The Independent Prescribing unit takes place over six months and includes a series of compulsory workshops which will enhance your learning (provisional workshop dates for each cohort are given below).

You can read this detailed description of the unit to understand more about the time commitment, workshops and assessments.

Upcoming intakes for the 2022/23 academic year (pending General Pharmaceutical Council approval) are as follows:

• March 2023 - due to the unprecedented number of applications received for the February cohort we have closed the March application link.

Most cohorts will be delivered using blended learning including some face-to-face workshops on the Bath campus, however the February 2023 intake and the March 2023 intake (subject to GPhC approval) will be delivered online.

Your university registration will commence a few days before the first workshops, to allow you to orientate yourself to our online resources.

Course features

• Blended delivery: you will attend workshops with your fellow learners as well as having your learning in practice supported by our multi-professional team and the resources available via our online learning environment.

• Excellent academic and pastoral support from our dedicated teaching team.

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

• 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.

• Nominate your own clinical area of focus for the unit (you should have some existing expertise relevant to your selected topic).

• After completing the prescribing unit you can further develop your skills by taking our follow-on Advanced Clinical Assessment unit.

Workshop dates: February 2023 start (fully remote)

The workshop dates for the February 2023 running are planned as below, but in exceptional circumstances may need to change. We would always aim to give you as much notice as possible for any changes.

• Workshop days 1 & 2 (Induction): 22 & 23 February 2023 (Remote)
• Workshop day 3: 16 March 2023 (Remote)
• Workshop day 4: 23 March 2023 (Remote)
• Workshop day 5: 27 April 2023 (Remote)
• Workshop day 6: 25 May 2023 (Remote)
• Workshop day 7: 15 June 2023 (Remote)
• Workshop day 8 (Assessment): 5 July 2023 (Remote)

Workshop dates: March 2023 start (fully remote subject to GPhC approval)

The workshop dates for the March 2023 running are planned as below, but in exceptional circumstances may need to change. We would always aim to give you as much notice as possible for any changes.

• Workshop days 1 & 2 (Induction): 19 & 20 April 2023 (Remote)
• Workshop day 3: 17 May 2023 (Remote)
• Workshop day 4: 7 June 2023 (Remote)
• Workshop day 5: 22 June 2023 (Remote)
• Workshop day 6: 20 July 2023 (Remote)
• Workshop day 7: 10 August 2023 (Remote)
• Workshop day 8 (Assessment): 13 September 2023 (Remote)

Applications for the March 2023 cohort - due to the unprecedented number of applications received for the February cohort we are temporarily closing the March application link.

Application process

There are a number of additional forms that are required, as well as the online application. All forms must be submitted by the deadline for you to be considered for a place.

• Confirmation of sponsor form (if not applying for Health Education England funding)
• Declaration of support form
• Designated Prescriber Practitioner (DPP) form (this is an online form – link in the guidance notes)
• Specified Prescribing area form
• Health Education England Funding Information form

Please make sure you are using the most up-to-date versions of the forms as they have recently been updated. This page also has an additional guidance document which will take you through the application requirements in detail.

We will review all applications in line with the selection criteria detailed below. You will be notified of the decision of the University as soon as possible before the start of the course. We are currently accredited for up to 40 students per cohort. We reserve the right to close applications early based on demand. In the case of places being over-subscribed we may need to interview applicants and would let you know about arrangements for this as soon as possible.

If the unit is oversubscribed, we will prioritise as follows:

• Previous experience of postgraduate study
• Training environment (DPP commitment to support in practice, description of specialism, plan for completion of mandatory clinical practice hours and identified clinical need/future role
• Funding secured

Fees and funding

Go to our fees pages for more information on fees and how to pay them.

Health Education England (HEE) have awarded contracts for funded places for pharmacist prescribing students. The University of Bath has been selected as a provider under this contract, so if you qualify for HEE financial support, you can apply to us for a funded place. Please see our HEE funding information form for more information about eligibility. Please also see the Health Education England website for more information.

General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) requirements

• Have current registration with the GPhC Pharmacy Regulator or PSNI as a pharmacist
• Disclose any current or pending formal investigations into your practice or any pending issues that may affect your future ability to practice. The application form provides space to notify the Director of Studies that you have an issue to discuss.
• Have at least two years appropriate patient orientated experience practising in a UK hospital, community or primary care setting following your pre-registration year. We are aware that the GPhC have updated their standards to allow pharmacists with appropriate experience to start an independent prescribing course, even if this is less than 2-years' experience. All universities have to apply to the GPhC to have their accreditation with the GPhC updated before they can apply the new standard. The University of Bath is undergoing this process and have a scheduled meeting with the GPhC booked for the end of February 2023. This is to coincide with a full reaccreditation process. Please keep checking our webpage for updates on this process.
• Have an identified area of prescribing practice and a clinical setting in which to develop these skills.
• Have identified an appropriate clinician to act as your Designated Prescribing Practitioner (DPP). Download our guide with more information about the role of a DPP.

English language requirements

If your first language is not English, you will need an International English Language Testing System (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.

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.