Professional Certificate
6 months
Hybrid - Part-time
30 ECTS
January 2025
About
Explore how to enhance the care you provide to patients, clients and service users as you prepare to prescribe medicines within your scope of practice with the RCSI School of Nursing and Midwifery.
Through the use of their prescriptive authority, this professional certificate offers nurses/midwives the opportunity to register with NMBI as a nurse/midwife prescriber on the successful completion of the programme. This RCSI programme is the longest running programme of its kind in Ireland and has prepared more than 1,200 nurses/midwives to date for this expanded role.
This programme is delivered part-time via an active blended learning approach including self-directed learning and live online classes approximately once every week. Further support is provided through the module lead, programme director and regular online drop-in sessions.
Develop competency in medicinal product prescribing
Critically evaluate and reflect on your developing ability
Allows nurses/midwives to register as a prescriber
Suitable for
This programme 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.
What you will learn
Faculty highlight
Course information
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of a comprehensive range of knowledge in the specialist area.
- Articulate a critical awareness of the latest evidence-based knowledge in the specialist area.
- Demonstrate a range of research and specialist knowledge and skills to the specialist area of clinical practice.
- Select from a broad range of specialist skills and knowledge in the specialist area.
- Act in a comprehensive and often unpredictable variety of professional and ill-defined contexts in the specialist area.
- Take significant responsibility for the work of individuals and groups and lead and initiate activity in the specialist area.
- 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.
- 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.
This programme is run over one academic semester (six months) beginning in January.
This programme is assessed through a range of assessment modalities.
Upon the successful completion of this programme, students can progress to a postgraduate diploma.
All RCSI programmes offered by the School of Nursing and Midwifery are accredited by the 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
To be eligible for the programme you must:
- Be registered as a nurse or midwife on the Active Register of An Bord Altranais.
- Currently be employed as a nurse or midwife.
- Have a minimum of three years post-registration clinical experience (within the past five years) with at least one year in the area in which prescribing is proposed.
- Have competencies recognised at Level 8 of the NQAI Framework.
- Demonstrate continuous professional development and the ability to study at Level 8.
- Have the support of your employer to undertake programme.
- Have the nomination and confirmation of a designated medical practitioner mentor.
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:
- Tel: +353 1 402 2445
- Email: nursing@rcsi.ie
English language requirements are published here. 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.
The fee for this programme is €3,565.
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 two equal instalments. The first payment of 50% is due before you commence the programme, and the remaining payment is due at the midway point of the programme.
If you meet the criteria for a non-EU student, please contact us for more information on fee payments:
- Tel: +353 1 402 2445
- Email: nursing@rcsi.ie
Please view our Postgraduate fees policy for more information.
How to apply
Applications for this programme are now closed.
For more information on this course, please contact nursing@rcsi.ie.