MPharm Pharmacy with a Foundation Year / Course details

The unit is split into two 6-week blocks. Block 1 (Endocrine system) uses the hormonal and metabolic processes, delivery of hormones as medicines and sexual health as the focus for integration of scientific, clinical and professional learning. Block 2 (Musculoskeletal system) moves to focus on bone and joint health and disease to integrate learning. In this block, students are introduced to neurotransmission and pain and the effective management of pain which prepares them for more complex learning on neurotransmission in semester 2.

Conceptual understanding is developed through a small number of “core concepts” lectures which provide learning in the threshold concepts mapped to year 3 of the programme. Core knowledge and understanding is then built using a flipped classroom approach, supported by EBL workshops in which learning is consolidated and independent learning skills developed. This learning is supplemented by a series of laboratory practicals, professional skills workshops and placements in which learning from EBL and lectures is applied to patient cases to develop practical, communication, leadership, research, decision-making and prescribing skills.

The unit aims to:
Further develop students’ understanding of medicines’ actions and the human body. This knowledge is applied in order to understand the structure, function and malfunction and the therapeutic management of diseases of the endocrine and musculoskeletal systems. The unit also develops practical and professional skills important in becoming a pharmacist which are relevant to the medicines used and clinical management of endocrine and musculoskeletal system disorders.

The unit initially focusses on the endocrine system, where students learn about the structure of the endocrine system and how hormonal processes function in the healthy individual before studying commonly encountered endocrine diseases and sexual health. In the latter part of the unit, the musculoskeletal system is explored which includes learning about bone and joint health and disease, and the origins and management of pain. This learning is supplemented by laboratory classes to develop analytical skills and students further develop their learning about the legal and professional aspects of practising pharmacy. Students will also work in teams to develop their leadership skills and will continue to build their research and written communication skills. Placements increase in Year 3, to prepare students for their future roles, apply their learning to practice and to build competence in communication, physical examination, assessment and decision-making.

Explain principles of topical formulations & transdermal delivery

Compare local and systemic dermal delivery and suitable formulations/techniques for each

Discuss formulation principles for pessaries and suppositories

Demonstrate an understanding of, and be able to apply the characteristics of excipients for semi-solid formulations

Understand and apply the relevant testing as outlined in the BP

Describe appropriate packaging for semi-solid formulations

Discuss the formulation principles for specific biologics and biosimilars

Describe the basics of bioprocessing

Understand and apply the testing for biologics and biosimilars

Demonstrate an understanding of the drug development process

Describe the pharmacokinetics of a drug following single and multiple dose administration and apply such knowledge to the rational design of dosage regimens in different disease states

Describe the plasma concentration and urinary excretion rate-time profiles following intravenous and extravascular drug administration

Describe chemical properties of highly prescribed/top 100 drugs: bonding, shape, functional groups, stereochemistry, ionisation (pKa), lipophilicity (LogP/D)

Using relevant examples encountered in this unit, demonstrate how the drug interacts with its biological target(s)

Using examples encountered in this unit, predict and explain the chemical and/or biological stability of a drug

Using relevant highly prescribed or top 100 drugs, describe the discovery and design of a new therapeutic agent

Using relevant examples encountered in this unit, apply appropriate analytical techniques for the characterisation and purity assessment of medicinal compounds

Describe the (patho)physiology and anatomy of the endocrine system

Describe the (patho)physiology and anatomy of bones and joints with a focus on rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and osteoporosis

Discuss neurotransmission and neurotransmitters relevant to pain pathways and pain management. Discuss the pathways involved in nausea and vomiting

Describe the key biological drug targets associated with the endocrine system and the mechanisms by which therapeutic drugs act

Discuss the evidence-based management of diabetes, thyroid disease, sexual health and sexually transmitted infections

Discuss the evidence-based management of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, pain and nausea and vomiting

Discuss pharmacist's role in cancer risk reduction and screening for breast, cervical, prostate, and brain tumors

Discuss the role of the pharmacist in promoting good sexual health and the screening and treatment of sexually transmitted infection

Describe pharmacy law regarding retail pharmacies, inspections, responsible pharmacists, and their relevance to pharmacist's role and pharmacy services (PL NHS contract)

Discuss how the Misuse of Drugs Act applies to the role of the pharmacist and pharmacy services, including possession and prescription supply of controlled drugs (CDs), safe custody, records and destruction of CDs and supplying CDs by instalment

Discuss the role and importance of research ethics and governance, including GCP, research ethics, data protection and the Human Tissue Act

Discuss the impact of prescribing on sustainability, as well as methods of reducing the carbon footprint and environmental impact of any medicine

Discuss the meaning and significance of clinical negligence (commonalities and distinction between dispensing and prescribing roles)

Understand external factors impacting decision-making and patient safety, including relationships, teamwork, and environmental influences

