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Sussex to develop pharmacy degrees
The University of Sussex is exploring the introduction of pharmacy degrees on campus. Pharmacists are healthcare professionals with a unique knowledge of medicines from manufacture to their use in patients.
The University of Sussex is exploring the introduction of pharmacy degrees on campus.
A Director of Pharmacy Development is being recruited to lead the development and delivery of the new portfolio, including a four-year undergraduate Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) degree – the only qualification in the UK that leads to professional registration as a pharmacist.
Pharmacists are healthcare professionals with a unique knowledge of medicines from manufacture to their use in patients. Pharmacists can also become prescribers, which allows them to care for patients, including those with long-term conditions, following medical diagnosis.
The Director of Pharmacy Development will be asked to lead on the design of a strongly clinical and research-led curriculum for the MPharm degree, and to work with local and regional partners to provide student placement opportunities.
The degree will be subject to approval from the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), the national regulatory body for the profession. The University has been in contact with the GPhC and Sussex will begin the application process in 2013-14.
Student numbers at Sussex would be dependent on the outcome of a planned consultation with stakeholders by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) on overall limits on MPharm student numbers.
If all proceeds as planned, the first new students on the degree – which would be delivered in the School of Life Sciences – would start at Sussex in the academic year 2015-16 at the earliest.
Pharmacy at Sussex would have strong synergy with teaching and research in a number of existing academic areas, including the Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS), neuroscience, chemistry, psychology, and the Genome Centre.
In addition, researchers in the School of Life Sciences’ Translational Drug Discovery Group work to understand disease and molecules in order to facilitate the development of new medicines.
The Head of the School of Life Sciences, Professor Laurence Pearl, says: “We are excited about the development of pharmacy at Sussex.
“We believe our considerable research strengths in cancer and neurosciences, and our commitment to translation of our discovery research into new medicines and treatments, will allow us to develop a very distinctive pharmacy training.
“We are aiming to produce highly qualified practitioners with superb skills in applying pharmacy in research and clinical settings, who will form strong partnerships with other healthcare professionals and patients, to ensure innovative delivery of care and treatment to an increasingly ageing population.
“We look forward to welcoming a new Director of Pharmacy Development and then our new students, who would become part of a thriving scientific community.”
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As a pharmacist currently studying at sussex/bsms, Im confused why when there is a pharmacy school at Brighton there is a need for an additional school at Sussex? There are more than enough pharmacists in the UK so much so that there is a shortage of work for those qualifying due to the recent increase in graduates from the new schools that were opened in the last decade.
From Marie Gill on 23 July 2013
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