Masters Degrees (Msc Clinical Pharmacology)

A master's in Clinical Pharmacology will enable you to gain the knowledge and skills to evaluate the safety of new medicinal products for human studies, write a clinical protocol, and obtain appropriate ethical and legal approval. One of three modular programmes in Pharmaceutical Medicine designed for working physicians, clinical scientists and allied health professionals interested in the clinical development process.

Key benefits

- King's is ranked 4th in the world for Pharmacy & Pharmacology (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2016)

- Flexible programmes with a part-time option that allows you to fit the modules in with your work schedule.

- Teaching given by leading experts from the academic staff of King’s College London, from the biopharmaceutical sector and the regulatory authorities.

Visit the website: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught-courses/clinical-pharmacology-msc-pg-dip-pg-cert.aspx

Course detail

- Description -

Pharmaceutical Medicine is the medical scientific discipline concerned with the discovery, development, evaluation, registration, monitoring and medical aspects of the marketing of medicines for the benefit of patients and the health of the community.

In this rapidly expanding field of medicine there is a need for high quality education programmes that are compliant with the PharmaTrain initiative of the European Commission, but also with the Bologna process. The programmes at King’s will be the first in the UK that meet both of these requirements. This, plus the opportunity to study at a world class university makes King’s the ideal place at which to study for one of these MSc subjects.

Clinical Pharmacology is the study of how drugs influence human physiology and the way the body handles drugs. It is a vital part of the early clinical development of new medicines. It requires an understanding of preclinical science, ethical and legal requirements for clinical research programmes and how to design and interpret individual clinical trials. A well designed clinical pharmacology programme informs the final regulatory of a new medicine. Generating skilled clinical pharmacologists is therefore vital to ensure that new medicines are efficiently developed.

- Format and assessment -

Each taught module is delivered as a distinct intensive four or five day taught course, accompanied by distance learning and written assessments.

Core modules:

- ADME, Pharmacokinetics & Pharmacodynamics
- Advanced Clinical Pharmacology
- Clinical Drug Development
- Clinical Pharmacology Research Project
- Drug Development Pharmacology
- Exploratory Drug Development
- Practical Clinical Pharmacology

3 assignments plus 1 online multiple choice test for each module.

- Course purpose -

This programme is for those working in or seeking to work in the field of clinical drug development. It covers all aspects of the clinical development process through from the earliest studies to post marketing activities. It will enhance knowledge and skills in all aspects of clinical research, drug regulation and drug safety.

Career prospects

It is expected that students who complete this programme will be able to work in the clinical research arena at a higher level and this will open up job opportunities that might have previously been beyond their reach and enhance their value to their employers.

How to apply: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/apply/taught-courses.aspx

About Postgraduate Study at King’s College London:

To study for a postgraduate degree at King’s College London is to study at the city’s most central university and at one of the top 20 universities worldwide (2015/16 QS World Rankings). Graduates will benefit from close connections with the UK’s professional, political, legal, commercial, scientific and cultural life, while the excellent reputation of our MA and MRes programmes ensures our postgraduate alumni are highly sought after by some of the world’s most prestigious employers. We provide graduates with skills that are highly valued in business, government, academia and the professions.

Scholarships & Funding:

All current PGT offer-holders and new PGT applicants are welcome to apply for the scholarships. For more information and to learn how to apply visit: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/pg/funding/sources

Free language tuition with the Modern Language Centre:

If you are studying for any postgraduate taught degree at King’s you can take a module from a choice of over 25 languages without any additional cost. Visit: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/mlc

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Initially students will enrol for the Postgraduate Diploma award. If they are successful they can apply to undertake the top-up MSc Advanced Clinical Practice award by completing the 60 credit Dissertation module. Graduates from the full MSc course will receive confirmation that they have completed an RCN Accredited Advanced Nurse Practitioner pathway.

The School of Health and Social Care at London South Bank University has been delivering high quality Royal College of Nursing (RCN) accredited Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP) education for over 20 years, with demand increasing year on year. While initially the focus was on developing experienced nurses working in primary care settings, this has subsequently expanded to include nurses from secondary and tertiary services.

This course has therefore been developed for both experienced qualified registered nurses and other health professionals working in primary, secondary and tertiary health care settings, who wish to undertake advanced clinical education at master's level. This education will provide high-quality preparation not only for Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANP) but also for Advanced Clinical Practitioners and health professionals who need to work at a higher level of practice.

RCN Accreditation

While not all of the students undertaking this course will be nurses, other health professionals will benefit from the rigorous standards set by the RCN Accreditation unit for advanced nurse practitioner preparation. Their standards are currently the only quality marker for Advanced Practitioner preparation in England. RCN Accreditation indicates that this course has been evaluated against 15 standards and associated criteria for educational preparation and judged to prepare practitioners to an advanced level (RCN, 2012).

Further, in accordance with the RCN endorsement (2012), the course has also been designed to comply with the Department of Health (England) (2010) position statement on Advanced Level Nursing.

This programme has been accredited by the RCN Centre for Professional Accreditation until 31 August 2021.

Modules

PgDip:

The structure for the course comprises of a prescribed sequence of six compulsory modules, the order depending on the start date (September or January) and the rate of progression.

Each 20 credit module accounts for 200 hours of total student effort. This typically comprises of 36 – 42 classroom contact hours, 14 blended learning activity hours, practice based learning hours (equivalent to a minimum of 3 hours per week) and the remainder for self-directed study.

A range of assessment strategies will be used to reflect the academic, clinical and professional aspects of the programme. This includes use of exams, a written case study, an essay, completion of a Practice Based Learning record including Practice Facilitator feedback and evaluation of practice, OSCEs (Objective Structured Clinical Examination) and production of a clinical portfolio including patient feedback.

The first part of the course includes:

Physiological Principles for Advanced Clinical Practice
Clinical Assessment Skills for Advanced Practice
Non Medical Prescribing

The second part of the course includes:

Clinical Reasoning in Advanced Practice
Leadership and Research Skills for Advanced Practice

There is an option for the final module according to work setting from:

Managing Complexity in Advanced Clinical Practice (Community and Primary Care)
Managing Complexity in Advanced Clinical Practice (Emergency Care)
Managing Complexity in Advanced Clinical Practice (Acute and Critical Care)

The Complexity modules share a common learning framework and approach to assessment but the focus, content and assessment requirements are adapted for the context.

MSc (top-up):

Students can progress to undertake the Dissertation module (60 credits) to gain the MSc Advanced Clinical Practice award.

Teaching and learning

There are a range of facilities to support teaching practice skills and simulation. These include the skills laboratories, clinical and simulation equipment, themed notice boards, resources, anatomical models and the media/skills technicians who maintain the labs and prepare for sessions.

Students are supported by a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) using “Moodle”. Students have access to the VLE using a web browser from home, from campus, or when mobile if they have a smart phone or tablet. Open access computers are provided in the Library and Learning Resource Centre on our Southwark campus. These computers enable access to the internet, email, Microsoft office and other supported software. Direct IT helplines are available to support students

E-learning will complement face-to-face delivery for all modules within the course, with 14 specific hours assigned to blended learning activities in each timetable.

Skills workshop

A four day workshop will continue to be provided mid-way through the course, to give the opportunity for students to practise, consolidate and develop their new skills in a supervised, supportive environment. This is currently used as an effective strategy which is very highly evaluated by our students.

Placements

Practice based learning requirements
The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) (2007) identify that learning within the work place is integral to a higher education programme and is demonstrated through engagement within the practice environment. This is particularly important for preparation for a course of this nature; for any students, even those with many years of experience, some of the areas covered by the programme will be new such as history-taking, physical examination skills, ordering and interpreting investigations, making differential diagnoses, pharmacology, prescribing, social sciences and mental health assessment, etc. One of the key requirements for the course is that the practice experience provides learning opportunities that enable students to achieve the course learning outcomes (RCN, 2012) and so in order to ensure this, learning in practice is purposely structured and assessed.

