Admission requirements
Description
The purpose of this line course is to introduce basic pharmacological concepts that will help you in determining individualised treatment plans. For this it is important to know what a drug does to a patient (pharmacodynamics) and what happens with a drug in the body of the patient (pharmacokinetics).
Pharmacodynamics describe binding of drugs (to receptors, enzymes, channels, etc.) in order to exert their effects, how these effects occurs, and how they can be regulated. The autonomic nervous system is used as an illustration for this concept, since many drugs affect this system.
The absorption, distribution, metabolism, clearance and excretion are the main concepts described quantitatively in pharmacokinetics. These processes are influenced by many factors like organ dysfunction and disease. In order to make these concepts intelligible and their practical application clear, calculations (e.g. adjusting doses, calculating infusion rates) will be practised.
Course objectives
1 The student understands how medicines are handled by the body (pharmacokinetics) and how they act biologically (pharmacodynamics).
2 The student can apply these principles in simple medical problems.
3 The student can make pharmacokinetic calculations regarding absorption, distribution, clearance, excretion, and drug dosing.
4 The student understands different adverse effects and are able to explain adverse effects based on enlarged pharmacological action.
5 The student knows how to find and to interpret scientific information on new drug mechanisms and summarize this information in a report.
6 The student can construct a therapeutic plan according to the 6STEP method for an individual patient with a simple medical problem in a clear, concise and organised manner
Timetable
All course and group schedules are published on MyTimeTable.
The exam dates have been determined by the Education Board and are published in MyTimeTable.
It will be announced in MyTimeTable and/or Brightspace when and how the post-exam feedback will be organized.
Mode of instruction
Various teaching methods will be used in this module: ordinary (web)lectures, self-study assignments, E-learning (Teaching Resource Centre and Pscribe).
Assessment method
You are expected to be able to receive a 100% score on the comprehensive final exam. In order to ensure success on the final, you are given multiple opportunities to practice throughout the pharmacology course. Students that perform well throughout the module and participate actively with the in-depth questions during the workgroups are able to achieve this course. It is your own responsibility to monitor your progress during the pharmacology module and therefore there are three formative tests available (required). You are encouraged to seek advice and assistance from the module coordinator, module committee, or workgroup tutors as soon as you encounter any difficulties in the module.
The distribution of course points will be as follows:
Work group assessments (2x) 15%
Final exam 85%
Additionally to the final exam you are required to turn in two assignments that are not graded on a 1-10 scale, but necessary for releasing your final grade score (i.e. sufficient/insufficient). A group assignment about a new drug mechanism, and an individual assignment in Pscribe writing a 6STEP therapeutic plan of a patient case in Theme 9. If you do not send in your group assignment or 6STEP before the deadline, you will not receive your final grade of this module. Instructions of these assignments are on Brightspace.
The exam dates can be found on the schedule website.
For debriefing date; see Brightspace.
Reading list
You can find the complete reading list for the bachelor of Medicine here.
Registration
Students are required to register for exams through uSis. The registration for a working group is done by handing in your ‘studieplan’.
Contact
Dr. Jeroen van Smeden jvsmeden@chdr.nl
Dr. M.H.M. Hessel M.H.M.Hessel@lumc.nl