Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2025 (28/07/2025 - 22/11/2025)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- Dutton Park
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 4
- Administrative campus
- Dutton Park
- Coordinating unit
- Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences School
Each student will be assigned to a supervised placement in an experiential placement site that promotes the ideals and principles of Quality Use of Medicines (QUM). These sites may include all areas of pharmacy practice (hospital, community), pharmaceutical industry, regulatory bodies and academia. Placements may also be in other health care areas dealing with medications, (e.g. aged care/nursing homes, domiciliary health care, and working in association with other health care professionals). The QUM placement may be sited in an urban or rural Australian area or located outside Australia.
The project is workplace-based, to be relevant to the student and also benefit the QUM activities at the workplace. The placement starts two weeks prior to Week 1 of the semester and concludes at the end of Week 4 of the semester. During the 6-week placement (minimum of 180 hours), you will gain daily experience at the placement site and conduct a short research project. At the end of placement, students are required to present their project as a written research report and a digital poster oral presentation.
PHRM4071 is a compulsory 6-week research-focussed placement course for all Year 4 students who are not enrolled in the Clinical and Therapeutics major.
Students will also have the opportunity to undertake relevant Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) under supervision and receive feedback from their preceptors. Students are also required to complete a self-reflection and an individual learning plan based on the feedback they have received on their EPAs.
Course requirements
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
PHRM2101
Recommended prerequisites
We recommend completing the following courses before enrolling in this one:
PHRM2102, PHRM3101, PHRM3102
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
PHRM4061
Restrictions
BPharm(Hons) students only
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
Each student should attend their QUM Research placement for 6 consecutive weeks (4 days per week) and have at least 180 hours of workplace contact.
The start and finish time each day will depend on the workplace and collegiate negotiations. If the placement includes a public holiday relevant to that placement site, the students are expected to attend/not attend the placement site in accordance with usual practice at that site e.g. if the facility is not open during the public holiday then the students do not attend AND that time is included within the 180 hours.
Students will present their research projects in an oral presentation with a digital poster in PHRM4071 tutorials that will be scheduled in Weeks 10-12 of the semester. Students will be allocated by the School to a tutorial timeslot based on the timing of their other courses. A schedule will be available on the Learn.UQ (Blackboard) course site prior to Week 9 of the semester.ﾠ
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Aims and outcomes
The general aim of the PHRM4071 placement is for students to participate in the activities at a healthcare workplace over a 6-week period. Specific aims include:
· the experiential learning gained by a 6-week, 4 days per week, placement at a healthcare site;
· the recognition and examination of a Quality Use of Medicine (QUM) issue which would benefit that workplace;
· the collaboration between the student and the workplace to develop a project which is meaningful to the workplace;
· the development of the project culminating in a written report and oral presentation at the placement site and at the School;
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Apply the ideals and principles of Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) to contribute to health outcomes.
LO2.
Demonstrate reflective practice, professional competence, interpersonal skills, and expertise; including the development of learning plans for experiential placements.
LO3.
Develop and conduct a QUM research project that relates to the needs of the placement site.
LO4.
Demonstrate written and oral professional communication skills.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation |
Ethics and Project Approval Application
|
20% |
25/07/2025 5:00 pm
Submit as soon as possible after commencement of the placement. |
| Participation/ Student contribution, Placement, Reflection |
Placement Participation, Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs), Reflection and Individual Learning Plan (ILP)
|
Pass/Fail |
29/08/2025 5:00 pm
Other placement timeframes must be approved by the Course Coordinator. |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Project, Reflection | Final QUM Research Project Written Report | 45% |
15/09/2025 5:00 pm |
| Presentation |
QUM Research Project Digital Poster Presentation
|
35% |
7/10/2025 5:00 pm
Digital poster upload: by this deadline. Poster presentation: during the scheduled PHRM4071 Tutorials in Weeks 10-12 of Semester. Schedule will be posted on the Learn.UQ (Blackboard) course site by Week 9 of Semester. |
A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.
Assessment details
Ethics and Project Approval Application
- Hurdle
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 20%
- Due date
25/07/2025 5:00 pm
Submit as soon as possible after commencement of the placement.
Task description
Permission to conduct a QUM Research Project must be sought by application to the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences using the QUM Ethics and Project Outline form available on Learn.UQ (Blackboard) under Learning Resources.
If approval from a Human Research Ethics Committee is required, this is to be obtained by the placement site; however, approval to commence the project is granted by the PHRM4071 Course Coordinator and this project approval is a compulsory component of the research project placement. The application must be submitted as soon as possible after commencement of the placement, and at the latest, prior to the end Week 2 of the placement period.
