Experiential Learning

In 2021 the Pharmacy Regulators published new standards for the Initial Education and Training (IET) of pharmacists which provides a five-year training continuum in the form of the MPharm and Foundation Training Year (FTY). The aim of these new standards is to prepare newly registered pharmacists to work at a higher clinical level across all sectors of the profession and ultimately register as independent prescribers. In response, universities across the UK have revised their four-year MPharm to incorporate an increased level of Experiential Learning (EL) opportunities for student pharmacists throughout their undergraduate degree.

Pharmacist Regulators have defined EL for the MPharm Degree as:

'a period of practical experience of working with patients, carers and other healthcare professionals taking place in a range of environments'.

EL in its simplest form means 'learning by doing' and its main objective is to provide student pharmacists with authentic pharmacy experiences, enabling them to 'think, act, and feel' like a pharmacy professional in the provision of effective person-centred care.

Each pharmacy student will undertake 12 weeks of EL, which will be spread incrementally throughout the undergraduate programme from second year to fourth year. The student pharmacist will take part in defined Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) routinely undertaken by pharmacists and record their learning. They will receive developmental feedback from their Practice Supervisor pharmacist, which will support them to achieve their learning objectives. The development of clinical pharmacy skills in real-life practice settings during EL will also be supported by simulation throughout all four years of the MPharm at university sites.