University of Bradford: Programme Specification

University of Bradford: Programme Specification

UNIVERSITY OF BRADFORDSchool of Life SciencesSchool of PharmacyProgramme/course title: Master of Science in Clinical Pharmacy (Hospital)

Awarding and teaching institution: / University of Bradford
Final award: / Master of Science
(QAA Framework for Higher Education Qualifications level M)
Programme title: / Master of Science in Clinical Pharmacy (Hospital)
Duration: / Postgraduate certificate: One year part time
Postgraduate diploma: Two years part time
MSc: Three years part time
UCAS code: / N/A
Date produced: / September 2010
Last updated :

Introduction

The programmeprovides an MSc/Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy that aligns with the General Level Framework (GLF), meets the needs of local hospitals and equips junior pharmacists with the clinical, personal and managerial skills needed to progress within the modern NHS. It has been designed in collaboration with local employers and will enable you to attain the skills and knowledge necessary for career progression through the NHS Employers Agenda for Change bandings.

Areas covered include the pharmaceutical management of patients with a broad range of clinical problems as well as the organisational culture associated with working as a pharmacist in the NHS and an introduction to research methods and audit. Students also have a choice of optional modules to increase their knowledge and skills in other areas of interest.

The programme is suitable for pharmacists registered in the UK and practising within the hospital sector. Prior experience in Hospital Pharmacy Practice is not essential but is considered to be an advantage.

Programme Aims

The programme is intended to:

A1Provide you withthe clinical and professional skills necessary to practise pharmacy in a hospital setting, and to develop sufficient competence in this area to complete the General Level Framework (GLF) (available at

A2Provide you with a systematic understanding of the aetiology, pathophysiology and management of specified diseases affecting the human body, as encountered in contemporary clinical hospital pharmacy

A3Enable you to develop a critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights in professional pharmacy practice.

A4Enable you to develop a comprehensive understanding of techniques applied in advanced scholarship in clinical pharmacy practice.

A5Enable you to identify and meet your own learning needs in order to meet the clinical governance and continuing professional development (CPD) requirements laid down by your employer, NHS Executive and the General Pharmaceutical Council.

A6Further develop your ability in a range of personal and key skills, including an appreciation of the role of a pharmacist in sustainability, including areas such as health inequalities, patient choice and well-being and cultural diversity.

For those completing the MSc:

A7Employ advanced skills in order to conduct a piece of research utilising a relevant methodology, disseminate the results and demonstrate how this may influence practice or policy.

Programme Learning Outcomes

When you have completed the programme you will be able to:

Postgraduate Certificate and Diploma

LO1Demonstrate a systematic understanding of the structure and function of the NHS and how it deals with key issues such as prioritisation, cost/health economic issues, health inequalities and patient choice.

LO2Demonstrate a systematic understanding of the aetiology, pathogenesis and drug management of specified disease states and critically analyse the evidence base for the drug management of these disease states.

LO3Critically evaluate an individual patient’s drug therapy in the light of accepted best clinical practice and devise and justify appropriate course(s) of action for therapeutic management.

LO4Demonstrate competence as a hospital clinical pharmacist by completing the General Level Framework (GLF) to the required standard.

LO5Demonstrate original and critical thinking through the ability to independently:

• Recognise, define and prioritise complex problems, sometimes in the absence of complete data.
• Communicate your conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences.

LO6Demonstrate a conceptual understanding of the place of research evidence in influencing clinical practice, through the ability to independently:

• Critically evaluate published literature;
• Critically analyse and interpret data

LO7Apply verbal and written communication skills, IT skills, working with others,

autonomy and problem-solving skills.

LO8Develop further the ability to reflect on and practice appropriate self-direction in your own practice, identify personal learning needs and take appropriate steps to meet them.

Degree of Master

On successful completion of the final stage of the programme, you will be able to:

LO9Develop a critical understanding of the research process by undertaking an in-depth piece of research in an area relevant to your own pharmacy practice.

Curriculum

Postgraduate Certificate

This can be completed in one year. Areas covered in the “Foundations in Clinical Skills Module” include; reflective practice, patient monitoring, individualising drug therapy, clinical pharmacokinetics and the pharmaceutical care of patients with conditions including: respiratory disease, coagulation disorders and infections. The pharmaceutical care of patients requiring nutritional support, pain control, medicines reconciliation and support with adherence as well as the assimilation of information to answer medicines information queries, will be covered.

In addition, the following areas will be covered in the “Pharmacist Development in the NHS” module; The organisational culture and structure of the NHS, professional relationships, working at the interface, decision making, health economics and prioritization, risk management and clinical governance, models of consultation, public health, change management, service delivery and evaluation.

