PGC5102 Advanced therapeutic decision-making: Acute care
Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
PGC5102 Advanced therapeutic decision-making: Acute care is a level 5, 6-credit-point, postgraduate unit from the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, offered in 2025 in Semester 2 at Parkville. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2025
- Semester 2
- Parkville
- Assessment
- No exam
- 4 tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2025 handbook entry. See the 2026 entry.
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Overview
This unit will develop your ability to apply evidence-based practice (EBP) skills to make therapeutic decisions in acute healthcare settings, by exploring topics in cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, and complex cases (e.g. renal and hepatic impairment). Case-based learning and reflective tasks will challenge you to critically assess and refine your core clinical pharmacy skills: assessing patient information, identifying medication-related problems, making evidence-based recommendations, and formulating collaborative person-centred, individualised care plans to support the quality use of medicines. To undertake this unit, you must be a practising pharmacist in a position with patient contact.
Offerings in 2025
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Second semester | Parkville | Online |
Assessment
- Therapeutic decision-making casesWritten40%
- Patient care planWritten20%
- Case-based discussionDemonstrationCompetency hurdle30%
- Reflective learning portfolioWritten10%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Implement a standardised process to comprehensively assess a patient’s medication therapy, demonstrating a person-centred, evidence-based approach to care
- 2
Describe the pathophysiology of selected conditions and explain the rationale for the use of medicines, goals of therapy, and expected outcomes of effective therapy for these conditions in an acute care context.
- 3
In the context of acute care, integrate an understanding of a healthcare consumer’s needs and preferences, relevant evidence, guidelines, and protocols, and the potential benefits and risks of medicines, to make appropriate therapeutic decisions.
- 4
Demonstrate effective collaboration with other health professionals and consumers to make decisions about medication therapy including prescribing and withholding medicines in acute care settings, recognising scope of practice limitations and communicating decisions appropriately.
- 5
Develop individualised plans for monitoring medication therapy and evaluating the outcomes of therapeutic decisions, considering patient-specific factors, clinical test results, and medication-specific pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters.
- 6
Facilitate the transfer of specialised knowledge and skills to peers and other health professionals through effective peer-learning and feedback.
- 7
Critically reflect on your individual learning process and progress in clinical competence.
Workload and teaching
- Assessments1 hours
- Workshops8 hours
- Teaching approachSimulation or virtual practice
- Teaching approachCase-based teaching
- Teaching approachActive learning
- Teaching approachPeer assisted learning
- Teaching approachOnline learning
- Teaching approachProblem-based learning
Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled online learning activities and independent study. The unit requires on average 10-12 hours of learning activities per week, including teacher directed learning, independent study and reading time, participation in online discussions, research and preparation for assignments.
You are required to commit to:
- 4 x 2-hour online, real-time (Zoom) workshops
- A 1-hour online, real-time (Zoom) case-based discussion hurdle assessment during the final assessment period
Learning resources
Required resources
Access to patients at workplace
Technology resources
This unit requires access to a device (computer or laptop) that meets minimum specifications. Free specialist software is available via MoVE.
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Catherine Forrester
- Unit Coordinators
- Catherine Forrester
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for PGC5102?
PGC5102 has no prerequisites.
When is PGC5102 offered?
In 2025, PGC5102 runs in Semester 2 at Parkville, with an online option.
How much work is PGC5102?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does PGC5102 have an exam?
No. PGC5102 has 4 assessment tasks and no exam.