You will be directed through specific course assignments to engage with interprofessional learning activities; supporting your wider understanding of, and integration into, the healthcare team.

This course has two intakes a year. The next intake will be February 2021.

Course features

• Uses Bath’s blended-learning style of delivery: you will attend a series of face to face workshops, and have your learning at distance supported by our highly experienced educators via our Virtual Learning Environment.

• This course is GPhC accredited: successful completion will allow you to apply for annotation as Independent Prescriber on the General Pharmaceutical Council register.

• Leads to the award of 30 academic credits (CATS credits), which can be used to contribute to a range of academic awards with us including Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma and MSc.

• You will nominate a clinical area in which you'll train as an Independent Prescriber for the duration of the course. You must have existing expertise within this clinical area.

Workshop dates: February 2021 start

The Independent Prescribing course takes place over six months and you'll attend a series of mandatory workshops.

• Workshop days 1 & 2: 24 & 25 February 2021
• Workshop days 3 & 4 : 17 & 18 March 2021
• Workshop day 5: 28 April 2021
• Workshop day 6: 26 May 2021
• Workshop day 7: 16 June 2021
• Workshop days 8 & 9: 14 & 15 July 2021 (tbc)

We have successfully moved our teaching online in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and will proceed to deliver the programme remotely for the time being. We do not yet know if and when it will be possible to return to in-person teaching but we will keep you informed with as much notice as possible.

We are confident the quality of the tuition you will receive has not been compromised, and in some cases the move to remote delivery has allowed us to secure expert speakers who would not have been able to deliver sessions at an in-person workshop. We would like to remind you that the workshops are a very valuable element of the course and attendance is compulsory, whether they are delivered in-person or remotely. Please check the dates of workshops carefully, well in advance and share them with your workplace, to ensure you are able to attend. If you have any queries, including questions about the IT access required, please do contact a member of the team via the contact details at the bottom of this page and we can arrange a discussion to help resolve any issues.

The Advanced Clinical Assessment unit results in the award of 30 academic credits (CATS credits), which can be used to contribute to a range of academic awards including Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma and MSc.

If you complete Independent Prescribing and Advanced Clinical Assessment units, you will gain the award of PG Cert in Prescribing and Therapeutics.

You can take Advanced Clinical Assessment as a standalone CPD unit if you have already completed an accredited Independent Prescribing course.

• Apply to Bath starting 24 February 2021. Induction is on 24 & 25 February 2021.

The application deadline is 15 January 2021.

Download the guidance notes and forms.

Please complete each form individually and upload through application tracker. Emailed forms will not be accepted.

Application process

We will review all applications and contact applicants with information about interviews, which may be face to face or via telephone.

After interviews, you will be notified of the decision of the University as soon as possible before the start of the course.

Please note that all elements of the application must be submitted on time for you to be considered for a place on the course. If the demand for places is greater than the number of places available then the admissions panel will review applications following agreed selection criteria.

Values Based Recruitment

If you are working in or plan to work in the NHS, we follow the NHS Values Based Recruitment Guidance. We strongly believe in the NHS values and will be looking for them in our applicants.

All applicants will be assessed on individual merit, as well as their understanding and practice of NHS values in pharmacy. This assessment may take a variety of forms, including an interview. We strongly encourage all applicants to read the NHS Constitution before attending the interview.

You must:

• Have current registration with the GPhC Pharmacy Regulator or PSNI as a pharmacist
• Have at least two years appropriate patient orientated experience practising in a UK hospital, community or primary care setting following your pre-registration year
• Have an identified area of prescribing need and a clinical practice in which to develop these skills
• Have identified an appropriate prescribing practitioner to be your educational mentor as a Designated Prescribing Practitioner (DPP). Download our guide with more information about the role of DPP.
• Have up-to-date clinical, pharmacological and pharmaceutical knowledge relevant to your intended area of prescribing
• Demonstrate a reflective approach to your continuing professional development
• Demonstrate how you will develop personal multidisciplinary networks for support, reflection and learning
• Disclose any current or pending formal investigations into your clinical practice or if you are aware of any pending issues that may affect your ability to practise (we suggest these should be declared in confidence to the Course Lead)

English language requirements

If your first language is not English, you will need an IELTS score of at least 7 overall with no less than 6.5 in all components or at least 250 (computer-based test) with a score of not less than 5.0 in the TWE or 100 (internet-based test) with not less than 24 in each of the components.