Nursing - Specialist Nursing Practice with Integrated Independent & Supplementary Prescribing (V300)

Overview

The PG Dip Specialist Nursing Practice with Integrated Independent and Supplementary Prescribing (V300) is aligned to the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s Standards for prescribing programmes standards (NMC 2023b) and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Competency Framework for all Prescribers (2021). The course will have two strands:

• Community Specialist Practice Qualification (strand 1)

• Specialist Nurse (non-community) (strand 2).



This programme aims to provide students with the knowledge, critical understanding, skills, values and resilience to manage clinical complexity and risk, be autonomous practitioners and work across organisational boundaries. The programme embodies a person-centred approach to meet and lead the care needs of individuals, families and communities with a range of needs and from varying backgrounds and ethnicities. The integration of Independent and Supplementary prescribing into these community nursing specialist practice/ specialist nursing courses is forward thinking as it enables this group of healthcare professionals not only to prescribe, but also assess and use a wide variety of higher-level skills and reflects the effectiveness of this role in the context of a growing demand for specialist nurses and independent and supplementary prescribers in response to changes in workforce and people who use service representative demographics.



Work placement / study abroad

All students must complete 90 days Practice Learning in an approved setting. Dedicated blocks of practice learning will be incorporated into each Academic Year. Students must have direct interaction with patients and families during this period. Supervision and Assessment by Practice Assessors will occur during Practice Learning. A Practice Assessment Document (PAD) is required to evidence achievement of professional outcomes, specialist practice and prescribing competencies.

Full-Time Programme

Year One

Providing and Evaluating Evidence-Based Specialist Community Nursing Strand 1

Community Specialist Nursing Leadership and Management Strand 1

Person-Centred Prescribing Strand 1 and 2

The Assessment and Planning of Person Centred Care Strand 1 and 2

Critical Appraisal and Application of Research Evidence to Improve Community Health Strand 1

Practice learning for Specialist Nurses Strand 1 and 2

Critical Appraisal and Application of Research Evidence to Improve Health Strand 2

Providing and Evaluating Evidence-based Specialist Nursing Practice Strand 2

Specialist Nursing Leadership and Management Strand 2



Part-Time Programme

Year One

Providing and Evaluating Evidence-Based Specialist Community Nursing Strand 1

Person-Centred Prescribing Strand 1 and 2

The Assessment and Planning of Person Centred Care Strand 1 and 2

Providing and Evaluating Evidence-based Specialist Nursing Practice Strand 2



Year Two

Community Specialist Nursing Leadership and Management Strand 1

Critical Appraisal and Application of Research Evidence to Improve Community Health Strand 1

Practice learning for Specialist Nurses Strand 1 and 2

Critical Appraisal and Application of Research Evidence to Improve Health Strand 2

Specialist Nursing Leadership and Management Strand 2

APPLICANTS TO POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA IN SPECIALIST NURSING PRACTICE WITH INTEGRATED INDEPENDENT AND SUPPLEMENTARY PRESCRIBING (V300) MUST PROVIDE EVIDENCE OF THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA:



- Registered nurse (level 1) on the live NMC Register

- BSc Hons/ BSc degree or successful completion of academic study at level 6

- Registered with the NMC for a minimum of one year prior to application for entry on to the programme

- In the application form the applicant must confirm that they are;

- of Good Health and Character

- not undergoing any live formal professional, criminal or internal investigation, disciplinary hearings or serving a live disciplinary warning or formal underperformance procedure (as at date of application)



- Have a current Access NI Enhanced Disclosure Certificate with a date of issue within the previous 2 years prior to commencing this course (as it must extend to the end of the course covering a 3-year period in total). You will not be permitted to commence your course at the University unless this is received. To apply for an Access NI Enhanced Disclosure log in to www.nidirect.gov.uk/accessni-applications with the details provided by your HSC Trust.



- Applicants to this programme are required to provide TWO references



Your employer must confirm they will allow attendance and completion of all elements of the programme, the necessary period of supervised prescribing following qualification as a prescriber and continuing professional development.



If you do not have a degree or other evidence of completion of level 6 study you can complete a level 6 module or portfolio to evidence achievement of level 6 study before applying to the course.​



English Language Requirements

​English language requirements for international applicants

The minimum requirement for this course is Academic IELTS 7.0 with no element below 7.0.



Ulster recognises a number of other English language tests and comparable IELTS equivalent scores.

1 year full-time, 2 years part-time.



Attendance

All students are expected to adhere to the timetable provided at Induction. Students will attend all classes associated with the programme and be punctual and regular in attendance. Attendance will be monitored both at the University and in the Practice Learning setting and Employers are informed of all absences.

Start Date: September 2025.

Career options

Specialist nurse students from Ulster University are all predominantly already in employment within the NHS and Social Services, independent GP practices, and other employment such as the voluntary sector (hospice) and prisons. The approach to employability in this programme is explicit insofar as the entitlement to use the qualification is directly linked to career progression.



The qualification enables students to develop their practice in a stimulating and fulfilling manner, working in an expanded way to provide a more holistic care experience to benefit both the service and the person. It allows the nurse to advance within an existing role or be eligible to apply for new roles that would not otherwise be possible. In recent years students have used the specialist nurse and NMP qualification as a platform to progress their academic studies to BSc or MSc award. Entitlement to practice as a specialist with the V300 qualification makes the student an attractive prospect for any health service provider and employer.