Students will spend the equivalent of 3 hours per week working in a "supernumerary capacity" in order to focus specifically on their clinical and professional development. This requirement extends beyond the University semesters to include the summer periods.

Practice Based Learning is supported through identification of a doctor/qualified Advanced Practitioner to act as the student's "Practice Facilitator" to initially supervise and subsequently support their clinical development. Other experienced senior clinicians can also supervise and support student development.

Evidence of practice based learning (36 hours of direct supervision and 180 hours of indirect supervised clinical practice) and feedback on progress is used as an element of assessment on the following modules: 1. Clinical Assessment Skills for Advanced Practice [Level 7] 2. Clinical Reasoning in Advanced Practice [Level 7] 3. Managing Complexity in Advanced Clinical Practice [Level 7]

The overall total for supervised hours through successful completion of these modules is 648 hours.

Employability

Graduate and employer surveys and feedback indicate our graduates are making a positive impact on patient care and service innovation in general practices, walk-in centres, urgent care centres, minor injury units, emergency departments, projects for refugees, asylum seekers and homeless populations, elderly care facilities, “out of hours” developments, rapid response services, intermediate care teams, prison services, acute medical and surgical teams, critical-care outreach and specialist hospital services.

Some of our graduates are now lead nurses within social enterprises, nurse partners in general practices, nurse representatives on commissioning boards, community matrons and consultant nurses. To date two graduates have gone on to pursue doctoral studies.

LSBU Employability Services

LSBU is committed to supporting you develop your employability and succeed in getting a job after you have graduated. Your qualification will certainly help, but in a competitive market you also need to work on your employability, and on your career search. Our Employability Service will support you in developing your skills, finding a job, interview techniques, work experience or an internship, and will help you assess what you need to do to get the job you want at the end of your course. LSBU offers a comprehensive Employability Service, with a range of initiatives to complement your studies, including:

• Direct engagement from employers who come in to interview and talk to students
• Job Shop and on-campus recruitment agencies to help your job search
• Mentoring and work shadowing schemes.

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This programme orientates internationally qualified dental graduates to that of a UK dental practitioner by providing a comprehensive grounding in six key training areas: basic sciences and their application to modern day dental practice, applied principles of clinical dentistry, clinical skills, communication skills, professionalism, management and leadership.

The course is delivered under three broad headings:

1. Taught
Students will acquire knowledge and understanding of:

-Relevant basic sciences including anatomy, physiology, immunology, microbiology and molecular biology with respect to health and how these are altered in disease states
-Patho-physiological and anatomical basis for clinical signs of oral and craniofacial health and disease
-Relationships between dental disease, population risk factors and the preventative measures

And integrate this knowledge to dental areas through discussions in:

-Basic and clinical science associated with pharmacology and therapeutics used in dentistry
-The science underpinning the key properties of dental materials and evaluate their clinical applications


2. Clinical
Students' clinical skills will be augmented through practical, laboratory based sessions using typodont teeth set in a manikin head.

-Operative skills will be taught to ensure students can undertake skilled, competent and safe dental procedures including: cavity design, extra-coronal restorations and non-surgical endodontic treatment.
-Simulated clinical techniques will be undertaken and the student will be introduced to decision making processes leading to tooth loss and replacement and execution of appropriate operative techniques for all stages of planned prosthodontic treatment (excluding bridges and implants) in conjunction, as necessary, with other specialists and technicians.

Students will observe current UK dental practise via clinics in oral medicine, oral and maxillofacial surgery, periodontology, paediatrics, prosthodontics, radiology and orthodontics.

Tutoring in Objective Structured Clinical Reasoning Examinations (OSCE) and Structured Clinical Reasoning (SCR) Exams will be carried out using the advanced facilities in the state of the art dental skills laboratory.

3. Research
The research component consists of a structured literature review and clinical audit report. Students will acquire knowledge and understanding of:

-Critical appraisal and analysis of scientific and clinical literature
-How clinical audit identifies problems in clinical service and helps formulate solutions
-Appropriate tools for searching the literature (search engines, web-based libraries, electronic documents)

Students will develop the analytical skills to be able to:

-Critically appraise, analyse and evaluate scientific papers and clinical literature applying the principles of evidence based dentistry
-Evaluate evidence of the latest developments in Dentistry
-Communication skills will be developed throughout the taught, clinical and research elements of the course with specific topic presentations during seminars as well as through journal club reports and presentations on dental and clinical governance topics.

The application deadline is 30th June 2017. Once we have received applications by the deadline the first selection process will begin. We reserve the right to receive further application after the deadline and make decisions on those applications in July/August subject to places being available.

Why study for your MSc in Dental Science for Clinical Practice at Queen Mary?

The School of Medicine and Dentistry has an unrivalled tradition of excellence in research and teaching extending as far back as 1123 with the founding of St Bartholomew’s Hospital. The London Hospital Medical College was the first Medical School in England, founded in 1785, and our Dental School was established well over a century ago. We are ranked 3rd in the UK for Dentistry (Guardian University Guide 2017) and our research is ranked among the best in the UK according to the most recent Research Excellent Framework (REF 2014).


In April 2014, QMUL’s new Dental School opened its doors to patients and students - the first new dental school in the UK to be built in 40 years. The £78m new school houses the most modern dental facilities in the UK, following more than a decade of planning and work. The new premises provide cutting-edge technology, superb education and research facilities for clinical dentistry and a vastly improved patient experience.


Students’ postgraduate learning experience is enhanced by our fantastic location in the east of London. Not only are we in one of the capital’s most vibrant areas to live and work but we also serve a diverse local community, where students develop their clinical skills and knowledge. Moreover, the Dental School offers students many exciting opportunities to develop an understanding of health and the treatment of disease in a global and international context.


The Institute of Dentistry is a special place to undertake postgraduate studies, bringing together a number of world-leading researchers in basic and clinical sciences who supervise research students in the fields of oral medicine, oral pathology, oral microbiology, oral epidemiology, oncology, dental biomaterials, dental biophysics, dental public health, dental education, periodontology, orthodontics, paediatric dentistry, prosthetic and conservative dentistry.


You will have the opportunity to attend Continuing Development Courses of the London Deanery, Royal Society of Medicine (Odontology Section) as well as internal Departmental and Dental and Blizard Institute seminars.


You will prepare a professional development portfolio based on evidence gathered from lectures, tutorials, clinics, self-study and self-reflection sessions.


Facilities
You will have access to a range of facilities including: medical and dental libraries located at the Royal London and at Barts hospitals, as well as the Mile End library.

Postgraduate Dental students will have access to the Dental Clinical Skills Laboratory based in the Garrod building at the Whitechapel Site.

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About the course

This intensive and exciting new programme provides all the essential skills and knowledge necessary to become a Physician Associate in the UK. In addition, it provides the challenges of enhanced knowledge synthesis and research to produce academic clinicians equipped to lead and develop the profession.

The Department of Health's Competence and Curriculum Framework for the Physician Assistant (now Physician Associate) defines the Physician Associate as:

…a new healthcare professional who, while not a doctor, works to the medical model, with the attitudes, skills and knowledge base to deliver holistic care and treatment within the general medical and/or general practice team under defined levels of supervision.

Physician Associates (PAs) are part of a new and growing profession within the NHS. PAs work alongside doctors in hospitals and GP surgeries to provide safe and quality care to patients. PAs, under supervision of doctors, may obtain medical histories, perform physical examinations, carry out diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, request and interpret test results, diagnose illnesses and develop treatment and management plans.

The Physician Associate MSc programme includes over 1,800 hours of professional practice and will fully prepare you to practise in a wide variety of specialties and settings. Currently PAs work in General Practice, Emergency Medicine, and multiple Adult Medical and Surgical specialties.

Successful completion of the Physician Associate MSc programme provides eligibility to sit for the Physician Associate National Examination and join the Managed Voluntary Register.

