MSc Clinical Pharmacy is a part-time postgraduate course for pharmacists looking to advance their clinical practice. The course is flexible, and our range of optional modules can be tailored to suit your individual clinical learning needs whether you work in primary, secondary or tertiary care.
The course has been designed by our dynamic team of healthcare professionals and academics and is aligned with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s (RPS) foundation and advanced practice frameworks and knowledge summary guides.
If you're beginning a career as a clinical pharmacist or changing your role to a more clinical perspective, MSc Clinical Pharmacy should be your next step in building your clinical portfolio. You'll gain confidence in making effective, safe, clinical decisions; enhance your ability to deliver positive patient care; and use your knowledge to empower patients to more effectively manage their own conditions.
Study at a time that suits you
The course is primarily delivered online, enabling you to have a flexible approach to learning. Online material is interactive and offers bitesize learning through a combination of virtual lectures, e-learning, quizzes, applied case-based scenarios, and video presentations. We also offer a series of live online webinars which are delivered by a range of experienced academic practitioners and specialist healthcare professionals.
Two of the optional modules, Clinical skills 2 and Practice Certificate in Independent Prescribing for Pharmacists, have compulsory on-campus teaching days to enable you to learn and practice the clinical skills elements of the course.
Combine study and practice
The course will complement your current practice using a part-time delivery model, enabling you to have a structured study programme that enhances your learning experience in the workplace.
A number of modules provide opportunities for you to complete portfolios of evidence, mapping your competencies against the RPS foundation framework. These can be used toward building your individual RPS pharmacist portfolio and supporting your career development.
The course encourages the use of a workplace mentor to support completion of the portfolio, allowing you to complete work-based portfolio tasks in a way that most suits your current practice.
Tailor the course to your own needs
There is a suite of modules available so you can tailor the course to your individual needs. The modules on offer cover universal concepts such as clinical decision making, caring for patients with acute and long-term conditions, and patient safety. There are also focused modules covering topics such as mental health, primary care and population health.
If you're looking to take on a role as an advanced practitioner or prescribing pharmacist, then you may choose to study the clinical skills modules, before moving on to take the Practice Certificate in Independent Prescribing for Pharmacists.
Alternatively, if you're interested in research and development, then you may decide to take the research methods and research project modules where you'll be able to gain skills in conducting clinical research, generating new knowledge which will positively impact on future patient care.
Taking your next steps with an Independent Prescribing qualification
Should you choose to study the Practice Certificate in Independent Prescribing for Pharmacists, you'll be opening doors to new opportunities. Once qualified, and your registration is appropriately annotated, you'll be able to take on new challenges and opportunities unavailable to non-prescribers. The course is therefore transformative in terms of your ongoing professional development and clinical utility that ultimately enhances career choices and job satisfaction.
Career progression
The knowledge and skills that you'll gain through completion of MSc Clinical Pharmacy will place you in an excellent position when looking to take the next steps in your career. Previous students have progressed into senior and advanced clinical pharmacist roles in primary and secondary care, with those also undertaking Independent Prescribing moving into roles in specialist prescribing clinics.
Studying a postgraduate Pharmacy course with the University of Sunderland can help you to achieve your full potential and future-proof your role as a clinical pharmacist.
If you have any questions about the MSc Clinical Pharmacy course, please contact course leader Rebecca Coon.
Published: 8 December 2023