Pharmacy - Prescribing for Pharmacists

Overview

Do you want to advance your pharmacy career by becoming a non-medical prescriber?



This programme is accredited by both the General Pharmaceutical Council and Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland to train pharmacists as non-medical prescribers.



Students undertake online and work-based training and assessment in addition to a 5-day clinical skills residential in February at our Clinical Skills Centre on-campus in Belfast.



This programme has been developed to train pharmacists in Great Britain as non-medical prescribers.



Applications from pharmacists outside the UK will be considered on a case-by-case basis and must include evidence of support by the applicant’s employer.



If you are employed as a pharmacist in Northern Ireland and wish to train as a non-medical prescriber, please visit our PG Cert in Independent Prescribing.



As well as the QUB administrative application process there is a separate application process based on the GPhC eligibility criteria and to obtain these forms they should contact pharmacydl@qub.ac.uk



Course Structure

Study part-time by distance learning



Course details

The programme is delivered via a combination of e-learning and work-based learning and includes 12 days in-practice training with a Designated Prescribing Practitioner, the purpose of which is to enable the student to develop and practice clinical examination skills relevant to the condition(s) for which they intend to prescribe.



E-learning modules are updated annually by subject experts and are delivered via the Queen's virtual learning environment.



In-practice training is documented in an e-portfolio, which, on successful completion, provides documentary evidence of meeting all of the competencies within the 'RPS Competency Framework for all Prescribers'.



Students attend a compulsory 5-day residential in Janury at Queen's, which includes workshops, clinical skills training and assessment.



Professional Accreditations

This programme is accredited by both the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland and the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).

The information below is intended as an example only, featuring module details for the current year of study (2024/25). Modules are reviewed on an annual basis and may be subject to future changes – revised details will be published through Programme Specifications ahead of each academic year.



Year 1

Core Modules

• Prescribing in Practice (0 credits)

• Clinical skills, patient monitoring and onward referral (10 credits)

• Disease Management (10 credits)

• Professionalism (10 credits)

• Influences on and psychology of prescribing and patient-centred care (10 credits)

• Evidence-based medicine and safe prescribing (10 credits)

• Consultation and communication skills (10 credits)

A primary degree in Pharmacy (minimum Bachelor degree) from an institution approved by the University.



Additionally all students must:

• Be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and/or the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and be in good standing with the GPhC and/or PSNI.

• Have relevant patient-oriented experience in a UK pharmacy setting and be able to recognise, understand and articulate the skills and attributes required by a prescriber (guidance on how to demonstrate this will be provided following application).

• Have a designated prescribing practitioner (DPP) who has agreed to supervise the learning in practice element. The DPP must be medically qualified (GP in primary care or Consultant/SAS [specialist, associate specialist or specialty doctor] in hospital)*.

• Have an identified an area of clinical or therapeutic practice on which to base their learning - please note that the DPP must have clinical expertise and experience in this area.

• Be able to attend 5-day clinical skills residential in Belfast in January 2025 (dates to be confirmed).



* Further guidance on the type of experience and DPP requirements will be provided when applying for this programme.



Note: this programme is only open to students who are resident in Great Britain.



International Students

Please see International Student's link below.

Applicants are advised to apply as early as possible and ideally no later than 31st July 2025 for courses which commence in late September.



In the event that any programme receives a high number of applications, the University reserves the right to close the application portal prior to the deadline stated on course finder.



Notifications to this effect will appear on the application portal against the programme application page.

Assignments, OSCE and practice portfolio.

1 year (part-time).

Entry Year: 2025/26

Career Prospects

Professional Opportunities

On successful completion, students can apply to the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) for an annotation to their entry in the GPhC’s Register and/or the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI) for an annotation to their entry in the PSNI’s Register.



The annotation is a public record that they can practise as an independent prescriber.