If you are considering studying the Physician Associate MSc Programme at Brunel University London then you are committed to working jointly with the NHS to demonstrate the values and beliefs of the constitution.

NHS Values
Patients, public and staff have helped develop this expression of values that inspire passion in the NHS and that should underpin everything it does. Individual organisations will develop and build upon these values, tailoring them to their local needs. The NHS values provide common ground for co-operation to achieve shared aspirations, at all levels of the NHS.

Aims

The aim of the Physician Associate MSc programme is to prepare you as a medical professional who strives for excellence in clinical practice. To achieve this aim, the programme provides you with a strong scientific foundation and encourages the development of excellent practical and clinical reasoning skills. All of this is essential for you to treat patients safely and effectively.

The programme also provides you with the means to critically evaluate your own patient care – a skill which is vital to continuing evidence-based practice. A sound working knowledge of research methodology provides the basis for this evaluation process and also the tools to develop your own research interests at any stage of your professional career.

In addition, it helps develop vital communication skills and soundly embeds the essential core values of professionalism. Indeed, the Master's programme aims to produce highly professional graduates with excellent communication skills. Graduates are able to function as adaptable clinicians and fully interactive members of the multidisciplinary health care team within a changing health and social care setting.

Course Content

Our Physician Associate Master's course is an exciting and innovative modular programme, delivered full-time over two years.
Applicants should be aware that the programme is delivered over a period 45 weeks in Year 1 and 48 weeks in Year 2. In addition the course is intense, with significant contact hours. Students should expect to be studying on campus from 9am - 6pm five days a week. All students must be ready to assume responsibility for their own learning.

Clinical placements will start in the first term of Year 1 with weekly one-day GP placements. In Year 2 the majority of time will be spent on clinical placement in various practice settings. You should broadly expect to adopt the working patterns of the supervising clinician (clinical educator). Generally, you are expected to complete 42 weeks of clinical experience. You should expect to be working roughly a 40-hour week whilst on placement.

Compulsory Modules:

Foundations of Clinical Medicine (Year 1 & 2)
Personal and Professional Development for the Physician Associate (Year 1 & 2)
Applied Pharmacology (Year 1)
Principles and Practice of Evidence-Based Healthcare (Year 1)
Approaches to Research (Year 1)
Dissertation (Year 1 & 2)
PA Applied Clinical Knowledge & Skills (Year 2)

For the award of MSc Physician Associate, students must pass the UK Physician Associate National Certification Examination.

Work Placements

Clinical placements will include rotations in the following areas:

• Accident and Emergency
• Acute Medicine
• General Practice
• Mental Health
• Obstetrics and Gynaecology
• Paediatrics
• Surgery
• Electives

Whilst on placements you will be supervised by doctors and physician associates. You will be assessed on placement by your supervising clinician(s). The assessment score from clinical placement modules will contribute to your final degree classification.

All clinical placement modules are organised on the student's behalf by the clinical co-ordination team. This allows us to provide you with a balanced clinical experience both in terms of the specialties/patient groups you have worked with and the range of health care setting you have worked in. It is important that you are exposed to a variety of health settings, which are reflective of current clinical practice.

We are sympathetic to your needs when we assign clinical placements. However, we are unable to guarantee that any student will be located close to their home or term-time address and you may have to commute or live away from home for the duration of a placement or two. We do try to give special consideration to students whose personal circumstances fall within specified criteria, ie they have young children, are a main carer, or have a declared disability etc.

Teaching

A mix of teaching/learning approaches are used including: classroom based learning, problem/evidence-based learning, peer-assisted learning, clinical practice learning, independent learning, e-learning, assimilated learning in clinical labs, and the use of trained teaching associates for intimate examinations. Emphasis will be placed on active student participation, reflection and learning.

As a Physician Associate MSc student we expect you to come to us with specific academic skills and abilities. Your learning will rapidly become self-directed. We will build upon your ability to perform literature searches and critically appraise the evidence base and so prepare you for your commitment to continued professional development and lifelong learning after qualifying.

Assessment

Assessments will include single best answer/multiple choice questions papers and Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) to begin early preparation for the National Examination. Other assessments will include written assignments, oral presentations, reflection papers, and a portfolio of evidence.

All modules must be passed in order to proceed through the course. Normally students will have two attempts at passing each assessment.

Special Features

You’ll study in purpose-built facilities in our multi-million pound health sciences building and you’ll share elements of your course with Master’s students from other health-related disciplines.

You’ll enjoy our campus university, where you’re never more than a ten minute walk from halls of residence, catering, social, sports and study facilities, lecture theatres, the Library and support services.

You’ll be taught by experts in delivering accredited programmes such as Biosciences, Occupational therapy and Physiotherapy.

You’ll complete 1800 hours of clinical placement during the course.

On successful completion of the Physician Associate MSc programme, you will be eligible to sit for the Physician Associate National Examination and join the Managed Voluntary Register.

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This course is aimed at applicants who are training to become an advanced clinical practitioner in a wide variety of healthcare settings. It is intended for experienced healthcare professionals and for those wishing to formalise and develop their role as an advanced clinical practitioner. The course seeks to focus on decision-making, diagnostics, therapeutics, and clinical management. You share learning with others from an extensive range of multi-professional backgrounds to create a vibrant and challenging learning environment.

The core modules focus on the four elements of advanced practice • clinical practice • education • managerial/leadership • research and flexibility is built into this course to enable you to tailor the course and focus on your area of specialism using a wide choice of elective modules.

Recognition of prior credited learning and recognition of prior experiential learning have been adopted for these awards to facilitate entry to the course.

The course enables you to

• develop the knowledge, skills, competencies and professional behaviours required to function as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner
• apply advanced knowledge of anatomy, physiology and disease processes when undertaking patient assessment and diagnosis
• use a range of knowledge to underpin safe decision making when implementing appropriate pharmacological interventions, and prescribe medications when legally permitted as part of the advance practitioner's role
• engage with a range of theoretical perspectives, contemporary research and evidence based literature to support clinical reasoning relevant to your supervised advanced clinical practice
• enhance employability through the development of transferable skills and intellectual attributes necessary for lifelong learning.

Learning in multi-professional groups and being taught by a multi-professional teaching team creates a vibrant and challenging learning environment to enhance and extend your knowledge of working in transformational roles such as Advanced Clinical Practice.

This course is designed to provide a platform of essential skills, supported by a variety of pathways that provides you with a genuine choice. This range seeks to provide you with the opportunity to critically discuss cases, demonstrate knowledge within a simulation and develop critical appraisal skills.

You also take part in practical assessments that are designed to ensure that you are safe and able to make judicious clinical decisions based on your knowledge and understanding. The range of your practice related learning is recorded and documented in the Personal and Professional Development Portfolio (PPDP), which is a personal record of learning through the course. The format of your e-portfolio will be dependent on local and professional body requirements.

The course is structured around a combination of both core and elective modules, some of which are delivered via distance learning.

There is an extensive range of elective modules which may be accessed according to individual need and availability. 

Course structure

Year one core modules

• advanced physical assessment & consultation skills (30 credits)

Year one options

One of the below elective modules

• non-medical prescribing (30 credits, if relevant to your role)
• pathophysiology and pharmacology for advanced management (30 credits, if relevant to your role)
• pharmacist independent prescribing (30 credits, if relevant to your role)

Year two core modules

• contemporary issues in advanced practice (15 credits; taught or distance learning)
• researching for practice (15 credits; taught or distance learning)

Year two options

• minor illness management (30 credits)
• minor injury management (30 credits)
• managing the acutely unwell patient (30 credits)
• managing long term conditions (30 credits)
• personalised study module (distance learning or taught) (15 credits)
• personalised study module (distance learning) (30 credits)
• evidencing your cpd (distance learning) (15 credits)
• core principles of paediatrics in primary care & the acute sector (30 credits)
• advancing paediatric management improving care in the primary and acute sector (30 credits)
• chest radiographic image interpretation -acute and emergency care (distance learning) (15 credits)
• appendicular musculoskeletal radiographic imaging interpretation (distance learning) (15 credits)
• introduction to healthcare education (distance learning or taught) (30 credits)
• leadership in adult safeguarding (30 credits)

Year three options

• 45 credit dissertation*
• 60 credit dissertation

* Note that if opting for the 45 credit version you can chose up to 45 credits from the elective modules, or if you do the 60 credit version, you can choose up to 30 credits maximum from the elective modules.

