Advanced Pharmacy Practice

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the assessment students will be able to achieve:  

• Evidence the ability to be an adaptable and innovative advanced practitioner capable of developing and communicating new knowledge and skills to advance own practice and that of others within the practitioner's sphere of influence. 
• Evidence self-direction, originality and initiative in tackling and solving complex problems, while acting autonomously and demonstrating appropriate management and leadership skills to plan and implement strategies for own and others' professional development. 
• Critically analyse published literature, health policy and current service provision using the principles of research methodologies and of needs assessment to make evidence-based recommendations for the development, implementation and evaluation of pharmacy led services. 
• Demonstrate highly developed and appropriate communication and presentation skills to be able to clearly articulate complex information requiring professional expertise, to specialist and non-specialist audiences. 

Topics

The module is broadly divided into three main topics:

• Education and Training: All pharmacists will be involved in some aspect of education and training, whether that be formal or informal, regardless of their area and level of practice or the organisation they work for. In this topic you will cover areas including the relevance of pharmacy educational policy and how this shapes what is thought, aspects of theories of learning and why these are relevant to development of teaching materials, how to assess and provide feedback, mentoring and facilitating and evaluating educational strategies.
• Leadership and Management: All pharmacists need to develop leadership and management skills regardless of their area and level of practice or organisation they work for. Topics covered here will include strategic leadership, management, resourcing and teamwork.
• Research and Evaluation: This topic provides an opportunity to design, plan, and report on a proposed pharmacy service development. While research may be unfamiliar territory for many pharmacists, it is a vital skill for advanced practice. This module will help you apply research principles to service development in your area of practice. 

Learning Methods

The module is delivered entirely online through a flexible learning approach, using the University’s virtual learning environment, Moodle. The module is mainly self-driven to and is structured to fit into the busy lives of pharmacist professionals. Activities are mainly:

• Supporting reading materials provided as part of the course
• Evening webinars – these are purposely scheduled in the evening to enhance accessibility. Webinars are recorded to further enhance accessibility and allow revisiting of the materials covered
• Discussion forums – this is a platform for peer discussion and to ask any questions

Activity Summary

• Webinar - whole cohort, 20-30 hours (staff delivery) 10 hours (student led) over entire module
• Independent study - 560 hours for entire module

Independent Study

This takes the form of materials prepared by staff delivering on the module and includes a combination of formative and self-driven tasks along the way to support your understanding of the topic and to enhance your own professional development.

Assessment

Typically students are assessed via a report and a portfolio.

Staff delivering on this course

The team includes staff with extensive research and teaching experience. Guest lecturers are invited to contribute as and when required particularly in the Leadership and Management topic.

Entry Requirements

Applicants should have an undergraduate honours degree in Pharmacy from a UK university, OR an integrated Master’s degree in Pharmacy (MPharm), OR The Overseas Pharmacists' Assessment Programme qualification.

English Language Requirements

Applicants whose first language is not English should have an IELTS of 6.5 overall, with no component lower than 5.5, or an equivalent.

We accept a variety of in-country and secure English language tests, find out more:

Please note, some courses may require a higher standard of English than stated in this page. Contact admissions@rgu.ac.uk for further information.

Academic Year 2026/2027

• To be confirmed