Independent and Supplementary Prescribing
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- 2025
- 2026
Why study independent and supplementary prescribing at Solent University
In response to demand from NHS England, this standalone course is designed to educate more prescribers to attend to the demands of the population.
- £0minvested in our campus estate and facilities in the last five years
- This course is accredited by the NMC, meaning if you are a registered nurse with at least one year of experience or part-time equivalent, you will be entitled to update your registration status to V300 (Independent and Supplementary Prescriber) upon completion of this course.
- If you are a registered paramedic, physiotherapist, therapeutic radiographer, or podiatrist with at least 3 years of post-registration experience in the clinical area in which they will be prescribing, this course is accredited by the HCPC, meaning you will be entitled to update your registration status to IP (Independent Prescriber) and SP (Supplementary Prescriber) upon completion of this course.
- If you are a registered diagnostic radiographer or dietitian, with at least 3 years of post-registration experience in the clinical area in which they will be prescribing, this course is accredited by the HCPC, meaning you will be entitled to update your registration status to SP (Supplementary Prescriber) upon completion of this course.
- You'll interact with service users, who have complex drug regimens requiring detailed medication reviews to ensure safe and effective pharmacological management of conditions.
- Learn in low-fidelity simulation scenarios applied to prescribing provide a simplified, controlled environment for practicing and refining basic prescribing skills and decision-making.
Course overview
This course provides the essential knowledge of pharmacology needed for safe and effective prescribing, with a strong focus on applying theory to real clinical situations. Learning takes place in a direct, supportive, and collaborative way, helping you build confidence while developing the skills required to prescribe safely within your scope of practice.
You will learn how to critique scientific evidence from drug trials, understand the sciences that underpin pharmacology and biochemistry, and apply this knowledge to practice-based scenarios. Activities are grounded in local and national prescribing guidelines, ensuring safe and evidence-based practice. Structured opportunities to draft prescriptions in realistic case studies will allow you to reflect on your decision making and grow as a thoughtful prescriber. The course is fully aligned with the Competency Framework for All Prescribers (Royal Pharmaceutical Society, 2021).
You will engage with all ten domains, from assessing patients, identifying evidence-based treatment options, and working with patients to reach shared decisions, through to prescribing safely and professionally. You will learn to improve your practice through reflection and feedback, prescribe effectively as part of a team, provide patients with clear information, monitor treatment effectiveness, and take responsibility for your decisions. Together, these domains provide a structured approach to becoming a safe and accountable prescriber.
The ethical and psychosocial dimensions of prescribing are also central. You will explore professional accountability, including the legal and moral responsibilities of prescribers, and examine dilemmas such as balancing patient autonomy with clinical judgement. The course also considers psychological and social influences, including health beliefs, cultural expectations and socioeconomic background.
Teaching is delivered by academics who continue to prescribe across hospital, community, and private practice settings. They bring real-world expertise directly into the classroom, ensuring the course remains practical and relevant. Our team is committed to supporting you throughout your studies so that, by the end of the course, you will be equipped to prescribe safely in your clinical role, expand your professional expertise, and take an important step forward in your healthcare career.
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Course features
Professional accreditation
This course has been accredited by a professional body
Specialist facilities
This course has access to specialist facilities
January start available
This course has an option to start in January
This course is for
This course is exclusively designed for registered nurses* with at least one year of experience and HCPC registrants with at least three years of experience in the clinical area in which they will be prescribing. Applicants must be currently practicing in the United Kingdom. Each candidate must nominate a practice assessor and a practice supervisor (NMC registrants) or a practice educator (HCPC registrants) to support their learning journey. These mentors will supervise 90 hours of teaching within the student's designated area of expertise, ensuring hands-on guidance and real-world application of course content. This structured support system is integral to developing advanced clinical skills and enhancing professional practice.
- This programme is not suitable for NMC registered midwives.
- All candidates must provide evidence of history taking and physical assessment competency.
NMC registrants
Qualification of independent/supplementary or supplementary prescriber (V300) will be awarded following successful completion of this programme.
Their registration status will updated to nurse independent/supplementary prescriber.
Students will also obtain a transcript of ratified outcomes which will state the course name, credits and outcome.
Students may only start prescribing once the prescribing qualification has been added on the NMC register. Students must also ensure they have fulfilled any trust or employer requirements before prescribing.The award must be registered with the NMC within five years of successfully completing the programme. If the award is not registered within 5 years, the student will have to retake and successfully complete the programme again.
