PODI13015 - Advanced Pharmacology for Podiatry Practice

General Information

Unit Synopsis

The unit will be divided into two main components: pharmacotherapeutics and anaesthesia, specific to podiatry practice. In pharmacotherapeutics, you will gain an understanding of Schedule 2, 3, 4, and 8 medicines administered in common diseases seen in podiatry practice and learn further about their role in the management of disease. In anaesthesia, you will gain advanced knowledge of anaesthetics pertinent to podiatry practice. Topics covered will include pre-surgical history and physical assessment, informed consent, charting, maximum safe dose, and injection instrumentation. You will also begin to practice injection techniques in a simulated setting.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 3
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Prerequisite: PODI13007 Clinical Practice 2; BMSC13010 Pharmacology; MPAT12001 Medical Pathophysiology - and

Corequisite: PODI13011 Clinical Practice 3

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 - 2025

Term 2 - 2025 Profile
Rockhampton

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. Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) 30%
2. On-campus Activity 20%
3. In-class Test(s) 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

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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: Unit Coordinator/Lecturer
Feedback
Students appreciated clinical case study activities during lecture and tutorials.
Recommendation
It is recommended to continue incorporating clinical case studies in tutorials to further increase student engagement and promote interactive discussions.
Action Taken
In 2024, clinical case studies continued to be used during tutorial time to promote student engagement and consolidation of theoretical content.
Source: Students enrolled in the unit.
Feedback
Students expressed the advantages of a dedicated face-to-face OSCE revision session.
Recommendation
It is recommended to conduct a scheduled practical revision session face-to-face before OSCE assessments. This approach aims to enhance engagement and provide timely feedback within a group setting.
Action Taken
In 2024, group revision sessions were available during the tutorial time, in preparation for the OSCE.
Source: Unit Coordinator
Feedback
Individualised Assessment feedback turn-around time can be improved.
Recommendation
It is recommended that assessments for this unit be appropriately scheduled, ensuring sufficient time for feedback within the two-week policy for providing grade feedback.
Action Taken
In 2024, assessments were scheduled with greater time separating individual assessment items.
Source: Informal feedback from students.
Feedback
Students appreciated the content expertise brought by the sessional lecturer.
Recommendation
It is recommended that educators who hold endorsement for scheduled medicines continue to be engaged to deliver the face-to-face teaching in this unit.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Staff feedback.
Feedback
The quality of lecture content is sound, but could be more concise.
Recommendation
It is recommended that the unit coordinator works with podiatrists with endorsement for scheduled medicines to streamline some of the more content-heavy lectures in this unit.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Staff feedback.
Feedback
Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodyamics teaching should be delivered across two-weeks instead of one week.
Recommendation
It is recommended that the Week 1 lecture (pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics) be delivered over two weeks to allow for sufficient time for the complexity of these topics to be effectively explained to, and understood by, students.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Unit coordinator reflection.
Feedback
The volume of work required for the 'on-campus activity' could be reduced.
Recommendation
It is recommended that the volume of work required for the 'on-campus activity' (medications review) be reduced to be more commensurate with the assessment weighting (20%).
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

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

  1. Summarise the major classes of therapeutic drugs that affect the primary systems of the body, including identifying the barriers to suitable pharmacotherapy, describing the mechanisms of drug action and the potential for drug-to-drug interactions
  2. Evaluate Schedule 2, 3, 4 and 8 medicines prescribed and administered for the treatment of disease states encountered in the scope of podiatry practice
  3. Examine legal, ethical and professional responsibilities associated with prescription and administration of medications within podiatry
  4. Develop an anaesthetic plan based on a physical examination that includes: appropriate drug selection; correct dose calculation; appropriate method of drug administration; and other supportive care
  5. Integrate an evidence based approach in pharmacological practice within podiatry.

Per NPC1303

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) • •
2 - On-campus Activity • • •
3 - In-class Test(s) • • • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Communication • • • • •
2 - Problem Solving • • • • •
3 - Critical Thinking • • • • •
4 - Information Literacy • • • • •
5 - Team Work • •
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