Postgraduate Taught

We have provided the Advanced Professional Practice programme since January 2008. From September 2010 we will offer two pathways:

• Advanced Professional Practice (Pharmacy), incorporating the ACLF
• Advanced Professional Practice (Open Learn), for health professionals working across two or more sectors of practice

Advanced Professional Practice (Pharmacy)

The Pharmacy pathway is compatible with the emerging agenda for Advanced and Specialist Practice within the Pharmacy profession. Pharmacists who follow this pathway will incorporate the Advanced and Consultant Level Competency Framework
(ACLF) or related frameworks if relevant (eg Pharmacist with Special Interest) within their Advanced Professional Practice award and be able to demonstrate competency in all six competency clusters of the framework, ie:

• Expert Professional Practice
• Building Relationships
• Leadership
• Management
• Education, Training and Development
• Research and Evaluation

This pathway maintains our ‘pick and mix’, open and flexible learning philosophy that enables students to pick modules, though guidance from the Programme Manager and Tutors, that are particularly compatible with achieving the competencies required to demonstrate the level of ‘Excellence’ according to the specific framework.

The two core modules Advanced Practice Development (30) and Competency Frameworks for the Advanced Practitioner are
new for 2010/11 and will be among those that you study to complete the Diploma. Those students who proceed to the MSc
course will complete the Faculty of Health’s Dissertation course which is compatible with the ‘Excellence’ level for research in the
competency frameworks.

Advanced Professional Practice (Open Learn)

Increasing numbers of pharmacists and other health professionals have a career portfolio that crosses the traditional boundaries of community practice, primary care and secondary care and need a programme of continuing professional development that can meet their specific personal professional development needs.

The Open learn pathway of the APP programme is designed to allow pharmacists and other health professionals, particularly medical and non-medical prescribers working in primary care, choice and flexibility in their progression to Certificate, Diploma and
Masters awards to meet their specific professional development needs and advance their professional practice. Pharmacists can choose modules from across the Department of Medicines Management/School of Pharmacy postgraduate programmes’ portfolio, including Community Pharmacy and Clinical (Hospital) Pharmacy.

Pharmacists, medical and nonmedical prescribers can choose modules from the Prescribing Studies programme, including
the Independent Prescribing Preparatory Course for Pharmacists, and also modules provided by other Schools within the Faculty of Health, and other Faculties within the University, subject to meeting the specific entry criteria required for individual modules.

Pharmacist with a Special Interest (PhwSI) and Advanced Practice Development (APD) Module The Advanced Practice
Development CPD Plus+ course can be studied as a 15 credit or 30 credit Master’s course. The course is suitable for:

Pharmacists, who are practising and registered with the RPSGB:

• Who wish to achieve the Diploma in Advanced Professional Practice (Pharmacy) or an Advanced Professional Practice (Open Learn) award
• As a stand-alone module to use it a means to support their achieving accreditation as a Pharmacist with Special Interest (PhwSI) General Medical Practitioners and Dental Practitioner
• Who wish to achieve the Diploma in Advanced Professional Practice (Open Learn) award
• As a stand-alone module to use it as a means to support their achieving accreditation as a Practitioner with Special Interest (PwSI; GPwSI)

The aim of the Advanced Practice Development course is to enable participants to develop a comprehensive understanding and
critical awareness of a chosen field of their professional practice, through scholarship informed by current professional practice and research, and apply their learning to develop their professional practice/services.

For those studying for on the 30 credit course, you will apply your learning to develop your professional practice/services
in line with the Advanced and Consultant Level Framework (ACLF) or other relevant competency frameworks.

Students who successfully complete this course should be able to:

• Demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and act autonomously in planning and implementing
• tasks at a professional level
• Demonstrate how they will continue to advance their knowledge and understanding, and to develop new skills to a high level
• Demonstrate the qualities and transferable skills necessary for professional practice that requires
• The exercise of initiative and personal responsibility
• Decision-making in complex and unpredictable situations; and
• The independent learning ability required for continuing professional development

In addition, for the 30-credit course:

• Demonstrate achievement of the competencies within the ACLF or other relevant framework to the appropriate level

Assessment

Reflective Portfolio – to record and reflect on learning related to the short course/module and the individual’s professional practice.

Professional MSc Course

The Masters year course is common to all Keele Medicines Management/School of Pharmacy’s principal postgraduate programmes, i.e. Community Pharmacy, Clinical Pharmacy (secondary care), Prescribing Studies and Advanced
Professional Practice.

Entry to the Masters year requires satisfactory completion of the postgraduate Diploma award that is associated with one of the relevant Keele programmes, or an ‘equivalent’ postgraduate Diploma award from another UK university. Candidates who wish to gain direct entry after having completed a Diploma at another university will have to provide full details of the syllabus covered/assessment strategy for consideration with their application to Keele.

The Masters year was restructured in 2007 to take into account a number of factors affecting education and professional role
development for pharmacists to embody an emphasis on the researching professional as a reflective practitioner. It is
categorised by the University as a Professional MSc that is grounded in an individual’s professional practice. It will enable you to focus on an area of interest to you so that you can develop a comprehensive understanding and critical awareness of this at an advanced level and apply your learning to develop your professional practice/services through scholarship, research and enquiry that will, in parallel, enable you to achieve the standards for a Masters degree. This will be achieved through the three modules that form the structure for the Masters year:

Researching and Evaluating Your Practice – 15 credits
Advanced Practice Development – 15 credits
Independent Learning Project – 30 credits