Pharmacist Independent Prescribing
Everything you need to know
- Start date: September 2026, January 2027
- End date: May 2027, September 2027
- Module leader: Mitch Lau
- Level: 7
- Credits: 30
Introduction
The Practice Certificate in Independent Prescribing is a 30-credit professional development course, delivered at level 7.
It is accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and leads to a professional award that permits recipients to apply to the Registrar to have their entry on the register annotated as an Independent Prescriber.
This module will equip the individual pharmacist with the necessary skills and knowledge to meet the GPhC learning outcomes and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) to practice safely and effectively as a prescriber.
Professional recognition- This module is accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council.
Who is this course/module for?
Students undertaking this module will already be employed as pharmacists. It is aimed at experienced practitioners in primary, intermediate or secondary care. Individuals will have identified an area of clinical practice in which they wish to prescribe & have up-to-date clinical knowledge evidenced by relevant courses, post-graduate qualifications and/or experiential learning.
Entry onto the course and the course standards, syllabus and delivery are outlined by the GPhC in the document ‘Standards for the education and training of pharmacist independent prescribers’ (the Standards), last updated in October 2022.
What you’ll learn
You will learn the generic principles of prescribing and selected physical assessment skills and apply this knowledge to clinical practice, demonstrating safe and effective prescribing in your chosen area practice.
The course does not aim to teach therapeutics as entrants to the course are required to have knowledge of therapeutics related to their chosen area of prescribing practice. However, the course does include the clinical management of some therapeutic areas relevant to practitioners' learning experience within the general population.
Learning specific to the practitioner's chosen area of prescribing practice is progressed through structured independent learning, experiential learning and through the support of their mentor(s) during learning in practice.
Learning consequently focuses on the wider skills and principles required of a prescribing pharmacist and their application within a prescribing context, to establish patient centred, holistic, bio-psychosocial approaches to health.
Skills you’ll gain
General areas covered
- Roles and responsibilities of independent prescriber, working within their own area of competence whilst being aware of when to refer on
- Clinical skills including history taking, consultation and physical assessment using relevant diagnostic aids, including an understanding of the pathophysiology of disease and the ability to recognise signs and symptoms, monitor response to treatment and review working diagnoses and ultimately develop a treatment plan.
- Effective communication both with patients and carers and within the health care team, demonstrating good record keeping skills.
- Case-based scenarios employed within the teaching allow students to address real-life challenges within prescribing practice and support each other during the course. The range of case-based scenarios ensure that the principles of equality and diversity amongst our patient population are considered, whilst also ensuring that they are inclusive of participant backgrounds.
Skills gained for the workplace, technical skills or academic skills
- Advanced clinical assessment / examination skills
- The principles of safe and effective prescribing
- Critical analysis and synthesis
- Reflective practice skills
How you’ll learn
EXAM/ OSCE: A written exam drawing on content from across the curriculum. The exam includes a numeracy section. The OSCE stations include a physical assessment skill and a consultation station.
Reflective Case Study: A critically reflective assignment on one patient case from practice supported by evidence to confirm achievement of the learning outcomes, including examples of prescription writing.
Portfolio: Satisfactory completion of a period of 90 hours practice learning and assessment of competence by a Designated Prescribing Practitioner (DPP) through a completed practice assessment document.
Satisfactory completion of a recorded case-based discussion (CBD) undertaken in practice, by a DPP.
Fees and Funding for 2026/27
| Indicative price for stand-alone module |
Home student: £1,825 EU / International students: £3,100 - The University cannot sponsor a Student Visa for CPD modules. However, if you already have permission to study in the UK, you can apply. If you’re unsure whether your visa allows this, please contact the International Experience Team at hallamhelp@shu.ac.uk to discuss your options. |
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| How to apply |
You can apply for this module using our online admissions form. After you have registered or logged in, select the module title under "Please choose your first module". |
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Entry requirements
Applicants are registered as a pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) or, in Northern Ireland, with the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
Applicants are in good standing with the GPhC and/or PSNI and any other healthcare regulator with which they are registered.
Applicants must have relevant experience in a UK pharmacy setting and be able to recognise, understand and articulate the skills and attributes required by a prescriber to act as the foundation of their prescribing practice whilst training.
For the purposes of developing their independent prescribing practice applicants must identify an area of clinical or therapeutic practice on which to base their learning.
Applicants must have a designated prescribing practitioner (DPP) who has agreed to supervise their learning in practice. The applicant’s 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. Although an applicant may be supervised by more than one Standards for the education and training of pharmacist independent prescribers, only one prescriber must be the DPP. The DPP is the person who will certify that successful pharmacists are competent to practise as independent prescribers.
Please note that for all DPP’s proposing to supervise more than one student at the same time, irrespective of university, they will be required to complete an additional form to enable quality assurance of the placement.
The above must be evidenced in your application form
Applicants must include a reference from a referee (which is a different person to their DPP) to support their application. Please note the use of a close friend or relative as a DPP presents a conflict of interest and contravenes our accreditation against the GPhC Standards. Similarly, students should avoid spending learning in practice hours with any practitioner with whom they have a close personal relationship. As course providers, we must have appropriate mechanisms for ensuring GPhC standards are fulfilled and ensuring a fair process for all applicants.
The module is not available to pharmacists outside of the UK.
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Attendance
Delivery Method:
Blended learning (in-person and online learning activities). A mix of on-campus and online learning, with both in-person sessions and digital activities included in your course. We will require all non-British and non-Irish students to attend campus for an in-person verification check to comply with UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) requirements at the start of their first module.
View our statement on notional study hours »
Provisional timetable
Semester 1 study days will be on the following dates
- Study day 1 – Thursday 17 September 2026
- Study day 2 – Thursday 24 September 2026
- Study day 3 (face to face) – Thursday 8 October 2026
- Study day 4 – Thursday 22 October 2026
- Study day 5 – Thursday 5 November 2026
- Study day 6 – Thursday 19 November 2026
- Study day 7 – Thursday 3 December 2026
- Study day 8 – Thursday 10 December 2026
Semester 2 study days will be on the following dates
- Study day 1 – Thursday 14 January 2027
- Study day 2 – Thursday 28 January 2027
- Study day 3 (face to face) – Thursday 4 February 2027
- Study day 4 – Thursday 25 February 2027
- Study day 5 – Thursday 11 March 2027
- Study day 6 – Thursday 18 March 2027
- Study day 7 – Thursday 15 April 2027
- Study day 8 – Thursday 22 April 2027
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Assessment
Module assessment is made up of one or more assessment tasks. The assessment task(s) for this module are:
- Case Study
- Written Examination
- Practical Examination
- Practice Portfolio
Successful completion of this module will earn you 30 level 7 credits
Further details
For further information please contact the module leader Mitch Lau - m.lau@shu.ac.uk