CSH472 Business of Healthcare

Unit Outline: Semester 1 2024, Gardens Point, Internal

Overview

This unit consolidates students' knowledge of business management concepts from previous study in the undergraduate pharmacy program, and delivers theoretical content on more advanced level business concepts. The unit will provide authentic real world learning to facilitate the application of business management concepts to contemporary and future sustainable pharmacy practice.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Interpret government health care policy and strategy to inform the changing roles of the pharmacy profession.
2. Integrate strategies from the business management domains to meet current and future trends in contemporary pharmacy practice.
3. Interpret the changing role of the pharmacist in a global health context
4. Align sustainable business practices with global concerns over climate change, environmental degradation and social inequity.
5. Analyse a management issue and construct a suitable response with justification.

Content

Learning Approaches

This unit will focus on analysis of relevant and current cases in the context of pharmacy services, and government funding policies. You will explore national and global sustainable business models in the context of contemporary pharmacy practice for incorporation into your own practice. Considerations of the inter-professional roles played in leading and managing the health care team will be drawn from cases, and guest business experts.
You will be expected to collect evidence of achievement of the National Competency Standards Framework for Pharmacists in Australia, and the WHO 8 star pharmacist skills, for your professional portfolio.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Assessment 1: Case Study Exam - 60%

Practice scenarios for each topic area are provided in the weekly workshops - feedback is provided for each scenario with discussions including other potential scenarios students may encounter in practice. 

Assessment 2: Viva Voce - 40%

There will be a practice Viva Voce in the last workshop of the semester - students will practise role plays, with tutors providing feedback on performance and areas to improve. 

Assessment

Overview

This is a short teaching semester - see Canvas for details.

There are two pieces of summative assessment to be completed in this unit. Each task is designed to assess particular learning outcomes. The Case Study Exam will develop your application of business knowledge whereby you will apply business knowledge to a specific real world business context. The Viva voce will develop your business communication skills and managing teams (both pharmacy and interdisciplinary) skills. 

Electronic access to resources in school-based oral examinations may be provided using University computers only (this is at the discretion of the Unit Coordinator and further details will be provided via Canvas). If electronic access is provided, students should be aware that access to resources cannot be guaranteed and students should ensure they are able to utilize hard copies of the same references.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Viva Voce

This authentic assessment is an oral examination where you will demonstrate communication, sustainability, management and leadership skills. There are 4 real world scenarios that you will likely meet in practice and you will role play being the pharmacist. This examination will assess leadership (communication and emotional intelligence) and management skills. You will rotate through four stations.

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Assessment: Case Study Exam

You will receive a set of financial figures and other information about a fictitious pharmacy in a supplied resources booklet. You are to analyse all the information, and business figures, comparing with supplied industry benchmarks and answer questions regarding how the owners of this fictitious pharmacy could improve its profitability. The exam will cover all topic areas (pre-workshop and workshop content) covered during the semester. 

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Resource Materials

Recommended text(s)

AJP: Business Class magazine

Australian Journal of Pharmacy (AJP)

Desselle, S. P., Zgarrick, D. P., & Alston, G. L. Pharmacy Management: Essentials for All Practice Settings (2012). NY: McGraw-Hill Medical.

Harvard Business Reviews

Retail Pharmacy magazine

The Intergenerational Report (available from the Treasury's website)

http://www.afr.com/

http://www.pharmacydaily.com.au/

https://theconversation.com/au

Risk Assessment Statement

There are no out of the ordinary risks associated with this unit.

Course Learning Outcomes

CS47 Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours)

1. Understand and apply knowledge of the health care consumer: person-centred care promoting wellness, person and societal good, prevention of poor health outcomes and harm, treating disease.
   Relates to: ULO3, Viva Voce, Case Study Exam
2. Understand and apply knowledge of health care systems and wider contexts, including legal, ethical, professional frameworks and economic systems and work in interprofessional teams.
   Relates to: ULO1, ULO3, Viva Voce, Case Study Exam
3. Recognise the presence and causes of health inequities and disparities and impacts of social determinants of health.
   Relates to: ULO3, ULO4, Viva Voce, Case Study Exam
4. Demonstrate ethical, legal and professional responsibilities, whilst considering quality, risk, best interests and safety of patients and public, formulating strategies to address any issues.
   Relates to: ULO3, Viva Voce, Case Study Exam
5. Demonstrate proactive, reflective, accountable behaviours and practice to develop professional competence and expertise and manage change.
   Relates to: ULO2, Viva Voce, Case Study Exam
6. Provide tailored information, advice and documentation using a range of communication modes including written, verbal, non-verbal and digital.
   Relates to: Case Study Exam
7. Demonstrate leadership skills, initiative and accountability to self, others, promoting responsible and socially accountable stewardship of health care resources.
   Relates to: ULO4, Viva Voce, Case Study Exam
8. Promote quality assurance and continuous improvement, with awareness of, and complying with policy, processes and protocols, whilst demonstrating risk awareness with strategies to assess, monitor, mitigate and manage.
   Relates to: ULO4, Viva Voce, Case Study Exam