Successful students are only expected to prescribe from their personal formulary and within their competence and scope of practice once their registration status has been updated.
HCPC registrants
Upon successful completion of the programme, successful registrants will have their professional registration updated with the appropriate prescribing annotation:
- Chiropodists/podiatrists, physiotherapists, therapeutic radiographers and paramedics will receive the annotation "Independent Prescriber and supplementary prescriber (IP) (SP)", enabling them to prescribe independently within their professional scope and act as supplementary prescribers under a Clinical Management Plan (CMP).
- Dietitians and diagnostic radiographers will receive the annotation "Supplementary Prescriber (SP)", allowing them to prescribe only within a CMP alongside an independent prescriber (doctor or dentist only).
Students will receive a transcript of ratified outcomes, detailing the course name, credits, and qualification achieved.
Prescribing rights can only be exercised once the HCPC register has been updated with the relevant prescribing annotation. Additionally, students must ensure they comply with any employer or NHS trust requirements before commencing prescribing practice. Prescribing rights and limitations vary depending on the profession registered with the HCPC. Throughout the programme, students will develop a clear understanding of these professional boundaries and the regulatory framework governing prescribing practice.
What this course leads to:
You'll develop skills needed to make safe clinical decisions when assessing service users with diverse health needs across all healthcare settings.
- Independent prescriber - NMC registrants
- HCPC registrants (except diagnostic radiographers and dietitians)
- Supplementary prescriber - diagnostic radiographer and dietitians
Meet the team
Learn from qualified staff with a wealth of experience working in a range of clinical settings.
The University cannot guarantee any particular members of staff will teach specific aspects of the course in the future, but will endeavour to ensure the teaching team maintains their balance of experience and qualifications.
Facilities
You’ll have access to a range of our specialist facilities, including a nursing simulation suite with a six bed ward, GP consulting room, nurse’s treatment room, waiting area/break out space, care home bedroom and working kitchen and bathroom. There is a wide range of clinical equipment including simulation manikins to facilitate various simulated scenarios.
Our vibrant campus brings state-of-the-art facilities to enhance your learning and elevate your student experience. Our award-winning teaching building, The Spark is centred around students and offers a stimulating study environment with flexible learning spaces.
Year one
Core modules
Independent and Supplementary Prescribing
The course offers a rich blend of direct, collaborative, and guided learning, designed to immerse students in the multifaceted world of prescribing. Through this approach, participants develop the skills necessary for safe and effective prescribing, while critically engaging with scientific evidence from drug trials and deepening their understanding of pharmacology and prescribing sciences. The curriculum also encourages reflection on the ethical and psycho-social influences shaping prescribing practice, ensuring students integrate the essential competencies outlined in the Competency Framework for All Prescribers (RPS 2021). This holistic approach equips learners to make informed, evidence-based decisions in clinical settings while maintaining professional accountability and patient safety. Assessment is delivered across two complementary domains, theoretical and practice-based, providing a rigorous evaluation of both knowledge and clinical proficiency. Theoretical assessment comprises two examinations-pharmacology and numeracy-contributing 40% and 20% to the final award respectively. Practice-based learning requires students to engage with nominated practice assessors, supervisors, or educators who hold relevant prescribing qualifications and ideally possess at least three years of recent clinical experience. These professionals guide, supervise, and assess students throughout the course, fostering reflective practice, monitoring progress, and supporting clinical decision-making within ethical, legal, and evidence-based frameworks. Students undergo a tripartite, triangulated assessment with interviews at weeks 3, 7, and 15, alongside submission of a portfolio including the RPS Competency Framework sign-off, personal formulary, critical reflective assignment, sampled prescriptions, practice learning logs, and service user feedback. Successful completion of both theoretical and practice-based components-including exams, reflective assignments, and portfolio-confers the prescribing qualification and updates the registrant’s prescribing status, ensuring graduates are fully equipped to practise safely, competently, and confidently.
Learning resources
At Solent, our aim is to deliver innovative, inclusive and intellectually stimulating teaching to develop self-confident and highly employable graduates. All our courses are designed with employability in mind, which makes industry-based learning a priority.
Learn transferable skills
Interdisciplinary learning means you can develop the skills needed to make safe clinical decisions when assessing service users with diverse health needs across all healthcare settings and safely prescribe therapeutic medications, relevant and appropriate to your scope of practice, including the applied understanding of pharmacology.
Why choose independent and supplementary prescribing?
