Nursing & Midwifery - Advanced Practice Nursing - Prescribing

Enhance your career with the PgDip in Advanced Practice Nursing (Prescribing) from the RCSI School of Nursing and Midwifery. With this innovative, flexible and practice-orientated programme, you will prepare to practice at a higher level of capability, becoming eligible to register as an Advanced Nurse/Midwife Practitioner with the Nursing & Midwifery Board of Ireland.



You will explore topics such as pharmacology and professional accountability and develop the knowledge and clinical skills required for ANP/AMP roles through reflection, practice, experience, clinical learning, online learning and clinical simulation practice.



This programme is delivered part-time over two years. Support is provided through the module lead, programme director and regular online drop-in sessions.



This course is a Level 9 award on the Irish National Framework of Qualifications



Suitable for

This programme is for nurses/midwives who have completed an MSc but have not completed the prescribing programme.

What you will learn

Advanced Practice Clinical Practicum I

Pharmacology

Advanced Systematic Assessment

Professional Accountability in Nurse/Midwife Prescribing

Advanced Practice Clinical Practicum II

Advanced Professional Accountability, Clinical Governance and Decision Making

Optional Specialist Module 2

Applicants must have a minimum of an MSc in nursing or equivalent.



Hold active registration on a division of the professional register maintained by the Opens in new windowNursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI).



Have three years’ recent post-registration clinical experience in nursing/midwifery (within the past five years), with the equivalent of one-year full-time experience in the specific area of practice.



Evidence of support from your employer and a completed Site Declaration Form, signed by the Director of Nursing/Public Health/ authorised nurse manager. This must contain confirmation of a designated medical practitioner mentor and/or RANP mentor.



Meet the English language requirements for postgraduate programmes are published on the RCSI website.



Recognition of prior learning (RPL)

Learning occurs in many contexts, including work, involvement in social and community activities, and learning through life experience generally. Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) does not give credit for experience as such – rather, it considers learning that was acquired as a result of the experience.



RPL may be used to gain admission to programmes where an applicant may not have obtained the standard entry requirements. This is considered on a case-by-case basis.



Exemptions from programme modules that duplicate learning already demonstrably acquired through prior learning may also be considered on a case-by-case basis.



English language requirement exceptions

English-language requirements for postgraduate programmes are published on the RCSI website at

https://www.rcsi.com/dublin/postgraduate/policies-and-guidelines/english-language-requirements



Applicants who have completed undergraduate/postgraduate full-time studies in the medium of the English language (three or more years cumulatively), and students registered with the NMBI, are exempt from these requirements.

2 years



Mode of delivery

Hybrid - Part-time

Next start date September 2025

On successful completion of this programme, nurses will be eligible to apply for registration as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP) and a Registered Nurse Prescriber (RNP) with the NMBI.