MEDIMAGE 303 Physiology and Pharmacology for Medical Imaging - Course Outlines

Course Prescription

Fundamentals of physiological processes supporting the study of biopharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics in the context of Medical Imaging.

Course Overview

This course aims to provide students with the fundamental concepts of physiology and principles of biopharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics relevant to Medical Imaging. This will provide a foundation for students to be informed of the mechanisms and use of a range of pharmaceutical agents in Medical Imaging clinical practice. Learning activities and assessments are designed to support the development of clinical competency for Medical Imaging students. All other students will gain the same knowledge with the potential to apply this in their future careers.

The course is delivered at Grafton campus and incorporates a range of learning approaches including online videos, webpages, links to the library databases and resources, and online preparatory reading and learning tasks to supplement tutorials and labs. Academic learning is expected to inform clinical practice and enhance levels of clinical competency.

This course is compulsory for the BMedImag(Hons) programme.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: BIOSCI 106, 107, CHEM 110, MEDSCI 142

Course Contacts

Course Director
Dr Sibusiso Mdletshe
Senior Lecturer
Email: sibusiso.mdletshe@auckland.ac.nz
https://unidirectory.auckland.ac.nz/profile/sibusiso-mdletshe

Course Coordinator

Dr Soo Hee Jeong
Research Fellow
Email: s.jeong@auckland.ac.nz
https://unidirectory.auckland.ac.nz/profile/s-jeong

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

Describe the basic concepts of biopharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics. (Capability 1.1)
Explain fundamental normal and abnormal physiological processes and evaluate the impact of these on clinical decision making in imaging. (Capability 2.1 and 3.1)
Evaluate common medications and pharmaceutical agents (including contrast media) used in Medical Imaging departments. (Capability 1.1 and 3.1)
Explain adverse reactions associated with contrast media and discuss appropriate patient management. (Capability 1.1 and 6.1)

Assessments

Assessment Type	Percentage	Classification
Written Assignment	20%	Individual Coursework
Poster	30%	Individual Coursework
Final Exam	50%	Individual Examination
3 types	100%

Assessment Type	Learning Outcome Addressed
	1	2	3	4
Written Assignment
Poster
Final Exam

This course is 100% internally assessed. An aggregated mark of 50% or more is required to successfully pass this course. Resubmission of failed assessments is not permitted.

Penalties for excessive word count and/or late submission (without prior written approval for an extension) will be applied in accordance with the 'Medical Imaging Assessment Requirements and Presentation Criteria' document.

The course Canvas page has more detailed information on assessment processes and requirements.

Workload Expectations

Following University workload guidelines, a standard 15-point course represents approximately 150 hours of study. This equates to approximately 12 hours per week and may be broken down as follows:

Tutorials and labs (60 hours)
Set readings and other resources provided on Canvas e.g. videos, websites (20 hours)
Assignments and self-directed learning (70 hours)

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is required at scheduled activities including labs to complete components of the course.
Tutorials will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including labs will not be available as recordings.
The course will not include live online events.
Attendance on campus is required for the exam.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Learning Resources

There are no required textbooks for this course. Students will be directed to a large selection of readings and other resources that will be able to be accessed online via Canvas and the Philson Library databases.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

The majority of students who responded to the course SET evaluation in 2020 felt that the course was intellectually stimulating and that the assessments were fun and creative. Review questions assisted students in testing their knowledge and this was helpful for learning. Narrated PowerPoints and lecture recordings were helpful when preparing for the final assessment. Students felt that the course was content heavy with limited applicability in the clinical context. For the next delivery of this course, a clearer link between the theory and clinical context will help students understand the importance of this course, and some examples will be included in the teaching sessions. More revision questions will be given to students to help test their knowledge.

Other Information

Communication

All official communication to a student will be sent to the student’s current University email address (username@aucklanduni.ac.nz) and the student is responsible for ensuring that any desired forwarding to other addresses is in place and operating correctly. Staff will not be responsible for any consequences if students fail to read and respond to University correspondence in a timely manner.

Students are encouraged to use the course ‘Discussion’ forum on Canvas as much as possible for communication with staff and other students. Email may be used for more private matters. Email communication to University staff and supervisors must be sent from the student’s University email address.

As a general rule, students are advised to log-on at least twice a week. Logging on regularly allows regular checking of 'Announcements' as well as reading and responding to messages from peers on 'Discussions'.

Digital Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.

The way to avoid plagiarism is to reference your work. Please refer to the following website for further information about academic referencing: www.cite.auckland.ac.nz/

The document ‘Guidelines: Conduct of Coursework’ provides further advice on how to avoid plagiarism. It can be found in the ‘Medical Imaging Programme Information’ on Canvas.

The penalties for plagiarism can be severe, including losing some or all of the marks for the assignment. Major offences can be sent to the University’s Discipline Committee, where further penalties can be imposed.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Fitness to practise (FTP)

As health professional students, in addition to meeting the University of Auckland graduate profile capabilities, students in the Medical Imaging postgraduate programmes are required to demonstrate their fitness to practise. This applies to students at all times, whether they are on campus, on placement or elsewhere.

Fitness to practise (FTP) is concerned primarily with patient and public safety. It also is concerned with upholding professional standards, including the relevant professional code of conduct, and contributing to the maintenance of the reputation of the profession and public confidence in the profession.

For further information visit FMHS Fitness to Practise Policy (https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/about/the-university/how-university-works/policy-and-administration/teaching-and-learning/fmhs-code-of-fitness-to-practise/fmhs-fitness-to-practise-policy.html)

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Capability 1:	Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2:	Critical Thinking
Capability 3:	Solution Seeking
Capability 6:	Social and Environmental Responsibilities

MEDIMAGE 303 : Physiology and Pharmacology for Medical Imaging

Medical and Health Sciences

2021 Semester One (1213) (15 POINTS)