University of Bradford:
Programme Specification
UNIVERSITY OF BRADFORD
School of Life Sciences
School of Pharmacy
Programme/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 programme provides 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.
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Programme Aims
The programme is intended to:
A1
Provide you with the 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
http://www.codeg.org/fileadmin/codeg/pdf/glf/GLF_October_2007_Edition.pdf)
A2
Provide 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
A3
Enable you to develop a critical awareness of current problems and/or new
insights in professional pharmacy practice.
A4
Enable you to develop a comprehensive understanding of techniques applied
in advanced scholarship in clinical pharmacy practice.
A5
Enable 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.
A6
Further 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:
A7
Employ 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
LO1
Demonstrate 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.
LO2
Demonstrate 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.
LO3
Critically 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.
LO4
Demonstrate competence as a hospital clinical pharmacist by completing the
General Level Framework (GLF) to the required standard.
LO5
Demonstrate original and critical thinking through the ability to independently:

Recognise, define and prioritise complex problems, sometimes in the
absence of complete data.
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
LO6
Communicate your conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist
audiences.
Demonstrate 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
LO7
Apply verbal and written communication skills, IT skills, working with others,
autonomy and problem-solving skills.
LO8
Develop 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:
LO9
Develop a critical understanding of the research process by undertaking an indepth 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).
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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 1
&2
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 a critical 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
PH9973Z
Module Title
Dissertation
Type
Credits
Level
Study
period
Core
60
M
Semester 1
&2
The curriculum may change, subject to the University's course approval, monitoring
and review procedures.
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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;
a. 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.
b. 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. A two 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
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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 workbook to 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:
http://www.brad.ac.uk/admin/acsec/QA_Hbk/Postgrad_Taught_Regs.html
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.
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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
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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 module and 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.
The Students’ Union and the University of Bradford work in partnership to provide
confidential counselling and welfare services where you can get help with any aspect
of your personal or academic life. Student Financial and Information Services (part
of the Hub) will provide you with information about a diverse range of issues such as
council tax, personal safety and tourist information. International Students can
access a range of additional advice and support services through the Student’s
Union.
The Hub, Student Support Centre
The Hub, Student Support Centre provides a central reception where students can
receive information, advice and guidance on a whole range of topics about their life
at University. The Hub is located in the Richmond Building adjacent to the Atrium.
The teams located within The Hub:



Accommodation
Admissions
o Education Liaison
o Enquiries
Student Administration and Support
o Bursaries and Financial Support
o Finance and Credit Control Group
o Payzone
o Records and Tuition Fees
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

International Office
Customer Service Team
www.brad.ac.uk/hub
+44 1274 232233
Careers and Employability
The University is committed to helping students develop and enhance employability
and this is an integral part of many programmes. Specialist support is available
throughout the course from Career Development Services.
All students on this course are already employed as pharmacists. Should you wish
to discuss future prospects in your career, please contact the Course Director, who
will put you in touch with the most relevant member of staff with whom to discuss
your situation.
Learner Development Unit
The Learner Development Unit provides support in all aspects of academic, maths,
numeracy and interpersonal skills. A programme of interactive workshops is
delivered during both semesters which complements the individual support available
from Advisers and the wide range of interactive online materials.
Disability
Disabled students will find a supportive environment at Bradford where we are
committed to ensuring that all aspects of student life are accessible to everyone.
The Disability Service can help by providing equipment and advice to help you get
the most out of your time at Bradford and is a place where you can discuss any
concerns you may have about adjustments that you may need, whether these relate
to study, personal care or other issues. For more information contact the Disability
Service by phoning: 01274 233739 or via email: disabilities@bradford.ac.uk
University policies and initiatives
Ecoversity
The University of Bradford and the School of Life Sciences are committed to the
principles of Education for Sustainable Development as outlined in the UNESCO
definition (see http://www.unesco.org/en/education_ar/themes/improving-educationquality/education-for-sustainable-development/decade-of-esd/).
Ecoversity is a strategic project of the University which aims to embed the principles
of sustainable development into our decision-making, learning and teaching,
research activities campus operations and lives of our staff and students. We do not
claim to be a beacon for sustainable development but we aspire to become a leading
University in this area.
Students are provided with the opportunity to develop critical thinking and problem
solving skills that explore the sustainable development and responsible
professionalism challenge facing Pharmacy. These are key aspects of working as a
pharmacist and form an integral part of all modules included in this programme.
The two clinical modules “Foundations In Clinical Practice” and “Applied
Therapeutics” utilise a case based teaching approach to consider areas including
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patient choice, adherence, public health and health inequalities. “Pharmacist
Development in the NHS” uses debate and case based teaching to consider efficient
use of resources, efficient transfer of information, public health and risk
management. In the “Research Methods and Audit” module students are provided
with the opportunity to develop a research proposal focussing on sustainability within
pharmacy and/or responsible professionalism.
The facilities we create for teaching and learning, including teaching spaces,
laboratories, IT labs and social spaces, will increasingly reflect our commitments to
sustainable development. Staff and student participation in this initiative is crucial to
its success and its inclusion in the programme specification is a clear signal that it is
at the forefront of our thinking in programme development, delivery, monitoring and
review. For more details see www.bradford.ac.uk/ecoversity/
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Further Information:
For further information, please check the University prospectus or contact
Admissions.
The Admissions Office
The Admissions Office
The University of Bradford
School of Pharmacy
Richmond Road
The University of Bradford
Bradford, BD7 1DP
Richmond Building
UK
Richmond Road
Bradford, BD7 1DP
UK
+44 (0)1274 233054
+44 (0)1274 234740
sls-postgradcourse-admissions@bradford.ac.uk
http://www.brad.ac.uk/courses/
http://www.brad.ac.uk/acad/lifesci/pharmacy/
The contents of this programme specification may change, subject to the University's
regulations and course approval, monitoring and review procedures.
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