Discuss how personal ethics may affect decision-making and patient care

Discuss the relationship between leadership, staff wellbeing and patient safety

The teaching and learning philosophy for the MPharm places an emphasis on learner-centred rather than teacher-centred approaches. Learning is therefore structured to maximise guided self-directed learning, with enquiry driven project work and EBL workshops provided to support greater conceptual understanding of the material and deep, rather than superficial learning. This helps students prepare for their future careers by helping them to develop independence, confidence and resilience. A wide range of teaching and learning activity is included to meet the learning needs of a diverse range of students:

Core concepts lectures: A very small number of didactic lectures are included to provide a step-by-step guide to the threshold concepts in pharmacy 
Online learning: All guided self-directed learning in year 3 is provided via the VLE Blackboard. This consists of videos, bespoke elearning packages, NHS elearning (e.g. Skills for health), factsheets and directed reading (which can be downloaded). In year 3, students are expected to supplement guided self-directed learning with appropriate use of high-quality resources that they have identified themselves
EBL workshops: All learning is brought together and consolidated in a series of multidisciplinary integrated sessions. Workshops are led by a team of staff who act as specialist facilitators, directing student learning via discussion of case studies and project work.
Practical classes: A series of practical classes spans the first three years of the MPharm. In year 3, students are expected to develop independence in the laboratory with less direction on experimental design, data collection and interpretation. Practical classes are mapped to core concepts lectures and EBL workshops to ensure learning is applied to practice as a pharmacist
Professional skills classes: These span the full 4 years of the MPharm to ensure students are prepared to become prescribers after their foundation year. Classes focus on further developing advanced consultation skills, assessment and examination skills and clinical decision-making. Regular role play and interaction with medical actors is used to increase confidence and to ensure students receive tailored feedback.
MyDispense: This is an online platform utilising real-world cases to recreate prescription processing and to apply pharmacy law. It is used with increasing complexity in all four years of the MPharm course to develop skills in clinical checking, dispensing and accuracy checking.
Placements: Compulsory workplace placements are provided in hospital and community pharmacy and GP practice settings in year 3, to gain practical experience in providing pharmacy services and to apply learning on infection, inflammation and respiratory disease to pharmacy practice. All students undertake a specialist placement in a setting such as a mental health NHS trust, care home or the Christie oncology centre.
Academic adviser meetings: Students meet with their named academic adviser twice per semester in formal timetabled meetings. Academic advisers support students with their personal and professional development throughout the MPharm course.

• Discuss the fundamental principles of ointments, creams, gels and pastes, and transdermal delivery systems
• Discuss the difference between local and systemic dermal delivery and which formulations and techniques are appropriate for each
• Discuss formulation principles for pessaries and suppositories
• Demonstrate an understanding of, and be able to apply the characteristics of excipients for semi-solid formulations
• Understand and apply the relevant testing as outlined in the British Pharmacopoeia
• Describe appropriate packaging for semi-solid formulations
• Discuss the formulation principles for specific biologics and biosimilars
• Describe the basics of bioprocessing
• Understand and apply the testing for biologics and biosimilars
• Demonstrate an understanding of the drug development process
• Describe the pharmacokinetics of a drug following single and multiple dose administration and apply such knowledge to the rational design of dosage regimens in different disease states.
• Describe the plasma concentration and urinary excretion rate-time profiles following intravenous and extravascular drug administration
• Using relevant highly prescribed or top 100 drugs, describe the chemical properties of a drug, which may include its bonding, shape, functional groups, stereochemistry, ionisation (pKa) and lipophilicity (LogP/D)
• Using relevant examples encountered in this unit, demonstrate how the drug interacts with its biological target(s)
• Using relevant examples encountered in this unit, predict and explain the chemical (e.g. hydrolysis or free radical oxidation) and/or biological (metabolism) stability of a drug
• Using relevant highly prescribed or top 100 drugs, describe the discovery and design of a new therapeutic agent (small molecules and biologics)
• Using relevant examples encountered in this unit, apply appropriate analytical techniques for the characterisation and purity assessment of medicinal compounds
• Describe the (patho)physiology and anatomy of the endocrine system.
• Describe the (patho)physiology and anatomy of bones and joints with a focus on rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and osteoporosis
• Discuss neurotransmission and neurotransmitters relevant to pain pathways and pain management (inc migraine). Discuss the pathways involved in nausea and vomiting.
• Describe the key biological drug targets associated with the endocrine system and the mechanisms by which therapeutic drugs act 
• Describe the key biological drug targets associated with bone and joint disease and the mechanisms by which therapeutic drugs act
• Discuss the evidence-based management of diabetes (inc obesity), thyroid disease, sexual health and sexually transmitted infections
• Discuss the evidence-based management of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, pain (inc headache types, migraine) and nausea and vomiting
• Discuss relevant risk factors and the role of pharmacist in reducing cancer risk, detection and screening for breast, cervical and prostate cancer, and brain tumours
• Discuss the role of the pharmacist in promoting good sexual health and the screening and treatment of sexually transmitted infection
• Describe pharmacy law relating to retail pharmacy businesses, pharmacy inspections, the responsible pharmacist and how it applies to the role of the pharmacist and pharmacy services (PL NHS contract)
• Discuss how the Misuse of Drugs Act applies to the role of the pharmacist and pharmacy services, including possession and prescription supply of controlled drugs (CDs), safe custody, records and destruction of CDs and supplying CDs by instalment 
• Discuss the role and importance of research ethics and governance, including GCP, research ethics, data protection and the Human Tissue Act

