Health Minister, has welcomed the launch of the
2024/25 Experiential Learning (EL) programme.
The EL Programme provides pharmacy undergraduate students with
multi-sector clinical work placements across Northern Ireland.
The programme will prepare future pharmacists to have a greater
role in providing clinical care to patients and the public and,
from 2026, will enable them to be Independent Prescribers once
they register.
Speaking at the launch, Minister Nesbitt said: “This is the
second year of this successful programme, which will see pharmacy
students in Northern Ireland benefit from the training by
completing up to twelve weeks of practice-based learning in
Hospitals, Community Pharmacies and General Practices across NI.
This will provide them with actual practice-based
experiences in a range of healthcare settings, facilitating
them to interact with patients and engage in
interprofessional practice.
“I welcome the continuing EL programme, as optimising the
skills of Pharmacist Independent Prescribers can build more
capability and much needed additional capacity within our HSC
workforce, that can help to ease pressures in areas such as
primary, secondary and emergency care.
Widening access to care can also assist in tackling health
inequalities and I look forward to seeing the benefits for
graduates, for the HSC and for patients.”
Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, Professor Cathy Harrison said: “EL
is an essential component within the initial education and
training of pharmacy professionals. Utilising pharmacists' skills
as patient-facing clinical specialists in medicines, can help to
ensure that patients get the most safe, effective and right
medicines.
It's wonderful to see the EL programme grow and develop. As well
as an experienced and committed network of hospital Trust
Clinical Education and Practice Supervisor pharmacists, we also
now have over 270 Community Pharmacists and 115 General Practice
Pharmacists, who are providing EL Practice Supervisor training in
supporting student learning in primary care.
I would like to extend my best wishes to all student Pharmacists
who are completing their EL placements this year and to NICPLD,
the Universities, Hospitals, local Community Pharmacies, General
Practices and all stakeholders, for their continued hard work and
collaboration in helping to make the programme a continued
success.”
The Northern Ireland Centre for Pharmacy Learning and Development
(NICPLD) at Queens University Belfast (QUB) has been commissioned
by the Department to design, manage and deliver the EL programme.
NICPLD is working with QUB, Ulster University (UU), Community
Pharmacy NI (CPNI), GP Federations, Hospitals and local
employers, to co-ordinate the work placements.
Further details can be found at NICPLD:
Experiential Learning(external link opens in a new window /
tab)
Notes to editors:
- The Experiential Learning (EL) programme was developed in
response to the new mandatory revised initial education and
training (IET) reforms and standards for pharmacists in Northern
Ireland, which were jointly developed by the General
Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and the Pharmaceutical Society of
Northern Ireland (PSNI). The new standards were published
by the GPhC in January 2021 and are set out in ‘‘Standards for the initial
education and training of pharmacists (January 2021)(external
link opens in a new window / tab)
- To meet the new standards, periods of EL or practice-based
learning are now integrated into the MPharm degree, with
students completing up to 12 weeks across the course in both
primary and secondary care.
