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This course has been designed to deliver a focused education on all competencies, skills and attitudes required to become an Advanced Practitioner. You will have many opportunities to use experience of professional practice, enabling you to reflect analytically and self−critically. This is a career-enhancing course, throughout which you’ll become an independent and reflective life-long learner with the ability to make a positive impact on patients' lives.
PgCert stage (stage 1) - 30 weeks, Jan – Aug
The first two modules are common and are studied concurrently providing a strong foundation. Pharmaceutical Care Planning (30 credits) focuses on the development and implementation of evidence-based pharmaceutical care plans for patients and Therapeutics (30 credits) covers a wide-range of therapeutic topics.
PgDip Stage (stage 2) - 60 WEEKS, Sep - June
You will complete 60 credits – 30 of which will be Pharmacist Independent Prescribing with a compulsory 5-day residential period at RGU in Aberdeen. On completion of this module Pharmacists will be eligible for annotation as Pharmacist Independent Prescribers by the General Pharmaceutical Council.
You will also choose two additional 15 credit modules from 7 offered. Some of these will be studied with postgraduate students from the School of Nursing and Midwifery:
- Prescribing Decision Making (15 credits)
- Clinical Practice Elective (Pharmacy) (15 credits)
- Advanced Therapeutics and Personalised Medicine (15 credits)
- Safety and Quality in Medicine Use (15 credits)
- Managing Long Term Conditions (15 credits)
- Advanced Concepts of Improving Health and Wellbeing (15 credits)
- Clinical History Taking and Examination Skills for Advanced Practice (15 credits). This module requires 1 week attendance at RGU.
MSc Stage (stage 3) - 90 WEEKS, July - April
You will undertake an MSc by portfolio in the Advanced Pharmacy Practice module (60 credits). The content is mapped to relevant professional development frameworks enabling you to develop the relevant knowledge, skills, attitudes and competencies required for effective advanced pharmacy practice.
You will be taught part-time via our virtual learning environment CampusMoodle, allowing you to develop all necessary knowledge, skills, attitude and competencies while you remain in employment. The Course Leader is a central point for information and support with regard to the delivery of the course. It is also recommended (but not mandatory) that you have a work-placed mentor to provide local support and encouragement. You will need a Designated Medical Practitioner to supervise your period of learning practice as part of the Pharmacist Independent Prescribing module.
Activity Summary
- Independent Study - 600h per stage, 10-15hrs per week
- Placement / Work Based Learning - 90 hours
Independent Study
All your materials will be provided online and are designed to allow self-assessment of learning needs.
STAFF DELIVERING ON THIS COURSE
Staff delivering this course are practised academics, with active links to national and international industry bodies including the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, General Pharmaceutical Council, Canadian Pharmaceutical Association, Royal Pharmaceutical Society Faculty, and the Chamber of Pharmacist of Austria and Germany.
The Course Leader is your central point for information and support with regard to the delivery of the course. You will be supported by university staff including, e-tutors who are all practising clinical pharmacy practitioners. They review the learning materials, provide real-life case scenarios and participate in the marking of practice related assessments. They facilitate discussion and learning within the modules and bring a unique practice-related perspective to learning.
Assessment
You will be assessed by continuous assessment based on your acquisition and application of knowledge in practice-related problem-based scenarios and activities including: responding to case studies, developing care plans and essay responses to specific topics and contribution to online discussion forums, formative peer-assessed essays, short answer problem/case study questions and multiple-choice questions. In addition there is a compulsory 5-day residential period as part of the Pharmacist Independent Prescribing module, during which you will complete an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) assessment. There will be a practical assessment in clinical history taking and examination skills for the advanced practice module.
Typically students are assessed each year:
- 6 written assignments, including essays
- 1 dissertation
- 4 portfolios
- 1 set exercises
- 1 oral assessment
- 1 practical skills assessment
Feedback
We aim to provide you with feedback within 20 working days of hand-in for all written exams, coursework and practical exams.
