Course Catalogue

Nursing and Advanced Practice

1. To prepare health care professionals to prescribe, safely, appropriately and cost-effectively as independent and/or supplementary prescribers, in accordance with both legal and the professional requirements of relevant professional bodies (NMC, HCPC, RPS) 2. To address the specialist educational needs of nurses and allied health professionals working within specialist areas and with specific client groups. 3. To prepare health care professionals to exercise clinical reasoning, critical thinking and creative problem solving with regard to the unique challenges associated with medicines management among infants, children and young people, the elderly and other specific client groups

Outline Syllabus:Clinical Pharmacology including the Effects of Co-morbidity · Pharmacology including pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics. · Anatomy and physiology as applied to prescribing practice including the unique anatomical and physiological differences across the lifespan. · Basic principles of drugs to be prescribed – absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion including adverse drug reactions (ADR), interactions and reactions· · Impact of physiological state in, for example the elderly, young, pregnant or breast feeding women, on drug responses and safety. · Issues in administration: vehicles, formulations, taste, routes, concordance, excipient use, etc. · Pharmacology mathematics. · Error prevention and sources of medicines information. Consultation, Decision-Making and Therapy including Referral · Models of consultation. · Accurate assessment, communication and consultation with patients and their carers. · Concepts of working diagnosis or best formulation. · Development of a management plan · Confirmation of diagnosis – further examination, investigation, referral for diagnosis. · Prescribe, not to prescribe, non-drug treatment or referral for treatment. Influences on and Psychology of Prescribing · Patient demand versus patient need. · External influences, for example companies/colleagues. · Patient partnership in medicine-taking including awareness of cultural and ethnic needs. · Conformance – normalisation of professional prescribing behaviour. · Achieving shared understanding and negotiating a plan of action. Prescribing in a Team Context · National and local guidelines, protocols, policies, decision support systems and formulae (rationale, adherence to and deviation from). · Understand the role and functions of other team members. · Documentation, with particular reference to communication between team members including electronic prescribing. · Auditing, monitoring and evaluating prescribing practice. · Interface between multiple prescribers and the management of potential conflict. · Budget/cost effectiveness (including prescription charges, exemptions, components of cost to the NHS/ dispensing fees). · Issues relating to the ethics of dispensing. Evidence-based Practice and Clinical Governance in relation to Non-Medical Prescribing · National and local guidelines, protocols, policies, decision support systems and formulae-rationale, adherence to and deviation from. · Continuing professional development – role of self and organisation. · Management of change. · Risk assessment and risk management, including safe storage, handling and disposal. · Clinical supervision. · Reflective practice. · Critical appraisal skills. · Auditing and systems monitoring. · Identifying and reporting ADRs and near misses. Legal, Policy and Ethical Aspects · Legal basis, liability and indemnity. · Legal implications of advice to self-medicate including the use of complementary therapy and “over the counter” (OTC) medicines. · Safe keeping of prescription pads, action if lost, writing prescriptions and record keeping. · Awareness and reporting of fraud. · Drug licensing. · Yellow card reporting to the Commission on Human Medicines. · Prescribing in the policy context. · Manufacturers’ guidance relating to literature, licensing and “off-label” (including the special considerations with regard to off-label and unlicensed drug use in children. · Ethical basis of intervention. · Informed consent, with particular reference to client groups in learning disability, mental health, children, the critically ill and emergency situations. - The ethical, documentation, legal and accountability issues related to the prescribing of botulinum toxin and related products Professional Accountability and Responsibility · NMC Standards for Professional Practice. · Accountability and responsibility for assessment, diagnosis and prescribing. · Maintaining professional knowledge and competence in relation

Module Overview:
1. To prepare health care professionals to prescribe, safely, appropriately and cost-effectively as independent and/or supplementary prescribers, in accordance with both legal and the professional requirements of relevant professional bodies (NMC, HCPC, RPS) 2. To address the specialist educational needs of nurses and allied health professionals working within specialist areas and with specific client groups. 3. To prepare health care professionals to exercise clinical reasoning, critical thinking and creative problem solving with regard to the unique challenges associated with medicines management among infants, children and young people, the elderly and other specific client groups

Additional Information:‘In addition to the graded assessments list above, competency will also be assessed in the following ways, all of which will be recorded as PASS or FAIL only: i. Numeracy exam (Part B of the formal exam) – a pass threshold of 100% must be achieved ii. Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) iii. Clinical Assessment Document iv. Law exam – a pass threshold of 40% must be achieved’ The Lecture hours include 1 hour for the Law exam and 1 hour for the OSCE. The clinical experience for this module consists of 12 days (90 hours) of supervised prescribing practice with a Practice Assessor (NMC) a Practice Supervisor (NMC) or Practice Educator (HCPC). Assessment of clinical practice hours are the responsibility of the Practice Assessor (NMC) or Practice Educator (HCPC). Unless competence is demonstrated in practice credit will not be released. The course meets the requirements and standards of both the NMC and HCPC and prepares students to prescribe safely and competently as an Independent Prescriber or Supplementary Prescriber to meet the needs of clients/patients and carers with whom you work. As a Supplementary Prescriber the student will work in a voluntary partnership with a Registered Medical Practitioner (a doctor or dentist) to implement an agreed patient-specific written Clinical Management Plan (CMP) with the patient's agreement. As an Independent Prescriber, the student will be responsible and accountable for the assessment of patients with undiagnosed or diagnosed conditions and for decisions about the clinical management required, including prescribing. Details of Approved Variance to the Academic Framework Regulations: Approved 20.12.2019 - A variance has been approved for 6100NPAPP that all components of the module must be passed including those contained within the practice competency. The examination element (weighted at 40%) has a pass mark of 80%. The numeracy assessment (written examination) within the practice/competency element has a pass mark of 100%.’