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Foundation in Effective Communication (SP1203)

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Background and Rationale

Pharmacists need to interact with a variety of people, ranging from health professionals, who have specialized knowledge and training, to the lay people who may be customers or patients. As such, pharmacists need to be able to read and write effectively and critically in order to deal with the varied and complex problems or situations which they may encounter in their professional practice. In fact, the World Health Organization has recognized that one of the eight qualities of a pharmacist should be an effective communicator.

The focus of this module is the development of relevant thinking and communication skills to facilitate the Pharmacy students' effective communication with a range of audience and purposes.

The module will add value to the education process of Pharmacy students by enhancing their ability to think and communicate more effectively, a concern which, hitherto has not been not addressed sufficiently in the present professional pharmacy curriculum.

Module Description

This module is designed for Pharmacy undergraduates with the overall aim of helping them develop a higher level of reading, speaking and writing accuracy, fluency and appropriateness in different contexts of interaction.

The module emphases include fundamentals of higher order thinking skills, synthesis and evaluation of information from various sources and concisely written communication for a range of purposes. These objectives will be achieved through a variety of pedagogical channels including seminars, lectures, group projects and content related reading and writing assignments.

Objectives

  • To develop reading, speaking and writing skills necessary for presenting information in a clear, logical and concise manner that is appropriate for a range of context and audience.
  • To understand and apply the principles of written communication.
  • To enhance the development of higher order thinking skills including analysis, synthesis and evaluation of scientific information.
  • To facilitate the development of source-based writing skills including pertinent summary and paraphrase skills relevant to both academic communication and resource materials for the general public.