Non-Medical Prescribing

We aim to ensure that the course delivers outcomes which meet the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Competency Framework for all Prescribers (2021) adopted by the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC), Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) and General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).

Non-Medical Prescribing

We aim to ensure that the course delivers outcomes which meet the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Competency Framework for all Prescribers (2021) adopted by the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC), Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) and General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).

Pharmacy - MPharm (Hons)

The aim of the MPharm course at Ulster is to educate pharmacy students to a high standard in an environment of modern clinical relevance, thereby facilitating their immediate integration into a forward thinking, healthcare-based profession that practises clinical excellence and understands fully the pharmaceutical principles underpinning therapeutic application of drug substances. The MPharm programme is designed to provide academically challenging and vocationally relevant pharmacy education and training underpinned by appropriate science elements (pharmaceutical sciences) and appropriate professional practice skills (pharmacy practice and patient care).

The MPharm programme offers a modern, innovative, and integrated Masters degree level education in Pharmacy that meets the standards of the University and the requirements of the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI). The MPharm programme will provide students with the knowledge, understanding, skills and appropriate training required for them to be responsible for the manufacture, safe, legal and professional control, distribution and use of medicinal products. This programme also incorporates detailed studies of all aspects of drug action, design, formulation and use.

MPharm (Hons) Pharmacy

The MPharm course at Wolverhampton aims to produce pharmacy graduates who are highly equipped to meet the needs of the profession, future employers and, most importantly, patients.

Each year of the spiralled curriculum corresponds to a carefully constructed stage of your development:

At Stage 1 scientific and professional knowledge and skills are developed using four strands which integrate related disciplines or tasks. Molecules, Cells and Systems introduce the biochemical building blocks of life, the structure and function of eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells and human anatomy and physiology. Processes associated with these cells and systems are compared and contrasted in both health and disease. Introduction to Drugs and Medicines covers the basic principles of drug discovery and development and provides you with an understanding of organic and physical chemistry, and the pharmacological principles pertinent to medicinally important molecules.

Pharmacists, Patients and Medicines explores how pharmacists use their expert knowledge of medicines, health and disease for the benefit of patients and the population through exploration of pharmacists’ roles and how medicines are distributed and handled in patient-facing settings. Concurrently the Informed Pharmacy Learner strand aims to introduce and develop university-level skills, techniques and attributes including, laboratory, communication, learning and study skills.

In Stage 2 three strands are incorporated. Medicines in Development and Use explores how drugs are developed into medicines and how they act and interact within specific body systems. The strand provides a comprehensive overview of the current usage of drugs and the prediction of drug actions and effects. The principles of medicines design, delivery, packaging, handling, analysis and characterisation are covered in the context of the body systems in which they are used.

Clinical and Professional Skills for Pharmacists introduces the skills required to apply to knowledge of medicines and to optimise their use in patients. The strand focuses on safe systems of working, professional responsibility and accountability, and ethical practice. It also develops your skills in consultation techniques, case analysis and prescription analysis, and introduces the strategies used to rationalise and optimise medicine use and patient care. The Applied Pharmacy Learner strand further develops your skills in reflective learning, information retrieval, academic writing, and team working.

Stage 3 incorporates two strands. Therapeutic Management of Patients revisits the range of conditions in the major body systems covered in stage 2 but with a focus on their diagnosis and therapeutic management. You will consider rational drug choice based upon clinical evidence and patent factors and characteristics; and also health promotion.

Concurrently you will apply knowledge of advanced drug development processes from discovery through to the patient. This includes complex drug delivery technologies; the development and use of biological treatments; and pharmacogenetics, pharmacogenomics and personalised medicine. In the Established Pharmacy Learner strand study skills are further enhanced by considering more advanced communication and consultation techniques, research methodologies pertinent to pharmacy; and by undertaking effective team-working in an interprofessional setting.

Stage 4 incorporates three strands. Frontiers in Pharmacy focuses on pharmaceutical research and development. It considers public and population health, health policy and the roles of medicines and pharmacists in meeting these agendas. Research and critical analysis skills are applied to a research project in an area of personal interest and also to an extended piece of work focussing on developing initiatives in pharmacy.

Effective Patient Management introduces you to increasingly complex scenarios, cases and prescriptions that require higher level pharmaceutical input. These will involve patients with altered drug handling states, patients with multiple co-existing disease states, and patients with additional counselling or drug administration requirements.

The Accomplished Pharmacy Learner considers more challenging consultation scenarios and calculations and will develop coaching, teaching, management and leadership skills. At the conclusion of the programme, you will demonstrate that you are an accomplished reflective practitioner with the necessary skills, knowledge and attributes to meet the GPhC’s standards for pharmacy graduates and that you are ready to enter their pre-registration year.

Pharmacy (MPharm)

Our highly-regarded Pharmacy course begins with a broad overview of the fundamental pharmaceutical and biological sciences. You will develop more specialised knowledge and skills in medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutics, therapeutics, clinical management and patient-focused clinical skills.

