Psychiatric Pharmacy PgDip

Mode of delivery: Distance learning - all course materials are delivered electronically.

Duration: 12 months

Start date: September 2023

Application deadline: Tbc

Fee: £3,720

Entry requirements

Postgraduate qualifications

Students must usually have successfully completed the Postgraduate Certificate in Psychiatric Therapeutics from Aston University with an average mark of no less than 55% and no referred modules. Other clinical pharmacy qualifications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Employment

You must be able to regularly attend a multidisciplinary clinical forum in which prescribing decisions are made for people living with a range of mental illnesses.  Attendance at such a clinical forum will be required for a minimum of 14 weeks over each four-month module, of which there are three over the year of study.

• 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, experience, references and motivation.

• Pharmacists who wish to proceed to this course must usually have successfully completed the Postgraduate Certificate in Psychiatric Therapeutics from Aston University with an average mark of no less than 55 per cent and no referred modules.

• Other clinical pharmacy qualifications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

• Additionally, students will only be admitted if they have suitable access to a multidisciplinary team and patients with psychiatric illnesses. For example, they are employed in a unit that treats people with mental health problems in a clinical setting that is deemed appropriate by the Programme Director.

• Applicants whose first language is not English will be required to provide evidence of an English language qualification. English language test requirements may be waived where students’ undergraduate degree was studied in an English speaking country. Find out more about our English language requirements. For more information about qualifications view our Aston in your country webpage.

The information contained on this website details the typical entry requirements for this course for the most commonly offered qualifications. Applicants with alternative qualifications may wish to enquire with the relevant admissions teams prior to application whether or not their qualifications are deemed acceptable. For less commonly encountered qualifications this will be judged on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the academic admissions tutor.

This course is part of the Aston Pharmacy School which sits within the College of Health and Life Sciences.

Timeline of application

I have submitted my application, what happens next?

1.  Application is submitted.
2. New applications are picked up by the Postgraduate Admissions Team.
3. Postgraduate Admissions Team staff check if we have all the documents we need, if anything is missing, we send an email to the applicant to request the missing information. If we have all the information, we need we make a decision. ‘Offer’, ‘Reject’ or ‘Send to tutor for review’ are the possible options at this stage.
4. If it is an offer, we will decide if it is conditional or unconditional.
5. Offer is issued via email and the applicant is given 4 weeks to accept the offer. Date is entered into the offer email.
6. Acceptance of an offer has 2 steps:
   
   the offer reply form, and,
   paying the deposit/sending sponsor letter.   
   
   A place on the course is not secure until we have received the deposit payment or the sponsor letter and this must be by the deadline stated in the email.
   
   Once an offer has been accepted fully, the system is updated to reflect this. Approximately six weeks before the programme starts applicants who have fully accepted are sent their enrolment email from regenrolment@aston.ac.uk the email has their username and password. The applicant then completes the enrolment steps and student support before they can be given access to the modules that they will study.

The programme is accredited by the College of Mental Health Pharmacists (CMHP).

Practice-based clinical modules

• Introduction to Clinical Practice
• Clinical Interventions
• Formulary Development, Clinical Audit and Communication

Compulsory knowledge based components

• Psychological Therapies/Substance Misuse
• Pharmaco-Economics/Information Technology & Evidence Based Medicine
• Integrated Studies and Specialist Areas
   

In addition to the knowledge gained on this course, you will develop the following skills:

• Independent study
• Good time management
• Effective written communication
• Effective oral communication
• Effective information retrieval, organisation and presentation

All course materials will be delivered electronically. You will encounter a range of learning methods, including:

• Study of authored text material, directed reading and self assessed exercises                     
• Formative exercises and assignments                   
• Additional reading    
• Participation in a multi disciplinary forum (MDT)  

Assessment is through assignments, clinical pro formas and oral case presentation.

Course Director: Hannah Macfarlane

Teaching staff: Dr Ian Maidment, Adaora Ndu, Emma Bryant.

This qualification is often a requirement for specialist clinical mental health posts in the NHS. 

“Specialist status” as deemed by Membership of the College of Mental Health Pharmacy is also increasingly expected for higher level clinical posts in the NHS. This diploma forms part of the pathway for this accreditation.