Why join this course?
The Independent and Supplementary Prescribing module is suitable for Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registrants from the professions, which are approved to become prescribers.
The module focuses on developing the pharmacology knowledge base with history taking that underpins supplementary and independent prescribing, as well as the theory and practice of prescribing. The module is delivered using a blended learning approach, which incorporates both face-to-face and online activities. A variety of strategies and techniques are employed, including patient-based learning, to encourage critical enquiry and problem solving, in recognition of the complexities that may be encountered in prescribing practice.
This module can be taken as a free-standing module, or as part of the Advanced Clinical Practice (MSc, PGDip and PGCert) pathways. All students who successfully complete the module, will be eligible for their HCPC record to be modified to include Independent/Supplementary Prescribing.
Eligibility
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Applicants must meet each of the following criteria:
- be registered with the HCPC in one of the relevant Allied Health Professions
- be professionally practising in an environment where there is an identified need for the individual to regularly use independent prescribing or supplementary prescribing
- be able to demonstrate support from their employer/sponsor* including confirmation that the entrant will have appropriate supervised practice in the clinical area in which they are expected to prescribe
- be able to demonstrate medicines and clinical governance arrangements are in place to support safe and effective supplementary and/or independent prescribing
- have an approved medical practitioner, normally recognised by the employer/ commissioning organisation as having:
- experience in the relevant field of practice
- training and experience in the supervision, support and assessment of trainees
- has agreed to:
- provide the student with opportunities to develop compentencies in prescribing
- supervise, support and assess the student during their clinical placement.
- have normally at least 3 years relevant post-qualification experience in the clinical area in which they will be prescribing
- be working at/or towards an advanced practitioner or equivalent level (Paramedic practitioners must be working in GP practices, community services, secondary care - critical care units, out of hours, urgent and emergency care services)
- be able to demonstrate how they reflect on their own performance and take responsibility for their own Continuing Professional Development (CPD) including development of networks for support, reflection and learning
- in England and Wales, provide evidence of a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) or in Northern Ireland, an AccessNI check within the last three years or, in Scotland, be a current member of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme
demonstrate evidence of physical assessment and history taking skills e.g. successful achievement of the ‘Clinical reasoning in physical assessment: lifespan perspectives’ 30 credit level 6 module, or equivalent certificated learning.
*If self-employed, must be able to demonstrate an identified need for prescribing and that all appropriate governance arrangements are in place.
Evidence of currently working in the clinical field in which the participant intends to prescribe.
Course description
The aim of this 30 credit module is to enable participants to develop in-depth knowledge and understanding of clinical pharmacology and prescribing practice, equip participants to become competent, safe and effective independent/supplementary prescribers, thereby meeting the standards set by the Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC).
They will also explore the professional and legal implications of the developing role of health care professionals in prescribing/supplying medicines, thereby meeting the standards set by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s competencies for all prescribers (RPS, 20166) and by the HCPC for all prescribers (HCPC, 2016).
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to demonstrate achievement of the following learning outcomes:
- critically appraises assessment data from a range of sources to formulate, confirm or defend a diagnosis, with in-depth consideration of differential diagnoses
- applies a comprehensive knowledge base and understanding of pharmacology to prescribing scenarios
- accurately completes calculations relating to prescribing and practical dosing
- critically appraises treatment options, drawing on expert knowledge and working in partnership with patients/ carers to negotiate individualised treatment plans
- critically evaluates the effectiveness of medications, working collaboratively to ensure appropriate review and referral in complex and unpredictable situations
- critically examines local and national prescribing frameworks and practices and proposes novel approaches to enhance safe, cost effective management of patients
- critically reflects on and challenges own and others practice, within the context of complex professional/ ethico-legal considerations, to improve prescribing practice
- critically evaluates strategies for effective communication to promote safety, informed choice, self-management, continuity of care and multidisciplinary team working in challenging and unpredictable situations.
These outcomes are mapped against the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (2022), Health & Care Professionals Council – Standards for Prescribing (2019) and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Competencies for all Prescribers (2022).
Curriculum content
The curriculum content includes the general, professional and prescribing content necessary to meet the learning outcomes.
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- Models of consultation
- Accurate assessment, history taking, communication and consultation with patients/clients and their parents/carers
- Concepts of working diagnosis or best formulation
- Development of a management plan and/or clinical management plan
- Confirmation of diagnosis/differential diagnosis - further examination, investigation, referral for diagnosis
- Prescribe, not to prescribe, non-drug treatment or referral for treatment
- Numeracy and drug calculations
- Stopping medication prescribed by others
- Principles and methods of monitoring and medicines review.