Assessment

• written assignments
• reflective case studies
• examinations
• Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs)
• videos and practical assessments

Employability

Successful completion of the MSc Advanced Clinical Practice will prepare you to seek an Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP) post or if already employed as a trainee ACP, to formalise this post with a nationally recognised academic qualification. Successful completion also provides the practitioner with the skill set to take on a more strategic leadership role within a secondary or primary health care setting.

Some typical case study examples of career progression opportunities taken by similarly qualified graduates are • advanced clinical practitioner - emergency department • advanced clinical practitioner - specialist paramedics (emergency and urgent care) • advanced clinical practitioner (trainee) - pharmacist • advanced clinical practitioner - complex mental health needs in prison • advanced clinical practitioner - chartered physiotherapist

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The distinctive features of the Masters programme are its 600 practice hours and its focus on the four pillars of advanced practice. This means that the programme produces practitioners who are able to think at a high level in practice, but who also underpin their practice with a high level of scholarship. The programme therefore provides a first-class opportunity for post-registration learning in practice.

Students will be supported by a medical or clinical mentor over the two taught years, a value-added feature of the advanced clinical practice course that is not available in a traditional master’s course. Further, the development of a practice portfolio over the taught elements of the programme demonstrate the student’s capacity to function at an autonomous level in practice, while also illustrating the ability to consider the complex needs of their patients/clients. This again is generally not a feature of a traditional master’s course, and allows students to review and apply enhanced knowledge in practice as part of their clinical roles.

In order to facilitate this, applicants to the advanced clinical practice course will be required to have a responsible role in practice and to either be working as an autonomous practitioner, or to be able to secure a trainee advanced practitioner role.

The programme team work in partnership with the University Health Board and Wales Ambulance Service Trust to select candidates appropriate for this course interviewing applicants.

Key Course Features

-The course features a programme structure based on a 50% theory and 50% practice divide in programme hours
-Assessment of practice learning through a portfolio of evidence allows the student to demonstrate their progression in practice

The programme aims to enable experienced professionals to:
-Develop a systematic and critical knowledge and understanding of their specialist field of practice.
-Develop a critical awareness of current problems, gaining new insights at the forefront of their area of advanced practice that enable further strategic development of practice and practice knowledge.
-Enable practitioners to inform, enhance and develop their competency within their field of practice.
-Demonstrate advanced scholarship in their subject area through the planning and execution of level 7 enquiry.

What Will You Study?

Having studied 60 credits in year one, students may exit with a Postgraduate Certificate. Year one comprises Clinical Assessment in Advanced Practice and Non-Medical Prescribing OR Clinical Assessment in Advanced Practice, Clinical Pharmacology for Advanced Practice and a negotiated/optional module (for non-prescribing practitioners) for the Advanced Clinical Practice generic route.

For the Therapies route students will study; Assessment And Intervention, Clinical Evaluation and either Clinical Pharmacology for Advanced Practice or a negotiated/optional module.

Students wishing to exit with a Postgraduate Diploma will have studied 120 credits, and will have completed 60 credits in year one plus 60 credits from year two. All students will have studied Research Methods and Advancing Clinical Practice plus either a negotiated module or an optional module. In this way, students will have a structured approach that meets their professional needs, but which allows shared learning across disciplines to take place. As the students are practitioners working in a multi-professional environment in clinical practice, this framework of common elements with the opportunity for optional modules builds on multi-professional learning, but promotes the development of the students’ professional practice within their own speciality.

In year three all students will study the Dissertation. This is a module that is core to all health masters programmes and which allows a variety of approaches to the final project. Within the advanced practice curriculum, it is expected that students will direct their enquiry to a topic important to them as practitioners, and to which they will bring a level of enquiry that demonstrates, and is related to, their position as an advanced practitioner.

The information listed in this section is an overview of the academic content of the programme that will take the form of either core or option modules. Modules are designated as core or option in accordance with professional body requirements and internal academic framework review, so may be subject to change.

Career Prospects

On successful completion of the Advanced Clinical Practice/Advanced Clinical Practice (Therapies) course, students will be eligible to apply for advanced practice roles in a variety of settings, and in Wales, students will be eligible to use the title ‘Advanced’ on completion of the MSc. As it is validated by the relevant PSRBs, on completion of the Non-Medical Prescribing module, students will be able to record this qualification with their professional body (NMC, HCPC, GPhC).

Other admission requirements

To be accepted on to the programme candidates must:
-Hold current registration with a professional statutory body pertaining to their area of advanced practice.
-Have a minimum of two years full time equivalent post-registration clinical experience.
-Be employed in a clinical role with a high level of autonomy or Be able to secure a placement to the above for a minimum of two days per week or Be in a Trainee Advanced Practitioner role.
-Have a Designated Supervising Medical Practitioner (DSMP) (for those students undertaking Non-Medical Prescribing and Clinical Assessment in Advanced Practice modules) and have mentorship support during their practice placement from their employing organisation.
-Obtain a satisfactory DBS certificate.
-*Candidates without a full honours degree at 2:2 and above will be required to submit a 1,500 word essay on a topic chosen by the admissions team as part of the induction process. This will be assessed using the level 6 academic criteria (Appendix I) and must demonstrate achievement at 50% or above for successful admission to the programme. Alternatively, recent successful completion of an appropriate level 6 module such as Research Methods, Non-Medical Prescribing at level 6 or Preparing for Master’s Level Study will allow admission to the programme, subject to programme team agreement.

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The Pharmacology and Drug Discovery MSc course has been designed to react to the increasing demand for suitably trained professional pharmacologists. This is essential to speed up the critical task of translating basic laboratory medical research into commercially-ready medical biotechnology and drugs that can be used to diagnose and treat patients.

The Pharmacology and Drug Discovery course also encompasses an emerging area of science that is known as ‘Translational Medicine’ and needs a new breed of Pharmacologist who can apply basic science knowledge and skills to experimental study design, management and data analysis, and who understands the legislation and other regulatory procedures surrounding disease treatment.

The course will also cover relevant biotechnical innovations associated with pharmacology and drug discovery, as well as both classical clinical trial design and health-outcomes research.

Our course is designed to provide such specialists by applying basic and clinical science to topics including diagnosis, understanding and treatment of disease, supported by our excellent staff, research expertise and laboratory facilities.

The MSc Pharmacology and Drug Discovery with Professional Experience, is an extended full-time Masters programme with a substantive professional experience component. Within the professional experience modules, students have the option of undertaking an internship with a host organisation or, alternatively, campus-based professional experience.

Internships are subject to a competitive application and selection process and the host organisation may include the University. Internships may be paid or unpaid, and this will depend on what is being offered and agreed with the host organisation. Students who do not wish to undertake an internship or are not successful in securing an internship will undertake campus-based professional experience, which will deliver similar learning outcomes through supervised projects and activities designed to offer students the opportunity to integrate theory with an understanding of professional practice.

WHY CHOOSE THIS COURSE?

-Strong links with the pharmaceutical industry
-Emphasis on vocational skills development
-Excellent preparation for a wide range of careers in extensive and varied health industry
-Hands-on experience of a wide range of research methods in well-equipped laboratories
-Innovative curriculum combining basic and clinical sciences
-High levels of employability on graduation

WHAT WILL I LEARN?

The pharmacology and drug discovery postgraduate programme is composed of a combination of modules depending on whether you undertake the PgDip or Masters programme of study and includes the following:
-Research methods and project
-Pharmaceutical discoveries
-Advanced pharmacology and drug discovery and development
-Genomes and DNA technology
-Biotechnology in the diagnosis of disease
-Current topics in biotechnology and drug discovery

The course is designed for a national and international audience.

