Clinically Enhanced Independent Prescribing

Course overview

The Clinically Enhanced Prescribing PgCert has been designed to enhance your practice as a clinician and delivery of care to your patients and is suitable for all clinical specialties. Taught predominantly online and in the in-practice learning environment, this accredited qualification enables you to evaluate and challenge prescribing practice with reference to evidence-based practice, equality and diversity and clinical governance, and develop clinically enhanced skills relevant to your specialist area.

More details of module content covered in the 45-credit core practice certificate and 15-credit standalone modules can be found on the individual course pages.

Why Independent Prescribing at Aston University?

Professional accreditation

Accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council* (GPhC), approved by Health Education West Midlands.

Develop your practice

Enhances your practice as a pharmacist and the delivery of care to your patients by enabling you to manage fully patients' medication as an independent prescriber

Regius Chair in Pharmacy

Only Pharmacy School in the UK to hold a prestigious Regius Chair in Pharmacy awarded by HM the Queen

Course description

Clinically Enhanced Independent Prescribing

Our Clinically Enhanced Independent Prescribing PgCert at Aston will equip you with the skills, insights, and confidence required to become an outstanding independent prescriber.

What we will provide
First-class teaching delivered by a diverse array of staff with years of close industry collaboration that is harnessed to provide you with learning based on real-world needs. Our teaching aims to inspire and excite you and bring your course to life.

What you will provide
It is important you learn how to adapt a growth mindset to your studies - understanding that intelligence and success comes from applying yourself. You must be able to demonstrate critical thinking and have ambition and drive to excel.

What skills we teach
Learn the skills of an independent prescriber including applying evidence-based decision-making, utilising current and emerging systems and technologies in safe prescribing, clinical and diagnostic skills, and the use of effective monitoring and management to improve outcomes.

Career prospects
Successful candidates will enhance their confidence, skills and practice as an autonomous clinician. Enabling full management of patient’s assessment, medication and condition as a clinically enhanced independent prescriber. The programme will enhance your career opportunities, enable you to become a holistically focused practitioner and empower you to focus on person-centred care provision.

How you will learn

The contents of this blended learning programme is directed by GPhC/NMC guidance. The course follows the consultation process, leading to appropriate prescribing and related patient monitoring. All modules take a blended learning approach with a combination of interactive teaching over nine face-to-face days, directed learning activities online via the university VLE and in-practice learning under the supervision of an approved DPP/Clinical Supervisor. Learning and teaching methods include:

Face-to-face days at Aston on campus focusing on hands-on clinical skills
Online learning components via the university VLE, allowing flexibility for distance learning.
Online interactive components, discussion boards and workbooks for peer online learning.
In-practice learning and the completion of reflective portfolios.
Support from your own dedicated personal academic tutor for academic and personal development.
Students have to self-direct their learning in order to develop in their specialist area.

What you will learn

This 60-credit, level 7 Clinically Enhanced Independent Prescribing PgCert is made up of one core 45-credit prescribing practice certificate, and one 15-credit standalone module.

The core practice certificate you study is dependent on professional registration and regulatory body membership, and the standalone module, for which there are three options, can be selected based on your area of speciality and interest. Both elements can be completed independently, but both must be completed in order to obtain the full PgCert qualification.

We also offer a 120-credit Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy – Prescribing Practice for students who have obtained 60 credits of a Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Pharmacy from another HEI provider. Further details of this can be found in the entry requirements section of this page.

Intake: Up to 50 students

Mode of delivery

Part-time, delivered mainly via online distance learning, with nine mandatory attendance days on campus at Aston (9-5pm) over 9 months. In addition, hours in the in practice learning environment (90hrs – Pharmacists) requirement with student’s Designated Prescribing Practitioner (DPP) for the core prescribing module.
25 hours in-practice learning requirement with student’s clinical supervisor for optional modules.

Course objectives

Provides you with opportunities to realise your academic potential through a range of learning experiences.
Develop the knowledge, skills and clinical confidence to prepare pharmacists to become safe independent prescribers, working effectively within a health care team.
Develop clinical enhanced skills relevant to specialist area i.e. acute or emergency medicine, mental health, paediatrics.
Demonstrate clinical and professional collaboration with patients and other health care workers.

