Examples of routes to a Prescribing Studies award - Keele University
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Prescribing Studies - Student Pathways

Here are a few examples of the options that a Prescribing Adviser or Practice-Based Pharmacist could opt for:
Jennifer’s pathway
Harpreet’s pathway
Chen’s pathway
Raj’s pathway

Here are a few examples of the options that Medical and Non-Medical Prescribers could choose:
Julius’s pathway
Kanta’s pathway

Here are a few examples of the options that a pharmacist who wishes to qualify as independent prescriber could opt for:
Martha’s pathway
Dai’s pathway

However, there are many other possibilities so please contact a member of the Postgraduate Education Team to discuss your specific circumstances.

 

Jennifer’s pathway
Jennifer had been working as a Practice-Based Pharmacist for three years. Given the focus of her medication review work in the practice for the next year, she feels that it would meet his CPD needs to complete some modules from Keele’s Prescribing Studies programme. In consultation with a Keele tutor, she chose to complete four 15 credit CPD Plus+ Open Learn modules, that focussed on angina, hypertension, heart failure and rational prescribing, over the next 12 months.

Having accumulated 60 credits, she was awarded the postgraduate
Certificate in Prescribing Studies (Open Learn).

She decided that she would like to study for the Diploma award and the practice agreed to support her. She chose a further four 15 credit CPD Plus+ Open Learn modules that focussed on diabetes, depression, communication and consultation skills and patient-prescriber partnerships in medicines taking. She completed these after a further 9 months.

Having now accumulated 120 credits, she was awarded the postgraduate
Diploma in Prescribing Studies (Open Learn).

Jennifer can use these credits towards completing the MSc degree in Prescribing Studies (Open Learn) in the future if she wishes to do so using the Professional MSc Course. She has up to three years to do this since the total timescale to achieve the MSc is 5 years.

 

Harpreet’s pathway
Harpreet had been working as a part-time prescribing adviser for her PCT for 18 months. The opportunity arose for her to enrol on Keele’s Independent Prescribing (IP) course. Six months later she qualified as a pharmacist IP and had gained 45 credits. She wanted to achieve a postgraduate certificate award so she continued to study for a further 15 credits to gain the total of 60 that she needed. She chose three of the 5 credit fixed content CPD Plus+ modules since she felt that this would help her to expand her prescribing practice into other clinical areas.
She took 5 months to complete all three and was eligible for the postgraduate
Certificate in Prescribing Studies (Independent Prescribing).

The PCT indicated that they would continue to support her to study further to gain a Diploma award. At the same time, one of the practices in which she worked indicated that they would like her to develop a pharmacist prescriber-led obesity clinic. Harpreet decided to begin studying for the Diploma by completing a 30 credit CPD Plus+ Open Learn module that focussed on the management of obesity. She completed this module within 6 months.

This coincided with the PCT’s developments relating to the ‘Implementing Care Closer to Home’ initiative and a further opportunity for Harpreet to undergo accreditation with the PCT to ultimately practice as a Pharmacist with a Special Interest (PhwSI). She decided to use Keele’s Advanced Practice Development (APD) module to help her develop her portfolio for accreditation as a PhwSI. She completed the module after a further 3 months and had accumulated another 15 credits towards the Diploma award. To complete the remaining 15 credits, she chose a CPD Plus+ Open Learn module that focussed on patient-prescriber partnerships in medicines taking. She also completed this within 3 months

Having now completed the total 120 credits required, Harpreet was awarded the postgraduate Diploma in Prescribing Studies (Independent Prescribing).

She plans to register for the Professional MSc Course at the next available opportunity when she will complete a second Advanced Practice Development module, the Research Methods module and an Independent Learning Project to gain the MSc in Prescribing Studies (Independent Prescribing).

If all goes to plan, Harpreet will have achieved the Masters award
within 3 years of initial registration on the Independent Prescribing Course.

 

Chen’s pathway
Chen works part-time in a community pharmacy, where she regularly carries out MURs, and part-time in a GP practice where she conducts medication review clinics. She felt that she could benefit from doing a course that focussed on areas that were relevant. Over the next 12 months she completed the CPD Plus+ module in Communication and Consultation Skills (10 credits) and a CPD Plus + Open Learn module in Clinical Pharmacy for Medicines Management that she had negotiated with her Keele tutor that provided 30 credits.