Additionally, the understanding gained from these modules will be demonstrated and applied in either the University-based project (12 months full-time or 24 months part-time, on course HLST088), or the professional experience modules, giving students the option of undertaking an internship with a host organisation or, alternatively, campus-based professional experience.

HOW WILL THIS COURSE ENHANCE MY CAREER PROSPECTS?

The PgDip/MSc Pharmacology and Drug Discovery programme is specifically designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge required for a career within the Pharmacology and drug development arena and there are many opportunities, both the UK and internationally.

A large number of Pharmacologists are employed by companies in the pharmaceutical industry, where they are involved in discovering and developing drugs and carrying out clinical trials. Pharmacologists may also work for contract research organisations (CROs) or academic departments within universities on research projects.

There are also opportunities within government laboratories (including environmental agencies), charity-funded research organisations, such as the Medical Research Council (MRC), and with other research institutes. The scientific knowledge and skills students will acquire during the course can also be a useful basis for a career in teaching; technical and scientific writing (such as medical writing or writing for the media); clinical trials; drug registration, patenting or monitoring; medical publishing or other information services, regulatory affairs or sales and marketing.

A wide range of job opportunities exist, including:
-Clinical research manager
-Clinical scientist
-Human resources manager
-Patent attorney
-Pharmacologist
-Project manager/director
-Public relations officer
-Regulatory affairs associate
-Research scientist
-Sales representative
-Medical writer

GLOBAL LEADERS PROGRAMME

Centre for Global Engagement logoTo prepare students for the challenges of the global employment market and to strengthen and develop their broader personal and professional skills Coventry University has developed a unique Global Leaders Programme.

The objectives of the programme, in which postgraduate and eligible undergraduate students can participate, is to provide practical career workshops and enable participants to experience different business cultures.

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Develop your personal and professional practice in an innovative and flexible teaching style.

Course overview

This part-time Clinical Pharmacy course allows patient-facing pharmacists in all sectors to build upon current knowledge and experience and extend their professional development.

Gain core skills and knowledge required to become a highly competent pharmacist, and benefit from research-based teaching and learning strategies.

This is the only part-time MSc Clinical Pharmacy course in the North East of England. It runs on a distance learning basis and allows you to combine study with work and family commitments. Access all learning materials through the University VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) and attend two weekend conference-style events in December and June of the course. Learn from key and expert speakers within their respective fields and participate in workshop-based sessions.

The University of Sunderland has an excellent reputation in pharmacy. The Sunderland Pharmacy School is accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council, and our research in pharmacy has been classed as ‘world leading’ in the latest Research Excellence Framework.

Please note that part-time courses are not available to international students who require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK.

Course content

The content of this Clinical Pharmacy course has been developed by healthcare professionals and academics to reflect the most relevant areas to a pharmacist’s practice.

Modules on this course include:
Year 1
-Clinical Decision Making and Stages of Care (20 Credits)
-Patient Safety (20 Credits)

Year 1 or 2
-The Acute Patient (20 Credits)
-The Chronic Patient (20 Credits)
-Clinical Skills 1 (10 Credits)
-Evidence-based Medicine (10 Credits)
-Clinical Investigation and Diagnostics (10 Credits)
-Healthcare Systems and Service Provisions (10 Credits)
-Personalised Healthcare (10 Credits)
-Population Healthcare (10 Credits)
-Social Pharmacy and Primary Care (10 Credits)

Year 2
-Clinical Skills 2 (10 Credits)
-Independent Prescribing (45 credits)
-Clinical Audit (15 credits)

Year 3
-Independent Prescribing (45 credits)
-MSc Research Module (15 credits)
-Research Methods (30 Credits)
-Research Project (30 Credits)

Teaching and assessment

Teaching and learning methods include online lectures, expert interviews, directed reading, case-based scenarios, research, tutorials and online tutor support. The conferences will involve master classes delivered by experts in their field, supported by workshop based sessions.

Assessment on the course includes:
-Examinations (written and OSCE-style)
-Work-based portfolio mapped to competencies outlined in the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Foundation Pharmacy Framework (you will require a mentor* in practice to facilitate this)
-Case-based coursework tasks

Compared to an undergraduate course, you will find that this Masters requires a higher level of independent working.

Facilities & location

This course is based primarily in the Sciences Complex at our City Campus, which boasts multi-disciplinary laboratories and cutting-edge equipment thanks to multi-million pound investments.

Simulation technology
Each of our £57,000 SimMan mannequins has blood pressure, a pulse and other realistic physiological behaviour. The models can be pre-programmed with various medical scenarios, so you can demonstrate your pharmacological expertise in a realistic yet safe setting. Our academic team is also actively working with the SimMan manufacturers to develop new pharmacy simulations.

Pharmacy Practice
One of the most important skills of pharmacists is to communicate their expertise in a manner that the public can understand and accept. The University has invested in a purpose-built model pharmacy complete with consultation suite. This allows you to develop skills in helping patients take the correct medicine in the right way, with optional video recording of your interaction with patients for the purposes of analysis and improvement. In addition, we can accurately simulate hospital-based scenarios in a fully equipped ward environment where medical, nursing and pharmacy students can share learning.

University Library Services
We’ve got thousands of books and e-books on pharmaceutical and biomedical science, with many more titles available through the inter-library loan service. We also subscribe to a comprehensive range of print and electronic journals so you can access the most reliable and up-to-date academic and industry articles. Some of the most important sources for your studies include:
Embase, which is a complex database covering drug research, pharmacology, pharmaceutics, toxicology, clinical and experimental human medicine, health policy and management, public health, occupational health, environmental health, drug dependence and abuse, psychiatry, forensic medicine and biomedical engineering/instrumentation
PsycINF, which includes information about the psychological aspects of medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology, pharmacology and physiology
PubMed, which contains life science journals, online books and abstracts that cover fields such as medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine and health care
Science Direct, which offers more than 18,000 full-text journals published by Elsevier
Web of Science, which covers a broad range of science areas

Learning Environment
Sunderland Pharmacy School has a rich heritage in scientific studies and our degree courses are extremely well respected in the industry. We are fully plugged into relevant medical and pharmaceutical industry bodies, with strong links and an exchange of ideas and people. Our vibrant learning environment helps ensure a steady stream of well-trained pharmacists whose most important concern is patient-centred pharmaceutical care.

Employment & careers

Postgraduate qualifications in clinical pharmacy will help you take on additional responsibility. We encourage you to plan your future contributions to your employer and how your career will progress.

On completing this course you will be equipped with the advanced skills and knowledge specifically needed for promotion in roles such as:
-Specialist clinical pharmacist
-Pharmacist with a special interest
-Senior clinical pharmacist

A promotion to a higher band of pay can quickly ensure a good return on your investment in the course. Within the NHS, salaries for specialist clinical pharmacist are rated as Band 7 (up to around £40,000).

A Masters in Clinical Pharmacy can also lead to teaching opportunities, research roles or further study.

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Overview

Medicines Management has been at the top of our agenda since its inception in the early 1990s. Now it is at the top of the national pharmacy agenda. Our Clinical Pharmacy programme for hospital pharmacists was first established in 1981, and we are proud of our high completion rate.

We are continually updating the programme to meet the changing requirements of the health service and individual practitioners. We are happy to put you in touch with some of our former students for their independent view. It is highly acclaimed by students, employers, purchasers and external course assessors for its structure, content and end value in relation to service, professional and career development.

In the fast changing world of Pharmacy and health care provision, standing still is not an option, but you may, understandably, feel under-equipped to meet the new challenges. Let Keele help you meet the challenges set by the Government’s plan for the profession, Pharmacy in England. Our distance learning programme in Clinical Pharmacy for hospital pharmacists aims to provide you with a wider view of health care, and equip you with sufficient knowledge, skills and confidence to be able to develop and extend your clinical and professional role as part of a multidisciplinary health care team. The programme links to the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework to enable you to meet the relevant competencies and provide evidence for your continued professional development.

