MSc Clinical Pharmacy

The unit aims to further develop the knowledge and skills required to engage in medicines optimisation and engage in clinical problem solving skills in complex disease states including the critical care patient and advanced and complex disease states (HIV, TB, nutrition, cancer, critical care and biological therapies).

Students will apply this knowledge to review patients and optimise their therapy through a series of case study and wiki exercises.

Online Option

This course unit is delivered online using Blackboard 10. All learning material is presented in week by week folders to help students manage their time. Each week will contain four main elements; background reflective tasks, learning in the form of an e-lecture, embedded video or webinar, further reading and finally a task to consolidate learning (e.g. completion of coursework, formative quiz or participation in a group discussion). Students will be given the option to choose from a range of complex disease states to study to enhance their own expertise relevant to their current role or future career aspirations.

This unit builds upon the knowledge and skills gained in prior units to further develop the student’s professional practice in managing patients with complex, advanced disease states, including those with HIV, TB, Cancer, and patients requiring intensive care, clinical nutrition and biological therapies.

This will provide the following outcomes:

• critical evaluation of primary and secondary evidence, local and national guidelines relating these to the individual patient needs
• develop the student’s decision making and problem solving skills with regards to patient care
• medicines optimisation issues including patient safety and wastage of medicines, which will include relevant national policy and guidelines
• patient-centred care including patient and health care professional communication and consultation skills
• encourage a holistic approach to patient care which accounts for the personal, social and cultural needs of the patient.

Depending on the student’s area of practice there will be an opportunity to choose appropriate case studies to meet their professional needs.

The on-line and face to face workshops and tutorials included in the course allow students the opportunities to broaden knowledge and provide the opportunity for group discussion of more complex disease states and practice-related issues regarding medicines optimisation.  The unit will foster an online student community with interactive activities and communications with the unit team

Blended Option

The unit will be delivered using a blended learning approach providing students with a structured on-line learning programme complemented by study days. The study days will consist of application workshops delivered by expert clinical specialists, thus providing the students a unique learning experience. Workshops will be interactive and will normally utilise a case study to illustrate the major therapeutic issues outlined in the learning objectives. They will also provide an opportunity to develop the student’s communication and consultation skills.