Nursing/Midwifery (Medicinal Product Prescribing)

ProfCert
Nursing and midwifery

Course details

The Professional Certificate in Nursing/Midwifery (Medicinal Product Prescribing) at RCSI is the first of its kind in Ireland – we have educated over 1,000 prescribers since the programme’s inception in 2007 – and offers appropriately qualified nurses and midwives the opportunity to enhance the care they provide to patients, clients and service users through the use of their prescriptive authority.

The fully accredited online six-month, part-time programme prepares nurses and midwives, from an education perspective, to prescribe medicines within their scope of practice.

It is offered to all nurses and midwives who meet the entry criteria and have the support of their employer and a designated medical mentor irrespective of their clinical grade or area of clinical practice.

Many nurses and midwives who have undertaken this programme continue their postgraduate education to postgraduate diploma and masters level, preparing them for specialist or advanced practice roles.

Course code: C3272A1

Learning outcomes

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

  • Demonstrate understanding, through questioning and scrutiny, of the necessary professional knowledge (theory, concepts and methods) pertaining to the role of the registered nurse prescriber.
  • Develop detailed specialised knowledge and understanding necessary to be competent in decision making in relation to medicinal product prescribing.
  • Demonstrate the mastery of the practical skills and tools necessary to be competent in decision making around medicinal product prescribing.
  • Demonstrate the practical and critical thinking skills required to exercise appropriate judgement in decision making in relation to medicinal product prescribing.
  • Develop the concepts and principles that underpin problem solving and clinical decision making in clinical practice, accepting accountability for the decision making in relation to medicinal product prescribing.
  • Lead the care of individuals within the context of collaborative working and within own scope of practice.
  • Acknowledge own developing ability within the sphere of medicinal product prescribing and critically analyse own learning needs through the use of reflective practice to facilitate a lifelong learning approach to personal and professional development.
  • Recognise self-limitations and the requirement to seek assistance in relation to medicinal product prescribing whilst providing care for individuals.

Modules 

The programme is run over one academic semester, beginning in January.

The programme modules are:

Module name Credits Assessment method
Professional Accountability in Nurse Midwife Prescribing 10 Assignment and a draft collaborative practice agreement
Pharmacology and Prescribing Science 10 Examination
Systematic Assessment & Evaluation in Patient Care 10 Clinical assessment and competency booklet