Modules

Modules

Module Title	Credits
Pharmacist Independent Prescribing Practice Certificate	45
Clinically Enhanced Prescribing in Acute and Emergency Medicine	15
Total	60

We may update our courses to reflect best practices and academic developments. If we do, we’ll let you know of any changes at the earliest opportunity by updating our course webpages. If you have already received an offer, we’ll write to you directly to let you know of the changes.

Entry requirements

We welcome applications from candidates interested in our course who have the skills and capability to excel. All candidates are considered on an individual basis based on their qualifications and experience.

The information contained on this website details the typical entry requirements for this course for the most commonly offered qualifications. If you hold an alternative qualification, you may wish to enquire with our admissions team prior to application whether or not your qualifications are deemed acceptable. For less commonly encountered qualifications, this will be judged on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the programme director.

Be a registered pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI), Registered nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) employed in a patient-facing role, and be of good standing with your regulatory body.
Must have written approval from your employer/line manager and Non-Medical Prescribing lead (if applicable) supporting your study.

Pharmacist: Please see the Pharmacist Independent Prescribing Practice Certificate course page for further details.
Nurse: one-year post-registration experience, with the appropriate patient-orientated experience, practising in a hospital, community or primary care setting following your pre-registration year.
Have up-to-date clinical, pharmacological, and pharmaceutical knowledge relevant to your intended area of prescribing practice.
Can demonstrate that you reflect on your own performance and take responsibility for your own CPD.
Can identify an area of clinical practice in which to develop your prescribing skills.

A Designated Prescribing Practitioner (DPP) who has agreed to supervise the in-practice learning element. Applicant’s DPP must be a registered healthcare professional in Great Britain or Northern Ireland with legal independent prescribing rights, who is suitably experienced and qualified to carry out this supervisory role, and who has demonstrated CPD or revalidation relevant to this role. Although an applicant may be supervised by more than one person, only one prescriber must be the DPP. The DPP is the person who will certify that successful prescribing students are competent to practice as independent prescribers. Please see further information below on DPP pre-requisites when considering who to approach to supervise your in-practice learning. Information for potential DPPs is also supplied below.
A suitably qualified clinical supervisor to complete 25 hours of in-practice learning and a clinical framework. This will need to confirmed by the commencement of the programme and is applicants responsibility to organise.

A relevant postgraduate clinical diploma (or equivalent) is desirable (pharmacists only).

PgDip in Clinical Pharmacy - Prescribing Practice

We now offer a new route for students who have obtained 60 credits of a Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Pharmacy from another HEI provider. Only those who can provide evidence of completion within the last 5 years will be admitted to the PgDip Clinical Pharmacy – Prescribing Practice route (transcripts will be required for admission processes). Recognition of prior learning will be awarded for 60 credits at the discretion of the programme director and students will undertake the PgCert in Clinically Enhanced Independent Prescribing along with all other students. The additional entry requirements for Clinically Enhanced Independent Prescribing will also need to be met. Entry requirements for each individual student will be stated in their offer letter. Please speak to Moortooza Puttaroo at m.puttaroo@aston.ac.uk before applying for this route on your application.

International students

Aston University is a diverse, close community and welcomes international students on many of our undergraduate programmes. Students from over 120 countries choose to study with us every year. Based in the centre of Birmingham, Aston is not only a great place to study, it’s also a great place to live.

Qualifications in your country

For details of equivalent qualifications in your country, use our area pages below:

English language requirements

Applicants whose first language is not English will be required to provide evidence of an English language qualification.

English language requirements

How to apply

Aston University provides a range of opportunities for international students to join our community and study on our campus. A key part of our strategy is our relationships with teaching partners, providing multiple pathways to Aston.

Aston’s professional work placements can improve your chance of securing a graduate job. Placements give you experience, confidence and opportunities and, as an Aston student, you’ll be better prepared for your future career. One of the great things about Aston is our focus on employability. Our close links with businesses, industries and professions make this possible.

