Pharmacy

These inherent requirements apply to the following course: Pharmacy 

Prospective and current students who are concerned about their capacities in relation to inherent requirements are strongly encouraged to contact the CDU Access and Inclusion team to discuss possible adjustments or alternative courses.

These inherent requirements should be read in conjunction with other course information and related material such as Guidelines for Mandatory Notifications of Registered Health Practitioners and Students, Code of Conduct for Pharmacists and National Competency Standards for Pharmacists 2016.

There are eight domains of inherent requirements for Pharmacy.

Each domain has five levels: 

1. Introduction
2. Description
3. Justification
4. Adjustments
5. Exemplars 
    

Acting in ways consistent with the recognised values of society and avoiding activities that do harm.
In the context of inherent requirements, students undertaking a course of study may be governed by practice standards and codes of ethics.

1. Introduction
   The pharmacy profession is governed by competency standards, code of ethics, and a code of conduct  holding Pharmacists both accountable and responsible for ensuring professional behaviour in all contexts.
2. Description of inherent requirement
   Students are required to demonstrate knowledge of, and engage in, ethical behaviour in practice.
3. Justification of inherent requirement
   Compliance with the professional codes, guidelines and standards facilitate safe, competent 
   interactions and relationships for students and/or the people with whom they engage. This  
   ensures the physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing of the individual is not placed at risk.
4. Adjustments
   Adjustments must not compromise codes of conduct or result in unethical behaviour.
5. Exemplars:
   • Compliance with medico-legal requirements relating to informed consent, privacy and confidentiality with client information in academic and clinical settings
   • Demonstration of ability to reflect on ethical dilemmas and issues and take responsibility for ensuring awareness of ethical behaviour
   • Demonstration of respect for personal and professional boundaries. Student assessments include knowledge of professional practice as applied to complex clinical situations and interactions with colleagues and staff
   • Compliance with an appropriate dress code and attire that complies with occupational health and safety requirements. 

The maintenance of conduct that is acceptable and appropriate, according to the recognised norms of society over a given period.

1. Introduction
   Behavioural stability is required to function and adapt effectively in the demanding profession of Pharmacy.
2. Description of inherent requirement
   Students are required to demonstrate behavioural stability enabling them to work constructively in a diverse and changing academic and practice environment.
3. Justification of inherent requirement
   Behavioural stability is required to work individually and in teams in changing and unpredictable environments. Pharmacy students are exposed to a health care context in which they will encounter human suffering and are required to have behavioural stability to manage these events objectively and professionally.
4. Adjustments
   Adjustments must support stable, effective and professional behaviour in both academic and practice settings.
5. Exemplars:
   • Being receptive and responding appropriately to constructive feedback
   • Coping effectively with one’s own emotions and behaviour when working with individuals and other stakeholders in service settings
   • Managing the expression of one’s own emotions
   • Providing continuous professional care including when staff feel sad or angry
   • Work effectively in the face of uncertainty and adapting to changing environments 
   • Dealing with rapidly changing patient conditions and required care tasks
   • Adapting to different clinical environments encountered during training
   • Manage one’s own physical and mental health effectively - this is a patient safety requirement.
   • Seeking help and/or notifying others of fluctuations in physical and mental health as necessary such as hypoglycemia, hypomania, infective diseases.

Related to the law. In the context of inherent requirements, this refers to the legal requirements of professional bodies relevant to specific courses of study.

1. Introduction
   Pharmacy is mandated by specific legislation to enable the safe delivery of care and services.
2. Description of inherent requirement
   Students are required to demonstrate knowledge and compliance with relevant state, territory and commonwealth laws, professional regulations and scope of practice.
3. Justification of inherent requirement
   Knowledge, understanding, and compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements are necessary pre-requisites to practice placements to reduce the risk of harm to self and others. 
   Compliance with these professional regulations, standards and the state, territory and commonwealth laws ensure that students are both responsible and accountable for their practice.
4. Adjustments
   Adjustments must be consistent with legislative and regulatory requirements.
5. Exemplars:
   • Complying with the policies of clinical facilities
   • Complying with the requirements for student registration with the Pharmacy Board of Australia, which is supported by Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
   • Accepting and fulfilling responsibilities for patient/client care - this is a patient safety requirement.

Verbal communication: Conveying messages, ideas, or feelings through speech.

