Skip to main content

MPharm Pharmacy (at the University of Plymouth) units

Find out more about the units available during the preparatory year of our MPharm Pharmacy, delivered at the University of Plymouth.

This page contains details about the units available on our:

Fundamentals of pharmacy: health and disease

Credits: 15

Advance your knowledge of the structure and function of human cells at a molecular, cellular and tissue level. Develop knowledge of the differences between bacterial, viral, fungal cells and principles of infection mechanisms. Explore the concepts of drug action within living systems. Advance your knowledge of how the function of major organs and systems is integrated and regulated in normal healthy physiology.

Fundamentals of pharmacy: the chemistry of drugs

Credits: 15

Develop an appreciation of the fundamental chemical concepts underpinning pharmacology. Appreciate how physiochemical properties of a molecule influence its behaviour as a drug. Develop data handling, interpretation and practical skills using a variety of analytical instruments.

Fundamentals of pharmacy: the science of medicines

Credits: 15

Explore the concept of medicines and the science underpinning their design. Understand how a drug is combined with other molecules to generate a dosage form and how both physical, chemical, and physiological properties affect drug release and absorption following administration via different routes. Learn how pharmacokinetics is used to understand and model drug distribution, metabolism, and excretion, ensuring the right drug is delivered to the right place, at the right dose and rate.

Preparing for professional practice 1

Credits: 15

Explore the pharmacy profession, and the responsibilities of professional practice. Gain an appreciation of graduate outcomes required by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), and start developing a continuing professional development (CPD) e-portfolio to enable you to demonstrate these outcomes upon eventual graduation. You will be introduced to practice-based learning through clinical placements, and be introduced to pharmaceutical legislation relevant to the safe supply of medicines.

Preparing for professional practice 2

Credits: 15

Develop your understanding of the key aspects of pharmacy contract law and controlled drugs legislation, ethics and codes of professional practice, consultation skills and health psychology and the principles of evidence-based medicine and techniques employed in pharmacy practice. Continue your professional formation using a blend of campus-based teaching, simulation and practice-based learning. You will spend two weeks in clinical practice as part of this unit.

Specialised integrated unit 1: immunity, inflammation and infection and gastrointestinal disease

Credits: 15

This unit will provide you with comprehensive, integrated understanding of the design and development of medicines, their pharmacological actions in the body and the evidence-based approach to treatment of patients with the aim of promoting safe and effective outcomes in immune disorders, inflammatory disease, infection, gastrointestinal and liver diseases.

Specialised integrated unit 2: cardiovascular disease and endocrine disorders

Credits: 10

This unit will provide you with a comprehensive, integrated understanding of the design and development of medicines, their pharmacological actions in the body and the evidence-based approach to management of and prescribing for patients with the aim of promoting safe and effective outcomes in cardiovascular and major endocrine disorders.

Specialised integrated unit 3: management of respiratory diseases and dermatology

Credits: 10

This unit will provide you with a comprehensive, integrated understanding of the design and development of medicines, their pharmacological actions in the body and the evidence-based approach to treatment of patients with the aim of promoting safe and effective outcomes in respiratory diseases and dermatological disorders.

Specialised integrated unit 4: special patient groups and surgery

Credits: 10

This unit will provide you with a comprehensive, integrated understanding of the design and development of medicines, their pharmacological actions in the body and the evidence-based approach to treatment of, and promoting safe and effective outcomes in, special patient groups including pregnant and breast-feeding women, premature infants and paediatrics, the elderly, obese, those with renal impairment, and patients undergoing surgery.

Medicines optimisation and prescribing in complex patients 1

Credits: 20

Apply your knowledge and skills to high fidelity simulated clinical scenarios. Engage in patient consultations to reach agreed pharmacological and non-pharmacological management in real time, these are evidence based and aim to improve patient outcomes whilst ensuring patient safety. Develop consultation skills and learn how to adapt these according to the individual’s needs. Explore the clinical skills necessary for safe prescribing which will support decision-making processes.

Preparing for professional practice 3

Credits: 20

Continue your professional formation using a blend of campus-based teaching, simulation and practice-based learning. You will spend three weeks in clinical practice. You will be provided with a simulated practice environment in which professional performance standards, including legal, ethical and clinical problem-solving skills can be further developed and demonstrated; and in which management and leadership skills can be advanced, and applied during your clinical placement(s).

Specialised integrated unit 5: neurology and mental health

Credits: 10

This unit will provide you with a comprehensive, integrated understanding of the design and development of medicines, their pharmacological actions in the body and the evidence-based approach to prescribing for patients with the aim of promoting safe and effective outcomes in neurology and mental health. It also considers non-pharmacological interventions evidenced to be effective in neurological and mental health conditions.

Specialised integrated unit 6: oncology and palliative care

Credits: 10

This unit will provide you with a comprehensive, integrated understanding of the design and development of medicines, their pharmacological actions in the body and the evidence-based approach to treatment of patients with the aim of promoting safe and effective outcomes in oncology and palliative care.

Global health

Credits: 5

This unit will provide the student pharmacist with a critical awareness of current issues affecting global public health and the pharmacist’s potential role in contributing to improving global health outcomes, and for the student pharmacist to critically evaluate scientific and health policy information and to present a given topic as an oral communication.

Medicines optimisation and prescribing in complex patients 2

Credits: 15

Further develop your medicines optimisation and prescribing skills. You will apply the principles from the specialised integrated units and the medicines optimisation and prescribing unit 1 and integrate these with clinical teaching in practice with patients. The unit is supported by a science theme on advanced drug discovery and development and management.

Pharmacy research project

Credits: 20

Students will gain skills in developing a research question, identifying and selecting an appropriate research design, and in practical research as part of a small team. You’ll either study alongside researchers in the Department or on a 12-week placement with an international partner organisation.

Preparing for professional practice 4

Credits: 20

You will spend a large proportion of this unit working in clinical settings. Four weeks will be spent in an immersive multi-sector clinical placement and a further two weeks working on a real-world quality improvement project in practice.

On this page