology and characteristics of specific drug classifications. Basic principles include both pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties of drugs. Within each class of drugs, students will develop an understanding of the mechanisms of drug action, pharmacokinetic properties, therapeutic effects and uses, adverse drug reactions and relevance to podiatric medicine. Principles of anaesthesia are covered with emphasis on safe and effective administration of local anaesthesia in a clinical setting. Students will also cover the basic biology of the main groups of microorganisms, concepts of normal flora, opportunistic pathogens, microbial infections, introduction to viruses and immunology, and ways to control microbial growth. The significance to podiatric medicine as applied to dermatology will be the focus of this component.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 2
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Pre-requisites:

Term 1

BMSC11001 Human Body Systems 1, ALLH11001 Introduction to Allied Health Practice, HLTH11027 Foundations of Health, PSYC 11010 Fundamentals of Psychology

Term 2

BMSC 11002 Human Body Systems 2, MEDI11004 professional Practice, HLTH11029 Health promotion Concepts, PSYC11009 Social Foundations of Psychology

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2026


Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Online Quiz(zes) 15%
2. Online Quiz(zes) 15%
3. Written Assessment 20%
4. Examination 50%

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).

Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

Previous Feedback

No previous feedback available

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Source: Email correspondance.
Feedback:
 Enthusiastic delivery of material with recorded lectures for revision

Recommendation:
 Continue delivery mode.

Action Taken:
 In Progress
Source: Email correspondance.
Feedback:
 High level of content

Recommendation:
 Continue to refine the precise delvery of the content material for introductory pharmacology

Action Taken:
 In Progress
Unit Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Describe the general principles of the Quality Use of Medicines.
  2. Explain the basic principles of drug pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics.
  3. Indicate the commonly prescribed drugs from each class including the mechanism of action, indications for use, contra-indications, potential interactions and adverse effects.
  4. Describe the principles of local and general anaesthesia and the indications for use in podiatry practice.
  5. Identify the major microorganisms and dermatological pathologies encountered in podiatry practice.
  6. Outline the basic immunological response of humans to these microorganisms.
  7. Describe methods to control the growth and prevention of disease caused by microorganisms.
  8. Analyse common pharmacological interventions of the integumentary system relevant to podiatry practice.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 - Online Quiz(zes) • • • •
2 - Online Quiz(zes) • • • •
3 - Written Assessment • • • •
4 - Examination • • • • • • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 - Communication • • • • • • • •
2 - Problem Solving • • • • •
3 - Critical Thinking • • • • •
4 - Information Literacy • • • • • • • •
6 - Information Technology Competence • • • • • • • •
7 - Cross Cultural Competence • •
8 - Ethical practice • • • • •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10