By the end of this stage students will be able to:

Demonstrate LO 1-3 and 5-8 in the areas covered above and will be approximately half-way towards completion of the GLF (LO4).

Module Code / Module Title / Type / Credits / Level / Study period
PH9977L / Pharmacist Development in the NHS / Core / 20
(10+10) / M / Semester 1 2
PH5112K / Foundations in Clinical Practice / Core / 40 (20+20) / M / Semester 12

Postgraduate Diploma

This can be completed in an additional year. Subject areas covered include gastroenterology and liver disease, cardiology, neurology, endocrinology, renal disease, oncology and haematology, infection and immunomodulatory drugs, mental health, surgery and intensive care, paediatrics and neonates.The Research Methods and Audit module covers areas such as ethics, literature reviewing, forming a hypothesis and constructing a research protocol. Students also gain experience in teaching others and undertake an optional module in an area of their interest.

By the end of this stage students will be able to demonstrate Learning Outcomes 1-8

Module Code / Module Title / Type / Credits / Level / Study period
PH5113K / Applied Therapeutics / Core / 40 (20+20) / M / Semester 2 &1
PH-9981L / Skills for Pharmacy Practice and Research / Core / 20 (10+10) / M / Semester 1&2

Degree of Masters

The Dissertation stage requires students to undertake a research project.

By the end of this stage students will be able to:

Develop acritical and original understanding of the research process by undertaking an in-depth piece of research in an area relevant to his or her pharmacy practice (LO9)

Module Code / Module Title / Type / Credits / Level / Study period
PH9973Z / Dissertation / Core / 60 / M / Semester 1 & 2

The curriculum may change, subject to the University's course approval, monitoring and review procedures.

Teaching and Assessment Strategies

The programme articulates with the teaching and learning strategy of the University. The teaching and learning strategy for the course encourages students to develop their critical thinking skills to appraise, review and recommend drug therapy for patients and to promote an ethos of self-directed, lifelong learning through evidence based practice approaches.

To achieve this, the course utilises a variety of teaching methods;

1. Study days

These study days cater for 10 to 20 students and each day is double taught to optimise engagement and allow base hospitals to meet service requirements. The teaching addresses students with a wide variety of learning styles and includes the following teaching strategies: small group work, brain storming, lecturing, quizzes, round table discussions, patient discussions, task setting, patient centred case reviews and preparation of case presentations and teaching sessions.

1. Self-Directed Study

Students are required to undertake pre-study day reading and tasks before attending the study days. In addition to this students are given post-study day tasks and are expected to identify their own learning needs and further necessary reading and/or tasks. Students are also required to undertake and record continuing professional development (CPD), aligning with professional requirements.

c. Coursework

For two of the modules students are required to compile a portfolio to demonstrate their progress towards completing the GLF. This consists of case-based discussions, mini-clinical evaluation exercises, direct observation of patient consultation, intervention logs, patient profiles, mini-peer assessment tool, CPD entries, a reflective summary, case presentations and additional assignments.

Students self-select the assessments they include in their portfolios, giving them the opportunity to receive formative feedback. In addition students meet regularly with Practice Tutors

Coursework assignments in other modules include reflective journals and the development of a business plan and research proposal (see below).

c. Tutorials and Practice-Based Research (Dissertation only)

Students attend academic tutorials at the University and undertake a practice-based research project

Assessment

The Foundations in Clinical Practice and Applied Therapeutics modules are assessed by a variety of methods. Atwo hour unseen written exam (25%) consists of extended matching questions (EMQ) and a long answer question in order to assess knowledge and understanding of the broad range of clinical conditions required. An Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) (25%) allows the student to demonstrate their communication skills including information gathering and counselling, in a situation similar to that encountered in clinical practice. The coursework component (50%) involves the submission of a portfolio of evidence demonstrating the student’s competency as a practising junior pharmacist, against the GLF.

The Pharmacist Development in the NHS module is assessed by the submission of a business plan (75%) and a reflective summary (25%). The business plan requires students to identify an area of need within their Trust and consider possible solutions, their practical application,impact on the NHS and consideration of how this could be assessed. The reflective summary encourages students to develop their communication skills by critically analysing their own performance with reference to the literature.

The Research Methods and Audit module is assessed by the submission of a research proposal in a similar format to that expected for the MSc dissertation. This involves critically appraising the literature in order to establish a need for a piece of research. Consideration of all aspects of the module syllabus will be needed to fulfil the learning outcomes.