A few months later she decided to complete the Working with Prescribers in Primary Care CPD Plus+ module (10 credits). Having completed this module, her Keele tutor advised her that she might think about completing a further 10 credits to get the total 60 credits she needs for a university academic Certificate award. Chen decided to complete a CPD Plus+ Open Learn 10 credit course in rational prescribing to achieve this and meet her needs in relation to her role in the practice.

Chen accumulated 60 credits in 2 years and was awarded the Postgraduate Certificate in Community Pharmacy (Open Learn).

The following year, the community pharmacy organisation and GP practice that Chen works for agreed that they would support her to qualify as an independent prescriber. Chen subsequently completed the Keele Independent Prescribing course and accumulated a further 45 credits. She was now only 15 credits away from a university academic Diploma award. She decided to register on a 15 credit CPD Plus+ Open Learn module that would help her develop her knowledge and skills in relation to prescribing in heart failure.

Having completed this module, and a total of 120 credits within 3 years, Chen was awarded the Postgraduate Diploma in Community Pharmacy (Independent Prescribing).

She can use these 120 Diploma credits towards the MSc in Community Pharmacy (Independent Prescribing) in the future if she wishes using the Professional MSc Course. She has up to two years to do this since the total timescale to achieve the MSc is 5 years.

 

Raj’s pathway
Raj was a community pharmacist for 5 years until 6 months ago when he took up a post as a practice-based pharmacist.

During his time as a community pharmacist he completed two 30 credit CPD Plus+ Open Learn modules with Keele University that focussed on Clinical Pharmacy for Medicines Management and Working with Prescribers in Primary Care. This resulted in him gaining a postgraduate Certificate in Community Pharmacy (Open Learn) in the year before he moved to work in primary care.

Having thought about his continuing professional development needs in his new role, he decided to enrol with Keele for six of the 5 credit, fixed content CPD Plus+ modules from the Prescribing Studies programme. He completed these within 6 months and gained a further 30 credits.

Over the next eighteen months Raj developed his practice in relation to patients with diabetes and the practice suggested that he set-up a pharmacist-led diabetes clinic using the Pharmacists with Special Interests framework. To help him develop his portfolio for accreditation, Raj decided to use Keele’s Advanced Practice Development module. He completed the module within 3 months and went on to be accredited by the PCT as a PhwSI after a further 3 months.

By this time, Raj had accumulated a total of 105 credits from studying with Keele. He was advised by a Keele Tutor that by completing a further 15 credits he could be recommended for the postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Professional Practice. He therefore decided to complete a 15 credit CPD Plus+ Open Learn module that focussed on health promotion and was awarded the Diploma.

In total, Raj had taken four years to gain his Diploma award. He can use these 120 credits to study for the MSc in Advanced Professional Practice if he wishes, using the Professional MSc Course, but must do so within the next year to meet the 5-year cut-off for a Masters qualification.

 

Julius’s pathway
Julius had been working as a GP for six years. He felt that it would meet his CPD needs to complete some modules from Keele’s Prescribing Studies programme. In consultation with a Keele tutor, he chose to complete four 15 credit CPD Plus+ Open Learn modules, that focussed on angina, hypertension, heart failure and rational prescribing, over the next 12 months.

Having accumulated 60 credits, he was awarded the postgraduate
Certificate in Prescribing Studies (Open Learn).

After a few months he decided that he would like to study for the Diploma award. He chose a further two 15 credit CPD Plus+ Open Learn modules (diabetes and depression) and a 30 credit CPD Plus+ Open Learn module that focussed on patient-prescriber partnerships in medicines taking. He completed these after a further 9 months.

Having now accumulated 120 credits, he was awarded the postgraduate
Diploma in Prescribing Studies (Open Learn).

He can use these credits towards completing the MSc degree in Prescribing Studies (Open Learn) in the future if he wishes using the Professional MSc Course. He has up to three years to do this since the total timescale to achieve the MSc is 5 years.

 

Kanta’s pathway
Kanta was a hospital pharmacist who qualified as an independent prescriber 6 months ago having completed the course with Keele and gained 45 credits. She then got a new job in primary care and felt that completing a 15 credit CPD Plus+ Open Learn module that focussed on working with prescribers in primary care would help her in her new working environment. She completed this after a further 3 months.
Having accumulated 60 credits she was eligible for the award of postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Professional Practice.