- Patient/client demand and preference vs patient/client need – knowing when to say ‘no’
- External influences, e.g. companies or colleagues patient/client
- Partnership in medicine-taking, including awareness of cultural and ethnic needs
- Concordance as opposed to compliance
- Achieving shared understanding and negotiating a plan of action.
- Rationale, adherence to, and deviation from national and local guidelines, local formularies, protocols, policies, decision support systems and formulae
- Understanding the role and functions of other team members
- Documentation, with particular reference to communication between team members, including electronic prescribing
- Auditing, monitoring and evaluating prescribing practice
- Interface between multiple prescribers and management of potential conflict
- Budgets and cost effectiveness
- Dispensing practice issues.
- Pharmacology (pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics & pharmaco-therapeutics) Anatomy and physiology as applied to prescribing practice
- Basic principles of drugs to be prescribed, e.g. absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion, including adverse drug reactions (ADR)
- Factors affecting drug response, interactions and reactions
- Patient/client compliance, concordance and drug response
- Impact of physiological state on drug responses and safety, for example in elderly people, neonates, children and young people, pregnant or breast feeding women
- Pharmaco-therapeutics related to controlled drugs.
- Rationale, adherence to and deviation from national and local guidelines, protocols, policies, decision support systems and formulae
- Continuing professional development - role of self and role of the organisation
- Management of change
- Risk assessment and management, including safe storage, handling and disposal
- Clinical supervision
- Reflective practice/peer review
- Critical appraisal skills
- Auditing practice and scrutinising data, systems monitoring
- Identify and report adverse drug reactions and near misses
- Prescribing controlled drugs
- Prescribing and administering
- Prescribing and dispensing.
- Sound understanding of legislation that impacts on prescribing practice
- Legal basis for practice, liability and indemnity
- Legal implications of advice to self-medicate including the use of alternative therapies, complementary therapy and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines
- Safe-keeping of prescription pads, action if lost, writing prescriptions and record keeping
- Awareness and reporting of fraud (From the 4th report of Shipman Inquiry)
- Drug licensing
- Yellow Card reporting to the Committee of Safety on Medicines (CSM) and reporting patient/client safety incidents to the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA)
- Prescribing in the policy context
- Manufacturer’s guidance relating to literature, licensing and off-label
- Ethical basis of intervention
- Informed consent, with particular reference to client groups in learning disability, mental health, children, critically ill people and emergency situations
- Legal implications and their application to supplementary prescribing
- Ethical aspects related to cosmetic procedures.
This module is informed by both theory and practice and facilitates students integrating theory in practice. Therefore the module adopts a blended approach using lectures, tutorials and simulation, as well as directed online learning activities, which facilitate the development of advanced clinical decision-making skills and mastery of the content area. Supervised practice embeds the learning.
Assessment
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A one-hour examination comprising:
- Part A = pharmacology multiple choice questions (pass mark 80%)
- Part B = drug related numeracy calculations (pass mark 100%)
The examination is pass/fail overall. Marks for parts A and B do not contribute to the overall percentage mark for the module, which is comprised entirely from assessment 2.
Weighting: Pass/Fail.
The portfolio consists of 3 parts:
- Competency Assessment Document (completed in clinical practice) to demonstrate compliance with the RPS Competency Framework for all Prescribers (2022).
- 2 x Clinical Logs – case studies written up relating to patients seen in clinical practice and a detailed narrative about the considerations when prescribing the drug(s) for these patients.
- Critical Reflective Essay – (3500 words) demonstrating the compliance with 4 of the RPS competencies when prescribing for one of the patients in one of the clinical logs.
Weighting: 100%
Certification
This is a credit bearing standalone module. After successful completion of the assessment, students will receive a transcript for 30 credits at Level 7.
For further information, please contact the module lead Sarah-Jane Anscomb.
Module dates
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- Thursday 9 January 2025
- Thursday 16 January 2025
- Thursday 23 January 2025
- Thursday 30 January 2025
- Thursday 6 February 2025
- Thursday 13 February 2025
- Thursday 20 February 2025
- Thursday 27 February 2025
- Thursday 6 March 2025
- Thursday 13 March 2025
- Thursday 20 March 2025
- Thursday 27 March 2025
- Thursday 3 April 2025
- Thursday 10 April 2025.
- MCQ: Thursday April April 2025
- MCQ Resit: Friday 16 May 2025
- Essay and CAD: Thursday 17 July 2025.