The Clinical Pharmacy Programme is designed to allow you choice and flexibility in your progression to Certificate, Diploma and Masters awards, to meet your specific professional development needs and advance your professional practice.

See the website https://www.keele.ac.uk/pgtcourses/clinicalpharmacy/

Course Aims

Keele’s Pg Clinical Pharmacy Programme aims to:
- Build on your existing knowledge of disease states, pharmacology and pharmacokinetics to enable you to apply this in a clinical setting

- Equip you to assess drug therapy for effectiveness, safety, compatibility, patient acceptability and cost, and use this information to make effective interventions and develop and document pharmaceutical care plans

- Encourage you to develop an understanding of the principles of pharmaceutical care and problem-solving approach to clinical practice

- Provide you with a wider view of health care and equip you with sufficient knowledge and skills to be able to develop and extend your professional role

- Increase your confidence in your ability to contribute to patient care as part of the multidisciplinary health care team

- Provide you with a structured learning programme that will help you apply your knowledge and skills in daily practice

- Encourage you to develop a reflective approach to your clinical pharmacy practice

- Encourage you to develop the self-discipline of private study and self-directed learning that will be continued beyond Keele’s Programme in your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) as an independent learner

In addition, you will develop valuable practical skills including written and oral communication, and the ability to design a project, collect, analyse and interpret data.

Course Content

The Clinical Pharmacy programme can be completed via the following flexible pathways to accumulate academic credits at Masters Level:
- CPD Plus+ – register for individual short courses of 10 credits. You can register on a number of occasions in any academic year. Completing 6 CPD Plus+ courses will provide the postgraduate Certificate award and 12 courses the Diploma award.

- CPD Plus+ Open Learn – provides opportunity to negotiate some or all of the content and learning outcomes to meet your specific needs (available as 10, 15 and 30-credit modules)

- Certificate in Clinical Pharmacy – register for 9 months and you’ll complete your choice of 6 of the optional modules from our CPD Plus+ portfolio.

- Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy – register for 21 months and in the first year you will complete the 6 modules as described for the Certificate and an additional 6 modules of your choice in Year 2.

- Professional MSc – Building on the Diploma course students study a further three modules: Research Methods (15 credits), Advanced Practice Development (15 credits) and Independent Learning Project (30 credits)

The CPD Plus+ short courses that are currently available, and which also form the course content for Certificate and Diploma courses are:
- Cardiovascular Disease 1
- Cardiovascular Disease 2
- Central Nervous System Diseases
- Critical Care and Parenteral Nutrition
- Education Theory and Practice for Health Professionals (includes two f2f study days)
- Endocrine Disease
- Quality in Healthcare & Evidence-Based Practice (includes Critical Appraisal)
- Gastrointestinal Disease
- Hepatic Disease
- HIV & AIDS
- Infections
- Joint Disease
- Malignant Disease
- Medicines Optimisation and Patient Centred Care
- Mental Health
- Monitoring Therapy
- Neonatal and Child Health
- Personal Effectiveness and Collaborative Working
- Renal Disease
- Respiratory Disease
- Surgical

Teaching & Assessment

The Clinical Pharmacy Programme is designed principally for distance-learning. We provide mainly online distance-learning materials so that you can study where and when it is most convenient for you. Our methods of delivery allow us to revise and update the course quickly to meet your changing needs as a pharmacist.

The Clinical Pharmacy Programme is fully supported by a team of experienced, friendly, and approachable academic, administrative and technical staff based at Keele. The Programme is also supported by our network of experienced, practising hospital pharmacists who fulfil the roles of clinical co-ordinators and tutors. You’re not on your own! And, don’t forget the network of other pharmacists on the course whom you can contact. You will require the equivalent of 1-2 days (approximately 10-15 hours) each week to complete your course. Remember that the online nature of our course materials, and the fact that a good proportion of the assessed work focuses on your daily practice, means that you can integrate study and work.

Assessment is entirely by coursework for the Certificate, Diploma and MSc courses. A variety of assessment methods are used.

All of the modules contain Practice-Based Assignments that will assess your knowledge, problem-solving skills, and data interpretation skills in relation to application of knowledge to practice, patient care and medicines management. Case Presentations assess your ability to critically appraise the literature and relate published theory to everyday practice.

An Audit Project, Practice-Based Assignments , Project Protocol Development and the Independent Study Project Report assess ‘thinking’ and practical skills, and your ability to plan, conduct and report on an investigation. They also assess your ability to critically appraise the literature and relate published theory to everyday practice. Your Reflective Portfolio also assesses your ability to relate theory to practice, and self evaluation of, and reflection on, your own performance and CPD needs.

The nature of the assessments develops your written and oral communication skills. Practical skills and key life/transferable skills are assessed within the methods described above. Each method of assessment is supported by clear criteria for marking; these are explained in the relevant Course Handbooks. The minimum pass mark is 50%. The summative assessment is supported by a variety of formative assessment activities that include online discussions, formative feedback on elements of the reflective portfolio, contributions to study days and feedback on draft proposals.

Additional Costs

For all programmes you will need regular access to a computer, email and the internet. However apart from additional costs for text books, inter-library loans and potential overdue library fines we do not anticipate any additional costs for our postgraduate programmes.

Find information on Scholarships here - http://www.keele.ac.uk/studentfunding/bursariesscholarships/

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This Clinical Pharmacology degree programme offers focused training which integrates basic and clinical sciences, and equips students with the essential skills required to function effectively as a clinical pharmacologist in the 21st century. As a student on the MSc Clinical Pharmacology programme, you will acquire core skills, enabling an appreciation of how to apply clinical pharmacological, regulatory and ethical principles to the optimisation of therapeutic practice and clinical research. Crucially, in addition to a firm grasp of the principles of molecular pharmacology, you will also gain foundational knowledge in the emerging science of pharmacogenomics and personalised medicine.

Why this programme

◾This Clinical Pharmacology MSc is one of only a few UK postgraduate programmes that cover clinical pharmacology in sufficient detail to allow you to make an informed choice about pursuing clinical pharmacology as a career.
◾You will learn the basics of molecular genetics and population genetics as applied to pharmacogenetics and gene therapy.
◾You will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in molecular methods and analysis along with critical interpretation of genomic literature. This will enable you to analyse, synthesise and formulate an action plan for personalised patient care.
◾You will gain the knowledge and experience necessary to engage in and contribute to discussions about therapeutic issues in the commercial and academic research environments. As part of the MSc Clinical Pharmacology degree, you will undertake your own research project under expert supervision, which will allow you to consolidate your knowledge and apply the skills you have acquired.
◾At every stage of the MSc Clinical Pharmacology you will benefit from the close involvement of clinical academics and visiting lecturers from the pharmaceutical industry and national drug regulatory bodies: the programme is specifically designed to prepare graduate for future senior roles within the pharmaceutical medicine. Guest lecturers have recently included staff from Pfizer, Servier, Johnson & Johnson and the Scottish Medicines Consortium.

Programme structure

You will attend lectures, seminars and tutorials and take part in lab, project and team work.

Core courses
◾Principles of Pharmacology
◾Drug Disposition
◾Pharmaceutical Medicine
◾Topics in Therapeutics – General Topics and Cardiovascular Drugs
◾Topics in Therapeutics – Commonly Used Drugs
◾Medical Statistics 1
◾Medical Statistics 2
◾Pharmacogenomics & Molecular Medicine – Fundamentals of Molecular Medicine
◾Pharmacogenomics & Molecular Medicine – Applied Pharmacogenomics & Molecular Medicine

In addition you will undertake a dissertation/project.

Career prospects

Career opportunities include positions in academia, health care and the pharmaceutical industry; returning to more advanced positions within a previous clinical environment (eg pharmacicts, clinicians); and PhD study.

