NURS804 – Pharmacology for Nursing Practice
Module code
NURS804
Module title
Pharmacology for Nursing Practice
Prescription
This module is designed to enable registered nurses to integrate and apply principles and concepts of clinical pharmacology to specific health care contexts. Students will develop an in-depth understanding of pharmacotherapeutic principles; including pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, and the regulatory/legislative frameworks, interdisciplinary relationships and evidence bases that facilitate clinical preparation for prescribing in advanced nursing practice roles.
Programmes
- HL0502
- HL7000
- NU0010
- NU0015
NZQA Level
Level 8
NZQA Credits
30
Delivery method
- Web-Supported
Learning hours
- Total learning hours
- 300
Resources required
- Learning Outcomes
- 1. Critically examine the inter-professional, and regulatory contexts and evidence base for prescribing in advanced nursing practice.
2. Critically evaluate knowledge for prescribing practice including physiology, pathophysiology, health assessment and clinical reasoning skills, and risk benefit assessments for therapeutic approaches with specific populations.
3. Demonstrate advanced knowledge of pharmacotherapeutics and its application in prescribing medications, including pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic principles, and recognition of actual or potential interactions and contraindications, to aid safe prescribing.
4. Utilise critical case reviews to demonstrate reflexive analysis of practice with patients, families/whanau in developing therapeutic plans and educational strategies to improve access, safety and efficacy of prescribed medications, appliances or treatments.
5. Articulate strategies to evaluate therapeutic plans according to patient responses, and biological markers, manage adverse reactions and collaborate with or refer appropriately to other members of the interdisciplinary health team. - Content
- - History of nurse prescribing including regulatory changes and scope of practice
- Professional and inter-professional considerations
- Concepts of pharmacology, physiology, chemistry, pathophysiology and practice knowledge- related to prescribing
- Pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics
- Frameworks for drug formulary and classes
- Interpreting diagnostic data for medication titration
- Lifespan pharmacotherapeutic considerations
- Indications and contraindications for prescribing
- Drug interactions, including drug-drug, drug- disease and drug-food interactions and hypersensitivities
- Reflexive analysis of relational practice with clients and families
- Teaching and learning strategies for patient education regarding prescribed interventions or medications
- Traditional Maori health practices and complementary medicines
- Critical appraisal of drug trials and evidence for drug efficacy
- Ethics in drug trials and prototype drugs
- Ethical, economic and professional considerations for - Teaching and Learning Strategy
- Teaching and learning methods in this web based module include: interactive online tutorials, case review activities, online tests and independent learning using multi-media resources, and assignments.
- Assessment Criteria
- Assessment 1:Assessment-Online activities 30%
Assessment 2: Critical Case review 40%
Assessment 3: Tests x 2 multi-choice questions 30%
