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National Degree Examination
Study Course Description
Course Description Statuss:Approved
Course Description Version:3.00
Study Course Accepted:02.07.2024 14:06:13
| Study Course Information | |||||||||
| Course Code: | FF_027 | LQF level: | Level 7 | ||||||
| Credit Points: | 4.00 | ECTS: | 6.00 | ||||||
| Branch of Science: | Basic Sciences of Medicine, including Pharmacy; Pharmacy | Target Audience: | Pharmacy | ||||||
| Study Course Supervisor | |||||||||
| Course Supervisor: | Baiba Mauriņa | ||||||||
| Study Course Implementer | |||||||||
| Structural Unit: | Faculty of Pharmacy | ||||||||
| The Head of Structural Unit: | |||||||||
| Contacts: | Riga, 16 Dzirciema Street, ff rsu[pnkts]lv, +371 67409129 | ||||||||
| Study Course Planning | |||||||||
| Full-Time - Semester No.1 | |||||||||
| Lectures (count) | 0 | Lecture Length (academic hours) | 0 | Total Contact Hours of Lectures | 0 | ||||
| Classes (count) | 0 | Class Length (academic hours) | 0 | Total Contact Hours of Classes | 0 | ||||
| Total Contact Hours | 0 | ||||||||
| Part-Time - Semester No.1 | |||||||||
| Lectures (count) | 0 | Lecture Length (academic hours) | 0 | Total Contact Hours of Lectures | 0 | ||||
| Classes (count) | 0 | Class Length (academic hours) | 0 | Total Contact Hours of Classes | 0 | ||||
| Total Contact Hours | 0 | ||||||||
| Study course description | |||||||||
| Preliminary Knowledge: | All undergraduate study courses. | ||||||||
| Objective: | The aim of the national degree examination is to provide the knowledge, skills and competence necessary for obtaining the qualification of a pharmacist. | ||||||||
| Assessment | |||||||||
| Unaided Work: | The National degree examination consists of 4 parts: Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Pharmacognosy (test); Pharmacology and pharmacotherapy (test); Pharmaceutical Care (OSCE); Pharmaceutical Technology and Practical Pharmacy (test). Students should independently get acquainted with the programs of all parts of the National degree examination. In Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Pharmacognosy part students should independently repeat study courses Organic Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis, Toxicological Chemistry, Physical Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Medical Chemistry, Plant and Animal Biology, Pharmacognosy with phytopharmacy course acquired in accordance with the requirements of the National Degree Examination program. The examination is designed as a test, it will include 100 questions, of which 50 questions in pharmaceutical chemistry, 15 questions in medical chemistry, and 35 questions in pharmacognosy. Each section contains at least 10% of multi-choice questions. In the pharmacognosy section of the examinations, the student must show knowledge about medicinal plants, general principles of herbal drug preparation, biologically active substances of herbal drugs, their properties; evidence-based medical applications of medicinal plant and animal drugs and products; their place and role in maintaining and / or restoring health. The questions dedicated to pharmaceutical and medicinal chemistry are designed so that the answers to the questions can be found by synthesizing the knowledge gained in organic, inorganic chemistry courses, qualitative and quantitative analysis courses, toxicological chemistry, physical pharmacy courses. Students must demonstrate knowledge, skills, competence in methods of drug acquisition, analysis and determination of goodness, knowledge of drug metabolism. In Pharmacology and pharmacotherapy part students should independently repeat the study courses Pharmaceutical pharmacology, Pharmacotherapy in Pharmacist's practice and Social Pharmacy and pharmaceutical care in accordance with the requirements of the National Degree examination program. The examination includes 60 multi-choice questions in pharmacology with one correct answer and 13 cases of different difficulty level in pharmacotherapy. Students should correctly, clearly and unambiguously explain the mechanism of action, use, metabolism, side effects of medicines. In Pharmaceutical Care part students should independently repeat the study courses Social Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Care, Pharmacology, Pharmacotherapy acquired in accordance with the requirements of the National Degree Examination program. The state examination in Pharmaceutical Care is an objectively structured clinical examination (OSCE), it includes 2 simulated pharmaceutical care situations, one for a prescription, the other for a non-prescription drug. Situation tasks are designed as a simulation of situations in a pharmacy, where the student must demonstrate their knowledge, skills and competence by providing information and advice about medicines and their proper use, as well as providing individual support to the patient in case of self-medication. In Pharmaceutical Technology and Practical Pharmacy part students should independently repeat the study courses Industrial Dosage Form Technology, Pharmaceutical Compounding, Practical Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Legislation in accordance with the requirements of the program. The examination includes 100 questions, of which in the part of practical pharmacy and pharmaceutical legislation (including also pharmacoeconomics) - 50 questions, in pharmaceutical compounding - 15 questions and in industrial dosage form technology - 35 questions. The questions will include the tasks of the situation, the correctness of the technological solution, the latest changes in the regulatory enactments regulating the field of pharmacy. The student must demonstrate knowledge, skills and competence in pharmaceutical technology, preparation of medicines, production and control of medicines, supply, manufacture, control, storage, distribution and dispensing of safe, effective and appropriate quality medicinal products in community pharmacies, medical institutions, wholesalers. Each part, with the exception of pharmaceutical compounding, shall contain at least 10% of the questions with multiple correct answers. The tasks of the practical pharmacy part determine the maximum number of points that can be obtained in each of the tasks. | ||||||||
