Master of Clinical Pharmacy

Purpose

The pharmacy profession is committed to ensuring the safe and effective use of medications. Over the past few decades the professional roles and responsibilities of pharmacists have evolved from a focus on medication compounding and dispensing to pharmaceutical care services.

Pharmacists are taking responsibility for individual patient's medicine related needs, ensuring that a patient's drug therapy is appropriately indicated, the most effective available, the safest possible and convenient for the patient.

A pharmaceutical care practitioner, in the South African healthcare sector, needs to take responsibility in developing a pharmaceutical care practice, ultimately optimising patient care, through the training of healthcare workers in pharmaceutical care, ensuring rational medicine use and establishing a sound evidence-based therapeutic approach to patient care. The implementation of an effective pharmaceutical care practice is crucial to ensure an increase in the level of healthcare service delivered at institutions in South Africa.

Rationale

The National Core Standards allows for the development and establishment of the clinical pharmacist profession. Moving towards a National Health Insurance will also force the current pharmacy profession to expand its roles and functions. In recent times clinical pharmacist positions have been established in some public hospitals with the aim to improve patient safety, to ensure rational medicines use and to reduce expenditure on unnecessary medicines.

The South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC) is also currently working on regulation for the registration of specialities in Pharmacy. One of these is the Clinical Pharmacists for which the minimum requirement will include a Master's level qualification in Clinical Pharmacy.

The institution therefore sees it as strategically important to establish this qualification.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Access to the qualification can also be provided in terms of the university's RPL policy and its admission criteria stipulated by Senate. In the RPL process students have to undergo a Portfolio Development Course (PDC) to support the student's admission. The PDC will focus on written submission explaining the reasons for the candidates' interest in Clinical Pharmacy as an adjunct to their existing professional competencies and indicating the nature of a possible research project.

Entry Requirements

The admission requirement for this qualification is

• Bachelor of Pharmacy Degree, Level 8.

This qualification comprises compulsory and elective modules at Level 9, totalling 360 Credits.

Compulsory Modules, Level 9, 300 Credits

• Research Methods, 15 Credits.
• Introduction to Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Care, 25 Credits.
• Evidence Based Medicine, Rational Medicine Use and Pharmacovigilance, 30 Credits.
• Applied Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmacoepidemology, 25 Credits.
• Applied Pharmacokinetics, 25 Credits.
• Advanced Pharmaceutical Care-Adult Medicine, 30 Credits.
• Advanced Pharmaceutical Care-Paediatrics, 30 Credits.
• Mini thesis in clinical Pharmacy, 120 Credits.

Elective Modules, Level 9, 60 Credits

• Advanced Pharmaceutical Care-HIV/AIDS, 30 Credits.
• Advanced Pharmaceutical Care-Uncology, 30 Credits.
• Advanced Pharmaceutical Care-Critical Care Medicine, 30 Credits.

1. Monitor patient health outcomes in the health care setting.
2. Demonstrate the ability to communicate and educate.
3. Evaluate and manage medical information.
4. Manage patient populations.
5. Demonstrate knowledge of areas of therapeutic.
6. Conduct Research in the Field of Clinical Pharmacy.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Assess patient-specific medical and drug related problems.
• Evaluate patient-specific drug therapy and therapeutic problems.
• Design a comprehensive drug therapy plan for patient specific problems.
• Collaborate with patients, caregivers, and other health care professionals in optimising therapeutic outcomes.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Educate patients with regard to treatment options and therapeutic outcomes.
• Interact and educate other health care professionals to optimise medicine management.
• Motivate and negotiate in order to optimise treatment.
• Document drug related interventions in the patient medical record.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Demonstrate the motivation and commitment to become a lifelong learner.
• Retrieve biomedical literature using appropriate search strategies.
• Interpret biomedical literature with regard to study design, methodology, statistical analysis, significance of reported data, and conclusions.
• Integrate data obtained from multiple sources to derive an overall conclusion or answer.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Evaluate patient safety and drug therapy.
• Identify and evaluate critical disease pathways.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5

• Apply disease-oriented knowledge of the areas of Adult Medicine, Paediatrics and HIV/AIDS, or Oncology or Critical Care Demonstrate competence in the pharmacotherapy of common adult and paediatric conditions.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 6

• Plan a research project, manage the research, implement findings, analyse data and report on the project by submitting a mini dissertation.

Integrated Assessment

Criteria to be satisfied by the student before awarding of the Degree include the following

• Completed two calendar years as a registered student for the programme.
• Obtain at least 50% in each of his/her modular tests during course as well as a final assessment of 50% comprised of 50% of the Coursework mark and 50% of the examination mark.
• Write the examination papers covering the modules as prescribed in the module descriptors.
• Submission of the mini-thesis. Successful completion of the mini- thesis is a prerequisite for awarding the Degree.

The report of the external examiners must indicate that the student is capable of

• Planning research.
• Applying a thorough literature study to the research topic.
• Perform the research.
• Apply elementary statistical principles.
• Analyse results and arrive at meaningful conclusions.