This stand-alone course is exclusively designed for registered nurses with at least one year of experience who are currently practicing in the United Kingdom, to be educated as prescribers, to attend to the demands of the population.
The Independent and Supplementary Prescribing qualification is accredited by the NMC - this means you will be entitled to update your registration status to Independent and Supplementary Prescriber upon completion of this course.
Solent Careers
The Solent Careers team is committed to getting students into great careers.
While you are studying, the team can help you with finding work experience or placements, link you with a mentor, check your CV, or offer one-to-one guidance.
We also have graduate job opportunities just for Solent graduates.
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Research at SolentTuition fees
The tuition fees for the 2025/26 academic year are not yet available. For guidance, the 2023/24 fees were:
- UK and Channel Island full-time fees: £1,477
- International and EU part-time fees: Students from outside the UK are usually unable to obtain a visa for part-time study. Please visit our visas and immigration page for more information.
For further information, please visit our tuition fees page.
Alumni discount
Solent alumni are eligible for a 20% reduction of tuition fees if returning to study a postgraduate course.
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Solent University offers a range of bursaries and scholarships that provide financial assistance or waive fees for tuition or accommodation. Each bursary or scholarship has specific eligibility criteria. Check out our bursaries and scholarships pages to find out more.
Cost of living support
At Solent, we understand that the cost of living crisis may be of some concern. To help, we've put together some detailed information to show what support is available and how to make your money go further.
Graduation costs
There is no charge to attend graduation, but you will be required to pay for the rental of your academic gown (approximately £45 per graduate, depending on your award). You may also wish to purchase official photography packages, which range in price from £15 to £200+. Graduation is not compulsory, so if you prefer to have your award sent to you, there is no cost. Extra guest tickets will go on sale after results publication and will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis. The cost per ticket is currently £20. Please note, we do not guarantee there will be any extra tickets available to purchase.
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Entry requirements
Please select an option below:
Key entry requirements
Subjects required:
- Nurses (NMC Registrants): Must be registered nurses (Level 1) with a minimum of one year of post-registration experience (or part-time equivalent).
- HCPC Registrants: Must have at least three years of post-qualification experience in the clinical area in which they will be prescribing. As per HCPC regulations, only paramedics, physiotherapists, therapeutic radiographers, and podiatrists are eligible to apply for independent prescribing qualifications. Dietitians and diagnostic radiographers are only eligible to apply for supplementary prescribing qualification.
- This programme is not suitable for registered midwives.
- All candidates must provide evidence of history taking and physical assessment competency.
- Appropriate enhanced DBS disclosure in place with nothing to declare.
- Acknowledgment of the programme rules whilst undertaking training (stated in the application form).
Key entry requirements
If you are applying from outside the UK, find information about entry requirements, visas and agents for your country here.
For further information about UK, EU and international qualifications, please contact admissions.
Note to all international students requiring a visa
All international applicants need to be aware that the English language requirements to attend Solent University, and the English language requirements to obtain a visa from the Home Office, may be different. This means that if you meet the Solent University language requirement to gain a place on the course, you may still have to meet additional requirements to be granted with a visa by the Home Office.
We strongly advise all applicants to visit the Home Office website which outlines all the requirements for a successful visa application and to take a look at our course entry statement document.
Key entry requirements
If you are applying from outside the UK, find information about entry requirements, visas and agents for your country here.
For further information about UK, EU and international qualifications, please contact admissions.
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email:Â Call:ÂYour application checklist
Applications for postgraduate courses can be made at any time prior to the start of the course. However, we strongly recommend you apply at your earliest convenience.
Please ensure you upload the following mandatory documents with your application:
- Two academic references.
- Certified transcripts of qualifications, including English language proficiency if non-UK student.
- Copy of passport.
- Copy of current visa (if applicable).
- A personal statement.
- Employer sponsor form, where appropriate.
Language requirements
Applicants who do not have English as their first language will be required to demonstrate an approved level of proficiency in the use of the English language. The agreed minimum requirements for this course are:
- IELTS minimum 6.5 overall with no component score below 5.5
- TOEFL IBT 92 with a minimum of 22 in writing and a minimum of 20 in reading, listening and speaking
- Duolingo English Language Test - 115 overall with minimum of 100 in each component or equivalent.
Qualifications are checked before enrolment, and international students must bring their original certificates or certified copies when coming to study at the University.
Pre-Sessional English programme
The University also offers a pre-sessional English programme for international students who wish to improve their level of English before starting a degree course.
Study options
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