Prescribing Practice

The Prescribing Practice module is designed to train MPharm students to think like safe, confident prescribers—able to interpret complex clinical information, navigate competing priorities, and make clear, rational prescribing decisions under exam and practice conditions. This clinically focused, exam-aligned module is built around realistic, high-stakes scenarios to help students master the “most appropriate” approach to prescribing.

The course begins with core prescribing competencies, including how to triage clinical questions, choose the correct resource (BNF, SPC, NICE), and navigate SPCs for high-yield information such as dosing adjustments, contraindications, and pregnancy/lactation guidance. Students will learn how to prioritise safety over efficacy and convenience, and to interpret questions the way assessors and real-world prescribers do.

Prescribing for special populations is covered in detail, including renal and hepatic impairment, paediatrics, and patients with learning disabilities—highlighting areas where mistakes are common but avoidable. The module then explores polypharmacy, deprescribing, and high-risk drug classes (e.g. anticholinergics, benzodiazepines), equipping students to identify red flags, reduce medicine burden, and improve patient outcomes.

Therapeutic areas include urgent care, cardiovascular disease, psychiatry, neurology, respiratory care, and dermatology—focusing on prescribing decisions that are commonly tested, commonly misunderstood, or commonly encountered on placement.

Each topic is reinforced through scenario-based practice questions and decision-making frameworks that mirror the style of GPhC and clinical exam questions.