Professional/Short course Independent and/or Supplementary Prescribing

Content

This multi-professional programme combines the learning outcomes set by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). 

These learning outcomes are appropriated to the individual learner's professions and proposed prescribing area ensuring that, on successful completion, the learners have undertaken an educational preparation which affords them the necessary skills and knowledge to practice as safe competent and autonomous prescribers. 

A more detailed view of the learning outcomes and course content is seen within the module specifications below:

• Level 6 (PDF) (Degree level)
• Level 7 (PDF) (Masters level)

Learning and Teaching

The Independent and/or Supplementary Prescribing programme offers many opportunities for all professions to learn with and from each other both in the academic and practice settings. It is also recognised that nurses, AHPs and pharmacists have different pathways to registration, and develop different skills, experiences and competencies in practice before joining the prescribing programme.

As a result, each professional group is supported to develop different skills and knowledge to meet their profession-specific needs required before legal annotation as an independent and/or supplementary prescriber. 

For nurses and AHPs, this may involve a greater focus on pharmacology principles, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, drug interactions, disease management and therapeutic decision making. 

For pharmacists, this may mean a greater emphasis on clinical examination, assessment skills, and communication and consultation skills. 

Thus, the well evaluated programme structure is borne from an understanding of the commonalities and of the uniqueness of the different professional groups whilst ensuring that all of the indicative content required by the regulatory bodies has been covered either during the online sessons or within directed learning activities.

Study time

The programme comprises of 26 days of learning. There are 14 online contact days and 12 directed learning days where learners are required to undertake set activities. 

In addition, learners undertake 90 hours of supervised learning in practice. This programme requires a 100% attendance and approximately 400 hours of private study.

View a sample course structure.

Assessment

The assessment strategy within this module complies with regulatory requirements for independent prescribing.

The individual components of the assessment are non-negotiable and are regularly updated to reflect current changes in legislation. An updated list of assessments is available within the current module handbook.

To comply with the students regulatory body, assessments are non-compensatory. In addition, if students, by their omission or incorrect answer, would cause direct harm to a patient, then they must be referred.