Key facts
UNE unit code: PHAR410
*You are viewing the 2027 version of this unit which may be subject to change in future.
- Trimester 1 - Online
- Yes
- Yes
- No
- 6
Unit information

Pharmacists play a critical role in delivering direct healthcare services across diverse and evolving practice settings. This unit provides an opportunity to apply your pharmacy practice skills, knowledge, and professional judgment in real-world scenarios, with a particular emphasis on dispensing, extemporaneous compounding, and medication management services.
Through this unit, you will develop the skills necessary to support safe and effective medication use, focusing on more complex disease states commonly encountered in pharmacy practice, such as oncology and palliative care. You will refine your counselling techniques, ensuring you can confidently educate patients on managing complex conditions, polypharmacy, and medication adherence strategies.
With a strong emphasis on medication management services and medication reconciliation, you will learn how to assess medication regimens, identify potential medication-related issues, and provide evidence-based recommendations to optimise patient outcomes. Special attention will be given to pharmacists' expanding role in areas such as aged care, where they play a key role in safe prescribing, deprescribing, and medication management.
Additionally, this unit will enhance your understanding of the ethical and legal frameworks of pharmacy practice, equipping you to provide culturally appropriate, patient-centered care. You will also explore the evolving responsibilities of pharmacists in specialised clinical settings, recognising the profession’s expanding scope in complex disease management.
Through hands-on activities, case-based learning, and interactive discussions, you will strengthen your ability to provide high-quality pharmaceutical care, ensuring safe, effective, and personalised medication management across various healthcare settings.
Offerings
For further information about UNE's teaching periods, please go to Principal Dates.
| Teaching period | Mode/location |
|---|---|
| Trimester 1 | Online |
*Offering is subject to availability
Intensive schools
| Start | Finish | Duration | Attendance | Offerings | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBA | TBA | 3 days | Mandatory Intensive School | All offerings | The intensive school is mandatory for all students. Students must attend the Mandatory Intensive School which is held on campus in Armidale. Dates to be advised. |
Enrolment rules
Notes
Please refer to the student handbook for current details on this unit.
Unit coordinator(s)
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:
- demonstrate competency in dispensing, controlled drug management, pharmaceutical calculations, and extemporaneous compounding in accordance with professional and legislative requirements;
- develop and justify patient-centred medication management plans for complex and high-risk conditions, including infections, oncology, palliative care, and pain management, incorporating polypharmacy review and deprescribing principles where appropriate;
- demonstrate advanced communication and counselling strategies to support patients receiving complex or high-risk therapies, including opioid and end-of-life care;
- apply ethical, legal and evidence-based principles to ensure safe, accountable, and culturally responsive pharmacy practice in specialised and high-acuity settings;
Assessment information
Assessments are subject to change up to 8 weeks prior to the start of the teaching period in which you are undertaking the unit.
| Title | Must Complete | Weight | Offerings | Assessment Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment 1 - Assurance Task | Yes | 30% | All offerings | Compounding and Dispensing Practical workbook at intensive school (20%) and online quiz (10%) To pass this unit, you must achieve at least 50% in this task, and meet all other passing requirements in the unit. |
| Assessment 2 | Yes | 20% | All offerings | Online quiz |
| Assessment 3 - Assurance Task | Yes | 25% | All offerings | Pharmacy Practice Skills. Students are permitted up to two (2) attempts. To pass this unit, you must achieve at least 50% in this task, and meet all other passing requirements in the unit. No. Words: 1500 equivalent |
| Assessment 4 | Yes | 25% | All offerings | Report No. Words: 1500 |
Learning resources
Textbooks are subject to change up to 8 weeks prior to the start of the teaching period in which you are undertaking the unit.
Note: Students are expected to purchase prescribed material. Please note that textbook requirements may vary from one teaching period to the next.
Online Resources https://une.au.libguides.com/pharmacy
Text refers to: All offerings
APF26 Australian Pharmaceutical Formulary Handbook
ISBN: 9780648600329
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, Pharmaceutical Society of Australia 26th ed. 2024
Text refers to: All offerings
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