Both of the optional modules Clinics in Practice and Aseptics in Practice involve a reflective essay which allows students to review their own performance against published literature and guidelines and structure their personal development accordingly. The workbookto be completed for Aseptics in Practice contains further reading and short tasks to ensure students have sufficient knowledge of the principles of good manufacturing practice and are able to clinically check prescriptions. The Clinics in Practice module requires completion of a journal to ensure that students spend sufficient time in clinic and gain experience of a range of conditions.

Students are required to pass all the examined and coursework elements of each module: compensation is not allowed (see “Regulations Summary”, below).

Assessment Regulations

This Programme conforms to the standard University Assessment Regulations for Postgraduate Programmes which are available at the following link:

The exception to these regulations is that, in order to pass both “Foundations in Clinical Practice” and “Applied Therapeutics” modules the student must achieve a mark of greater than 40% in ALL elements of coursework. There is no compensation allowed.

Admission Requirements

We admit between 10 and 40 students per year. In addition to fulfilling the University’s general entrance requirements students will also need to fulfil the following specific requirements: The course is open to UK registered Pharmacists only. The student must have a degree in Pharmacy and access to practice/clinical experience through employment in a hospital (or similar) pharmacy. Prior experience in Hospital Pharmacy Practice is not essential but is considered to be an advantage. The Employer must be willing and capable of providing support to the student in the manner described in “student support and guidance” below.

The University welcomes applications from all potential students regardless of their previous academic experience; offers are made following detailed consideration of each individual application. Most important in the decision to offer a place is our assessment of a candidate’s potential to benefit from their studies and of their ability to succeed on this particular programme. Entrance requirements for each programme will vary but consideration of your application will be based on a combination of your formal academic qualifications and other relevant experience.

If you have prior certificated learning or professional experience which may be equivalent to parts of this programme, the University has procedures to evaluate this learning in order to provide you with exemptions from specified modules contained within the curriculum. Please talk to us if you do not fit the standard pattern of entry qualifications.

The University of Bradford has always welcomed applications from disabled students, and these will be considered on the same academic grounds as are applied to all applicants. If you have some form of disability you may wish to contact the Programme Leader before you apply.

Learning Resources

The JB Priestley Library on the city campus and our specialist libraries in the School of Health and the School of Management provide a wide range of printed and electronic resources to support your studies. We offer quiet study space if you want to work on your own, and group study areas for the times when you need to discuss work with fellow students. Subject librarians for each School provide training sessions and individual guidance in finding the information you need for your assignment, and will help you organise your references properly.

All base hospitals carry a defined selection of textbooks that support material taught on the course. In addition, local health sciences libraries and Medicines Information Centres will be available for your use.

Student PC clusters can be found in all our libraries and elsewhere on the campus. Many of these are open 24/7. You can also use the University's wireless network to access the internet from your own laptop. Most of our online journals are available on the internet (both on and off campus), and you can also access your University email account, personal information and course-related materials this way.

Staff are on hand during the daytime to help you if you needs assistance, and there is a 24/7 IT helpline available.

Student Support and Guidance

Course Team

Members of University staff act as Personal Academic Tutors and are responsible for co-ordinating study days, assessing submitted coursework and case presentations and for the examinations process. You will also be supported in your studies by University and departmental student handbooks and by module handbooks.

Each Trust designates a Senior Tutor whose role is to oversee the process of student assessment and feedback within that Trust. Each student will be assigned a Practice Tutor whose role is to meet with the tutee on at least a monthly basis to monitor and facilitate the student’s progress and for signing them off against the GLF framework. Each tutor must undergo a yearly “Train the Trainers” session, run by the Course Director to ensure that they are familiar with the course and the standards required.

Practice tutors (in base hospitals) are also responsible for assessing profiles and also contribute to teaching at regional study days. All the base hospitals participating in the programme are aware of and committed to students’ requirements for study time and time to collect patient data. Senior Hospital Tutors are members of the Course Management Team, which implements improvements to the structure and content of the course.

Contact with University staff continues throughout the course via study days, assessment days and staff visits to base hospitals. Student feedback is continually sought; feedback forms from each study day and moduleand a Staff-Student Liaison Committee, which enable continual feedback and development to meet the needs of the students.

Support for you personally and in your course of study, will be provided both by the University and the Course Team. The School will ensure that there is someone available with whom you feel comfortable to help and support you. You will be provided with a comprehensive series of handbooks that you can consult on a range of learning issues and your course tutors will be available to consult on subject specific queries.

Students’ Union

We value the feedback provided by students and collaborate with the Students’ Union, through a system of course representatives and formal staff student liaison committees, so that any issues you wish to raise are addressed rapidly.