By this time, as well as working for the PCT, Kanta was a part-time tutor on Keele’s Independent Prescribing course. She felt that it would be useful to complete a module that would help support her role in this respect. She registered on Keele’s ‘Theory and Practice of Open and Distance Learning’ and another module that focussed on assessment and gained another 30 credits after 6 months.

A couple of months later one of the practices in which she worked asked her to take the lead in the development of a substance misuse clinic. She felt that she needed to further develop her personal knowledge and skills in this area and more widely in relation to behavioural change and therefore decided to complete a 30 credit CPD Plus+ Open Learn module that would help her to do so.

Kanta had now gained a total of 120 credits and was awarded the postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Professional Practice.

Kanta felt that leading the substance misuse clinic was a good opportunity for her to seek accreditation as a Pharmacist with a Special Interest (PhwSI). She also wanted to continue her studies to gain a Masters degree. She therefore decided to register on the Professional Masters course and to use the Advanced Practice Development module to help her develop the portfolio of evidence that would be needed for accreditation as a PhwSI.

After a further 12 months Kanta had achieved all the requirements to be awarded the MSc in Advanced Professional Practice.

 

Martha’s pathway
Martha had been working as a part-time prescribing adviser for his PCT for 18 months. The opportunity arose for her to enrol on Keele’s Independent Prescribing (IP) course. Six months later she qualified as a pharmacist IP and had gained 45 credits. She wanted to achieve a postgraduate certificate award so she continued to study for a further 15 credits to gain the total of 60 that she needed. She chose three of the 5 credit fixed content CPD Plus+ modules since she felt that this would help her to expand her prescribing practice into other clinical areas.

She took 5 months to complete all three and was eligible for the postgraduate Certificate in Prescribing Studies (Independent Prescribing).

The PCT indicated that it would continue to support her to study further to gain a Diploma award. At the same time, one of the practices in which she worked indicated that they would like her to develop a pharmacist prescriber-led obesity clinic. Martha decided to begin studying for the Diploma by completing a 30 credit CPD Plus+ Open Learn module that focussed on the management of obesity. She completed this module within 6 months.

This coincided with the PCT’s developments relating to the ‘Implementing Care Closer to Home’ initiative and a further opportunity for Martha to undergo accreditation with the PCT to ultimately practice as a Pharmacist with a Special Interest (PhwSI). She decided to use Keele’s Advanced Practice Development (APD) module to help her develop her portfolio for accreditation as a PhwSI. She completed the module after a further 3 months and had accumulated another 15 credits towards the Diploma award. To complete the remaining 15 credits, she chose a CPD Plus+ Open Learn module that focussed on patient-prescriber partnerships in medicines taking. She also completed this within 3 months

Having now completed the total 120 credits required, Martha was awarded the postgraduate Diploma in Prescribing Studies (Independent Prescribing).

She plans to register for the Professional MSc Course at the next available opportunity when she will complete a second Advanced Practice Development module, the Research Methods module and an Independent Learning Project to gain the MSc in Prescribing Studies (Independent Prescribing).

If all goes to plan, Martha will have achieved the Masters award within 3 years of initial registration on the Independent Prescribing Course.

 

Dai’s pathway
Dai has been working as a part-time prescribing adviser for his PCT for 18 months. He completed Keele’s postgraduate Certificate in Prescribing Studies three months ago.

The opportunity arose for him to enrol on Keele’s Independent Prescribing (IP) course. Six months later he qualified as a pharmacist IP. This coincided with the PCT’s developments relating to the ‘Implementing Care Closer to Home’ initiative and a further opportunity for Dai to undergo accreditation with the PCT to ultimately practice as a Pharmacist with a Special Interest (PhwSI) in the community. Dai decided to enrol on Keele’s Advanced Practice Development (APD) module to help him develop his portfolio for accreditation as a PhwSI. He completed the module after a further 3 months.

Having completed the Certificate in Prescribing Studies, the IP course and the APD module, Dai had accumulated 120 credits from Keele University within 2 years and was awarded the Postgraduate Diploma in Prescribing Studies (Independent Prescribing).

Dai can use these 120 credits to continue his studies to gain the Masters degree using the Professional Masters course to be awarded the MSc in Prescribing Studies (Independent Prescribing)

He has up to 3 years to do this since the total timescale to achieve the MSc is 5 years.