ObjectivesThe focus of the programme is to enable pharmacists to develop professionally and gain an additional clinical qualification; the specialist and learning skills that are acquired are highly sought after in many different sectors of practice.
Entry requirementsAny Pharmacist who is registered with the RPSGB and practising in the UK is eligible; colleagues in Southern Ireland should discuss whether or not the course will meet their needs with the programme leader. Academic entry criteria: All applicants will have a degree in pharmacy, such as BSc (Pharm), B Pharm or M Pharm and be a practising member of the appropriate professional body, e.g. M.R.Pharm. S. or MPSNI. As the programme is delivered by distance learning, it is particularly suitable for those who find it difficult to attend classes during the working week, or for whom travelling takes a great deal of time because they live in an isolated location.
Academic titlePGDip / PGCert Clinical Pharmacy
Course descriptionProgramme
The course philosophy is to provide a variety of learning activities which will enable individuals to meet their Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements and to continually improve the quality of the clinical care delivered to patients. In order to keep up with changes within the profession and health care, the content of the four modules that comprise each course is constantly updated. Further innovative changes are also being made to the structure of the courses in order to accommodate the needs of pharmacists for smaller learning activities that either be used as flexible 'stand alone' CPD activities or be built into a postgraduate qualification. Current plans are for the content to be organised into three themes: clinical foundations, professional/ clinical skills development and professional focus/service development. It is also envisaged that pharmacists who have credits gained through completion of supplementary and independent prescribing modules will be able to use those credits towards their PgDip.
The awards in Clinical Pharmacy offered by DMU are therefore designed to offer a flexible approach to postgraduate learning to encompass the needs of both the increasing number of 'portfolio' pharmacists who work across traditional boundaries and those who wish to apply their clinical knowledge in a specialist area of practice. The individual approach ensures that students are able to organise their studies around their work and personal commitments, which also encourages the development of individual learning and self management skills which are highly valued by employers.
Teaching/assessment
In order to reflect the nature of professional practice, the integrated teaching and assessment activities are set as problem solving exercises. There are no formal examinations; instead a variety of practice based coursework assignments are set at he end of each module, at approximately three monthly intervals.