Application

This unit of competency describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to package or pre-package pharmaceutical products. This includes the repackaging of medication according to the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia (SHPA) Standard of Practice in dispensing and distribution for pharmacy, national guidelines and legislation on the filling of dose administration containers.
This unit applies to hospital or health services pharmacy assistants and technicians working under the supervision of an authorised person.
The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State or Territory legislation, Australian standards and industry codes of practice.
No occupational licensing, certification or specific legislative requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

What You'll Learn

Assessment Requirements

Performance Evidence

Evidence of the ability to complete tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit in the context of the job role, and:
• follow workplace procedures in terms of safe packaging and labelling practices for at least 10 different product batches, including at least 10 pre-packaged products in original packaging or decanted for different individual patients
• reconcile labelling of product batches and complete batch documentation following workplace procedures
• identify issues outside scope of own practice and refer to an authorised person
• perform the activities outlined in the performance criteria of this unit during a period of at least 240 hours of work related to hospital or health services pharmacy support in a clinical workplace environment. These 240 hours may be applied collectively across all units of competency that include the requirement for workplace hours for the purposes of assessment.

Knowledge Evidence

Demonstrated knowledge required to complete the tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit:
• National, State or Territory legal and ethical requirements for pharmacy work, and how these are applied in organisations, including:
• codes of conduct
• duty of care and implications of negligence
• privacy, confidentiality and disclosure
• records management
• rights and responsibilities of workers, employers and patients
• specific legislation:
• medications and their use
• the practice of pharmacy
• different schedules of medications and pharmaceutical products
• work role boundaries including responsibilities and limitations
• work health and safety
• quality control
• legal requirements and principles of pharmaceutical product labelling, including, product name, batch numbering and expiry date:
• Pharmacy Board of Australia’s Guidelines on Specialised Supply Arrangements, national guidelines and legislation on the filling of dose administration containers
• specific labelling requirements
• key information for inclusion
• Pharmacy Board of Australia Guidelines for Dispensing Medicines, that apply to individual workers
• tablet counters
• heat sealing devices
• use of tweezers
• key information in standard pharmaceutical references and their use by pharmacy assistants, including:
• Australian Pharmaceutical Formulary and Handbook (APF)
• Monthly Index of Medical Specialities (MIMS) or AusDI Advanced
• Australian Medicines Handbook (AMH)
• Micromedex
• infection control principles and their relevance to pharmaceutical packaging
• features of packaging equipment including their operation, cleaning and maintenance, including:
• counting trays
• irons
• heat sealing equipment
• measures
• scales
• tweezers
• packaging principles and processes, including:
• specifications
• calculations, weights and measures
• properties of container types and selection for use
• various pack sizes and selection for use
• types of packaging materials
• environmental conditions required for pharmaceutical packaging related to:
• humidity, light
• security
• temperature
• ventilation
• hygiene
• appropriate packaging to protect and assess products if changing container for risk of degradation including removing medications from blister packs
• product identification and handling, including those for:
• formulary medication and non-formulary medication
• products with the required integrity as well as those whose integrity has been compromised
• routine handling of products and hazardous medication including cytotoxics and teratogenics requiring special handling.

Assessment Conditions

Skills must be demonstrated in the workplace with the addition of simulations and scenarios where the full range of contexts and situations have not been provided in the workplace.
Assessment must ensure access to:
• use of suitable facilities, equipment and resources, including:
• measuring equipment
• packaging equipment and materials
• pharmaceutical stock management procedures
• modelling of industry operating conditions, including time constraints for completing packaging activities
• authorised person with whom to consult.
Assessors must satisfy the Standards for Registered Training Organisations’ requirements for assessors.

Foundation Skills

• {'skill': 'Foundation Skills', 'description': 'Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.'}

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