2014 Guardian University Awards Success

The School came 'Runner-Up' in the 2014 Guardian University Awards which were presented in London on Wednesday 26 February.

We were nominated in the Teaching Excellence category for the creation of the UK's five-year undergraduate Pharmacy programme with integrated pre-registration training. The degree opened for the first time in September 2013. It is the UK’s first pharmacy degree to fully integrate scientific, clinical and pre-registration training, providing students with an education to allow them to stay at the cutting edge of the modern profession.

To qualify as a UK pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), pre-registration training is normally completed as a one-year employment following the degree. The Modernising Pharmacy Careers (MPC) Programme Board, however, recommends that in the near future all English pharmacy degrees should adopt a five-year structure including such training.

Dr Stephanie Allen, from the University’s School of Pharmacy, said: “Our motivation for launching a five-year course prior to implementation of these recommendations was to enhance the training of students up to the point of their registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). By creating such a programme now, the course is a leading model within the pharmacy sector that will help the Department of Health in the future nationwide implementation of the MPC recommendations.

“The School believes that the UK must retain its position as the leading country for the training of pharmacists across the world. Recent changes to UKBA visa regulations however, threaten the appeal of UK pharmacy degree programmes to international students, as many students worry that they will not be able to gain the required employment for their final pre-registration year; there is no longer a guaranteed right to work in the UK post-graduation. The new course overcomes this issue as international students will, for the first time, be able to complete their UK training to the point of GPhC registration on a student visa.”