Medical Education

The Role of Independent Prescribing Course in Enhancing Healthcare Professionals’ Skills

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PA students engaging with the interaction between ACEs and Clinicians at Chester University

The Independent Prescribing Course is an essential component of healthcare education, equipping professionals with the skills and knowledge required to prescribe medication safely and effectively. The course covers clinical skills, legal and ethical considerations, and patient care, enhancing the quality of healthcare services provided to patients. This article highlights the significant role of the Independent Prescribing Course in empowering healthcare professionals to take on greater responsibilities in their practice. By preparing professionals to prescribe with confidence, the course contributes to modern healthcare education and practice.

Working as an ACE offers numerous opportunities to collaborate with a diverse group of healthcare professionals, which is one of the most rewarding aspects of this profession, in addition to witnessing students’ success in their exams and progression into becoming skilled clinicians. Although our primary focus has been on Physician Associates, we have recently been granted the privilege of working with Pharmacists and prospective international students who seek admission to the University of Chester’s new MbChb Course.

Our founder, Bob, has been serving as a visiting lecturer at the University of Chester for the past two years and has been entrusted with the responsibility of assisting in the recruitment process of new international medical students. Bob’s duties involve working alongside a medical role-player to evaluate candidates’ ability to communicate effectively with patients who have underlying medical issues. The situation presented to the candidates was not a medical diagnosis but rather a scenario that required them to showcase their problem-solving and rapport-building skills. This task can be challenging even for native English speakers, let alone for those with English as a second language. The interviews were conducted online, which posed a different set of challenges. We are pleased to note that our contribution has been highly appreciated, and the interviews are scheduled to continue for the next two months.

We have also been provided with an opportunity to collaborate with the University of Wolverhampton’s Pharmacy Program, wherein we have supplied ACEs to their current curriculum. Working alongside Pharmacists has been a different kind of challenge as they are expected to have a fundamental understanding of some clinical skills in addition to their ability to prescribe the appropriate medication to patients. Our collaboration with the Clinical Lead, Teresa Dowsing, of the current PA Program and the teaching staff of the Wolverhampton Pharmacy Course has been instrumental in achieving success in this initiative.

We have also been asked to help students prepare for the Independent Prescribing Course, which is another exciting development for us.

Meducate Academy Associated Clinical Educators Greg and Bob working together with clinicians make a formidable teamThe Independent Prescribing Course is a medical education program designed to equip healthcare professionals with the necessary skills and knowledge to prescribe medication independently. This course is typically intended for healthcare professionals such as pharmacists, nurses, physiotherapists and optometrists who are required to prescribe medication as part of their professional responsibilities.

The Independent Prescribing Course aims to enhance the healthcare professional’s ability to prescribe safely, effectively, and appropriately within their clinical competence. This includes the ability to identify clinical signs and symptoms, diagnose medical conditions, and determine the most appropriate course of treatment.

The course also covers aspects related to the legal and ethical aspects of prescribing medication, such as informed consent, record-keeping, and confidentiality. Upon completing the course, healthcare professionals are eligible to register with the appropriate regulatory body, such as the General Pharmaceutical Council or Nursing and Midwifery Council, as independent prescribers.

The Independent Prescribing Course plays a crucial role in medical education by equipping healthcare professionals with the skills and knowledge to prescribe medication safely and effectively. This enhances the quality of care provided to patients and enables healthcare professionals to take on greater responsibilities in their practice, contributing to the delivery of high-quality healthcare services.

Despite these recent developments, we also continue to remain committed to working with Physician Associate students at both Chester and Wolverhampton on an ongoing basis.

If you are a Medical Roleplayer and would like to take your skill set to the next level sign up for our training courses in 2023. Our next one is on March 25th and it’s free! Give Bob a call on 07870 611850 if you would like more details or want to ask anything about our courses.

Meducate Academy: Building New Initiatives For The Physician Associate In GP Practice

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Meducate Academy has recently been involved with building a new initiative in collaboration with a GP Practice and health authority in the South of England. There has been much talk of building PA Academies around the UK and Meducate Academy have now put a package together from the ground up to help any organisation interested in doing this.

