Postgraduate PCert
Independent / Supplementary Prescribing
Join our successful prescribing programme and qualify as a non-medical prescriber.
Apply now for February 2025!
Join our successful prescribing programme and qualify as a non-medical prescriber.
Apply now for February 2025!
This is a well-established and successful independent/supplementary prescribing programme for pharmacists, nurses, midwives, physiotherapists, paramedics, podiatrists, radiographers and dietitians.
It is a part-time, 8 month blended learning programme which leads to you qualifying as an independent prescriber (pharmacists, nurses, midwives, physiotherapists, podiatrists, paramedics and therapeutic radiographers) or as a supplementary prescriber (diagnostic radiographers and dietitians). You develop the knowledge and skills to practise as prescribers and to meet the standards set by your respective professional/regulatory body. Also available at Level 6 for nurses/midwives only.
If you are a pharmacist, nurse, midwife, physiotherapist, paramedic, podiatrist, radiographer or dietitian looking to become a prescriber this is the programme you are looking for.
We also run a 40-credit module as part of the University of Greenwich MSc Advanced Clinical Practice. If you are part of this Greenwich programme and have selected the Prescribing module then you do need to complete our Prescribing Application form.
All application forms are to be emailed to MSOPPGTAdmin@greenwich.ac.uk
Please do not post any application forms.
You can find upcoming cohort dates under Course Structure.
All dates and deliveries are subject to change.
The Prescribing Programme is delivered by distance learning with a total of nine in person study days at the University, plus 12 days clinical practice, overseen by a DPP/PS/PE.
This course is accredited by GPhC, NMC, HCPC.
Medway School of Pharmacy is one of the few regional schools of pharmacy in the UK, a collaboration between the University of Kent and the University of Greenwich.
The impetus for the formation of the Medway School of Pharmacy came from the local community, who recognised the shortage of qualified pharmacists in all branches of the pharmacy profession in Kent.
The School is recognised as an established school with accreditation from the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Graduates are employed in health disciplines in Kent and the south-east and more broadly across the UK.
It would be helpful (but not essential) for applicants to submit their Qualification certificates with their applications.
Please note students need to be in active clinical practice to be on this programme of study. The longest period of time a student can be out of clinical practice while on the programme is 2 consecutive weeks. This means that if you are on maternity leave, secondment or sabbatical, you are not currently eligible to undertake the programme of study. Please apply when you return to work.
While we welcome applications with a focus on aesthetics, we recommend a broader scope than botulinum.
We have created a Prescribing Application FAQ page to help with any queries you may about about your application. Click here to go to that page
All applicants are considered on an individual basis and additional qualifications, professional qualifications and relevant experience may also be taken into account when considering applications.
Please see our International Student website for entry requirements by country and other relevant information. Due to visa restrictions, students who require a student visa to study cannot study part-time unless undertaking a distance or blended-learning programme with no on-campus provision.
This course requires a Good level of English language, equivalent to B2 on CEFR.
Details on how to meet this requirement can be found on our English Language requirements webpage.
Examples:
IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component
PTE Academic 63 with a minimum of 59 in each sub-test
A degree from a UK university
A degree from a Majority English Speaking Country
Please note that if you are required to meet an English language condition, we offer a number of pre-sessional courses in English for Academic Purposes through Kent International Pathways.
The programme consists of four compulsory modules at either level 7 or level 6.
OR
AND
Duration: 8 months
Take the Independent / Supplementary Prescribing programme as a standalone qualification; OR continue on to Medicines Optimisation. The prescribing programme can be used as either the first or second year of the Medicines Optimisation qualification. You will need to apply for the Prescribing Programme separately to the Medicines Optimisation Programme. Acceptance onto one programme does not guarantee acceptance onto the other.
On successful completion, the School notifies the appropriate professional / regulatory body that you have qualified as an independent / supplementary prescriber.
The dates for the cohorts that are coming up are as follows:
Assessment days:
13th - 24th October 2025 (students will be allocated one of these days once they commence on the programme).
Application deadline 22nd November 2024
Assessment days:
03rd - 14th November 2025 (students will be allocated one of these days once they commence on the programme).
Application deadline 17th January 2025
Assessment days:
01st - 12th December 2025 (students will be allocated one of these days once they commence on the programme).
Application deadline 21st February 2025
You need to be available to attend all of the study days. All Study days are delivered in person at our Medway Campus.
You will be allocated a PAPP date on one of the listed assessment days. You may need to attend the Medway Campus for the PAPP assessment in person.
Please ensure you are available for all the study and assessment days before applying.
These dates are subject to change.
Each module and its assessments are applied to your scope of practice. All of the assessments are different in focus and require different things from you. You are given feedback on your work before your next assignment is due to be submitted.
Clinical Review as a recorded narrative with supporting documentation directly relating to scope of practice
Exam: includes sections on Numeracy, Using the BNF and Pharmacology pre-seen long answer questions to demonstrate the required knowledge, understanding and skills.
