NURSING 1009 - Pharmacology for Nursing I
North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2025
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General Course Information
Course Details
Course Code NURSING 1009 Course Pharmacology for Nursing I Coordinating Unit Medical Sciences Term Semester 2 Level Undergraduate Location/s North Terrace Campus Units 3 Contact Up to 3 hours per week Available for Study Abroad and Exchange N Restrictions Bachelor of Nursing Assessment Mid-Semester test, online quizzes, end-of-Semester exam Course Staff
Course Coordinator: Dr Janet Coller
Course Coordinator: Dr Janet Coller
Discipline / School: Pharmacology / Adelaide Medical School
Phone: +61 8 8313 3906
Email: pharmnursing1@adelaide.edu.au
Location: Room S232, Level 2, Helen Mayo South, Frome Road
School of Nursing contact:
Phone: +61 8313 3595
Email: nursing@adelaide.edu.auCourse Timetable
The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.
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Learning Outcomes
Course Learning Outcomes
1 To develop a basic appreciation of important pharmacological terms, discuss the various systems of classification and naming of drugs, and develop an understanding of how drugs are regulated. 2 To introduce basic pharmacodynamic concepts, including familiarity with drug-receptor interactions and dose-response relationships. 3 To obtain an understanding of how drugs are discovered and developed. 4 To obtain an understanding of the important terms used in pharmacokinetics, describe the events that occur from the time of drug entry into the body to drug exit from the body, and understand factors that influence drug pharmacokinetics. 5 To develop a basic appreciation of the routes of drug administration and various forms of drug preparations. 6 To describe the systems and processes used in the prescribing (including meaning and use of common abbreviations), dispensing and administration of medication. 7 To develop a basic appreciation of the mechanisms of drug and disease interactions. 8 To obtain an understanding as to how and why doses need to be adjusted for specific patient factors. 9 To obtain an understanding of the fundamental skills required for drug dosage calculations, including numeracy and understanding of the international system of units, and obtain an understanding of the approaches used in therapeutic drug monitoring. 10 To obtain an understanding of the principles of safe administration of drugs, and develop an appreciation for the occupational health issues in handling of medications and medication management plans. University Graduate Attributes
This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:
University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s) Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth
Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.
1-10 Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving
Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.
1-10 Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills
Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.
1-10 Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness
Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.
1-10 Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency
Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.
NA Attribute 6: Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural competency
Graduates have an understanding of, and respect for, Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander values, culture and knowledge.
8 Attribute 7: Digital capabilities
Graduates are well prepared for living, learning and working in a digital society.
6 Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.
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Learning Resources
Required Resources
Bullock S and Manias E, Fundamentals of Pharmacology, 8th or 9th Ed. Pearson Australia.Recommended Resources
Australian Medicines Handbook, online version available via Barr Smith Library CatalogueOnline Learning
This course will be supported by a range of online supports within MyUni -
Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes
Content will be mainly delivered in lectures and supplemented with tutorials.Workload
The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.
The workload for this course requires attendance at:
• 20 x 1 hour lecture spread over teaching blocks
• 5 x 1 hour tutorial spread over teaching blocks
Non contact hours for assessment and tutorial preparation will be 4 hours per week.Learning Activities Summary
Pharmacology for Nursing I Lecture series (please note lecture order may be subject to change) 1. Introduction to Pharmacology
2. Drug names & classifications
3. How do drugs work? I Targets & Mechanisms
4. How do drugs work? II Pharmacodynamics
5. Controlled drugs
6. Drug regulation / scheduling in Australia
7. Drug discovery & development
8. Basic pharmacokinetic concepts
9. Routes of drug administration
10. Factors influencing drug absorption, distribution, elimination
11. Factors influencing drug clearance, half-life, bioavailability, volume of distribution, first-pass
12. Principles of individualisation of drug therapy: Drug dosing & disease / patient factors
13. Drug dosing & interactions
14. Drug prescriptions & dispensing
15. Drug dosing principles
16. Drug dosing exercises
17. Adverse drug reactions
18. Safe drug administration to non-cooperative patients & IV fluids
19. Occupational health & storing / handling drugs
20. Medication management plansTutorial series 1. Lecture 2-4 content
2. Lecture 5-8 content
3. Lecture 9-12 content
4. Lecture 13-16 content
5. Lecture 17-20 content -
Assessment
The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:
- Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
- Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
- Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
- Assessment must maintain academic standards.