At this point, I can’t give too many details but suffice to say it was an extensive project, and we had to gather all of our resources to make it possible.

From administration to clinical teaching, from simulation to accreditation, and from recruitment to installation, we have finally put together what we think is the complete package for newly qualified Physician Associates who have got their first job.

It’s often been the case that once a PA has finished their studies and got themselves a job that things will go well. However, the feedback we have been getting is that this is not normally the case and that new PAs feel like they’re a little unprepared for moving into the workplace. It’s true to say that the employer often doesn’t have the time or resources to help and that’s where the PA Academy can fit in.

This involves some help from the employer (GP Surgery for example ) where they will release the PA one day a week for an initial period and then learn skills at the academy that will help them function at a higher level once in the workplace.

We include an example of what we have been working on below:

The Proposal

Meducate Academy will:

  • Format the proposed timetable for over 36 weeks.
  • Each session will last 3 hours and will involve the use of 2 Associate Clinical Educators (ACEs) and will cover the most common conditions encountered by Physician Associates in the first 3-6 months of working in a GP setting.
  • Produce an overall timetable outlining the basic schedule followed by a more in-depth breakdown of what we will teach to the PA in each session, including the learning outcomes for each session.

We will cover the following common conditions encountered by PAs in this type of setting which will include:

  • Chronic conditions
  • MSK
  • Diabetes
  • Contraception
  • HRT
  • ENT
  • Headaches and Dizziness
  • Co-Morbid Conditions
  • Triage
  • Telephone consultations
  • Note-taking/Referrals

We would also expect to discuss topics that might be in the public eye, such as changes in NICE Guidelines and Prescribing.

We will prepare this timetable in collaboration with Mr. James Ennis, Clinical Lead of the PA Programme at Chester University, who has over 10 years of experience working as a PA and as an academic teaching PAs.

Objectives

To create an Academy which will provide quality, continued professional development to PA Graduates in their first year of practice.

Achieve consistent 5-star ratings from GPs Practices and Graduates. These will be collated through several review platforms relating to the services offered through the Foundation Academy.

Aims

Create a syllabus of education that supports the PA in their first year in practice.

Develop a mentor/buddy system for each PA.

Create a feedback system that takes information from both GPs and PAs. This will allow for continuous development and improvements within the academy.

Seven Reasons for using Meducate Academy

1. References available from Senior Clinical Professionals.

2. Fully insured.

3. Supported by Prof Jim Parle and James Ennis Clinical Lead at Chester University Medical School.

4. Meducate Academy established in 2018

5. Created an Internal Accreditation and training programme for all the Associate Clinical Educators (ACE).

6. Create links with FPA and RCP regarding accrediting elements of the material for PA accessing CPD points.

7. Currently working alongside Orthopathways, assisting them in the development of software to help GP referral for MSK pathologies.

8. Intended affiliation with MSK groups such as Arthritis, UK.

Programme Outline

2 days in GP practice (or other)–Support offered–GP Educator

2 days at Foundation Academy–Support offered by GP Educators & ACEs (Associate Clinical Educators). This is based on 8 PAs in attendance. A typical day comprises 2 X 3 hr sessions. 

Meducate Academy will create the syllabus. This will be signed off by the relevant clinicians. The syllabus will be based on information supplied by experienced Clinical Leads PAs and the attendees themselves.

We are currently conducting research based on the experiences of PAs who have been working in their chosen speciality for over 5 years. Results from which will help us determine the direction of the proposed course.

We will also collate feedback from the PA students who wish to attend the Academy. This approach will allow us to create a tailor-made programme comprising Student Directed Learning Modules (SDLM) TM.

 Creation of a feedback loop for continuous improvement and development.

 Regular Assessment of students every 3 months over the period of a 12-month timetable.

So, as you can see we have put a lot of effort into developing this model. Naturally, it will be subject to evaluation and ultimately evolution. If you are a clinician who thinks that this might help you with your current group of Physician Associates let us know. Please contact: bobspour@meducateacademy.com. We would love to have a chat and get some of your expert guidance.