Within the three years, the course provides an intensive and systematic programme of training, equipping each student to meet the challenges facing clinical psychology and to make a unique contribution to the Irish Health Services.
The course is structured so that the academic teaching typically takes place in term time for one and a half days per week. In addition, each placement is preceded by a teaching block of approximately four weeks duration. Students complete six clinical placements during the course, each of approximately five months duration, providing knowledge, skills and experience to work with as wide a range of clients as possible. Research training is continuous across the programme.
Course requirements include continuous clinical assessment, examinations and a research portfolio combining reports of clinical activity, small and large scale research projects and demonstrating research competency across a range of methodologies. Progress on the course is assessed by an end-of-year review which each student must pass.
Research interests of staff include attachment theory, developmental psychopathology, health psychology, research methods, , forensic psychology, risk perception, quality of life perception and applied behaviour analysis.
Students of the course are employed by an approved health care provider and graduates are required to complete an additional three-year contract of employment with their sponsoring service provider.
The courses are intended to help community pharmacists to:
Develop their clinical, managerial and research skills in line with CPD requirements
Meet duties imposed by the HSE contract
Undertake the role of a supervising pharmacist or superintendent pharmacist with confidence
Extend their professional role
Contribute to patient care as part of the primary health care team.
Course structure and content
The three courses have been designed to address both clinical and non-clinical topics relevant to community pharmacists, while the flexible pathways through the programme are structured to facilitate pharmacists who wish their CPD to lead gradually to an advanced qualification but do not necessarily want to commit to more than one year of study at a time.
Both courses are available on a part-time basis and participants undertake a series of modules covering clinical, social and business aspects of pharmacy practice, with opportunities for specialisation in particular fields: In the clinical electives, students choose from a range of therapeutic areas (cardiovascular disease; respiratory disease; infectious diseases; CNS disorders; gastroenterology; rheumatology and oncology; endocrinology and reproduction; dermatology, ophthalmology and otolaryngology; complementary and alternative medicine), while elective workbooks provide opportunities to focus on broad patient groups (care of the elderly; infant and child health; women’s health). Pharmacists undertaking the M.Sc. undertake a research project relevant to community pharmacy practice.
Entry Requirements:
The course currently attracts a high number of applicants and competition for the limited number of places is intense. Requirements for selection include a primary honours degree in psychology with at least an upper second class award or equivalent. Good research skills and relevant experience are essential . Candidates are required to hold graduate basis for registration with the Psychological Society of Ireland.
