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PgDip in Advanced Practice Nursing (Prescribing)

€8,440

Embark on a journey to enhance your career as you develop the knowledge and skills to practice and prescribe at an advanced level.

A nurse at a touchscreen workstation.
PgDip in Advanced Practice Nursing (Prescribing)

€8,440

Embark on a journey to enhance your career as you develop the knowledge and skills to practice and prescribe at an advanced level.

Award

Postgraduate Diploma

Duration

2 years

Mode of delivery

Hybrid - Part-time

Credits

70 ECTS

Next start date

September 2025

About

Enhance your career with the PgDip in Advanced Practice Nursing (Prescribing) from the RCSI School of Nursing and Midwifery. With this innovative, flexible and practice-orientated programme, you will prepare to practice at a higher level of capability, becoming eligible to register as an Advanced Nurse/Midwife Practitioner with the Nursing & Midwifery Board of Ireland.

You will explore topics such as pharmacology and professional accountability and develop the knowledge and clinical skills required for ANP/AMP roles through reflection, practice, experience, clinical learning, online learning and clinical simulation practice.

This programme is delivered part-time over two years. Support is provided through the module lead, programme director and regular online drop-in sessions.

RCSI School of Nursing and Midwifery
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Master assessments and clinical skills for unpredictable and ill-defined contexts

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Demonstrate leadership, accountability, and strategies for working in multidisciplinary teams

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Enhance your understanding of pharmacology

Suitable for

This programme is for nurses/midwives who have completed an MSc but have not completed the prescribing programme.

What you will learn

Advanced Practice Clinical Practicum I 
Pharmacology 
Advanced Systematic Assessment
Professional Accountability in Nurse/Midwife Prescribing
Advanced Practice Clinical Practicum II
Advanced Professional Accountability, Clinical Governance and Decision Making
Optional Specialist Module 2

Faculty highlight

Register your interest

The staff of the RCSI School of Nursing and Midwifery are more than happy to assist you with queries relating to our programmes. If you would like to be notified when the application links open for September 2025 applications, please register your details below. Feel free to call us, email or visit us at 123 St Stephen's Green.

Tel: +353 1 402 5137/5136

Email: nursing@rcsi.ie

Register your interest

Course information

This programme will provide you with the skills and knowledge to:

1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of a comprehensive range of knowledge in the specialist area.

2. Articulate a critical awareness of the latest evidence-based knowledge in the specialist area.

3. Demonstrate a range of research and specialist knowledge and skills to the specialist area of clinical practice.

4. Select from a broad range of specialist skills and knowledge in the specialist area.

5. Act in a comprehensive and often unpredictable variety of professional and ill-defined contexts in the specialist area.

6. Take significant responsibility for the work of individuals and groups and lead and initiate activity in the specialist area.

7. Critically self-evaluate professional and personal learning needs and those of others within their specialist area of practice and link to related continuing professional development requirements.

8. Present a reflective and questioning approach to specialist practice delivery and exhibit professional application of her/his knowledge in an accountable, responsible and evidence-based manner.

On successful completion of this programme, nurses will be eligible to apply for registration as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP) and a Registered Nurse Prescriber (RNP) with the NMBI.

Year 1

  • Advanced Practice Clinical Practicum I
  • Pharmacology
  • Advanced Systematic Assessment
  • Professional Accountability in Nurse/Midwife Prescribing

Year 2

  • Advanced Practice Clinical Practicum II
  • Advanced Professional Accountability, Clinical Governance and Decision Making
  • Optional Specialist Module (x 1)

The programme will begin in September each year.

This programme is assessed through a range of assessment modalities.

All postgraduate diploma programmes offered by the School of Nursing & Midwifery are accredited by RCSI, the National University of Ireland and the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland. Recognition by bodies in other jurisdictions must be determined by individual applicants.

Admissions

  • Applicants must have a minimum of an MSc in nursing or equivalent.
  • Hold active registration on a division of the professional register maintained by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI).
  • Have three years’ recent post-registration clinical experience in nursing/midwifery (within the past five years), with the equivalent of one-year full-time experience in the  specific area of practice.
  • Evidence of support from your employer and a completed Site Declaration Form, signed by the Director of Nursing/Public Health/ authorised nurse manager. This must contain confirmation of a designated medical practitioner mentor and/or RANP mentor.
  • Meet the English language requirements for postgraduate programmes are published on the RCSI website.

Learning occurs in many contexts, including work, involvement in social and community activities, and learning through life experience generally. Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) does not give credit for experience as such – rather, it considers learning that was acquired as a result of the experience.

RPL may be used to gain admission to programmes where an applicant may not have obtained the standard entry requirements. This is considered on a case-by-case basis.

Exemptions from programme modules that duplicate learning already demonstrably acquired through prior learning may also be considered on a case-by-case basis.

For more information, please contact the School of Nursing and Midwifery.

English-language requirements for postgraduate programmes are published on the RCSI website.

Applicants who have completed undergraduate/postgraduate full-time studies in the medium of the English language (three or more years cumulatively), and students registered with the NMBI, are exempt from these requirements.

Fees for this programme are €8,410.

Year 1: €4,755
Year 2: €3,655

Please note:

  • Fees include the €45 NUI fee.
  • There is an additional application fee of €50 which is non-refundable.
  • Fees are subject to review annually.
  • Fees can be paid by bank transfer. Full details on fee payment will be emailed to you before the commencement of your programe.
  • You can pay your fees in three instalments – one payment of 40% is due before you commence the programme, while the remaining payments can be paid in two 30% instalments in November and February of your year of study.
  • If you meet the criteria for a non-EU student, please contact us for more information on fee payments at Tel: +353 1 402 2445 or Email: nursing@rcsi.ie.

Sponsored students: If your study is sponsored by your employer, you will be required to upload written confirmation of your sponsorship when accepting your programme offer. You will be unable to accept your offer until confirmation of sponsorship is received or a payment is made. Please view our Postgraduate fees policy for more information.

How to apply

Applications for September 2025 admissions will open in the come weeks.

If you would like to be notified when the application link opens, please register your details below or for further information, please contact nursing@rcsi.ie

Register your interest