Prescribing & Legislation Course – Orientation & Logistics

University Exam Information

University Exam Office sets and releases the official examination date on 4\ \text{September}.
Venue: the same computer laboratories used last semester; satellite students follow the same local processes unless lecturers notify changes.
Any deviations (e.g.\, alternative venues for satellites) will be communicated by course lecturers.

Central theme: prescribing practice and the legislation that governs/impacts consumer care.
Semester-one referral guidelines remain relevant (e.g.\, when discussing complications related to prescribing).
Lecturer aims not to duplicate pharmacology content already covered but will reinforce legislation-specific aspects.

New Zealand Formulary (NZF) – students already comfortable accessing both adult & paediatric sections.
Medsafe – revisit for pregnancy-safety information; certain drugs flagged as unsuitable in pregnancy will be highlighted.
Pharmaceutical Schedule (from PHARMAC) – to be introduced/reviewed:
• Indicates which medicines are publicly funded and under what restrictions.
• Critical for midwives who stock medications in semi-rural/rural settings: defines what, how much, and procurement processes for practitioner-supplied drugs.

Historically four modules; Module 4 existed to handle widely spaced assessments.
• Lecturer is reviewing whether Module 4 is still necessary; decision and visibility will be confirmed within the next few days.
Likely configuration for now:
• Module 1 – Introduction to prescribing & relevant legislation.
• Module 2 – Legislation-specific topics.
• Module 3 – Prescribing-specific clinical topics.
• (Possible) Module 4 – Additional assessment guidance if retained.
Discussion boards linked to each module remain unchanged from last semester.

Primary channel: Canvas Inbox (purple icon, left navigation).
• Supports one-to-one or group messages.
• Ensures any designated staff member covering the course can access and respond promptly.
Personal e-mails acceptable for sensitive issues; caveat — stand-in staff will not see these, so students may need to repeat details later.
Inbox messages are private (only sender, recipient(s), and authorised course staff can view).

Student feedback: switching between separate timetable files was inconvenient.
• The full timetable now sits at the top of the Course Schedule page (instead of in MS Teams).
• Applies only to this course (not the other two concurrent semester papers).
Live-session links are embedded directly in the Canvas calendar events.
Topic sequence is stable but may shift depending on guest-speaker availability or extended discussion times.
• Example: Tomorrow & Wednesday feature two heavy topics — Antibiotics/Antimicrobials followed by Anaemia.
• If content proves overwhelming, sessions can be redistributed later in the block.

All speakers have indicated preferred slots, but adjustments are possible:
• Speakers sometimes finish early or run over due to Q&A.
• Students will be informed of material shifts via announcements if changes are major.
Case example (1 September) — Speaker “Judy” may convert from face-to-face to online, depending on her commitments.
• Lecturer will update the timetable and send an announcement if date/format changes.

Use discussion boards for general academic questions so peers benefit from shared answers; prevents duplicate e-mails.
Facilitates collective accuracy — lecturer can see all queries and ensure consistent guidance.
Private Inbox/e-mail reserved for personal or confidential matters.

All lecture recordings will be posted in the Course Resources area under the appropriate module heading.
Lecturer intends to record assignment-specific guidance as a standalone video to avoid information overload.
Links identified as problematic by students will be checked and repaired promptly.

Maintain up-to-date knowledge of prescribing legislation to ensure safe, legal, and ethical consumer care.
Recognise differential drug safety in pregnancy; consult Medsafe pregnancy categories when prescribing.
Rural practitioners must ethically manage medicine carriage — only stock what is authorised in the PHARMAC pharmaceutical schedule and monitor expiry/quantity limits.