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This programme teaches advanced experimental approaches to dissecting the mechanisms of drug action (pharmacology), a science that has seen innovative theoretical and technical development at UCL for over a century.

Degree information

In addition to providing experience of both classical and modern pharmacological techniques, the programme will help develop skills for literature search-based data acquisition and analysis; written and verbal communication of science; abstract writing; poster preparation; graphical processing; image preparation for publication; writing a scientific paper; and giving research presentations.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of three core modules (75 credits), one optional module (15 credits), and a research project (90 credits).

Core modules
-Investigative Pharmacology
-Molecular Pharmacology
-Practice of Science

Optional modules - students choose one of the following:
-Advanced Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
-Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
-Drug Design and Development
-Neuropharmacology
-New Drug Targets in the CNS
-Pharmacology of Inflammation
-Receptor Mechanisms
-Synaptic Pharmacology

Dissertation/report
Students undertake an original research project which culminates in a 15,000-word dissertation and an oral presentation.

Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, journal clubs, practicals, tutorials and a laboratory project. Student performance is evaluated through formal examination, coursework, and the research project.

Careers

This programme is likely to lead to careers in biomedical sciences, the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry and clinical laboratories, and extend to clinicians interested in moving towards a scientific career. Students will obtain a thorough knowledge of and practice in pharmacological assessment, drug design and development pathways. It is anticipated that graduates will move onto PhD programmes and/or build careers in industry or clinical investigations through employment as research associates/scientists in the pharmaceutical industry or academia.

Employability
The knowledge and transferable skills developed on this programme will be advantageous for those considering employment in any pharmaceutical or healthcare setting, or contemplating further studies in related fields. The programme will also provide excellent training in critical appraisal of complex data, which will transfer well to other disciplines.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The programme is jointly taught by UCL Neuroscience, Physiology & Pharmacology (Division of Biosciences), and the Research Department of Pharmacology at the UCL School of Pharmacy. Both departments are historically and currently internationally leading in this field, and together provide cutting-edge education in theory, research practice and innovation in pharmacology.

The programme is designed to impart extensive experimental expertise applied to drug development and subsequent therapeutics. The combination of traditional and experimental approaches in pharmacology, coupled with current innovation in therapeutics and drug discovery and development, fosters a unique set of skills, which will enable graduates of the programme to engage in various aspects of pharmaceutical research globally.

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You'll receive the highest-quality teaching in the leading Institute of Pharmacy & Biomedical Sciences in Scotland by staff dedicated to your personal and scientific development.

This course will provide you with a comprehensive three-part postgraduate life sciences training.

Firstly, unlike many MSc courses, we offer you dedicated training in a broad suite of practical laboratory skills.

Secondly, this is complemented by two unique classes that develop your transferrable skills in statistics, presentations, career development, and ethics, as well as honing your science writing skills and your ability to design experiments and analyse sophisticated datasets.

Thirdly, our taught classes capture the excitement of cutting-edge research fields and you'll be taught by active researchers or practising clinical professionals.

There's a choice of classes that allows you to select a pathway to suit your future aspirations. The MSc Advanced Pharmacology has a special focus on how drugs and other chemicals affect the body in health and disease. You'll explore the development of new and improved medicines and the treatment of disease.

What you'll study

-Vital transferable skills in statistics, communication, ethics, science writing & critical analysis of data
-Two semesters of postgraduate laboratories, giving you the practical abilities & interpretational skills that will prepare you for your project & future career
-Short optional classes in in vivo biology or drug discovery
-A compulsory Pharmacology class followed by a choice of either Clinical Pharmacology, or Applied Pharmacology
-A summer project in an active research laboratory

Future prospects

The course provides the perfect springboard to future training at PhD level or gives you a range of skills and experience that will prove attractive to employers from industry or the health-care provision sector.

Facilities

The course is taught in the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy & Biomedical Sciences. It’s located in our new building with state-of-the-art laboratories.

Course content

Our aim is to provide you with classes that present the cutting-edge of our subject area, delivered using exciting and engaging teaching methods matched to the needs of postgraduate-level students. Please feel free to contact us if you want further details in the meantime.

Compulsory classes
-Generic Skills for Biomedical & Pharmaceutical Students
-Entrepreneurship
-Postgraduate Studies in Pharmacology
-Advanced Topics in Biomedical Research
-Research project

Elective classes
-In Vivo Biology
-Drug Discovery
-Postgraduate Studies in Clinical Pharmacology
-Postgraduate Studies in Applied Pharmacology

The course is delivered through lectures, tutorials and hands-on practical sessions.

If you successfully complete the required taught classes, you can go on to take a laboratory project for the MSc.

Assessment of taught classes is through the following:
-Multiple choice tests
-Computer quizzes
-Problem solving scenarios
-Poster & oral presentations
-Essays
-Formal written exams

The laboratory project is assessed through a written thesis.

Careers

After graduating, you'll be ideally qualified for positions in biomedical and pharmaceutical industries as well as hospitals and universities.

This course provides the background training for a career in:
-Clinical pharmacology
-Pharmaceutical & biotechnology industry laboratory research posts
-Laboratory technical support
-Medical/pharmaceutical/life science sales

Alternatively, you may wish to continue studies for an MPhil or PhD.

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Programme description

As a multidimensional phenomenon, it is essential that pain is managed through planned multidisciplinary initiatives and inputs that aim to ease patient suffering and improve quality of life. Through a solid, theoretical understanding of the biological, psychological and social concepts that drive, develop and maintain pain, students will explore the multifaceted nature of pain and its effects. Students will gain an advanced understanding of the specialist area of pain management and will develop the core skills and knowledge required of an advanced pain practitioner.

Each course of the programme is divided into a set of themed sections in which material is presented in a blend of short online lectures, practical case studies, directed readings, podcasts and webinars. This is supplemented by discussion boards that provide directed assessment tasks while input from expert guest lecturers and tutors offer students opportunity for collaborative critical discourse and debate of current issues.

This part-time, fully online programme attracts an international and multi-professional student cohort and offers a unique opportunity to have direct contact with others working in pain management across the world. Within this context, students will gain the knowledge, understanding and evaluative skills to provide advanced clinical care so as to improve outcomes for people living in pain.

This programme is affiliated with the University's Global Health Academy.

• Global Health Academy

Online learning

By studying at the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, students will join a rich tradition of education – one of the oldest institutions in the UK - but also one of the most progressive and dynamic.

The University of Edinburgh has a growing portfolio of established and highly regarded online distance learning postgraduate programmes, with thousands of students currently taking advantage of this mode of education. As a postgraduate student at the University of Edinburgh, you will become part of a supportive online community, able to take advantage of the University’s strong academic tradition, while studying together students and tutors from across the world.

Programme structure

The University of Edinburgh offers a number of outcome awards from its suite of pain management programmes. For those wishing to complete a short option, there are continuing professional development (CME/CPD) courses and for others, who may wish to pursue a longer programme option, there are University awards of Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert), Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) and Master of Science (MSc) – all delivered online using methods that are fully supported by the University’s award-winning online learning environments.

The key differences between the University awards are the number of credits needed to achieve each award:

• Postgraduate Certificate: this is 60 successfully completed credits of study
• Postgraduate Diploma: this is 120 successfully completed credits of study
• Master of Science: this is 180 successfully completed credits of study

Postgraduate Certificate - Level 1 (60 credits)

The Postgraduate Certificate level courses allow students to gain a solid, theoretical understanding of the biological, psychological and social concepts that drive, develop and maintain pain.

Through six core courses covering, assessment and measurement of pain, mechanisms of pain, and the pharmacological and non-pharmacological management of pain, students will explore pain's multifaceted and dynamic nature. In the final core course, students will examine selected conditions seen in clinical practice.

Postgraduate Diploma - Level 2 (60 credits)

(not all Level 2 courses will be offered every year) On successful completion of the Postgraduate Certificate courses, the 60 credits at Postgraduate Diploma level allow students to select courses that focus on areas of pain management that are congruent with students' career goals and clinical or personal interests.

