School of Nursing and Midwifery

PgCert Independent Prescribing and Health Assessment

A growing range of healthcare professionals are taking responsibility for the diagnosis, treatment and aftercare of patients both within the NHS - in primary and secondary care - and in the private sector. This programme provides the tools needed to progress and take advantage of these opportunities.

Develop your confidence and ability to manage complex issues both systematically and creatively, make sound judgements in the absence of complete data, and communicate conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences.

Key features

  • Gain confidence in the application of theoretical, analytical and clinical principles of prescribing within your field of practice.
  • Develop critical understanding and clinical application of the holistic assessment and diagnostic processes which lead to a safe prescribing decision.
  • Understand the theory and evidence base on which clinical consultation with patients, carers and peers is based.
  • Develop clinical management planning skills to promote high quality, safe, patient-focused care in clinical practice.
  • Teaching is conducted by a combination of taught workshops, classroom teaching and distance learning.

Course details

  • Year 1

  • The fundamentals of health assessment module is taught over 6 months either before or after the independent and supplementary non-medical prescribing module. Teaching is conducted by a combination of taught workshops, classroom teaching and distance learning. The student is guided in practice with a named mentor where they build on pre-existing knowledge to further advance skills in health assessment, clinical examination and clinical reasoning.

    Independent and supplementary non-medical prescribing is taught over 26 days, within a six-month period. The aim of this module is to advance the development of health care professionals, enabling the understanding of wider influences and principles of prescribing, in order to practice safely and effectively within their scope of professional practice. 

The modules shown for this course or programme are those being studied by current students, or expected new modules. Modules are subject to change depending on year of entry.
Entry requirements

You will normally have a first degree (BSc (Hons) at 2:2 or above or European first cycle equivalent plus a professional qualification in health or social care). You will be assessed individually for your ability to study at this level and therefore an interview may be necessary.

If you do not have a first degree at 2:2 or above (or the European first equivalent) but have appropriate practice-related experience relevant to the programme you may still be eligible to apply. In these cases, you would also be required to submit a short piece of writing as part of the admissions process.

Applicants whose first language is not English must also provide evidence of competence in written and spoken English in accordance with the University’s Admissions Code of Practice - IELTS of 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each category.

AP(E)L:

Claims for credit for prior learning, whether certificated or experiential are accepted and will be assessed following University regulations and faculty procedures.

European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS):

This programme is equivalent to 90 ECTS credits (second cycle) with 30 ECTS credits at postgraduate certificate, 60 credits at postgraduate diploma and 90 credits at masters degree. Each 20 credit module has the equivalent of 10 ECTS credits and assumes a notional student effort of between 200-300 hours.

We welcome applicants with international qualifications. To view other accepted qualifications please refer to our tariff glossary.

Fees, costs and funding

The UK is no longer part of the European Union. EU applicants should refer to our Brexit information to understand the implications.

New student 2023
Part time (home) £1,100 per 20 credit module
Full time fees shown are per annum. Part time fees shown are per a number of credits. Please note that fees are reviewed on an annual basis. Fees and the conditions that apply to them shown in the prospectus are correct at the time of going to print. Fees shown on the web are the most up to date but are still subject to change in exceptional circumstances. More information about fees and funding.

Additional costs
Please be aware that there may be additional costs to undertaking your studies relating to printing of course materials, and requirement for an initial outlay for travel and accommodation in respect of practice placement. If you have any questions regarding these costs please contact admissions@plymouth.ac.uk.

International
If you are studying on a programme where placements are integral to your study there are costs associated with travel and accommodation. Please speak with the programme admissions tutor to find out more.

In order to cater for the needs of the NHS workforce, this programme is flexible in nature and allows up to five years for students to complete the full MSc. For this reason, students on the programme are unable to claim support via the Student Loans Company Postgraduate Loan. The SLC stipulates that part time programmes (which do not have a full time equivalent) must be offered for no longer than three years. If you think that you will have trouble funding your place on the programme, we would recommend a discussion with your employer to see whether any financial support can be granted.

How to apply

Applying for this programme

Please visit our PDU admissions homepage for full details on the application process and to download the relevant forms.

Please return your completed forms to:

Email: pduadmissions@plymouth.ac.uk

Professional Development Unit
4th floor, Rolle Building
University of Plymouth
Drake Circus
Plymouth, PL4 8AA

Tel: +44 (0)1752 586951


What happens after I apply?

After your application is received by the PDU Admissions team, it will be processed and sent to the Programme Lead for a decision to be made on your suitability to study. You may be asked to provide additional information or to take part in an interview (for overseas students this may be by telephone or video conference). Once this decision has been made, you will be sent an email either confirming your place on the programme, or rejecting your application and giving the reasons for this decision (you may request further feedback in order to improve your chances of selection at a later date).

Applying for this programme

Please visit our PDU admissions homepage for full details on the application process and to download the relevant forms.

Please return your completed forms to:

Email: pduadmissions@plymouth.ac.uk

Professional Development Unit
4th floor, Rolle Building
University of Plymouth
Drake Circus
Plymouth, PL4 8AA

Tel: +44 (0)1752 586951

In recent years the delivery of healthcare and clinical services has developed to allow greater access for patients, and increased opportunities for a growing range of healthcare professionals to take responsibility for the diagnosis, treatment and aftercare of patients both within the NHS, in primary and secondary care, and in the private sector. 
The PgCert Independent Prescribing and Health Assessment programme provides healthcare professionals with the tools needed to progress into these roles.
Success in this PgCert will allow you to demonstrate self-direction, originality in managing and solving problems, and an ability to act autonomously in planning and implementing a clinical workload with professional responsibilities. 
As a qualified health professional it will bring you to a higher level of practice commensurate with demonstrated advanced skills and standards of
practice to include prescribing and health assessment in a clinical setting.
<p>Pharmacist advising a patient, credit: FatCamera, courtesy of Getty Images<br></p>

Please be aware that modules within the programme are suited only to those employed in practice in the UK.
The Independent and supplementary non-medical prescribing module leads to a professional qualification which is only valid in the UK. 
Clinically enhanced prescribing and health assessment is recognised as a level 7 activity (QAA descriptors).

Heart

Professional Development Unit

Degree and master's level study designed for health and social care professions.

A comprehensive range of modules, programmes and short courses for your personal, professional and academic development. 

For further information visit the Professional Development Unit. 

To access documentation required for the application process visit the Professional Development Unit - Admissions.