The research project cannot commence until the Course Coordinator indicates approval on the PHRM4071 Learn.UQ (Blackboard) site. If no approval is indicated, then the project cannot commence and marks for the project approval, report, and presentation will be zero. Data collection can only begin AFTER the project has received approval from the School.
The marking criteria/rubric for this assessment task is available on Learn.UQ (Blackboard).
Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used appropriately to support students in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly acknowledge any use of AI in each instance. A failure to acknowledge generative AI use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Hurdle requirements
Submission of the completed QUM Ethics and Project Outline form, and receipt of approval from the course coordinator.Submission guidelines
The QUM Ethics and Project Outline form is to be submitted in Blackboard via the QUM Ethics & Project Approval folder in the Assessment section of the menu bar.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Placement Participation, Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs), Reflection and Individual Learning Plan (ILP)
- Hurdle
- Identity Verified
- In-person
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance, Written
- Category
- Participation/ Student contribution, Placement, Reflection
- Weight
- Pass/Fail
- Due date
29/08/2025 5:00 pm
Other placement timeframes must be approved by the Course Coordinator.
- Other conditions
- Work integrated learning.
Task description
PLACEMENT PARTICIPATION
- This is a 6-week QUM research-focussed placement.
- Each student should attend their QUM Research placement for 6 consecutive weeks, 4 days per week and gain at least 180 hours of workplace contact, commencing two weeks prior to Week 1 of Semester and concluding at the end of Week 4 of Semester.
- Each student must contact the Preceptor for their placement TWO weeks prior to the start of the placement to confirm their attendance for the placement period and to make arrangements for meeting on the first day. If you have contacted the site and do not receive a reply, please contact the Course Coordinator for advice.
- The start and finish time each placement day will depend on the workplace and collegiate negotiations. If the placement includes a public holiday relevant to that placement site, the students are expected to attend/not attend the placement site in accordance with usual practice at that site e.g. if the facility is not open during the public holiday, then the students do not attend AND that time is included within the 180 hours.
- Any attendance problems or placement absences are to be discussed with the Course Coordinator PRIOR to any planned absences or as soon as possible in the case of prolonged absence (> 3days).
- In the case of illness, students are NOT expected to attend their placement and should inform their preceptor. Absences should be recorded in InPlace within 24 hours of your absence (instructions here). Students away from their placement site for greater than TWO days due to illness (i.e. on the third day) should obtain a medical certificate and provide this to the School Office and their preceptor.
- Irrespective of medical certificates, any cumulative absence over the 6-week period longer than 3 days must be immediately brought to the attention of the Course Coordinator.
- With the permission of the workplace and preceptor, students may be allowed to have library days away from the placement site; however, a maximum of 2 library days per placement are allowed and these days must be spent on quality project activities (not at another workplace). There is no requirement that a library day will be granted by the workplace - some sites will not allow this time away. Students are expected to be at the placement site a minimum of four days per week unless the absence has the approval of the site and the Course Coordinator.
- All students are expected to be available to commence classes in other Year 4 courses in Week 5 of semester.
ENTRUSTABLE PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES (EPAs)
Students must provide evidence of entrustment discussions with their preceptor during placement and the final entrustment decision at the end of their placement should be completed via the ePortfolio. Students will choose a minimum of TWO (2) EPAs from a suite of EPAs provided, that are relevant to the placement site and the students’ learning goals. Students are required to submit a statement of justification for their choice of EPAs with their EPA self-assessment. See the Learn.UQ (Blackboard) site for more information regarding the EPAs and marking criteria.
EPA REFLECTION and INDIVIDUAL LEARNING PLAN (ILP)
After the placement period is complete, students are required to complete their Reflection and Individual Learning Plan (ILP) for submission via the ePortfolio, based on the feedback they have received from their preceptor or other colleagues at the placement site, the entrustment levels assigned for each EPA undertaken and the action plan discussed during the final feedback session with the preceptor. See Learn.UQ (Blackboard) for more information and marking criteria.
- Student Reflection: This can be uploaded as a Word.doc file into ePortfolio. The maximum word count for the student reflection is 500 words. Students can use the SEAL template of reflection if they wish, but can also follow a more generalised structure to reflect on their overall experience in undertaking the chosen EPAs during their placement. It is important for students to focus on their learnings, linking actions to their future development. Students can include references or attachments where necessary/appropriate to support their reflection.
