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Unit of Study PHA00315 - Introductory Pharmacology (2018)

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Unit Snapshot

Unit description

Provides students with knowledge of pharmacological agents and their current use in the prevention and treatment of disease and with foundational knowledge of the principles of safe medication management.

Unit content

  • Therapeutic drugs in Australia/Principles of safe medication administration
  • Information systems, monitoring and recording of medications
  • Pharmacology of the autonomic nervous system
  • Major drugs affecting the nervous system
  • Major classes of drugs affecting the cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, gastrointestinal, endocrine and reproductive systems
  • Anaesthetics, analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs
  • Anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal drugs
  • Psychotherapeutic drugs
  • Pharmacology in the elderly and polypharmacy
  • Over-the-counter drugs, drug toxicity and adverse drug reactions

Availabilities

Location Domestic International
Coffs Harbour Session 1 Session 1
Gold Coast Session 1 Session 1
Lismore Session 1 Session 1
Online Session 3 Session 3

Learning outcomes and graduate attributes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

GA1: , GA2: , GA3: , GA4: , GA5: , GA6: , GA7:
GA1 GA2 GA3 GA4 GA5 GA6 GA7
1 discuss guidelines for the access and use of medicines within the Australian health care system
2 describe the principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics
3 describe the mechanisms of action, pharmacological effects, therapeutic uses, contraindications and adverse effects of major classes of drugs and selected specific drugs
4 recall the effects of drug toxicity and polypharmacy on the human body.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

  1. discuss guidelines for the access and use of medicines within the Australian health care system
    • GA1:
    • GA4:
  2. describe the principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics
    • GA1:
    • GA4:
  3. describe the mechanisms of action, pharmacological effects, therapeutic uses, contraindications and adverse effects of major classes of drugs and selected specific drugs
    • GA1:
    • GA4:
  4. recall the effects of drug toxicity and polypharmacy on the human body.
    • GA1:
    • GA4:

Prescribed learning resources

Prescribed Texts
  • No prescribed texts.

Prescribed Texts
  • No prescribed texts.

Prescribed Learning Resources may change in future Teaching Periods.