| Assessment Criteria: | The National Degree Examination is evaluated by the National Degree Examination Commission. In Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Pharmacognosy part the points obtained in the pharmaceutical chemistry part and the medical chemistry part are counted together and one mark is obtained for these parts. The second mark is obtained in the pharmacognosy part. Answers to questions with several correct answers are evaluated in proportion to the marked correct and incorrect answers, but answers to questions with only one correct answer with 1 or 0 points. The average grade of both marks gives the result of this part of National Degree examination, but if any of the marks is unsuccessful, the whole test is also assessed as unsuccessful. In Pharmacology and pharmacotherapy part the test includes 60 questions in a pharmacology and 13 pharmacotherapy case studies, different levels of difficulty (in 5 situations it is possible to get 4 points for each situation, in 4 situations it is possible to get 3 points for each situation, in 4 situations it is possible to get 2 point for each situation). 60 points can be obtained for the pharmacology part, evaluation of the answers of the pharmacology test: correct answer - 1.0 point, incorrect answer - 0 points. The evaluation range for one situation task is “0–4” points; correct answer - 2-4 points, insufficient (incomplete) answer - 1-2 points, answer is incorrect or no answer - 0 points. For pharmacotherapy case studies - a maximum of 40 points can be awarded. The points obtained in the parts of pharmacology and pharmacotherapy are counted together - a maximum of 100 points can be obtained, which is equal to 100% and according to the Study Regulations is assessed with a mark, which is the result of this examination part. In the OSCE in Pharmaceutical care simulated patients participate in the situation game, the consultation will be recorded on a dictaphone, the consultation will be evaluated using precisely described "Consultation evaluation criteria." The student has 12 minutes to complete each station. During the prescription drug situation, the patient is consulted and the information required for the consultation is searched in electronic resources. Each pharmaceutical care situation is evaluated with a mark in accordance with the developed evaluation criteria. The average assessment of the marks of both situations makes up the resultant assessment of this examination part. If one of the mandatory criteria is not met during patient counseling, the risk to the patient should be assessed. If any of the marks fail, the situation regarding the prescription drug is decisive. In the Pharmaceutical Technology and Practical Pharmacy part the Practical Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Legislation part is assessed with one mark and the Pharmaceutical Technology Part, which includes industrial pharmaceutical technology and pharmaceutical compounding, with the other mark. Answers to questions with several correct answers are evaluated in proportion to the marked correct and incorrect answers, but answers to questions with only one correct answer with 1 or 0 points. The average grade of both marks gives the result of this National Degree examination part, but if any of the marks is unsuccessful, the whole test is also assessed as unsuccessful. The final grade of the National Degree examination is made up of the average grade of all 4 parts. If there is an unsuccessful assessment in one of the parts of the National Degree examination the student has the right to retake the unsuccessful National Degree examination not earlier than in the next National Degree examination session. | ||||||||
| Final Examination (Full-Time): | National degree examination | ||||||||
| Final Examination (Part-Time): | National degree examination | ||||||||
| Learning Outcomes | |||||||||
| Knowledge: | Knowledge about methods for obtaining, analysis and determination of efficacy of medicinal products. Knowledge about the range of medicinal plants, their distribution, morphological description, biologically active substances of herbal drugs, their properties. Knowledge of evidence-based use of medicinal plant and animal drugs and products in medicine; their place and role in maintaining and / or restoring health. Will be able to correctly, clearly and unambiguously explain the effect of the drug, use, metabolism, side effects, provide answers to questions related to the drug, both health care professionals and non-specialists, combining and applying the basic knowledge of the study program courses in specific situations, taking into account security and well-being of a patient. Will know, will be able to explain and perform principles and methods of preparation of medicinal products in pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies, will be competent in ensuring of the movement of medicinal products in healthcare system; will be able to evaluate the impact of manufacturing and storing conditions on the quality of medicinal products. | ||||||||
| Skills: | Ability to identify and analyze medicinal substances, prepare herbal drugs, analyze them. Will be able to independently analyse complex situations and make decisions, providing and organizing pharmaceutical care, regularly analysing the self-assessment of their activities. Will be able to use sources of professional pharmaceutical information and, when interpreting and evaluating scientific data in the field of medicinal product use, provide evidence-based information on medicinal products and the rational and safe use of medicinal products. Will be able to develop and standardise dosage forms, to follow amendments in legal enactments of the Republic of Latvia regulating the field of pharmacy, follow current normative documents of the European Union in the field of health and recommendations set by the World Health Organisation and observe them in own pharmaceutical work. Will be able to apply basic principles of business and marketing in the pharmaceutical work. | ||||||||
| Competencies: | Ability to evaluate different methods of analysis of medicinal substances, to find the most suitable solution for determining the goodness of medicinal products. Will be able to advise patients on the proper preparation and use of herbal products. Will be able to promote the development of pharmaceutical care. Within the scope of their competence, they will be able to promote a healthy lifestyle and disease prevention, paying special attention to the risk groups of the population. Will be able to manage the work of auxiliary staff, pharmacist' assistant, will be full-fledged member of healthcare team and cooperate with other healthcare professionals on the basis of mutual respect. | ||||||||
| Bibliography | |||||||||
| No. | Reference | ||||||||
| Required Reading | |||||||||
| 1 | Valsts pārbaudījuma sadaļu programmas. | ||||||||