1. Introduction
   Communicating effectively and efficiently using verbal communication, in English, is an essential requirement to provide safe delivery of care. This course requires effective, verbal, non-verbal and written communication skills.
2. Description of inherent requirement
   Student demonstrates:
   • Respect and recognition of individual and/or cultural differences
   • An ability to communicate clearly, audibly, and intelligibly in English
   • The ability to understand and respond to verbal communication accurately, appropriately and in a timely manner
   • Comprehension of spoken English delivered at conversational speed in noisy environments such as hospital wards
   • Understanding and responding to verbal communications accurately, appropriately and in a timely manner. For example, responding appropriately to a patient’s question while walking them along a noisy hospital corridor
   • An ability to participate in group discussions such as case conferences and informal discussions concerning patient or client care.
3. Justification of inherent requirement
   Communicating in a way that displays respect and empathy to others develops trusting relationships. At times, verbal communication may be the only means of communication available between Pharmacist and person/others. Speed and interactivity of communication may be critical for individual safety or treatment. Timely, accurate and effective delivery of instructions is critical to individual safety, treatment, and management.
4. Adjustments
   Adjustments for impaired verbal communication must address effectiveness, timeliness, clarity, and accuracy issues to ensure safety.
5. Exemplars:
   • Participating in tutorial, simulation, and clinical discussions
   • Establishing rapport with individuals and their families and responding appropriately to requests in the service setting
   • Actively participating in group discussions such as case conferences and informal discussions concerning patient or client care
   • Communicating respectfully with people of different genders, sexuality, age, and from diverse cultural, religious, socio-economic, and educational backgrounds. Students treat and interact with patients across the lifespan and from a wide range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

Non-verbal communication: Communication other than speech that conveys meaning including gestures and facial expressions, body posture, stance, touch, eye movements, eye contact and distance from the person/s with whom you are communicating. Non-verbal cues can provide significant additional information to the person with whom you are communicating.

1. Introduction
   Effective non-verbal communication is fundamental to Pharmacy and needs to be respectful, clear, attentive, empathetic, honest, and non-judgmental.
2. Description of inherent requirement
   Student demonstrates:
   • The capacity to recognise, interpret and respond appropriately to behavioural cues
   • Consistent and appropriate awareness of own behaviours
   • Sensitivity to individual differences
   • Perception of non-verbal communication from others and responds appropriately such as when patient or client is in pain or distress.
3. Justification of inherent requirement
   The ability to observe and understand non-verbal cues assists with building rapport with people and gaining their trust and respect in academic and professional relationships. Displaying consistent and appropriate facial expressions, eye contact, being mindful of space, time, boundaries and body movements and gestures promotes trust in academic and professional relationships. Being sensitive to individual and/or cultural differences, displays respect and empathy to others and develops trusting relationships. The ability to observe and understand non-verbal cues is essential for safe and effective observation of a client’s symptoms and reactions to facilitate the assessment and the assessment and treatment of clients/individuals.
4. Adjustments
   Adjustments must enable the recognition, initiation of, or appropriate response to, effective non-verbal communication in a timely and appropriate manner.
5. Exemplars:
   • Recognising and responding appropriately in the academic environment
   • Recognising and responding appropriately to cues in the practice environment.

Written communication: Communication by written symbols including electronic means, print or handwriting.

1. Introduction
   Effective written communication, in English, is a fundamental Pharmacy responsibility with professional and legal ramifications.
2. Description of inherent requirement
   Students demonstrate:
   • The capacity to construct coherent written communication appropriate to the circumstances
   • The capacity to use a range of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to complete academic assessment requirements.
3. Justification of inherent requirement
   Construction of written text-based assessment tasks to reflect the required academic standards are necessary to convey knowledge and understanding of relevant subject matter for professional practice. Accurate written communication, including record-keeping and clinical notes, is vital to provide consistent and safe care and service. In Pharmacy, recording information accurately and making coherent notes, such as medical notes, observation charts, clinical interventions when dispensing prescriptions, by hand and using a computer, that meet legal standards for the documentation of care are required.
4. Adjustments
   Adjustments must meet necessary standards of clarity, accuracy, and accessibility to ensure effective recording and transmission of information in both academic and practical settings.
5. Exemplars:
   • Constructing an essay to academic standards
   • Documenting clinical notes, reports and information in a timely manner that meets professional standards
   • Reading and comprehending information presented in a variety of standard formats, such as, handwritten clinical notes, test results, small font writing on ampoules, graphical formats such as charts and accessing computerised information, prescriptions, and handwritten notes from prescribers.

The mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through one's thoughts, experience, and senses.

Knowledge and cognitive skills: Acquired skills that reflect an individual's ability to think. Cognitive skills include verbal and spatial abilities, concentration, memory, perception, reasoning, planning and organisation, flexible thinking, and problem solving.

1. Introduction
   Consistent and effective knowledge and cognitive skills must be demonstrated to provide safe and competent pharmacy services.
2. Description of inherent requirement
   Student demonstrates:
   • Capacity to locate appropriate and relevant information
   • Ability to process information relevant to practice
   • Ability to integrate and implement knowledge in practice in a timely manner
   • Ability to gather, comprehend and organise information, such as taking a medication history from a patient and formulating a provisional diagnosis and a treatment plan
   • Ability to integrate theory and knowledge from various sources, such as using knowledge of anatomy and drug action in order to undertake quality use of medicines
   • Ability to accurately recall information without reference, such as patient observations, a summary of clinical details for handover, any relevant information gathered from a patient before dispensing a prescription.
3. Justification of inherent requirement
   Safe and effective delivery of pharmaceutical care is based on comprehensive knowledge that must be sourced, understood, and applied appropriately.
4. Adjustments
   Adjustments must ensure that a clear demonstration of knowledge and cognitive skills is not compromised or impeded.
5. Exemplars:
   • Ability to conceptualise and use appropriate knowledge in response to academic assessment items
   • Applying knowledge of theory, research evidence, policy, and procedures in the practice settings
   • Engaging in scientific and clinical reasoning, such as making appropriate clinical recommendations regarding medication therapy
   • Engaging in rational and ethical reasoning, such as considering patient autonomy and preferences in chronic care and palliative treatment
   • Developing options and assessing and comparing their respective merits, such as using evidence-based practice knowledge to prioritize treatment options for a patient with a complicated medical history.  

Literacy (language): This relates to the ability to acquire, understand, and apply information in a scholarly manner.

1. Introduction
   Competent literacy skills, in English, are essential to provide safe and effective delivery of care.
2. Description of inherent requirement
   Student demonstrates:
   • The ability to acquire information and accurately convey appropriate, effective messages
   • The ability to read and comprehend a range of literature and information
   • The capacity to understand and implement academic conventions to construct written text in a scholarly manner.
3. Justification of inherent requirement
   The ability to acquire information and to accurately convey messages is fundamental to ensure safe and effective assessment, treatment, and delivery of care. The ability to read, decode, interpret, and comprehend multiple sources of information is fundamental for safe and effective delivery care.
4. Adjustments
   Adjustments to address literacy issues must demonstrate a capacity to effectively acquire, comprehend, apply and communicate accurate information.
5. Exemplars:
   • Demonstrating the ability to convey a spoken instruction to a client and communicating effectively in a clinical setting
   • Paraphrasing, summarising, and referencing in accordance with appropriate academic conventions in written assignments
   • Producing accurate, concise, and clear pharmaceutical documentation which meets legal requirements
   • Reading and comprehending information presented in a variety of standard formats, such as handwritten clinical notes, test results, small font writing on ampoules, graphical formats such as charts and accessing computerised information, prescriptions, and handwritten notes from prescribers.  

Numeracy: This relates to the ability to understand and work with numbers.

1. Introduction
   Competent and accurate numeracy skills are essential for safe and effective care.
2. Description of inherent requirement
   Student demonstrate an ability to interpret and correctly apply data, measurement and numerical criteria.
3. Justification of inherent requirement
   Competent application of numeracy skills is essential in pharmacy to facilitate the safe and effective delivery of pharmaceutical care.
4. Adjustments
   Adjustments must demonstrate a capacity to interpret and apply concepts and processes appropriately in a timely, accurate and effective manner.
5. Exemplars:
   • Recording accurate measurements in client notes
   • Accurately undertaking arithmetic calculations, such as completing dosage and pharmaceutical calculations.  

The way a person recognises external stimuli - through sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch.