The course lasts four years and you will graduate as a Master of Pharmacy. The MPharm is the only undergraduate qualification in the UK which leads to professional registration as a pharmacist which is a key worker profession.

Practice Certificate in Independent Prescribing for Pharmacists

Attain the ability to prescribe autonomously for any condition within your clinical competence and help provide your patients with improved access to care and medicines. Experience new professional opportunities and improve your job satisfaction.

Successful students of the course are awarded a Practice Certificate in Independent Prescribing. This General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)-accredited qualification is required for your annotation as an independent prescriber and is the first step on a truly career-changing pathway.

The course usually takes 12 months to complete, although it can be completed in less time. You will attend nine mandatory study days, including assessments, where you'll study therapeutic topics, clinical skills, patient assessment, and much more. We will give you the opportunity to develop your awareness, knowledge, and skills for the clinical assessment and physical examination of patients including the main anatomic/therapeutic areas: respiratory, cardiovascular, gastro-intestinal, musculoskeletal, and nervous systems.

You will have the opportunity to study to achieve the learning outcomes stipulated in the GPhC’s Educational Standards with emphasis on clinical decision-making, patient safety, and the professional and ethical aspects of prescribing practice.

Once qualified, and with your registration appropriately annotated, you'll be able to take on new challenges and opportunities unavailable to non-prescribers. The course is transformative for your professional development and clinical utility and ultimately enhances your career choices and job satisfaction.

Pharmacy, MPharm (Hons)

Modern Healthcare is delivered by an interdisciplinary team and increasingly Pharmacists are delivering enhanced and new clinical services across healthcare settings. Our Pharmacy Degree recognises these new and advanced roles and integrates sciences and practice to prepare students to meet the challenges of the changing face of Pharmacy.

During your four-year integrated Master’s Degree (MPharm) in Pharmacy, you will follow a curriculum designed to reflect the way Pharmacists approach patients and how patients present to Pharmacists. We combine fundamental and complex scientific principles with how it is applied to give you a clear understanding of the practice of Pharmacy.

Together with a strong focus on clinical and communication skills and digital technology, you will develop the academic, practical, and personal qualities to practice pharmacy competently and with confidence.

Pharmacy MPharm

The Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) is accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). An MPharm from an accredited UK school of pharmacy is the first step towards a career as a pharmacist. To qualify as a registered pharmacist in Britain you will need to undertake a year of foundation training after graduation and then pass the qualifying examinations of the GPhC.

The UCL School of Pharmacy has a long tradition of academic and research excellence and is internationally recognised as being one of the leading pharmacy schools worldwide. It is ranked fourth in the world for Pharmacy and Pharmacology (QS World University Rankings 2023).

The programme includes contact with patients from the start, in the form of pharmacy visits and patient interviews. Experiential learning placements are undertaken in community pharmacies, teaching hospitals and GP practices. Interprofessional learning is undertaken with other healthcare degree students. Students make regular visits to GreenLight Pharmacy, where workshops are taught by community pharmacists and students can interact with patients.

You may have the opportunity to take your Year 4 research project as part of our Study Abroad programme at one of our international partner institutions.

NON-MEDICAL PRESCRIBING (LEVEL 7, 30 CREDITS)

This course will enable you to evaluate and challenge prescribing practice with reference to evidence based practice, equality and diversity and clinical governance.

This module is accredited by the NMC, HCPC (Physiotherapists, Podiatrists, Advanced Paramedics and Therapeutic Radiographers) and upon successful completion, you will be able to add an annotation to your professional registration as an independent prescriber. For Dietitians and Diagnostic Radiographers you will be able upon successful completion to add the annotation as a supplementary prescriber.

Independent Prescribing Programme

The course content and learning outcomes are guided by the pharmacy regulator, the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). The course is appropriately taught and assessed through a blend of learning styles including eight face-to-face sessions and one remote instructional delivery session, practice-based activities and a large element of distance learning. Our face-to-face sessions are delivered by practitioners who are experts in their field as well as academic staff who will deliver specialist training.

All study days must be attended and confirmation that you are able to attend is required prior to course starting. You will be required to undertake the equivalent of 26 days learning in addition to a minimum of 90 hours patient contact overseen by your designated prescribing practitioner in practice.

The course will broadly cover the following main themes:

  • Consultation, decision making, assessment and review
  • Influences on and psychology of prescribing
  • Prescribing in a team context
  • Applying knowledge of therapeutics into a prescribing context
  • Evidence based practice and clinical governance
  • Legal, policy, professional and ethical aspects of prescribing
  • Prescribing in the public health context
  • Clinical examinations to aid in diagnosing and prescribing

The course is at master’s level 7 and you will be assessed by compiling a portfolio of evidence and an OSCE to test your clinical skill competencies. Passing of all required assessments will enable you to apply for annotation as a prescriber with the GPhC.