- Individual Learning Plan (ILP): The ePortfolio provides clear instructions and a template for students to complete their ILP based on their performance in undertaking the EPAs and feedback from their preceptor during their placement. Students should complete each of the relevant boxes in the template prior to submission.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used appropriately to support students in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly acknowledge any use of AI in each instance. A failure to acknowledge generative AI use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Hurdle requirements
Students must attend the 24 days of their placement, submit all components of their EPAs and ILP, and achieve a satisfactory standard in all items submitted.Submission guidelines
Submission: The EPA self-reflection and the ILP should be submitted via the ePortfolio by the due date. Once the student has submitted the EPA self-reflection, this will trigger an email to be sent to the preceptor with a link to complete the student's final EPA assessment via the ePortfolio.
Resubmission: Students who do not meet the required pass criteria will be given one opportunity to resubmit the assessment.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
You will receive a mark of 0 if this assessment is submitted late.
You will receive a mark of FAIL if this assessment is submitted late without an approved extension.
Final QUM Research Project Written Report
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Project, Reflection
- Weight
- 45%
- Due date
15/09/2025 5:00 pm
Task description
The QUM Research Project written report should be prepared in the format of a journal article, structured to promote clarity and ease of reading. QUM Research Projects may be quantitative or qualitative in nature, and students are encouraged to read widely around the published literature relevant to their project, and format their journal article in a style consistent with published work in their field.
The report should be a maximum of 2000 words and students should follow the report structure outlined on Learn.UQ(Blackboard). The marking criteria/rubric for this assessment task is available on Learn.UQ (Blackboard).
Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used appropriately to support students in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly acknowledge any use of AI in each instance. A failure to acknowledge generative AI use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Submission is via Turnitin using the link for Project Reports in Learn.UQ (Blackboard) in the Assessment folder.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
QUM Research Project Digital Poster Presentation
- In-person
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance
- Category
- Presentation
- Weight
- 35%
- Due date
7/10/2025 5:00 pm
Digital poster upload: by this deadline.
Poster presentation: during the scheduled PHRM4071 Tutorials in Weeks 10-12 of Semester. Schedule will be posted on the Learn.UQ (Blackboard) course site by Week 9 of Semester.
Task description
Students will be required to design and create a two-slide Digital Poster which will be presented in a 5-minute oral presentation + ~2 minutes questions. Students are encouraged to present their projects creatively and consider the key points of information they wish to present.
- Further instructions for poster slides and guidelines for the oral presentation are available on Blackboard.
- All Digital Posters to be uploaded onto Learn.UQ by the submission deadline regardless of presentation date/time.
- Digital Poster Oral Presentations will take place during the designated PHRM4071 tutorial times during Weeks 10-12 of Semester. The timetable for tutorial attendance and presentations will be available on the Learn.UQ (Blackboard) course site prior to the end of Week 9 of Semester.
- At your designated tutorial, an attendance record is signed at each tutorial and absences will require a medical certificate or prior approval by the Course Coordinator.
- The Digital Poster Oral Presentation will be recorded and retained as per university policy. The recording will be stored in a secure manner and will only be accessed if required for the purposes of moderation of marking; provision of feedback to the student; and/or re-marking following a successful re-mark application.
- The marking criteria/rubric for this assessment task is available on Learn.UQ (Blackboard).
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used appropriately to support students in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly acknowledge any use of AI in each instance. A failure to acknowledge generative AI use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Digital posters should be uploaded as a PDF file at Learn.UQ (Blackboard) under the Assessment folder (Digital Poster Submission).
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 1 - 29 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 30 - 44 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 45 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.
Other course materials
If we've listed something under further requirement, you'll need to provide your own.
Required
| Item | Description | Further Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Student Placement Handbook | Download your copy from the Learn.UQ (Blackboard) site for this course | own item needed |
| Placement shirt | Purchase from QPSA | own item needed |
| Student name badge | own item needed |
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 (30 Jun - 06 Jul) |
Lecture |
Online Introductory Lecture The Course Coordinator will provide a course introduction and an overview of the placement and assessment expectations. The lecture will also cover pharmacy research basics, including performing a literature review, developing research questions/methods and research writing. The online lecture will be take place 2 weeks before placements commence (4 weeks before Week 1 of Semester). The lecture will be held online on Tuesday 1st July 2025 at 9am-11am - See Learn.UQ (Blackboard) for the Zoom link. |
Multiple weeks From Week 3 To Week 8 |
Placement |
QUM Research Project-focussed Placement
|
Multiple weeks From Week 14 To Week 16 |
Tutorial |
Digital Poster Oral Presentation Tutorials Presentation Tutorial: Students will be present a two-slide Digital Poster that summarises the findings from their QUM project (5 minutes speaking time + ~2 minutes questions).
|
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments for Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.
You'll also need to be aware of the following policies and procedures while completing this course: