PM4APY1: Professional Practice 4

Module code: PM4APY1

Module provider: Pharmacy; School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy

Credits: 40

Level: 7

When you’ll be taught: Semester 1 / 2

Module convenor: Mrs Sue Slade, email: s.j.slade@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s): BEFORE TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST TAKE PM3PY1 AND TAKE PM3PY2 AND TAKE PM3PY3 (Compulsory)

Co-requisite module(s): IN THE SAME YEAR AS TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST TAKE PM4PY2 AND TAKE PM4PY4 (Compulsory)

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: Micro placement

Academic year: 2026/7

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 17 April 2026

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module focuses on the integration of knowledge and skills from previous years’ modules, using ethical, legal and evidence-based principles to inform their clinical decisions whilst always keeping the patient in the centre and ensuring their own beliefs and personal values don’t compromise that care. Students will maintain their technical and clinical skills associated with each of the scenarios and will integrate knowledge from all prior learning on the MPharm into their clinical prescribing practice. This module develops students’ cultural competence in pharmacy practice by fostering awareness of health inequalities, social determinants of health, and the impact of culture, belief systems, and lived experience on medicines use and healthcare decision-making. Students will critically reflect on their own biases and values, promote equity in healthcare delivery, and apply inclusive communication strategies to optimise safe and effective person-centred care.
Students will gain experience of supporting the learning of others, through assisting in the facilitation of workshops and practicals for students in lower years. Interprofessional Learning alongside other members of the healthcare team will develop leadership and management skills and foster a collaborative approach to patient care. 

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This module aims to integrate learning accumulated over all 4 years of study in up-to-date clinical scenarios, using paper-based, computer-simulation based and expert patient simulation scenarios.  Students will further develop professional skills required for working as an effective member of the multidisciplinary healthcare team and develop excellent reflective professional development skills.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the legal, ethical and professional framework for accountability and responsibility in relation to clinical decision making and prescribing
2. Complete consultations with patients (including diagnosis) and healthcare professionals within time constraints, whilst adopting a patient-centred, evidence-based approach, undertaking physical assessments, prescribing and record keeping where appropriate
3. Actively take part in the management of risks and consider the impacts on people by using tools and techniques to avoid medication errors associated with prescribing, supply and administration.
4. Proactively maintain a Personal and Academic Development Portfolio (PADP) that evidences critical reflection on the development of knowledge, skills and professional behaviours, including personal limitations and continuing professional development, and demonstrates how engagement in research, audit, service evaluation or quality improvement activities contributes to the improvement of care and pharmacy services.
5. Support the learning and development of others, including through mentoring.

Module content

Introduction to module: This module aims to refine the consultation and clinical decision-making skills developed in earlier years whilst dealing with more complex scenarios with legal and ethical dilemmas to produce a confident and competent practitioner who is ready to prescribe.

Workshops: Workshops will build on private directed study and will include debate/discussion of topic, case-based learning, role play and practical tasks involving prescription assessment, validation and writing; communication with healthcare professionals (written and verbal) and patients and medicines information enquiries. 

Placement visit: Students put the skills gained from Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and other Part 4 modules into practice through a long block of placement experience in hospital, GP surgery or community pharmacy. Placements will be scheduled during the assessment period in semester one (and three weeks of semester two) as there will be no written exams for Part 4 at the end of semester one. Students will be contributing to audit/service evaluation projects during this placement.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module content will be delivered through a range of teaching methods including lectures, directed private study, self-directed learning, case-based learning, simulation, placements and workshops. Students will be signposted to additional resources to supplement the lecture material. Attendance to all teaching sessions is required and poor attendance will be recorded in the student’s personal file. Students failing to complete and engage in placements and interprofessional education sessions will not be permitted to complete the programme. Appropriate supplementary information and reading lists will be provided.

Study hours

At least 111 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve all of the following to pass this module:

1. A mark of 50% in each summative assessment.
2. A pass in the 'pass/fail' assessments.
3. An overall module mark of 50%.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each calendar day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three calendar days;
• where the piece of work is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in you Individual Learning Plan), the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three calendar days of the deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

Where a piece of work is submitted late after a deadline which has been revised owing to an extension granted through the Assessment Adjustments policy and process (self-certified or otherwise), it will be subject to the maximum penalty (i.e., considered to be more than three calendar days late). This will also apply when such an extension is used in conjunction with a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: /cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Reassessment

Additional costs