• Apply and integrate learning from previous MPharm units to deepen understanding of new materials encountered in this unit
• Identify and use early formulation development and testing
• Demonstrate an understanding of the role of chemical synthesis in the preparation of APIs and appreciate some the challenges posed by synthesis such as chemical hazards, purification and characterisation of starting materials and products.
• Demonstrate an ability to prepare a simple API by chemical synthesis including purification and simple characterisation (e.g. melting point).
• Discuss the importance of quality control of APIs and the influence of purity on measured activity. 
• Understand and to be able to calculate drug half-life, clearance and volume of distribution given pharmacokinetic data
• Design a dosage regimen for the population to achieve and maintain the plasma drug concentration within a defined range, given population pharmacokinetic data
• Understand the impact of disease and genetic polymorphisms of enzymes/transporters on the drug dosage regimen and pharmacokinetics
• Interpret pharmacokinetics in different disease population and design an initial dosage regimen for such patients
• Conduct a person-centred consultation on minor ailments and discuss an appropriate management plan 
• Use basic observation findings to calculate and interpret the relevance of the NEWS2 score
• Use information about an individual’s consent and capacity to inform decision-making 
• Optimise medication for a single condition using relevant evidence-based resources (asthma, COPD, type 2 diabetes) drawing on relevance of personalised medicine 
• Integrate knowledge of (patho)physiology and pharmacology, high quality research evidence, clinical expertise and patient values as part of clinical decision-making and problem solving 
• Discuss the process of prescription processing incident management (insulin and opioids exemplars)
• Understand and apply quality improvement methodologies 
• Articulate research questions or aims and objectives relevant to a student-led laboratory class problem 
• Apply statistical knowledge to analyse data collected as part of a student-led laboratory class problem
• Access and use digital prescribing data in order to optimise medicines and understand the economic implications of prescribing 
• Apply concepts in health economics (cost utility and cost consequences analysis) to a relevant example (musculoskeletal)

• Identify and use early formulation development and testing.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the role of chemical synthesis in the preparation of APIs and appreciate some the challenges posed by synthesis such as chemical hazards, purification and characterisation of starting materials and products.
• Demonstrate an ability to prepare a simple API by chemical synthesis including purification and simple characterisation (e.g. melting point).
• Discuss the importance of quality control of APIs and the influence of purity on measured activity.
• Use molecular biology cloning techniques to demonstrate how proteins are produced for medicines.
• Dispense prescriptions at the level of simple patient with complex drug(s) OR complex patient with simple drug(s), relevant to diabetes, osteoporosis or rheumatoid arthritis.
• Conduct a basic examination (on a normal, healthy individual) and verbally describe findings of the following: (i) Ear, nose, throat and basic eye examination; (ii) Respiratory system - including inspection, palpation, percussion and auscultation of breath sounds.

• Demonstrate the ability to lead a team and resolve conflict should it arise
• Demonstrate key skills and attributes associated with leadership (communicating with influence; negotiation skills; using integrity, networking and advocacy; coaching; situational judgement)

*Pass / Fail components do not attract a grade, but are worth 12 credits in total over the course of the year. Students may take the full academic year to collect sufficient eportfolio evidence to pass.

The MPharm uses an EBL approach to teaching and learning. As such, learners are required to engage with a number of self-directed learning activities each week, including reading.

In year 3, suggested core reading material is provided for students by staff but they are required to search for their own additional resources to supplement learning. Directed reading consists of up to 8 hours per week from pharmacy journals, ebooks, clinical resources (e.g. BNF, Stockleys Drug Interactions) and NHS elearning (e.g. CPPE, eLfH, Skills for Health). As clinical practice is constantly changing, this material will be reviewed each academic year, and then again before each session is delivered, to ensure it remains relevant.

Other scheduled teaching and learning activities include:

• MyDispense online learning: 10 hours
• Online drop-ins (CPD, calculations, EBL support): 1 hour per week
• Academic adviser meetings: 2 hours