Newly Qualified Pharmacist training pathway with Independent Prescribing (NQP-IP)
Key Details
- Registration deadline
- 1st November 2023
- Induction dates
- 9th January 2024 or 18th January 2024
- Submission deadline
- December 2025
- Assessment
- Multimodal including: Assessment of practice, Essay, Professional portfolio, Clinical Simulation
- Credit value
- 120
- Course fees
- Please contact the course leader for more information
Overview
This course responds to the GPhC vision of pharmacist prescribers at the point of registration as well as taking a robust pedagogical approach to developing consistent prescribing practice in current pharmacist workforces.
Evolving from the successful and popular NQP pathway, NQP-IP integrates prescribing training throughout the early career training programme. This creates rounded, consistent practitioners who, in addition to the advantages conferred by the NQP training, can also operate with autonomy at prescriber level in a range of acute hospital scenarios.
This course blends research-informed theory with the practical knowledge and support of a team of highly experienced Clinical Pharmacists in a range of current practice, including experienced prescribers, to deliver challenging, relevant teaching and outcomes that are immediately applicable to practice. Graduates of this programme will be confident and broadly skilled prescribers, able to immediately enter an autonomous general prescribing role.
Learning Outcomes
In addition to individual module-level outcomes, students will achieve:
- RPS Outcomes for all Prescribers
- RPS Postregistration Foundation Framework
By the end of the programme students will be trained to undertake the following prescribing-related roles:
- Systematic medication review with prescribing and deprescribing for older people
- Complex multi-agency discharge planning
- Peri-operative optimisation
- Pre-op assessment
- Pharmacist led-discharge post-op
- Bridging
- Symptom management (pain and PONV)
- Initiation of OPAT services
- IV-PO switching of antimicrobials
- Responding to bug-drug and drug-patient mismatches
- TDM for aminoglycosides and glycopeptides
- Prescribing for swallowing difficulties
Students will also be able to undertake, with minimal supervision, the following Core Clinical Assessment skills:
- Blood pressure (manual and automated)
- Heart rate and rhythm (manual and automated)
- Temperature
- Respiratory rate
- Peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR)
- Peripheral O2 saturation
- Urinalysis
- Height, weight and BMI
- Capillary blood glucose
- Capillary refill time
- NEWS2 scoring
- Chest examination (Inspection, palpation, percussion, auscultation)
- Ear, nose and throat examination
- Mental and cognitive state examination
- Depression and anxiety screening
Teaching & Workplace Support
Students are co-taught with NQP students in the first instance to establish core knowledge and understanding, before controlled complexity is added through dedicated prescribing contact days. Some prescribing contact days are co-taught with traditional IP students.
Teaching material is hosted on the Virtual Learning Environment Blackboard, from which students will access sophisticate eLearning designed to engage and challenge.
Programme timeline
|
Month |
PG Dip |
Portfolio of Professional Practice | Independent Prescribing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Foundation Clinical Skills Compulsory clinical module 10 credits |
Foundation Clinical Skills Compulsory clinical module 10 credits |
Foundation Clinical Skills Compulsory clinical module 15 credits |
|
Foundation Consultation Skills Compulsory clinical module 10 credits |
Foundation Consultation Skills Compulsory clinical module 10 credits |
Foundation Consultation Skills Compulsory clinical module 15 credits | |
| 2 | |||
| 3 | |||
| Interim portfolio review | |||
| 4 |
Patient Safety Compulsory professional module 10 credits | ||
| 5 | |||
| 6 | |||
| 7 | |||
| 8 | |||
| 9 | |||
| Interim portfolio review | |||
| 10 |
Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobials Compulsory clinical module 10 credits |
Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobials Compulsory clinical module 10 credits |
Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobials Compulsory clinical module 20 credits |
| 11 | |||
| 12 | |||
| 13 |
Care of the Older Patient Compulsory clinical module 10 credits |
Care of the Older Patient Compulsory clinical module 10 credits |
Care of the Older Patient Compulsory clinical module 20 credits |
|
Leadership in Healthcare Compulsory professional module 10 credits |
| ||
| 14 | |||
| 15 | |||
| Interim portfolio review | |||
| 16 |
Clinical Education Compulsory professional module 10 credits | ||
| 17 | |||
| 18 | |||
| 19 |
Research Compulsory professional module 10 credits | ||
| 20 | |||
| 21 | |||
| Interim portfolio review | |||
| 22 |
Care of the Surgical Patient Compulsory clinical module 10 credits |
Care of the Surgical Patient Compulsory clinical module 10 credits |
Care of the Surgical Patient Compulsory clinical module 20 credits |
| 23 | |||
| 24 | |||
|
Total credits |
120 |
30 | 90 |
|
Awards |
PG Dip |
RPS credential | Independent Prescribing |
Workplace support
Students studying this pathway need the support of Designated Prescribing Practitioners to oversee the development of prescribing competency.
Awards & How to apply
Underpinned by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Post-Registration Foundation Pharmacist Curriculum as well as the RPS Prescribing Framework for all Prescribers, students completing this course will be eligible for a triple award that recognises academic, professional and prescribing achievement. Upon successful completion the programme will confer:
- Postgraduate Diploma in Pharmacy Practice
- RPS post-registration Foundation Credential
- Independent Prescriber annotation
How to apply
This route is only open to students employed in pre-approved workplaces. If interested in this course as a student or as a workforce development lead, please contact the Course Director to discuss the workplace requirements.