Postgraduate Diploma for Overseas Pharmacists

Key information

Duration of programme: Full-time: 9 months. There is an MSc route available and this would be full-time for 12 months; if you wish to be considered for this please state this in your personal statement & contact the admissions team on the email below.

All applicants must have approval from the GPhC prior to applying to Aston University.

Start date: September

Deadline to apply for 2013 entry is Friday 2nd August 2013

Distance learning available: No
Intake: 54

Fee for 2013:

£10,500 for the Diploma and £13,800 for the MSc

Application & contact:
Apply for this course online

LHS Postgraduate Admissions Office
Tel: +44 (0) 121 204 4184
Fax: +44 (0) 121 204 4187
Email: lhspgt@aston.ac.uk

Important information

DBS & Fitness to Practice

Visa information

Programme outline and modules

This course is for pharmacy graduates who gained their degree outside the UK. It enables pharmacists to convert their existing pharmaceutical qualification so it is recognised in Great Britain.

Successful completion of the course will allow you to undertake a pre-registration placement, before applying to register as a Pharmacist with The General Pharmaceutical Council. You will also gain an Aston University Diploma. Aston University is not responsible for the provision of a pre-registration training place nor preparation for professional qualifying examinations.

The programme focuses upon new developments in key pharmaceutical sciences, clinical pharmacy and pharmacy practice together with the study of health service delivery and pharmacy law and ethics within the UK.

Modules

Professional Critical Skills - Covers core elements of the retrieval and use of pharmaceutical information, the theory and practice of personal and interpersonal skills including communication and IT skills, responding to symptoms and introduces students to the concepts of organised continuing professional development (CPD)
Applied Pharmacology and Therapeutics (modules I and II) - Introduces therapeutics and develops an evidence-based approach to pharmacotherapy - covering diabetes, cardiovascular, respiratory, upper gastrointestinal and central nervous system disorders.
Practical Therapeutics - Focuses on students utilising their clinical knowledge in a criticial and systemic manner to deliver clinically appropriate outcomes for patients, including prescribing decisions. Enable students to respond to varied clinical situations including patients with multiple pathologies or complex medical needs guided by evidence, legal frameworks, ethical practice and local guidance in a manner consistent with the patients needs.
Pharmaceutical Technology - Focuses on radiopharmacy, cytotoxics, parenteral nutrition, intravenous additives, and quality assurance
Pharmaceutics in Practice - Focuses on the role of drug delivery in patient care including advanced drug delivery techniques, biotechnology and clinical pharmaceutics
Pharmacy Law, Ethics and Practice - This covers background to UK and EU law – origins of law, political and legal frameworks, dispensing and the sale and supply of medicines in the UK, medicines legislation in the UK, legislation that affects the practice of pharmacy, health service structures in the UK and Europe, legislation governing pharmacy within the UK and EU and an overview of the comparable legislation for medicine, medical and pharmacy ethics including the UK code of ethics and pharmaceutical calculations.

Entry requirements

Candidates must possess a pharmacy degree to enable them to register as a pharmacist with The General Pharmaceutical Council.
In addition, candidates must have documented evidence of their eligibility to undertake the course. This evidence must be obtained before you apply. Please note that it may take up to two months to gain approval from the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
In order to secure a place for this course, we recommend students to apply for the approval before June 2012 and apply to Aston before July 2013.
IELTS. Minimum requirement - 7.0 overall, 7.0 in each area.

Learning, teaching & assessment

The following study methods are used throughout the programme:

Lectures
Group tutorials
Practicals
Web-based learning
Clinical teaching sessions.

A wide range of assessment methods are used including:

Examination
Web based clinical assignments
Clinical case studies
Clinical case presentation
Portfolio development
Practical dispensing examination.

Professional accreditation

The course is accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)

Career opportunities

The course is designed for those who wish to practice as a Pharmacist in Great Britain. The programme has an excellent track record of students obtaining and successfully completing the pre-registration training.

Personal development

The transferable skills acquired on this course include effective written and oral communication, team working, report writing, critical analysis and IT skills.

Facilities & equipment

The programme utilises a range of specialist laboratories recently refitted to very high standards in a £3m upgrade project. In 2008 we opened a new fully computerised medicines management suite to support learning of modern pharmacy areas like clinical care and prescribing.