Independent Prescribing (Short Course)

Home (UK) fees are offered to applicants whose fees are being funded by NHS, even if the fee assessment confirms that you are an international applicant.

Please check online for details of fees, which may be subject to change and apply only to the dates given.

Pharmacy Integration Programme funding for pharmacists

The University of Manchester is an approved provider of Health Education England (HEE) funded Independent Prescribing training. If you are eligible to access a place as part of the Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway (PCPEP), please upload your confirmation of eligibility certificate during the online application process. If you wish to access a funded place under any other eligibility criteria, please demonstrate your eligibility through your personal statement in section 1 of the IP Additional Application Form. We will secure funding directly from HEE for any offer-holder who meets the eligibility criteria.

We do not hold a contract with Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW).

This is an accelerated course that is assessed only at master’s level (FHEQ7), so we require a relevant Lower Second honours degree or above. See the professional entry qualification section for further professional requirements.

International students must demonstrate English proficiency through a secure and approved testing system. We ask for English language proof from applicants from countries that are not majority English-speaking countries. A list of majority English-speaking countries, as defined by the UK Home Office, can be found on the GOV.UK website .

• IELTS 7.0 overall with 7.0 in reading and writing specifically
• TOEFL minimum of 100 (Internet-based test)

See further information about requirements for your country .

Please include your experience as part of your personal statement.

Your experience could have been obtained:

• whilst studying pharmacy, and could include experiential learning, simulation, summer placements and other relevant activities;
• during your pre-registration/foundation training year;
• whilst employed in a pharmacy setting.

The types of clinical experiences you might describe in your personal statement include:

• Working clinically in a patient-facing role.
• Ability to undertake medication reviews.
• An ability to consult with service users and consider their needs.
• Having an area of intended prescribing practice and clinical experience in this area of practice.
• Evidence of your engagement with CPD in the last 12 months or since registration/revalidation.
• Your ability to use reflection for learning and development.
• An awareness of your own abilities, limitations and professional codes of conduct.
• The ability to communicate with a wide range of healthcare professionals.

Pharmacists must have the followings:

• Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) or, in Northern Ireland, the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
• In good standing with the GPhC and/or PSNI and any other healthcare regulator with which you are registered.
• Experience in a UK pharmacy setting and an ability to recognise, understand and articulate the skills and attributes required by a prescriber to act as the foundation of your prescribing practice while training.
• An identified area of clinical or therapeutic practice on which to base your learning and up-to-date clinical, pharmacological and pharmaceutical knowledge relevant to this area.
• A designated prescribing practitioner (DPP) who has agreed to supervise your learning in practice. The proposed 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.

NMC registrants must have the following:

• First level registration with the Nursing & Midwifery Council (for nurses and midwives).
• At least one year of post-registration patient-focused experience.
• An identified area of clinical practice in which to develop your prescribing skills and one year's post-registration clinical experience in this area.
• Agreements with two experienced independent prescribers to act as your Practice Assessor and Practice Supervisor during the 90 hours of learning in practice; these two roles should not be undertaken by the same person.
• You must be capable of safe and effective practice in clinical/health assessment, diagnostics/care management, planning and evaluation of care in your identified area of prescribing practice.

You must have access to a computer with fast and reliable internet connection. There is a minimum level of computer skills required, including the ability to:

• navigate the Blackboard virtual learning environment to locate teaching and learning materials (with initial basic training);
• navigate PebblePad to build an e-portfolio (with initial basic training);
• communicate by email;
• work efficiently with Microsoft Word and PowerPoint or similar software;
• use the internet to search websites;
• scan and upload documents;
• navigate e-learning programs;
• participate in online conferencing (webinars).

Please see section 3 of the Independent Prescribing additional application form (Word, 155KB) for details of the eligibility criteria for your:

• Designated Prescribing Practitioner (DPP) - pharmacist applicants
• Practice Assessor (PA) and Practice Supervisor (PS) - NMC registrant applicants

Please note that DPPs/PAs/PSs must not receive any payment for supervising your practice.

Further information regarding your mentorship arrangement can be found in Appendix A/B of the nomination pack (PDF, 996KB).

All applicants who have submitted complete applications before the closing date and who meet all of the eligibility criteria will be offered an interview, which will be via an online meeting.

Places are allocated on the basis of a successful interview.

If you applied in the previous year and your application was not successful you may apply again. Your application will be considered against the standard course entry criteria for that year of entry. In your new application you should demonstrate how your application has improved. We may draw upon all information from your previous applications or any previous registrations at the University as a student when assessing your suitability for your chosen course.

The course will cover the competencies detailed in A competency framework for all prescribers  and the GPhC Standards for the education and training for pharmacists independent prescribers .

Practical support and advice for current students and applicants are available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service (DASS).

We encourage any student with a disability or long-term condition that might affect their ability to study or undertake assessments to register with DASS as soon as they have registered for the course.