UWA PLUS
Pharmacology for Optometry
In this micro-credential you will gain foundational knowledge in pharmacology which is equivalent to an undergraduate unit in pharmacology.
Topics in this micro-credential, which are delivered in modules, include:
- Drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion; toxicology and structure–activity relationships
- Receptor classification, dose–response relationships and intracellular signalling
- Chemotherapy
- Clinical aspects of drug effects
This is a fully-online micro-credential in pharmacology that is designed for applicants to meet the entry requirements to the UWA Doctor of Optometry course.
Upon successful completion, you'll receive:
- Six PD Points
- A Certificate of Achievement
- A UWA Plus Professional Development Transcript, listing all successfully completed micro-credentials
- Delivery mode
- Online
- Course date
- June 20 - July 24 2022
- Duration
- 4 -6 weeks
- Effort
- 150 hours
- Academic Leads
- Dr Wilfred Tang and Dr Alex Park
- Cost
- $1,100 inc. GST
- Critical information summary
- OPTMM420 – Critical information summary [PDF, 244KB]
What you'll learn
Describe the actions of drugs at the molecular, cellular and tissue levels, discriminating between the actions of agonists and antagonists
Identify the fundamental processes that regulate the fate of drugs in the body and explain how these influence the magnitude and duration of the effects of a given drug dose in humans
Explain the problem of unwanted drug effects, being able to identify a select number of classic drug-induced toxic syndromes and explain the main features of the mechanisms underlying them
Identify the main stages in the process whereby molecules turn into medicines, explaining how candidate drugs are identified and carried forward for testing in humans
Why study this course?
This highly specialised micro-credential (along with the companion micro-credential OPTMM421 Microbiology for Optometry) is specifically designed for applicants to meet the requirements for entry into the UWA Doctor of Optometry course.
In this micro-credential you will gain an introduction to the principles of pharmacology, the branch of science that studies the effects of drugs on the human body.
Recommended prior knowledge
This micro-credential is applicable only to students who have met the appropriate pre-requisites (e.g. passes in Western Australia ATAR Maths and Chemistry subjects, or equivalent).
It is an advantage for students who have undertaken undergraduate units that include molecular biology of the cell, cellular biochemistry, human anatomy and physiology.
How does it work?
This is a fully online micro-credential containing lectures, seminars and multiple choice assessment formats. There are no practical components in this micro-credential.
What's next after this course?
- Future study
- Students who successfully complete this micro-credential are able to apply to the Doctor of Optometry course.