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PGCertIndependent Prescribing Practice

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Starting in: 2025
Campus: Southampton City CentreView on Google Maps

Why study an independent prescribing practice PGCert at Solent University

Health care professionals can further develop their clinical competencies and gain additional skills to become NMC accredited as an Independent and Supplementary prescriber.

  • £0m
    invested in our campus estate and facilities over the past five years
  • 0th
    university in the UK for low carbon emissions (THE 2023)
  • The course integrates Immersive Simulation - Integrated into the curriculum on a weekly basis in history taking and physical assessment and occasionally in independent and supplementary prescribing
  • Interact with service users who have complex drug regimens requires careful coordination, detailed medication review, and personalised communication to ensure safe and effective treatment management.
  • The Independent and Supplementary Prescribing qualification is accredited by the NMC - this means you will be entitled to update your registration status to Independent and Supplementary Prescriber upon completion of this PGCert.

Course overview

This programme is for healthcare professionals that wish to expand their competencies. You can gain a qualification stating you have concluded a history taking and physical assessment course and a certificate of conclusion of our Independent and Supplementary Programme, which will grant you accreditation with the NMC with Independent Prescriber (V300) annotation. 

Designed for registered nurses in the United Kingdom with at least one year of experience, this course and prepares you to accurately obtain a clinical history during consultations, gather and interpret relevant information to inform potential differential diagnoses, and outline appropriate management plans.

The course contains two modules – history taking and physical assessment and Independent and Supplementary Prescribing.

For independent and supplementary Prescribing each candidate must nominate a practice assessor and a practice supervisor to support their learning journey. These mentors will supervise 90 hours of teaching within the student's designated area of expertise, providing hands-on guidance and ensuring real-world application of course content. This structured support system is integral to developing safe prescribing skills and enhancing professional practice.

You will develop clinical competencies in the scope of advanced clinical consultation with special emphasis on the importance of the clinical history, evidence-based physical examination interpretation of clinical findings and the formulation of differential diagnoses. You'll also be expected to critique scientific evidence related to drug trials as well as study the sciences of pharmacology and prescribing to adequately prescribe in response to different clinical situations and scenarios.

Our academics, with diverse backgrounds in hospital, community, and private sector practice, actively practice and prescribe on a weekly basis, bring real-world expertise directly into the classroom.

This course covers essential clinical skills such as history taking, physical assessment, clinical decision-making and prescribing to ensure safe practices, with a strong emphasis on merging theoretical knowledge with clinical application. Students will engage with various scenarios reflective practice and the use of local and national guidelines to inform their decisions. Our teaching team is dedicated to providing each candidate with the best student experience, ensuring you are well-prepared for prescribing in clinical practice and advance your career in healthcare. 

Any questions?

Contact UK admissions

Email: admissions@solent.ac.ukCall: 023 8201 5066

Contact international admissions

Email: admissions.international@solent.ac.ukCall: +44 (0)23 8201 5066

Course features

  • Professional accreditation

    This course has been accredited by a professional body

  • Professional membership

    You have the opportunity to obtain a professional membership as part of this degree

  • Specialist facilities

    This course has access to specialist facilities

This course is for

This course is exclusively designed for registered nurses with at least one year of experience who are currently practicing in the United Kingdom. Each candidate must nominate a practice assessor and a practice supervisor to support their learning journey. These mentors will supervise 90 hours of teaching within the student's designated area of expertise, ensuring hands-on guidance and real-world application of course content. This structured support system is integral to developing evidence-based prescribing skills and enhancing professional practice.

What this course leads to

You'll develop skills needed to make safe clinical decisions when assessing service users with diverse health needs across all healthcare settings.

  • Independent prescriber

Meet the team

Learn from qualified staff with a wealth of experience working in a range of clinical settings.

The University cannot guarantee any particular members of staff will teach specific aspects of the course in the future, but will endeavour to ensure the teaching team maintains their balance of experience and qualifications.

Facilities

You’ll have access to a range of our specialist facilities, including a nursing simulation suite with a six bed ward, GP consulting room, nurse’s treatment room, waiting area/break out space, care home bedroom and working kitchen and bathroom. There is a wide range of clinical equipment including simulation manikins to facilitate various simulated scenarios.

Our vibrant campus brings state-of-the-art facilities to enhance your learning and elevate your student experience. Our award-winning teaching building, The Spark is centred around students and offers a stimulating study environment with flexible learning spaces.

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