Independent and Supplementary Prescribing for Nurses and Midwives
Our nurse prescribing course is suitable for both nurses and midwives who want to train to become independent and supplementary prescribers. Successful completion will result in an annotation on the Nursing and Midwifery Council register as a ‘nurse prescriber.’
Fact file
Course codes |
NURS3099 (Level 3), NURS4192 (Level 4) |
Entry requirements |
Applicants for the nurse prescribing course must:
- be a registered nurse (level 1) / registered midwife / SCPHN
- have at least one year or equivalent relevant post qualification experience
- have the competence, experience, and academic ability to study at least degree level and can provide evidence of this
- fulfil these additional entry criteria

Applicants intending to practice in aesthetics should refer to the following checklist before submitting their application: Application checklist for those intending to practice in aesthetics.
Applicant deadlines: To be confirmed.
|
Credits |
40 |
Academic level |
Available as Level 3 or Level 4 |
Duration |
Six months
|
Price |
To be confirmed. |
Overview
Our nurse prescribing course awards a dual qualification of independent and supplementary prescribing. Students undertaking this course will be taught and assessed in both forms of prescribing regardless of clinical need.
As an independent prescriber: You will be able to prescribe licensed and unlicensed medicines, within and outside of the license for any medical condition within your scope of practice including controlled drugs.
As a supplementary prescriber: Within the bounds of an agreed patient specific clinical management plan you will be able to prescribe all licensed and unlicensed medicines within and outside of the license within your scope of practice including controlled drugs.
You will learn about:
- law, accountability and ethics of prescribing
- prescribing in a public health context
- psychology of, and influences on prescribing
- prescribing in a team context
- consultation, decision making and therapy including referral
- pharmacology and therapeutics
- organisational leadership in relation to prescribing
- continuing professional development
How you will learn
The course is delivered via a distance learning model and consists of 26 taught days which are delivered entirely online and 12 days of supervised practice with assessment over 26 weeks (6 months). Students will also require personal study time which varies between individuals but can be in the region of 100 – 200 hours.
The course is delivered digitally using a diverse range of resources and packages including screencasts, online quizzes and Microsoft Teams seminars. There are five elements of assessment; numeracy examination, two-part portfolio, pharmacology examination, poster presentation and practice assessment. Students must achieve a pass mark on all five assessments to obtain the award. There is no compensation between assessments.
Course dates
Course Dates
To be confirmed.
|
How to apply and course requirements
The nurse prescribing qualification is the same for both degree and masters level. If you do not require credits at masters level, we advise taking the course at degree level.
Application checklist:
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Complete all relevant forms for the level of study you wish to apply for
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Clearly state the designated clinicians supporting your practice based learning
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Include the course code and course start date in the personal statement section of your application
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Upload scans of your qualification certificates - omission of this information may delay or invalidate your application (if applicable)
Guidance for completing Part two - MyNottingham application
After submitting your application a member of the team will contact you about the next steps of your application.
We have a number of ways to study this course. Once your application has been processed, a member of the team will contact you by email with further instructions - please allow some time for this to happen.
Ways to apply for this course
Undergraduate nurse prescribing course (Level 3)
Study at undergraduate level and add 40 credits to your learning record. Please complete parts 1 and 2.
Applications have now closed. New course dates to be released in Spring 2023.
Postgraduate nurse prescribing course (Level 4)
Study at postgraduate level and add 40 credits to your learning record. Please complete parts 1 and 2.
Applications have now closed. New course dates to be released in Spring 2023.
University of Nottingham MSc Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP) students
Apply through this route if you're currently enrolled on the University's MSc Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP) course.