Find out more about applying

Post-study work visa

Aston University welcomed the creation of a new Graduate Immigration Route which enables international students to remain in the UK for two years after you complete your studies to find work. This new post-study work visa applies to international students completing full-time undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

Graduate Immigration Route

Pathway Programmes

If you don’t meet our entry requirements, we have a range of pathway programmes offered by our partner, ONCAMPUS Aston, which you can complete to progress onto one of our degrees.

Masters Foundation programmes

If you don’t meet our entry requirements, we have a range of pathway programmes offered by our partner, ONCAMPUS Aston, which you can complete to progress onto one of our degrees.

Speak to our Admissions Team

If you have any questions about the application process please get in touch with our postgraduate admissions team:

Email: pgadmissions@aston.ac.uk

Call: 0121 204 3200 (Please note this line is open Monday-Friday between 09.30 am-4.30 pm)

Read our guide to applying

Fees and scholarships

Course fees

UK / International students (2024/25)

Annual tuition fees:

£3,900

More information on fees

The United Kingdom government has confirmed that European Union (EU), other European Economic Area (EEA) and Swiss nationals commencing academic courses in England from August 2021 will no longer be charged the same tuition rates as UK students.

Tuition fees for students are reviewed annually and may increase in subsequent years in line with inflation linked to the Retail Price Index (RPI) to take account of the University’s increased costs of delivering the Programme. Any such increase shall always be in accordance with the law. When undertaking a placement year, a placement year fee applies.

More information on fees

Scholarships

If you are a West Midlands pharmacist, nurse or AHP you are able to apply to Health Education England (HEE) for possible funding for this course, as the course fully meets their curriculum requirements.

Explore scholarships for UK students

Explore scholarships for international students

Assessment

Assessment methods vary for each core and optional module and include:

Reflective portfolios of in-practice learning
OSCE and OSCE plus
Case Presentations
Skills based clinical framework
Reflective written assignments
Written pharmacology and numeric examination
Formative assessment, peer assessment, clinical skills demonstration

Please see individual modules for further details.

Course staff

Moortooza Puttaroo - Programme Director and module coordinator
Debbie Kemp - Teaching fellow
Mangalpreet Singh - Teaching fellow
Jaimie Micks - Teacher Practitioner at UHCW NHS Foundation Trust is DPP lead.
Professor Raj Gupta - Programme Medical Director and Head of Specialist Clinical Teaching Academy / Consultant Paediatric Neurologist at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust.

Career prospects

Ensuring you’re well prepared for your future career of choice is embedded within our curriculum, you’ll learn how to optimise key employability skills in the developing stem cell and regenerative medicine industries. In addition, our core employability module makes use of visiting lecturers from the industry to illustrate the potential employment avenues open to you.

On successful graduation, you’ll be well prepared for a research-focused role in a broad spectrum of academic, commercial, industrial, biomedical or healthcare settings. You’ll also be well positioned to continue with further research in the form of a PhD, which is the next step for those interested in an academic career.

Recent graduate roles include:

Clinical research associate
Laboratory technician
Medical research technician
PhD study
Neuroscience researchassistant
Bioscience technical assistant
Management trainee

Whatever route you take, you’ll have a range of skills and experiences that will be in high demand for organisations working at the forefront of stem cell and clinical research; helping to shape the future of medicine and care.

Be part of our community

Once you have joined us at Aston University, you’ll always be part of our community, even beyond graduation.

Alumni services

Say Hello to students at Aston University

Hello - What would you like to ask us?

Hello! We are a team of current Aston University students from various parts of the world, studying a wide range of postgraduate subjects.

Ask us anything about studying at Aston University.

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Apply

Stage 1

You will be required to complete and upload this additional form when you submit your on-line application. This is to verify your details, assess your suitability to undertake the course, confirm that your proposed Designated Prescribing Practitioner satisfies the regulatory requirements, and that your application is approved by the organisation where you will be undertaking your in-practice training

Complete a pre application pack.

Stage 2

Applications opening soon

We will then send you an email with more details on how you can provide information and evidence of how you meet the entry requirements, your Designated Prescribing Practitioner (DPP), line manager, and Non-Medical Prescribing lead (if applicable). Please note applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. If you do not accept your offer promptly and we have reached our intake cap you application will be deferred to the next intake. Demand for this programme is currently very high and we advise applying early.