Skip to main content

Trainee Pharmacist Foundation

Further your skills and develop your undergraduate knowledge alongside undertaking foundation training in practice. Achieve General Pharmaceutical Council learning outcomes. Network with fellow trainee pharmacists.

Apply nowRegister your interest
A pharmacist checking medication in a dispensary
Course codeCID1129
Duration10 months
Fee(s)View fees
LocationOn campus

Course summary

The Trainee Pharmacist Foundation Programme is designed to support you through your foundation training year and help you prepare confidently for the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) registration assessment. We understand the challenges you face during this crucial stage of your career, and this course will help you make the most of it, both professionally and academically.

Over ten months, you'll attend ten focused sessions that combine face-to-face teaching with structured distance learning through our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). The course covers key clinical areas, including pharmacy law, numeracy, emergency first aid, and more, all aligned with the GPhC registration assessment framework and learning outcomes.

You’ll benefit from expert-led sessions, including guest lectures on current clinical issues, and receive regular mock assessments to track your progress and build your confidence ahead of the registration exam. Our teaching team includes academic staff with extensive experience in clinical practice, including primary care, community pharmacy, and independent prescribing.

While this course doesn’t carry academic credits, it offers targeted, practical support that can help you build evidence for your appraisals, strengthen your clinical knowledge, and succeed in your registration assessment.

For further details on how to apply for this course, please contact TPFP@sunderland.ac.uk(opens in new tab).

What you'll study

Topics covered on this course include:

  • All BNF clinical chapters – case based workbooks
  • All clinical topics identified within the GPhC foundation pharmacist framework, including, but not limited to, drug interactions, high risk drugs, adverse drug reactions, drugs in pregnancy and breastfeeding, and palliative care
  • Responding to symptoms – over-the-counter pharmacy consultations/minor ailments
  • Clinical governance
  • Pharmacy law and ethics
  • Health economics
  • Complex polypharmacy
  • First aid at work training
  • Calculations.

How you'll learn

This course is made up of ten study days. One of these days is a full, formal mock assessment in May. The taught elements of this course include a mixture of directed study and supported supervised study. There'll be a range of pre-work for each study day which you can complete in your own time, as well as participating in each study day.

Study days are held on campus and cover a range of topics varying on a month-to-month basis. You'll take part in a mixed approach to teaching, including presentations, case workbooks, case discussions, and formative assessments.

Entry requirements

Apply now

To apply for this course, please contact TPFP@sunderland.ac.uk(opens in new tab).

Disclaimer

We want to make sure you have clear and accurate information about our courses. Our website always shows the latest updates. If you’ve applied and been offered a place, we’ll contact you in writing if anything important changes.

View our programme specifications(opens in new tab) for further information about what the course covers, learning outcomes and the skills you'll gain when you graduate.