Developing your career

The aim of this e-course is to build the confidence and competence of pharmacists who are planning to apply and train as independent prescribers.

The course is made up of four main components:

• A self-directed e-course and self-assessment framework.
• A mandatory online workshop to support you to review your self-assessment of competencies and develop a personal development plan (PDP).
• An optional online workshop to support your readiness for academic writing and reflective practice.
• Optional peer support sessions, providing the opportunity for you to develop your professional network and establish communities of practice.

The first cohort to launch on the 12th September will be an initial pilot cohort. Further cohorts will be released over the coming months.

You will need to pick one of the mandatory online workshops to attend at a date and time that works for you. Booking the online workshop will automatically enrol you on the e-course. Full details of the current pilot workshop dates are available in the Course format and dates tab below.

Once you have identified your own personal learning needs by completing the self-assessment framework, the different topic areas in this programme will support you to:

• describe how your knowledge, skills and experience have evolved since your initial training as a pharmacist?
• recognise your strengths and transferable skills which you can build on that are relevant to your independent prescribing training
• identify your learning needs, and the resources and learning opportunities to enable you to meet them
• develop your skills as a reflective practitioner and apply these to your practice
• build a powerful personal and professional support network to support you during your independent prescribing training and ongoing prescribing practice
• create a personal development plan for your short, medium and longer-term development needs to prepare for undertaking an independent prescribing course.

Pharmacists who are planning to apply and/or start their independent prescriber training can apply to take part.

Further information for newly qualified pharmacists

We would recommend that you enrol on the CPPE Newly qualified pharmacist programme as the first step in your post-registration professional development journey if you meet the eligibility criteria.  

The Preparing to train as an independent prescriber programme is included as one of the modules of the Newly qualified pharmacist programme. While completing the Newly qualified pharmacist programme, you would agree the optimal time to book onto the Preparing to train as an independent prescriber module with your education supervisor. 

Newly qualified pharmacists who are not eligible for the CPPE Newly qualified pharmacist programme can access the NHS England Newly Qualified Pharmacist pathway and could complete the Preparing to train as an independent prescriber programme as a stand-alone course.

This course launches on the 12th of September. You will need to book onto one of the mandatory online workshops to guarantee your place and gain access to the e-course.

The two workshop dates available for this pilot cohort are as follows:

• Thursday 21st September, 7-9pm
• Monday 23rd October, 7-9pm

You need to attend one of these workshops to enrol on this pilot cohort of the Preparing to train as an independent prescriber programme. More dates will be released in due course for further cohorts of this programme.

Book your place on one of the workshops here and this will give you access to the e-course.

We are hoping to open up more places on the programme in mid-October, following the initial pilot workshops. Please revisit the website once the programme begins on 12th September 2023.