Visual

1. Introduction
   Adequate visual acuity is required to provide safe and effective Pharmaceutical Care.
2. Description of inherent requirement
   Students are required to demonstrate sufficient visual acuity to perform the required range of skills.
3. Justification of inherent requirement
   Sufficient visual acuity is necessary to demonstrate the required range of skills, tasks, and assessments to maintain consistent, accurate and safe care to self and others. Visual observations, examination and assessment are fundamental to safe and effective Pharmaceutical Care.
4. Adjustments
   Adjustments must address the need to perform the full range of tasks involved in the practice setting. Any strategies to address the effects of the vision impairment must be effective, consistent and not compromise safety or treatment.
5. Exemplars:
   • Safely use equipment
   • Safely read small print such as expiry dates and labels on medicines or calibrations on syringes
   • Assess patient appearance, behaviours, symptoms, posture, movement, and speech
   • Monitor the broader practice environment, including observing multiple patients and events simultaneously.
   • Effectively manoeuvre equipment including in confined spaces, such as in a multi-bed ward, an operating theatre, a nurse’s station, and ancillary spaces including those used for drug preparation.

Gross motor skills: The use of large muscle groups that coordinate body movements for activities such as walking, lifting, pushing, pulling, and maintaining balance.

1.  Introduction
   Pharmacy is a profession that involves physical demands and requires gross motor function.
2.  Description of inherent requirement
   Students are required to demonstrate the ability to perform gross motor skills to function within scope of practice.
3.  Justification of inherent requirement
   Sufficient gross motor skills are necessary to perform the required level of care/ service. Tasks that involve gross motor skills include lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, standing, twisting, and bending. Students must be able to demonstrate and perform these tasks consistently and safely to reduce the risk of harm to self and others. Maintaining a standing position while using both upper limbs to perform a task, such as dispensing prescriptions and preparing extemporaneous products, are key elements of Pharmacy practice.
4.  Adjustments
   Adjustments should facilitate functional effectiveness, safety of self and others and a capacity to provide appropriate care.
5. Exemplars:
   • Ability to attend clinical or practicum placements in a range of physical settings, such as urban, rural, hospitals, clinics, and remote location
   • Cleansing hands and forearms using disinfecting products. In every clinical environment and in the classroom, students are required to wash their hands between patient /student contact. This is an occupational health and safety and patient safety requirement
   • Independently carry and manipulating instruments, materials, and equipment necessary for clinical care
   • Effectively manoeuvring equipment including in confined spaces, such as in a multi-bed ward, an operating theatre, a nurse’s station, and ancillary spaces including those used for drug preparation
   • Providing basic life support, such as kneeling and using both arms to provide chest compressions.

Fine motor skills: The ability to undertake precise coordinated movements of the hands for activities such as writing and manipulating small objects.

1. Introduction
   Pharmacy is a profession that requires manual dexterity and fine motor skills.
2. Description of inherent requirement
   Students are required to demonstrate the ability to use fine motor skills to provide safe effective care.
3. Justification of inherent requirement
   Sufficient fine motor skills are necessary to perform, the required level of care and service. Tasks that involve fine motor skills include being able to grasp, press, push, turn, squeeze and manipulate various objects. Students must be able to demonstrate and perform these tasks consistently and safely to reduce the risk of harm to self and others.
4. Adjustments
   Adjustments should facilitate functional effectiveness, safety to self and others
5. Exemplars:
   • Effectively manipulating small objects, such as drawing up and administering medications and performing a wound dressing.

The ability to undertake a task/s over a pre-determined length of time. This could include physical performance such as standing for a length of time, or cognitive (mental) performance such as concentrating for a particular length of time.

1. Introduction
   Pharmacy requires both physical and mental performance at a consistent sustained level to meet individual needs over time.
2. Description of inherent requirement
   Student demonstrates:
   • Consistent and sustained level of physical energy to complete a specific task in a timely manner and over time.
   • The ability to perform repetitive activities with a level of concentration that ensures a capacity to focus on the activity until it is completed appropriately
   • The capacity to maintain consistency and quality of performance throughout the designated period of time
   • Adherence to ongoing immunisation requirements relevant to the health care setting.
3. Justification of inherent requirement
   Sufficient physical and mental endurance is an essential requirement needed to 
   perform multiple tasks in an assigned period to provide safe and effective care.
4. Adjustments
   Adjustments must ensure that performance is consistent and sustained over a given period.
5. Exemplars:
   • Participating in tutorials, lectures, and skills throughout the day
   • Providing consistent pharmaceutical care over a negotiated time frame while on clinical placement
   • Working, including sitting, standing, and walking for prolonged periods, such as 2 to 4 hours 
   • Completing clinical tasks in a safe and reasonable time frame
   • Maintaining a sufficient level of concentration to focus on an activity to completion
   • Adhering to immunisation requirements prior to entering a clinical environment.