What is the right programme for me?

Here at the Medway School of Pharmacy we offer a wide range of postgraduate programmes and courses for pharmacists and other health-care professionals.

If you would like a university award, for example a Postgraduate Certificate, Diploma or Masters, you may wish to study one of the following programmes:

  • MSc in Applied Drug Discovery; this MSc degree builds on Pfizer Ltd’s ‘in house’ training programme and teaches how fundamental science is applied to the discovery and development of medicines. The programme has been designed and conceived by industry experts in drug discovery and is intended for those who wish to pursue a career in drug discovery, or wish to proceed to a higher degree (PhD).
  • Postgraduate Certificate, Diploma and MSc in Medicines Management; this is a flexible programme delivered by distance learning and supported by contact days to give health care professionals the skills for medicines management services and making individual drug therapy decisions.
  • Postgraduate Certificate and Diploma in General Pharmacy Practice; this is a unique work-based programme that helps both Community and Hospital Pharmacists expand their practice and access career opportunities such as those set out in the Pharmacy Contract and White Paper. course brochure
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Independent/Supplementary Prescribing; this programme is for Pharmacists, Nurses and Allied Health Professionals who want to qualify as a prescriber. course brochure
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Pharmacotherapy and Service Development; this programme is available for Pharmacists, Nurses and Allied Health Professionals who accumulate 45 short course credits and complete one of the 15 credit core courses from the MSc in Medicines Management.

If you do not want to study for a university award, our short courses may be for you. These provide a range of options for pharmacists and other health care professionals wishing to enhance the services they offer patients and to assist in meeting learning needs as part of their continuing professional development (CPD). Certain courses are also designed to help pharmacists fulfil their developing clinical role within the new Pharmacy Contract. If you subsequently decide that you would like a university award you can use the credits gained towards a Postgraduate Certificate in Pharmacotherapy and Service Development.

The current list of available short courses is:

  • Medicines Use Review (Skills for MURs) (5 Credits) – accredits pharmacists to provide Medicines Use Reviews for patients.
  • Medicines Use Reviews in practice (5 Credits) – enables pharmacists to ensure the quality of their MUR service.
  • Patient Monitoring in Practice (10 Credits) – provides underpinning knowledge about diagnostic and clinical testing for a range of patient focused services. course brochure
  • Practice Certificate in Pharmacy Management Part 1 & 2 (5 Credits each) – intended for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians who have, or aspire to, a managerial role within community pharmacy. course brochure
  • Skills for Public Health (5 Credits) – aims to assist pharmacists to achieve public health competencies to promote healthy lifestyles e.g. NHS Health Checks, obesity management.
  • Patients as Partners (15 credits) – one of the core courses for the MSc in Medicines Management, this course supports students in working more closely with patients, to enhance compliance and achieve concordance.
  • Advanced Medication Review (15 credits) – one of the core courses for the MSc in Medicines Management, this course helps prepare practitioners for undertaking systematic and holistic medication review at levels 1 – 3.
  • Principles of Medicines Management (15 Credits) – sets medicines management in the context of NHS service delivery.

Our short courses in therapeutics and service development are for pharmacists and other healthcare professionals wishing to enhance medicines management services for patients, and to support Continuing Professional Development (CPD). The courses take an average of six months to complete, depending on the number of academic credits involved. For details of the courses shown below please refer to the programme structure tab for the MSc Medicines Management and Short Courses.

  • Cardiovascular Disease (15 Credits)
  • Diabetes and Impaired Glucose Tolerance (15 Credits)
  • Using Evidence Effectively (10 Credits)
  • Minor Ailments: Infections and Infestations (10 Credits)
  • Minor Ailments: Pain (5 credits)
  • Asthma (5 Credits)
  • Type 2 Diabetes (5 Credits)
  • Obesity and Impaired Glucose Tolerance (5 Credits)
  • Hypertension (5 Credits)
  • Upper Gastro-Intestinal Disease (5 Credits)
  • Minor Ailments: Service Development (10 Credits)

For further information please contact us.