credpg Independent Prescribing For Pharmacists (Credit Only Harlow) (Part Time)

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credpg INDEPENDENT PRESCRIBING FOR PHARMACISTS (CREDIT ONLY UEA) (Part Time)

Key Details

Attendance: Part Time
Award: Postgraduate Credit (non-award bearing)
Course Length: 1 year
Course Start Date: March 2025

Other Start Dates

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Course Overview

This course enables you to demonstrate that you have met the required outcomes of a pharmacist independent prescriber, as set by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). You will achieve this by attending our online and in-person study days, completing eLearning, and undertaking workplace activities mutually agreed with the course team and your designated prescribing practitioner (DPP).

Places on this course are limited to a maximum of 40 students per cohort (20 students per location).

This course may become full before the application deadline. Applicants will then be offered an alternative study location or be offered a place on the next available course. Please contact the admissions team on pgt.admissions@uea.ac.uk if you have admissions queries, or the course team on pha.prescribing@uea.ac.uk if you have any course related questions.

About

Tailored to the requirements of clinically experienced pharmacists, our Independent Prescribing course will help you to become a competent prescriber.

Our multidisciplinary teaching team is comprised of practising clinical and prescribing pharmacists and advanced clinical practitioners. The six-month, part-time course includes 90 hours in clinical practice under the supervision of a designated prescribing practitioner (DPP). You’ll also benefit from 8 study days with associated pre-study day activities, which you can adapt to your own needs. Working with a DPP, you’ll get to grips with the required skills in examination and diagnostics for you to perform in a prescribing role, and to pursue competency in these areas. The course also covers advanced consultation skills, clinical decision-making, law and ethics, and public health.

Students are provided with a wide range of supportive materials to enable learning. Students can expect a comprehensive course handbook, an online discussion board and a regularly updated FAQs page to capture all queries around any elements of the course from current students. Drop-in sessions are also planned on a regular basis to support any students who need more personalised support with their progress on the course

Accreditations

This course is accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) in order to progress to pharmacist pre-registration training and then to register as a pharmacist.

Study and Modules

Structure

This is a six-month, part-time course, with two intakes per year: one in March & October. Each intake group completes the same core module in its six-month study period, worth a total of 40 credits.

Working with a designated prescribing practitioner (DPP) you will identify the key skills in examination and diagnostics required for you to perform in a prescribing role, and to pursue competency in these areas.

A mixture of online and face-to-face taught sessions in the module will cover advanced consultation skills, clinical decision-making, physical examination and assessment skills, law and ethics, and public health. This means that we can accommodate a diverse range of clinical specialities.

You will benefit from multiple teaching methods to aid your learning, including 90 hours in clinical practice under the supervision of your DPP and 8 compulsory study days, spread throughout the course. There are a further 2 compulsory study days at the end of the course where your assessment takes place.

The study days consist of interactive sessions with small groups hosted by an expert-facilitator. Whilst the majority of these are online, there are two face-to-face study days which support you with physical assessment and examination skills.

Prior to each study day, you’ll need to complete some preparatory work which will provide you with the required knowledge and direct work-based skill development activities to support the learning outcomes for the study day in question. The study day facilitator may also set you a brief readiness test before you attend, so that they’re able to tailor their interactions with you on the day to, and you get the most out of it.

Compulsory Modules

Important Information

Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.

Teaching and Learning

Our multidisciplinary teaching team includes practising clinical and prescribing pharmacists and advanced clinical practitioners.

The course features 90 hours in clinical practice under the supervision of your designated prescribing practitioner (DPP) and 8 small group study days with associated pre-study day activities, all of which are compulsory. There are a further two assessment days at the end of the course.

Pharmacists are encouraged to share their experiences during the study days and support one another with their training and personal development. Study days are interactive and encourage peer discussions, as well as some smaller scale group work.

You will need to complete a study pack prior to attending each study day. This will allow the study day facilitator to assess your existing knowledge and tailor your learning on the day

Assessment

You will be assessed primarily via a portfolio, as well as completing a simulated patient consultation and a case-based discussion (a conversation with assessors around a case you have encountered during your 90 hours of practice-based learning

To complete the course successfully you will also need to demonstrate:

Attendance of all study days
Completion of eLearning
Completion of practice activities and assignments within the workplace
Personal development planning and related evidence collection
Confirmation of your competency in your prescribing area by your DPP.

