Enhanced/Prescribing for Health Professionals

Continue your professional development by working in practice with an assigned practice assessor who is also a registered healthcare professional and experienced prescriber. Qualify in both independent and supplementary prescribing and choose your level of study.

Student looking at boxes of medicine in the pharmacy dispensary

LevelShort courses and CPD

Duration6 months

Start dates26 January 2026

Fee£1,500

Course codeCID1350

Course summary

Prescribing is an area of professional development which is an essential component of specialist and advanced practice for health professionals. As such, it forms part of career structures and is commissioned by organisations that require prescribing for job roles.

Prescribing requires independent and supplementary prescribing knowledge and skills. This prescribing short course leads to a qualification in both. It's a requirement of the Professional Standards and Regulatory Body (PSRB) – either the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) or the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) – that students complete a prescribing module prior to undertaking prescribing in practice.

This module is approved by the NMC and HCPC and is in line with current standards for prescribing

What you'll study

This module is designed to meet the 'Standards for prescribing programmes' as outlined by the NMC (2024) and is underpinned by the principles detailed in the NMC documents 'Standards Framework for Nursing and Midwifery Education' (NMC 2024) and also 'Standards for student supervision and assessment' (NMC 2024).

The competency framework that supports the practice element of this course is the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) 'A competency framework for prescribers' (2021), divided into the following areas:

Assess the patient
Consider the options
Reach a shared decision
Prescribe
Provide information
Monitor and review
Prescribe safely
Prescribe professionally
Improve prescribing practice
Prescribe as part of a team.

How you'll learn

The structure of this course reflects requirements from practice, i.e. a one-week block at the beginning and end of the course, and one day per week in between. Alongside this time at university, NMC-registered students will be expected to undertake a minimum of 78 hours of supervised practice with a suitably qualified and experienced practice assessor (this is 90 hours for HCPC-registered entrants).

Lectures and seminars will ensure learning is underpinned with relevant theoretical knowledge to inform safe and effective decision-making. Group work, problem-based learning (PBL), interactive discussions, workshops, and case-based analysis of practical experiences will assist you to explore and reflect upon prescribing practice.

Simulation and role-play activities will aid clinical assessment and diagnostic decision-making skills. Use of the virtual learning environment (VLE) and e-learning will facilitate learning through the use of formative numeracy and short answer assessment tasks and provide links to supporting information sources. Tutorials, both individual and group-based, will facilitate personal and professional development and provide peer support.

Assessment methods include:

A portfolio of evidence from practice
A 2,500-word critical essay
A 1,000-word reflective supplementary essay
A pharmacology/BNF exam
A numeracy exam.

You will work in practice with an assigned practice assessor – a registered healthcare professional and experienced prescriber with suitable equivalent qualifications.

Entry requirements

To apply for this course:

You must be a registered first level nurse, and/or specialist community public health nurse (NMC)
Prior to application, you must have been registered with the NMC/HCPC for a minimum of one year
You must confirm that you are capable of safe and effective practice at a level of proficiency appropriate to the course to be undertaken and your intended area of prescribing practice in the following areas:
- Clinical/health assessment
- Diagnostics/care management
- Planning and evaluation of care.
Successfully pass a 20-question drug calculations entry test with a mark of 80% or above
Have demonstrated successful, relevant study at academic level 6 in the last three years.

In addition, you'll need to have written confirmation from:

Your employer to confirm that the necessary governance structures are in place (including clinical support, and access to protected learning time) to enable you to undertake and be suitably supported throughout the course. If you're self-employed, you'll need to demonstrate that rigorous governance arrangements are in place to support prescribing and medicine management.
A suitably qualified practice assessor and practice supervisor who meets eligibility criteria for supervision of nurse prescribers and who has agreed to provide the required term of supervised practice.

Fees and finance support

The employer usually meets course costs – we advise you to speak to your workforce development lead before applying.

We also accept self-funded applicants and encourage anyone wishing to explore their options to contact cpd@sunderland.ac.uk(opens in new tab).

Apply now

Contact the Corporate and Professional Education team for further information about applying for this course by calling 0191 515 3361(opens in new tab) or emailing cpd@sunderland.ac.uk(opens in new tab).