Assessment Summary
Assessment Task Assessment Type Weighting Learning Outcome(s) being addressed Lecture based online assignments (x3) Summative 30% (10% x3) 1-10 Mid-semester test Summative 25% 1-4 End of semester exam Summative 45% 4-10
Assessment Detail
ASSESSMENT 1: Lecture based online assignment (x3)
Lecture-based online assignment: These assignments will encourage engagement with the material presented in lectures and support the development of knowledge required for clinical placement.
ASSESSMENT 2: Mid-semester test
Mid-semester test, online: Conducted in the middle of the course to give feedback. This 60 minute test will confirm the retention of particular aspects of pharmacology and will encourage students to consider extended application of pharmacology concepts to ‘real’ life clinical situations. Will consist of multiple choice and short answer questions.
ASSESSMENT 3: ExamEnd of semester exam, in person: A timed assessment (120 minutes) that will assess a range of semester content and consist of multiple choice and short answer questions.
Submission
All online assessments will be completed using the MyUni links during the specified times. No additional submission is required.
Extensions are generally awarded for no more than 10 working days unless there are exceptional circumstances.
To apply for an Assessment Extension, a student must submit an application for extension form to the course coordinator prior to, or within 3 business days of, the assessment deadline.
See the Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment Policy at https://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/3303Course Grading
Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:
M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme) Grade Mark Description FNS Fail No Submission F 1-49 Fail P 50-64 Pass C 65-74 Credit D 75-84 Distinction HD 85-100 High Distinction CN Continuing NFE No Formal Examination RP Result Pending Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.
Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.
Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.
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Student Feedback
The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.
SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Where possible the feedback regarding ways to improve the course from students who took this course in semester 2 2018 has been incorporated to improve course content and delivery in 2019 with our responses to these as follows:
Some students expressed that there were too many lectures / tutorials in the teaching blocks. Unfortunately, due to the timetabling constraints of the program we are not able to decrease the number of lectures in some weeks of the teaching blocks or change the timing of these lectures to remove breaks for some students.
Regarding the lecture content at times being difficult, we will do our best to add extra examples to illustrate concepts and the course discussion board is actively monitored to ensure all questions regarding course content are answered within 24 hours.
It has also been suggested that the tutorial sessions could be expanded with regards to the time to go over content addressed in the questions as opposed to having time set aside at the beginning of the session to answer the questions in smaller groups of students. However, this would assume that all students have had sufficient time to attempt the questions before the session which is not always possible when teaching in compressed blocks. We have also looked at improving the interactive nature of the tutorial sessions, but this will only work if everyone prepares answers to the tutorial questions before they come to the session.
Students are to ensure they are familiar with the contents of the 2019 School of Nursing Student Handbook and Style Guide. A PDF of this document is available through MyUni. -
Student Support
- Academic Integrity for Students
- Academic Support with Maths
- Academic Support with writing and study skills
- Careers Services
- International Student Support
- Library Services for Students
- LinkedIn Learning
- Student Life Counselling Support - Personal counselling for issues affecting study
- Students with a Disability - Alternative academic arrangements
- YouX Student Care - Advocacy, confidential counselling, welfare support and advice
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Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
- Academic Credit Arrangements Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progress by Coursework Students Policy
- Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy
- Copyright Compliance Policy
- Coursework Academic Programs Policy
- Elder Conservatorium of Music Noise Management Plan
- Intellectual Property Policy
- IT Acceptable Use and Security Policy
- Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment Policy
- Reasonable Adjustments to Learning, Teaching & Assessment for Students with a Disability Policy
- Student Experience of Learning and Teaching Policy
- Student Grievance Resolution Process
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Fraud Awareness
Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.
The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.