Entry Requirements

This course is open to

UK fee-paying students. The entry points are in March and October each year.

Typical UK Entry Requirements

Degree classification

Bachelors degree - Any

Degree Subject

Pharmacy (MPharm or equivalent)

Additional Entry Requirements

Applicants must provide evidence of registration with either the GPhC or the PSNI
You must have a named designated prescribing practitioner (DPP) willing to supervise your training
You must have arranged a suitable clinical training base in which to undertake the 90 hours of supervised practice under the guidance of your DPP
You must have identified a scope of practice in which to train that is achievable within the duration of the course, aligned to the practice of your DPP and takes into account your current level of knowledge and skill and the subsequent learning needed to achieve independent prescriber status
Prescribers eligible to be a DPP must:
- Be an experienced prescriber in current, regular prescribing practice in a patient facing role, normally with a minimum of 3 years prescribing experience, with appropriate knowledge and experience relevant to the trainee’s proposed scope of practice.
- Have up-to-date and active patient facing, clinical and diagnostic skills relevant to the scope of practice in which the pharmacist intends to train to prescribe
- Have experience or training in teaching and /or supervision in practice
- The support of their employer (if relevant) to undertake the role of a DPP
- Meet the requirements of the DPP role in terms of responsibilities as outlined in A Competency Framework for Designated Prescribing Practitioners (RPS, 2019) DPP competency framework Dec 2019.pdf (rpharms.com) and Standards for the Education and Training of Pharmacist Independent Prescribers (GPhC, 2022). Standards for the education and training of pharmacist independent prescribers (pharmacyregulation.org)

The university is required by the GPhC to ensure that DPP arrangements are robust. Where there is concern, the course team may contact the DPP and/or their employer to clarify arrangements.

Admissions Policy

Our Admissions Policy applies to the admissions of all postgraduate applicants.

Admissions Policy: Our Admissions Policy applies to the admissions of all postgraduate applicants.

Fees and Funding

Tuition fees for the academic year 2024/25 are £2,322.

We estimate living expenses at £1,023 per month.

Further Information on tuition fees can be found here.

Course Related Costs

Please see Additional Course Fees for details of course-related costs.

How to Apply

How to apply

Applications for Postgraduate Taught programmes at the University of East Anglia should be made directly to the University.

To apply please use our online application form.

The majority of study will be delivered online, with some face-to-face teaching to be delivered at either Norwich or Harlow or nearby venues. Please see the March 2025-September 2025 Timetable.

Please be aware that the timetable is intended as a guide for contact days and module content. There may be slight adjustments to the actual timetable for the course. Successful applicants will receive an up-to-date timetable from the course team before commencing the course.

Places on this course are limited to a maximum of 40 students per cohort (20 students per location) so early applications are encouraged.

Applications will close 4 weeks before the start of each course. However, please note that your application is only accepted once you have been made an offer on the course. Offers will be made to the first 40 complete applications which have been reviewed and accepted by the Course Director. All other applications will automatically be updated to the next cohort. DPPs and Employers are emailed asking them to submit their Statement of Compliance and Employer's reference once you submit your application. Please ensure that you arrange with your DPP and Employer to submit these documents as Admissions cannot obtain this information on your behalf, and your application will not be progressed until they have been received.

Please contact the course team on pha.prescribing@uea.ac.uk if you have any questions regarding the Independent prescribing course or have not submitted your application before the deadline.

Further information

If you would like to discuss your individual circumstances prior to applying, please do contact us:

Postgraduate Admissions Office

Tel: +44 (0)1603 591515
Email: admissions@uea.ac.uk

International candidates are also encouraged to access the International Students section of our website.

Employability

After the Course

On successful completion of the course you’ll be eligible for the annotation of ‘Independent Prescriber’ on the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) Register of Pharmacists.

Previous pharmacists completing the course have gone on to become independent prescribers in various clinical settings including, tertiary and secondary care, GP practice based and community pharmacy. Other students have continued to progress their professional development after this course by completing further education in advanced professional or clinical practice.

Careers

Independent prescribing in various clinical settings including, tertiary and secondary care, GP practice based and community pharmacy.