MSc Clinical Pharmacy for Secondary and Tertiary Care (PgCert, PgDip)

Fees and funding

Employability

Further your career prospects

LJMU has an excellent employability record with 96% (HESA 2018) of our postgraduates in work or further study six months after graduation. Our applied learning techniques and strong industry connections ensure our students are fully prepared for the workplace on graduation and understand how to apply their knowledge in a real world context.

The School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences is a partner with the Centre for Pharmacy Innovation (CfPI). The CfPI provides excellent links with community pharmacy and secondary care, through the other partners, Lloyds Pharmacies and The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS FT. These links have helped to support the development of this programme and provide assurance regarding the relevance of the course and its content.

Pharmacists are in high demand all over the world and a career in Pharmacy is both focused and rewarding. Under the Agenda for Change, many pharmacists

require a postgraduate diploma to move from a Grade 6 to a Grade 7 post, with research skills also increasingly being recognised in requirements for Grade 8 posts.

Teaching

An insight into teaching on your course

Study hours

A significant portion of learning activities will take place in your workplace as you apply your acquired knowledge and skills to the care of your patients. Students are expected to undertake approximately 8-10 hours per week of private study (which includes preparation for webinars and workshops, as well as completing assignments).

Study days and webinars

Due to the impact of Covid-19, all live (synchronous) teaching activities will be delivered online by experienced and specialist practising pharmacists. When social distancing restrictions are eased, university-based teaching sessions will resume. Webinars are held either during week day lunch times (typically 1.00pm to 2.00pm) or during week day evenings (typically 8:00pm to 9:00pm). Dates will be provided following registration on the programme. Recordings of all sessions will be made available for those unable to attend.

Workshops and assessments

Although two dates for each workshop are listed, students only need to attend one of these. The decision to run one or two dates for each session will be based on the number of applicants received. Students will be informed of their allocated date when they are offered a place.

• 8th or 9th March 2023
• 26th or 27th April 2023
• 5th or 6th July 2023
• 17th January 2024 (examination)

Teaching methods

The programme’s blended learning approach features a range of online directed study activities (including recommended reading, short recorded lectures and online quizzes), webinars, face-to-face study days (in the form of seminars and workshops) and workplace-based learning. In order to develop an ethos of adult learning, didactic teaching methods are minimised and completing the pre-requisites before attending webinars and study days will enable you to get the most benefit.

Applied learning

Tutor support

The programme team will allocate you with a Personal Tutor who will offer 1:1 tutorials to discuss:

• Your engagement with the programme (based on attendance at workshops, completion of online study materials, providing feedback after study days)
• Key learning points from study days and how you will subsequently change your practice 
• Progress with assignments and portfolio activities
• Feedback from summative assessments

Your employer will allocate you a Practice-based Tutor (PBT) who will provide mentorship and guidance in the workplace and conduct workplace-based assessments (WBAs) to provide you with regular feedback on how to develop your practice. The requirements for workplace-based support (including PBT’s responsibilities) are described in this document. All PBTs are invited to a half-day workshop that will cover workplace-based learning and assessment, mentoring and feedback skills.

Assessment

How learning is monitored on your programme

To cater for the wide-ranging content of our courses and the varied learning preferences of our students, we offer a range of assessment methods on each programme.

The programme utilises a range of assessment methods including: written reports, reflective essays, portfolios, case presentations, written examinations and Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs). All assessments are moderated internally and externally, with merits and distinctions being awarded for very good and exceptional overall performance respectively. You will accumulate credits as you complete each module. The MSc research project requires the submission of a project report.

Entry requirements

You will need:

• to be a UK registered (GPhC) pharmacist working in a Secondary Care role in North West England, with an opportunity to contribute to the clinical care of patients
• an honours degree in pharmacy or equivalent
• a term of employment sufficient to allow completion of the registered course (1 year for PgCert and 2 years for Diploma). This does not apply to those applying to 'top-up' a Clinical Pharmacy PgDip to the MSc

If you wish to complete the optional prescribing qualification you must:

• have at least two years of post-registration experience
• nominate a Designated Medical Practitioner who meets the GPhC and University standards
• have the opportunity to undertake sufficient prescribing practice to meet course requirements

Additional information

• IELTS requirements 6.5 (Minimum of 5.5 in each component)
• Pearson requirements 58-64 (Min. 51 in each component for UKVI Purposes)
• Students that have obtained an appropriate Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy from LJMU or another institution may be considered for direct entry to the 60-credit research project module to top up their award to a full MSc. Students applying for this route do not need to be employed in a role in England, but must be in a position that would allow them to complete a relevant research project. Individuals interested in this route should contact the course leader by emailing: PBS-Office@ljmu.ac.uk to discuss their circumstances prior to submitting an application

• Recognition of prior learning may be accepted for direct entry onto the 2nd year of the PgDip if you have already completed a pharmacy-related PgCert at another UK university
• You may be interviewed
• All international qualifications are subject to a qualification equivalence check via NARIC

If you have any specific queries, please contact: scspgt@ljmu.ac.uk

Application and selection

Securing your place at LJMU

You will apply for the majority of postgraduate courses using our online application form. You should complete the form thoroughly and provide a detailed personal statement which reflects your suitability and aptitude for the programme.

You will need to complete our online application form and submit the supporting documents listed in this section. When completing this form, please note:

• The level of entry is ‘Postgraduate Taught’
• Mode of study is ‘Part time (EU/Home applicants only)’
• You should then be able to find Clinical Pharmacy for Secondary and Tertiary Care (PgCert, PgDip or MSc) when browsing courses. Please ensure that you select the correct target award and corresponding entry date
• For Current/Previous Qualifications, you only need to include details of your pharmacy qualification and any other university qualifications that you have; details of GCSEs, A-levels or International Baccalaureate are not required
• Your personal statement needs to reflect your suitability and aptitude for the programme. For the application to be accepted by the system, this section needs to be at least 3,000 characters long

You will need to upload the following supporting documents:

• Supplementary application form. Please note that if your employer is paying all or a proportion of your course fees that you will need to state the purchase order number on the form
• A copy of the purchase order if your employer is paying some or all of the course fees
• Pharmacy degree certificate
• Employer declaration form (signed by the Education and Training Director). Details of the responsibilities of employing organisations and practice-based tutors are described in this document
• Practice-based tutor declaration
• Practice-based tutor summary CV (two pages)

If English is not your first language and you have not recently completed a university level qualification in English, you will also need to upload a copy of your IELTS certificate to your completed online application form.

If you are applying for direct entry to the PgDip or MSc year of the programme, you need to provide a copy of your PgCert or PgDip award, your academic transcript (which will provide details of modules completed) and the associated module guides or proformas. This allows the team to review how closely the learning outcomes for the modules you have completed align to our programmes.

Please note: all documents must be attached to your application within 24 hours of submission – if you wish to attach documents after this date, you will need to email them to the Programme Administrator (contact details below).

School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences
Liverpool John Moores University
Byrom Street, Liverpool, L3 3AF 
Tel: 0151 231 2248
Fax: 0151 231 2170
Email: PBS-Office@ljmu.ac.uk

Application deadline

Intake: Spring 2023
Deadline: Applications are now closed.