Through a number of course options, including, but not limited to, courses in cancer pain, medical pain, acute pain, neuropathic pain and pain in ageing populations, students will gain an advanced understanding of key areas in pain management. At this level, students may opt to begin to take courses in the areas of either headache management or veterinary medicine to gain a named PGDip or MSc award.

Master of Science - Level 3 (60 credits)

On the successful completion of 120 credits, students are able to proceed to the Master of Science level of the programme. There are a number of options at this level:

• Fully taught option – successfully complete 60 credits from the Level 2 courses, or,
• Successfully complete a written dissertation (60 credits), or,
• Successfully complete a project (60 credits)

Degree Awards with a Headache or Veterinary Designation?

We also offer Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) and Master of Science (MSc) awards in the focussed clinical areas of headache management and veterinary medicine.

Alongside the core pain programme content, students have the option to take a number of courses in specific clinical areas to gain the award of PGDip/MSc Clinical Management of Pain (Headache) or PGDip/MSc Clinical Management of Pain (Veterinary). To gain a named award (i.e. a Headache or Veterinary designation), students must complete at least one third of the credits of the award in the focussed area.

Postgraduate Professional Development (PPD)

Postgraduate Professional Development is aimed at working professionals who want to advance their knowledge through a postgraduate-level course, without the time - or financial - commitment of a full Masters degree, Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate. We offer short, focussed, academic credit-bearing courses that provide education on key subjects in pain management.

You may take a maximum of 50 credits worth of courses through our Postgraduate Professional Development (PPD) scheme. These credits are recognised in their own right as postgraduate-level credit, or may be put towards gaining a higher award, such as a Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma or MSc at the University of Edinburgh or another academic institution.

Career opportunities

By combining academic excellence with the University of Edinburgh’s world-class reputation, graduates from our suite of programme are well placed to continue and advance their clinical careers within the NHS or other health services, pursue advanced academic study, or work in industry. Equally, graduates can expect to be academically confident and may choose to pursue academic careers in related fields.

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This MSc course is for pharmacy graduates who want to gain experience of clinical pharmacy practice in the UK as well as a postgraduate qualification.

As a student on this course, you will study new developments in the areas of clinical pharmacy and pharmacy practice and spend time in our clinical skills laboratory.

Workshops make extensive use of patient simulation technology known as SimMan 3G, which allows for realistic and challenging scenario-based learning to help with the development of critical thinking and clinical decision-making skills.

You will also have the chance to undertake a placement in a clinical setting to maximise your practical experience and interact with other healthcare professionals and patients.

Extended masters:

The Extended Masters (EMA) gives international applicants the opportunity to take an intensive English language course before starting their degree. Successful completion of the EMA allows you to progress automatically to the MSc.

Course structure

This is a 12-month, full-time course with a combination of seven modules run over two semesters, one independent study module and six university-based modules.

The independent study module is supported by specifically written module materials and staff-led tutorial sessions. The remaining six modules involve a mixture of lectures, skills-based workshops and research-based activity.

You will need to complete a research project and will have a supervisor to support you.

Syllabus

Modules:

Applied Therapeutics
Research Methods
Current Research in Pharmacy and Pharmacology
Clinical Pharmacy Project
Pharmaceutical Skills
Health Promotion for Pharmacists

Options:

Specialised Clinical Practice
Advanced Diabetes Therapies
Pharmaceutical Care of Surgical Patients
Global Perspectives on Health and Medicines

• Applied Therapeutics is a distance-learning module supported by a workbook, tutorials and a clinical placement, giving you an in-depth understanding of the therapeutic process by examining the major diseases that affect the population. It uses evidence-based practice to assist in rational drug therapy, taking patient factors and economic considerations into account.

• Pharmaceutical Skills is a year-long module that gives you the necessary skills to practise pharmacy. These skills include those in communication, record keeping, numeracy, teamwork, literature searching and evaluating, dispensing, and diagnostic and patient management.

• The Special Topic varies according to your interests. Example topics include diabetes, oxidative stress, human disease and the pharmaceutical care of surgical patients.

• The Project module is the largest of the course. It mainly involves independent study, requiring you to collect and analyse your own data and report on your findings, but you will also have a project supervisor who will support and guide you throughout the academic year.

The types of project vary and some may require ethical approval before they begin. Examples of projects that the course leader has supervised include:

• Comparison of the CHADS₂ and HAS-BLED scoring tools to evaluate the current prescribing practice of anticoagulation therapy in atrial fibrillation patients
• Prescribing practice of the selective aldosterone antagonist, eplerenone
• Assessment and management of cardiovascular disease in HIV patients
• Service evaluation to determine whether patients attending cardiac rehabilitation have had their cardio-protective medication up-titrated since discharge
• The use of vancomycin infusion in cardiothoracic patients
• Treatment of hyperglycaemia in acute coronary syndrome patients

SimMan 3G

All Clinical Pharmacy students have access to our SimMan 3G, a highly advanced patient simulator that allows you to monitor vital signs, detect numerous signs of disease and assess clinical response to drug treatment in real time.

The simulator can be programmed to exhibit the symptoms of specific medical conditions, so you can apply your theoretical knowledge to a variety of practical scenarios. This will help you to be more confident when faced with similar real-life situations.

Careers and Employability

You will graduate with enhanced career opportunities and a deeper understanding of research methodology, which may be appropriate for further study of a PhD. The course is beneficial to students who have had a career break and want to get back into the workplace, or who want a career change to a role more focused in clinical pharmacy.

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This well-established and highly competitive MSc provides students with specialist training in the basic scientific principles of modern neuroscience, and in the application of these principles to the understanding of a wide variety of neurological disorders. Students benefit from studying in an internationally renowned and research-intensive environment at the UCL Institute of Neurology.

Degree information

Participants gain knowledge of the clinical features and scientific basis of both common and unusual neurological disorders including a study of: genetics of CNS disorders; brain metabolism, neurotransmitters and neurodegeneration; autoimmune disease and repair mechanisms; peripheral nerve and muscle; epilepsy; nociception and pain; motor control; basal ganglia/movement disorders; hearing, balance, vision and eye-movements; stroke and head injury; cognition and dementia.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of six core modules (90 credits), a library project (30 credits) and a research project (60 credits). There are no optional modules for this programme.

Core modules
-Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Disease
-Diseases of the Nervous System: Epilepsy, Pain, Tumours & Infection
-Peripheral Nerve, Muscle and Special Senses
-Motor Systems and Disease
-Higher Functions of the Brain
-Research Methods: Critical Appraisal and Introduction to Statistics

Dissertation/report
All students undertake a library project which is assessed by a 5,000-word essay, and an independent research project, which culminates in a dissertation of 10,000 words.

Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through basic and clinical lectures, seminars and practical and interactive workshops. Lectures are supported by audio-visual aids and supplementary materials including handouts, reading lists and references to original papers. Assessment is through unseen and multiple-choice examination, essay, library project, dissertation and oral examination.

Careers

This programme offers an established entry route into both PhD studies in the UK and internationally, and to medicine at both undergraduate and graduate level.

Top career destinations for this degree:
-Research Assistant, Duke-NUS
-Research Assistant, UCL
-MBBS in Medicine, Barts Health NHS Trust and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry
-PhD in Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford
-PhD in Clinical Neuroscience, University College London (UCL)

Employability
Students are given the opportunity to take an original research project in a world-renowned centre of excellence. Publications routinely result from the best MSc projects.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The mission of the UCL Institute of Neurology is to carry out high-quality research, teaching and training in basic and clinical neurosciences. Together with our associated hospital, the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, the institute promotes the translation of research that is of direct clinical relevance to improved patient care and treatment.

With its concentration of clinical and applied scientific activity the institute is a unique national resource for postgraduate training in neuroscience, and this MSc enhances the scientific skills of clinicians and provides non-clinical graduates with insight into clinical problems that will allow them to work alongside clinicians in clinical research projects.

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