The Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) this month revealed that “some trainees who took an extra year to complete their MPharm from 2020 and therefore received the same IP training with the 2021 cohort” have been told that they “will not be awarded IP at qualification”.
The membership body told C+D last week (July 16) that it is supporting a small number of individuals who were surprised to discover that they would be granted an MPharm degree without an IP qualification, despite following the updated curriculum.
Read more: What pressures do new independent prescribers face?
It explained that a few pharmacy students around the country officially began their MPharm qualification in 2020 but took a year out and ended up following the revised curriculum that came into place in 2021.
They studied the exact same four-year curriculum as those who officially started their study under the 2021 curriculum, the PDA said, but only realised recently that they would not graduate with an IP qualification.
Read more: DH ‘committed’ to pharmacy prescribing services
The PDA told C+D that the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) had predicted this was a possibility at the time and that it was explained to students.
And it added that all pharmacy schools set out how they would deal with this issue at the time, noting however, that this varied from school to school.
It remains unclear how many students are affected.
Prescribing service?
It comes as the government last week confirmed that it is “committed” to launching prescribing services in community pharmacies after first pledging the idea in its manifesto last year.
But pharmacy leaders this month slammed the government after it was “unable to confirm” how many designated prescribing practitioners (DPPs) – needed to supervise all trainees from 2025/26 - are available less than a month before trainees are due to start in post.
Read more: DH and NHSE ‘unable to confirm’ how many DPPs available
Meanwhile, senior lecturer in pharmacy practice at the University of Hertfordshire Shurti Patel Aina wrote in C+D earlier this year that “pharmacy education in the UK is undergoing a transformative shift”.
She said that “many students are excited by the prospect of qualifying as prescribers [and] see it as an opportunity to enhance their careers and feel that this added qualification will increase their employability”.
But she added that “concerns about qualifying as a prescriber are common”, explaining that “a primary worry among students is defining the scope of their practice”.