Practical Assessment of Prescribing Practice (PAPP): a
high-fidelity clinical situation tailored to your individual scope of practice.
VIVA for applied evidence based medicine analysis , focused questioning on the application of the evidence base to a given patient case, this is linked with the PAPP
Structured portfolio evidencing how you have met the prescribing competencies, learning outcomes and professional requirements for your regulatory body (NMC, HCPC, GPhC)This includes evidence of Portfolio Progress Reviews (one formative review- 2 summative)
Reflective Diary, containing three structured reflective entries supported by an appendix of personal reflection diary entries which document progress during period of learning in practice and provide evidence against the professional and regulatory body requirements linked to the period of learning in practice
The type of assessments are the same for each version of the modules (level 6 or level 7).
For course aims and learning outcomes please see the course specification.
Postgraduate students have access to all the facilities at the Medway School of Pharmacy, including clinical skills labs and a ‘simulation man’. As the School of Pharmacy is a joint venture between the two universities, students have access to facilities at Kent’s Medway and Canterbury campuses, and the University of Greenwich.
While on a distance learning programme you need to be able to organise your time carefully and negotiate with your workplace on how this programme will work for you and your employer. We will provide you with a comprehensive list of dates for submission to help you plan your placement time and to help you negotiate study leave so you can complete your assignments and portfolio.
You will already possess most, if not all, of the required skills such as navigating around a webpage or attaching a file and uploading this to a website or email. The academic skills required will depend on your level of study and how recently you last studied. The universities have good resources that you can access to help you rediscover or reinvigorate these skills as needed.
Getting to grips with the virtual learning environment (Moodle) early will be really useful to you. This is where the course is delivered. You will be able to get feedback at regular intervals to help you with your assignments, access practice quizzes and examples of the assessments, revisit lecture material when it suits you and download Course Study Guides & Workbooks for each of the four modules within the programme.
Please have a look at the following guides, outlining support you will need from your workplace:
Students will need access to the BNF App for the duration of the programme and throughout their career as a prescriber upon completion of the programme.
All students registered for a taught Master's programme are eligible to apply for a place on our Global Skills Award Programme. The programme is designed to broaden your understanding of global issues and current affairs as well as to develop personal skills which will enhance your employability.
This group has laboratories with dedicated state-ofthe art drug delivery, nanotechnology, spectroscopy, chromatography and organic synthesis facilities. It brings together researchers in medicinal chemistry and drug design, nanotechnology and materials science, drug delivery and pharmaceutics encouraging a multidisciplinary approach to research. Research covers synthesis and biological evaluation of potential anti-cancer agents, structurebased drug design, QSAR predication of ADMET properties, controlled release, particle engineering, powder technology, pharmaceutical technology, and novel drug delivery systems, with a focus on respiratory drug delivery.
This group is housed in recently refurbished laboratories with dedicated state-of-the-art molecular biological, electrophysiological, tissue culture and microscopy facilities. The research is divided into four main themes; infectious diseases and allergy; neuroscience; renal and cardiovascular physiology; and pharmacology. Examples of current work include: investigation of the use of non-pathogenic virus ‘pseudotypes’ to study pathogenic RNA, study of the properties of neuronal potassium channels and their modulation and the development of new therapies for patients that have developed acute kidney injury in collaboration with a major pharmaceutical company.
This group conducts research in two areas: public health and medicines optimisation, with a particular focus on cardiovascular diseases and mental health. Work in public health includes studies in physical exercise, alcohol, cardiovascular screening and spirometry testing, plus pharmacovigilance. Studies in medicines optimisation include work in dementia, bipolar disorder and stroke, with an emphasis on the patient perspective.
There is a high and rising demand for a range of healthcare professionals to qualify as non-medical prescribers. There are career opportunities for both non-medical prescribing nurse practitioners and pharmacists in GP surgeries or other primary care settings and enhanced options for radiographers, physiotherapists, podiatrists and dietitians with the prescribing qualification.
Accreditation with the GPhC, HCPC or the NMC as a non-medical prescriber
The annual tuition fees for students starting this course in January 2025 can be found on the Student Finance page.
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
Tuition fees may be increased in the second and subsequent years of your course. Detailed information on possible future increases in tuition fees is contained in the Tuition Fees Increase Policy. If you are uncertain about your fee status please contact information@kent.ac.uk.
See the Medway School of Pharmacy website for Postgraduate Fees
For more fee information, please email MSOPPGTAdmin@greenwich.ac.uk
Search our scholarships finder for possible funding opportunities. You may find it helpful to look at both:
We have a range of subject-specific awards and scholarships for academic, sporting and musical achievement.
Next steps
To apply please use the forms below:
Allied Health Professionals (AHP) application form
Nurses, Midwives and Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (SCPHN) application form
For Prescribing Programme Application FAQs click here
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