Week 25

For the three topics this week, Professional Practice Part 1, Introduction to Dispensing and Introduction to Patient Care, the focus is to consolidate your learning of the course content so far and identify the topics or areas you will need to review. You will be given time in the Self-directed learning activities to review these topics.

You can do this using whatever study method or technique works best for you. For example, you may like to create flashcards, brainstorm, summarise each topic in your own words, re-write your notes, draw pictures, create mnemonics, write your own scenarios, role-play with a friend, family member, or peer or conduct your own research. You may have also picked up some great methods from your classmates in the Week 22 forum activity: Week 22 – Introduction to Dispensing: Self-directed Learning Activity.

If you feel confident with your revision techniques, feel free to skip this topic and go straight to Professional Practice Part 1. 

Revision techniques

However, if you don’t know where to start or want to try something new, check out the following revision techniques for inspiration. 

Watch: The Pomodoro® Technique (2:22 minutes)

If you find it difficult to concentrate or focus, this technique is a brilliant way to keep you on track and rewarded (with breaks) for your hard work.

• You can even use this handy YouTube video as a timer to get you started: Pomodoro Technique 4 x 25 min – Study Timer 2h.
• Need a study buddy to keep you accountable? Here’s how one student uses this method: The only study method that actually works for me in college. 

Watch YouTube videos

You’ll be surprised at how effective it is to watch YouTube videos as a way to revise. As you know, YouTube has lots of educational content. You can find tutorials of people doing everything from dispensing medicine to teaching you methods for mathematical calculations. If you’re someone who learns best through video, don’t be shy to give it a go and do your own research and exploration of YouTube.

Create flashcards

This is a classic revision technique that involves writing keywords or questions on cards to test your knowledge and recall. It’s great if you’re a visual learner! Here are some tips from Birmingham City University to get you started: Are Flashcards effective?

Watch: the Blurting method (24 seconds)

You may have seen this revision technique pop up on TikTok. Blurting involves testing yourself repeatedly until you remember the information. Here’s a video to show you how you, too, can become a blurting expert.

Other tips

• Create memes or videos – be creative and make some memes of key concepts. Research shows that using humour and having fun makes information stick!
• Study outside – soak up some vitamin D and nature. Recalling information outside your usual study environment can also help strengthen your grasp of the material. It also gives you a refreshed sense of motivation.
• Listen to calming music – this is a good way to keep focused and get in the right headspace for study. YouTube and Spotify have lots of specific study playlists.
• Sleep – get enough sleep and rest. Our brains make different and new neural connections when we’re out of our ‘focused’ modes. This is why you often have those ‘aha!’ moments in the middle of the night!

Now that you have some techniques up your sleeve, get ready to apply them!

Mālō e leilei, greetings and welcome to the final session of Professional Practice Part 1! Last week, you identified your strengths and weaknesses with dispensing calculations by completing a quiz. In this session, we continue to focus on dispensing calculations with a slightly different type of Challenge Activity. 

Challenge Activity

This week, we continue to embrace the Māori principle of ‘Ako’. The word ako means both to teach and to learn; it acknowledges that everyone has their own unique knowledge and experiences that they bring to a learning experience. Everyone has the ability to be both a kaiako (teacher) and ākonga (learner). By interacting, working, and supporting each other, everyone achieves more.

In this Challenge Activity, you and a classmate will create calculation quizzes for each other. The act of creating a quiz for someone else is a different way to practice and consolidate your own knowledge. This activity will help you develop your dispensing calculation skills, enhance your understanding of various pharmaceutical calculations, and promote peer learning. It's an opportunity to apply what you've learned in a practical context while also gaining insights from your peers.

Instructions

1. Find a classmate to be your partner. If you are having trouble finding a partner, ask your tutor for assistance.
2. You and your partner will both need to create a 15-question dispensing calculation quiz and a separate answer sheet that shows the method used to calculate each answer.
3. Swap your quiz with your partner and complete each other's quiz.
4. Each partner returns the quiz to the other for marking.
5. Organise a time to discuss the results of the quizzes. This can be kanohi-ki-te-kanohi (face-to-face), via Teams chat or Teams video call. In this discussion, you will take turns giving each other feedback on the quiz questions. Make sure to:
   1. discuss any incorrect answers and why they are incorrect.
   2. compare calculation methods. For example, you could ask: ‘What do you see as other possible calculations?’ ‘Why did you choose that method?’
6. After your discussion, return the quiz and the separate answer sheet to each partner. This is so each partner can use the quiz and answer sheet as a record of their learning and a resource for future use.

Whakamihi, congratulations on completing Professional Practice 1! You have worked hard to cover a lot of content. Pai ki a koe! Good on you!

Welcome back to Introduction to Dispensing. In our last session, you completed a revision quiz as a way for you to reinforce and solidify your previous learning. How did you go? Did you check your answers with a fellow ākonga?

In this session, we’ll continue with revising your dispensing knowledge through a revision quiz. Be prepared for some quiz questions that might require more in-depth thinking or searching for information beyond what's available in your online or class notes.

Challenge Activity

Instructions

1. Download the quiz document and save it to your device: Week 25 - Introduction to Dispensing: Challenge Activity.
2. The quiz has 17 questions and scenarios. Take your time working through these, and don’t give up!

Ka rawe, excellent work. Were you able to answer all the quiz questions? If you want to check your work or are unsure of any answers, you can discuss this with your classmates and tutor.

That brings us to the end of Introduction to Dispensing. You have worked hard and gained a lot of knowledge over the last 25 weeks, ka pai temahi, well done, good work!

Welcome to the last session of Introduction to Patient Care. In keeping with the theme of revision and reflection, in this session, you will complete a quiz that is designed to remind you of some of the topics we have covered in this course. Quizzes are great ways to check how much learning you have retained and help you assess if there are any gaps in your knowledge. There are 27 questions to answer.

Have fun and good luck!

He pai aū mahi i tēnei rā, you have done well today in this session and throughout the course so far. Hopefully, this quiz has helped you reflect on some of the topics we have covered in this course and given you some insight into areas where you may need to spend some time revising.

Autaia koe, you're a champ! You've now completed Week 25 of Introduction to Patient Care. Please take a moment to complete the Learning Check-in for this module.

Next week, you'll officially be starting Level 5. Congratulations, you've completed a huge step in your studies, so we hope that you're proud of your efforts and excited to learn more!