Advanced Practice

As patients’ health needs become increasingly more complex, advanced pharmacist practitioners who can manage and prescribe medicines safely and effectively have a clear role to play in their holistic treatment and care, particularly in the current challenging economic environment.

NICPLD has collaborated with colleagues in the Schools of Pharmacy at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) and Ulster University (UU) to develop an MSc in Advanced Pharmacy Practice. Both courses are based on the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Core Advanced Pharmacist curriculum, which encompasses the four pillars of clinical practice, leadership and management, education and research. They are aimed at patient-focused pharmacists who have previously completed a post-registration foundation programme and their training as an independent prescriber.

The format, content, and duration of the QUB and UU Advanced Pharmacy Practice (APP) MSc courses are the same. The MSc stage (60 credits) is delivered over 2 years as follows:

Year 1 (30 credits):

• Advanced Practice Development (APD) - a joint 20-credit module delivered by NICPLD:
  • Module codes: QUB: PMY7107 (Advanced Practice Development) / UU: PHA748 (Advanced Pharmacy Practice Development)
  • Schedule: September to December – workshops/webinars; Mid-May – portfolio submission; May/June – oral interview assessments
• Research Methods - a 10-credit module delivered by QUB/UU:
  • Module codes: QUB: PMY7041 (Research in Advanced Practice) / UU: PHA749 (Research Methodologies for Advanced Pharmacy Practice)
  • Schedule: January/February – workshops/webinars; March/April – research proposal submission

Year 2 (30 credits):

• Research Project - a 30-credit module delivered by QUB/UU:
  • Module codes: QUB: PMY7009 (Service Evaluation & Development) / UU: PHA750 (Research Project in Advanced Pharmacy Practice)
• Schedule: September to December – data collection; January/February – writing up; March/April – paper/poster submission

Applications for the MSc in Advanced Pharmacy Practice at QUB and UU are now open. Application forms can be downloaded by clicking on the link on the right hand side of this page. Completed application forms must be returned to nicpld-postreg@qub.ac.uk by the closing date of 12 noon on Wednesday 24th April 2024. A total of 48 places for new MSc students will be available across both universities in 2024/5. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis (assuming entry criteria are fulfilled).

Additional resources:

• APD lecture handout