Bachelor of Pharmacy
Course code/s: Bendigo (SVPB)
The Bachelor of Pharmacy course was developed to address the serious shortage of pharmacists in regional, rural and remote areas of Australia. The main feature of the course is the integration of the science components with the patient-orientated components of pharmacy practice and pharmaceutical care, giving the future pharmacist skills in optimising patient therapeutic outcomes and improving patient health. Thus the program emphasises patient care, rural health issues and the place of the pharmacist as a member of the primary health care team. Students study subjects in science and public health alongside students in other courses.
Graduates will find ready employment in community or hospital pharmacies throughout Australia. The course will equip them for work in any pharmacy setting, and especially in smaller population centres through the provision of a range of subjects including rural public health, and by placements in rural pharmacies. This provides opportunities to forge working relationships with other health professionals. Apart from those traditional pharmacy workplaces, graduates will also be qualified and eligible to deliver pharmacy services within the armed forces (air force, army, navy) and are eagerly recruited into the pharmaceutical industry. Upon registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) graduates are legally entitled to purchase a pharmacy business. Finally, the opportunity exists for post-graduate research in diverse areas such as pharmacy practice, environmental chemistry, pharmacology, pharmacogenomics, biotechnology and microbiology.
Professional recognition
In order to practise as a pharmacist in Australia a graduate must be registered with AHPRA. Graduates are required to undertake an internship year under supervision, and then pass the registration examinations set by the Pharmacy Board of Australia, before being accepted for registration.
Course structure
This is a four year, full-time course. Much of the first year is concerned with the science that underlies the study of pharmacy, and with the tools of mathematics and information technology. The subjects Introduction to Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Formulation A introduce students to the practice of pharmacy, and include visits to community and hospital pharmacies. Students must complete subjects totalling at least 120 credit points in each of the first, second and third years.
In later years of the course the emphasis shifts from the basic sciences to the pharmacy-specific subjects of therapeutics, pharmacy practice, pharmaceutics, pharmacology and medicinal chemistry, together with studies relating to the health care system. Students spend progressively more time in practical placements, during which they undertake specific learning tasks. This course is valued at 480 credit points.
Honours program
Students who achieve a high academic standard may be invited to participate in the Honours program. Honours candidates enrol in the subjects Pharmacy Honours Project A and Pharmacy Honours Project B in place of either Pharmaceutical Biotechnology or Complementary Medicines in semester 1 and the elective subject in semester 2. Refer to Bachelor of Pharmacy with Honours for course structure.
First year (120 credit points)
| Teaching period | Subject title | Subject code | Credit points |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Biology of Cell and Organism | BIO1CO | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Chemistry 1A | CHE1C1A | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Introduction to Pharmacy Practice | PHA1IPP | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Experimental Foundations of Psychological Science | PSY1EFP | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Organs and Organ Systems | BIO1OOS | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Chemistry 1B | CHE1C1B | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Pharmaceutical Formulation A | PHA1PFA | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Pharmacy Mathematics | MAT1PHM | 15 |
Second year (120 credit points)
| Teaching period | Subject title | Subject code | Credit points |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Medicinal Chemistry A | CHE2MCA | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Pharmaceutical Formulation B | PHA2PFB | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Pharmacology A | PHA2PGA | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Introduction to Microbiology | BIO2IMB | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Chemical Analysis | CHE2CAN | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Metabolic Biochemistry | BIO2MBC | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Pharmacology B | PHA2PGB | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Pharmacy Practice and Therapeutics A (Cardiovascular & Respiratory) | PHA2THA | 15 |
Third year (120 credit points)
| Teaching period | Subject title | Subject code | Credit points |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Pharmacy, Legislation and Practice | PHA3PLP | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Clinical Biochemistry and Haematology | CHE3CBH | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Biopharmaceutics | CHE3BPH | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Practice and Therapeutics B (Metabolic and Endocrine) | PHA3THB | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Practice and Therapeutics D (Anti-infectives) | PHA3THD | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Pharmaceutical Formulation C | PHA3PFC | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Practice and Therapeutics C (Psychiatry and Neurology) | PHA3THC | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Public Health Issues for Rural Health Practitioners | PHE3PHR | 15 |
Fourth year – Pass (120 credit points)
| Teaching period | Subject title | Subject code | Credit points |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Biotechnology | PHA4BT | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Pharmaceutical Care – Quality Use of Medicines A | PHA4PCA | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Practice and Therapeutics E (Oncology and Palliative Care) | PHA4THE | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Complementary Medicines | PHA4CM | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Group Project | PHA4GP | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Pharmaceutical Care – Quality Use of Medicines B | PHA4PCB | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Pharmacy Practice and Management | PHA4PPM | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Pharmacy Practice and Advanced Counselling | PHA4PAC | 15 |