ACADEMIC SUPPORT
The Disability & Dyslexia Centre advises and supports students who disclose a sensory or mobility impairment, chronic medical condition, mental health issue, dyslexia and other specific learning differences. Applicants are encouraged to arrange a pre-entry visit to discuss any concerns and to view the facilities.
ONLINE LEARNING & SUPPORT
All undergraduate and postgraduate students, whether you are learning on-campus or by online distance learning, benefit from using our collaborative virtual learning environment, CampusMoodle. You will be provided with 24/7 online access to your learning material and resources, along with the ability to interact with your class members and tutors for discussion and support.
STUDY SKILLS SUPPORT
The Study Support Team provides training and support to all students in:
- Academic writing
- Study skills (note taking, exam techniques, time management, presentation)
- Maths and statistics
- English language
- Information technology support
Library Support
The Library offers support for your course, including the books, eBooks, and journals you will need. We also offer online reading lists for many modules, workshops and drop-ins on searching skills and referencing, and much more.
JOB PROSPECTS
Your employer will benefit from your completion of this course as it is designed to enable you to develop in the key competency areas for advanced practice including Pharmacist Independent Prescribing. This course has been designed in collaboration with employers in both primary and secondary care to ensure that the course is kept up-to-date and in line with current practice and the demands of the workplace. The multi-disciplinary nature of the course enhances its appeal to employers and as a result, career prospects are excellent.
- Applicants should have an 2:2 undergraduate honours degree in Pharmacy from a UK university, and two years post-registration relevant work experience* OR
- An integrated Master’s degree in Pharmacy (MPharm), and two years post-registration relevant work experience* OR
- The Overseas Pharmacists' Assessment Programme qualification and two years post-registration relevant work experience*
- Additionally, applicants must be registered as a Pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council or the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland.
*Relevant work experience is considered that which is patient facing.
English Language Requirements
By meeting one of the full entry requirements stated, the English condition for this course is deemed as having been met.
Please note, some courses may require a higher standard of English than stated in this page. Contact admissions@rgu.ac.uk for further information.
FOR ACADEMIC YEAR 2019/2020
UK/EU Students
- £2,510 for stage 1
- £2,510 for stage 2
- £1,680 for stage 3
International Students
- £4,260 for stage 1
- £4,260 for stage 2
- £2,830 for stage 3
Additional Costs
The following course-related costs are not included in the course fees:
- The cost of books that you may wish to purchase.
- Costs associated with your placement / study abroad
- Accommodation and Living costs
- Printing
Alumni Discount
Robert Gordon University is delighted to offer a 20% loyalty discount on course fees for all alumni who have graduated from RGU.
Funding
Postgraduate students will normally make their own arrangements for payment of fees. However, there are a limited number of SAAS funded places on certain postgraduate courses.
There are also sources of funding that are applicable to categories of student.
Postgraduate Students' Funding
Scholarships and Financial Awards
You may also qualify for a scholarship or financial award:
SCHOLARSHIPS AND FINANCIAL AWARDS
DISCLAIMER
For new intakes course fees are reviewed and published annually for each mode of delivery. Tuition fees are fixed for the duration of a course at the rate confirmed in the offer letter. For further information see:
Have a question about the course? Get in touch with our Student Admissions Team and we'll do our best to help.
+44 (0) 1224 262728
Accreditation
The course has been developed to be compatible with advanced pharmacy frameworks, is mapped to core dimensions within the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework and is subject to University quality assurance procedures.
Taking this course, you will have access to some of the world's best facilities.
We've invested more than £100 million in the development of our campus, new facilities and new resources.
University Wide FacilitiesApply
We’ve got a few options for applying to our postgraduate courses for UK, EU and international applicants.
All applicants to postgraduate courses can apply direct to the university using our online application form.
All applicants can apply direct to the University with our PDF form.