Winner of the 2019 GradIreland Postgraduate Course of the Year Award in the Health Sciences Division.
The M.Sc. in Hospital Pharmacy embraces an innovative flexible blended teaching style, with interactive, online learning materials. It is the only broad-based hospital pharmacy course in Ireland, covering both clinical and non-clinical aspects of hospital pharmacy practice.
| Course Code | DPTPH-HPHA-1P01 |
| Qualification | M.Sc. NFQ Level 9 |
| Duration | Two years, part-time hybrid course |
| Closing Date | 30th April 2025 |
| Next Intake | September 2025 (biennial intake) |
| Course-Director | Adj. Assoc. Prof. Niamh McMahon |
| Find Out More | Graduate Studies Office |
- Provides students with vital core skills and expert knowledge necessary to prepare for the role of an advanced specialist pharmacist.
- The course has been developed by healthcare professionals and academics to reflect the most up to date clinical and hospital practice-related information.
- Delivered via a hybrid model (mixture of face-to-face study days, online live webinars and pre-recorded lectures), this provides flexibility for learners, who are also practising hospital pharmacists.
- The blended learning approach uses Blackboard 9.1, Trinity College’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), and participants can work through course materials/directed reading in their own time. Students also have access to TCD’s extensive library.
- Seven face-to-face taught study days during the academic year, are held on campus or in participating hospital education centres, and are delivered by experienced academics, advanced/specialist pharmacists, hospital pharmacy managers and other members of the healthcare team, including medical consultants and registrars, and Advanced Nurse Practitioners.
- Students gain the expert knowledge and skills necessary to undertake all aspects of hospital pharmacy including clinical pharmacy, dispensary and drug distribution, administration and management, aseptic compounding, pharmacoeconomics and medicines information, opening up multiple opportunities to take on a variety of advanced practice and leadership roles upon graduation.
- Intensive practical experience will be gained by each student during his or her hospital attachment, with the opportunity to gain advanced clinical decision-making skills, under the expert guidance of an assigned tutor(s), who will provide constructive, tailored, developmental feedback.
- Students work on real life patient cases, developing a person-centred approach to medicines optimisation, and ensuring improved patient outcomes in relation to medicines use.
- Multi-functional graduates of our M.Sc. programme have excellent career opportunities to fill specialist and leadership roles across a wide range of both clinical and non-clinical areas in hospital practice.
- Opportunity for students to develop valuable networks with pharmacists from other Irish hospitals.
The course is delivered via a hybrid model, with a mixture of face-to-face and online learning. Students have access to Trinity's online virtual learning environment (Blackboard 9.1).
The M.Sc. is divided into 9 modules:
| Module | Description |
|---|---|
|
PH7301 |
A broad based module,covering advanced clinical skills, professional and problem-solving skills, risk management, medicines information, and dispensary management & procurement. |
|
PH7302 & PH730 |
The role of the advanced specialist pharmacist in medicines management and optimisation of the acute and chronic stages of various disease states. These modules cover the the following major therapeutic areas: cardiology, respiratory, antimicrobial stewardship & resistance, endocrinology, gastroenterology and rheumatology,and are underpinned by the practice-based hospital rotations. |
|
PH7310 |
The role of the pharmacist in the management of pharmaceutical care issues relevant to the surgical patient e.g. fluid balance & electrolytes, peri-operative medicines use, post-operative analgesia etc.. |
|
PH7305 |
To provide students with a fundamental understanding of aseptic processing in hospital pharmacy. GMP and principle of clean room technology, quality assurance and quality control in the aseptic services unit, risk management and health & safety will be covered. |
|
PH7306 & PH7307 |
Deal with specialist areas e.g. renal, intensive care, neurology, haematology/oncology, psychiatry, paediatrics etc. The importance of immunology & the emerging role of new and sophisticated biotechnology products are covered here. |
|
PH7308 |
General management issues e.g. leadership, organisational and communication skills, negotiating skills, conflict management and teamwork are covered here. Quality and risk management, national trends and policies in relation to healthcare, and legal and ethical considerations will also be covered. Various guest lecturers contribute to this module. There is a dedicated series of lectures/workshop delivered by the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics. |
|
PH7000 |
This module covers research study design and methodologies, and incorporates a practical statistics programme, with an emphasis on hospital pharmacy research and data analysis. |
All modules are compulsory.
This course is delivered by Adj. Assoc. Prof. Niamh McMahon with the support of the following lead tutors:
- Martin Ferguson, B.Sc.(Pharm), M.Sc., MPSI, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9
- Emma Baker, B Pharm(Hons), MA, MPSI, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9
- Claire Keane, B.Sc. (Pharm), M.Sc., MPSI, St. Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin 4
- Michelle Griffin, B.Sc. (Pharm), M.Sc., MPSI, Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15
- Fionnuala Kennedy, B.Sc. (Pharm), M.Sc., MA, MPSI, Mater Private Hospital, Dublin 1
- Danielle Neale, B.Sc. (Pharm), M.Pharm, M.Sc, MPSI, Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore, Co. Offaly
- Paul Gilvarry, MPharm, PgDip, MPSI, St. James's Hospital, Dublin 8
- Christine Mc Auliffe, MPharm, M.Sc., PgDip, MPSI, Tallaght University Hospital, Dublin 24
- Jane Fogarty B.Sc. (Pharm), M.Sc., MPSI, Naas General Hospital, Naas, Co. Kildare
- Ciara McManamley, B.Sc. Pharm, M.Sc., MPSI, UPMC Group, Clane, Co.Kildare
Assessment of the course includes continuous assessment, practice-based coursework, written assignments, oral presentations, and either a written dissertation (max. 20,000 words in length) or completion of a research project and production of a paper for submission to a target journal, in either a clinical or non-clinical area, with both academic and hospital based tutor support.
Students also undergo a competency based training programme to assure competence in delivery of patient care, problem solving and personal competencies. This also helps students to develop the necessary skills for lifelong Continuous Professional Development, a requirement for continued registration with the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland, which is managed by the Irish Institute of Pharmacy. (IIoP). Student coursework and associated reflections can be used as evidence towards building the individual’s IIoP pharmacist eportfolio.
For the award of the M.Sc., candidates must satisfy the examiners in both the taught and research components of the course. Students may be called to attend a Viva-Voce examination, conducted by an External Examiner.
- Eligible candidates will normally hold a first or second class (Grade 1) honours degree (or equivalent) in Pharmacy. In exceptional circumstances the Course Committee may consider applications from candidates who do not meet the grade requirement. Such candidates should contact the Course Director at nmcmahon@tcd.ie prior to submitting an application.
- Candidates must be registered (or eligible to be registered) with the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland before the September 2025 course start date (see http://www.thepsi.ie/gns/home.aspx).
- Candidates must have minimum 6 months hospital pharmacy practice experience, which may include 5th year MPharm hospital placement experience.
- Interviews will be held for training places in the following course approved hospitals: Beaumont Hospital, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, St. James's Hospital, St. Vincent's University Hospital, Tallaght University Hospital and Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore. The successful applicants will be based in full-time employment in one of the participating hospitals for the two-year duration of the course.
Click here for a full list of postgraduate fees.
Further information is available from:
- Course-Director: Adj. Assoc. Prof. Niamh McMahon
- Course Administrator: Ms. Orla Kearney
My department has been associated with the Masters course since its foundation in 1996. I believe that the academic rigour of the course is such that those who embrace it will come out well-armed for a successful career whether as a clinical pharmacist or a manager/leader. Looking back over the list of students who have completed the course in those two decades, I was struck by the large proportion of people whom I would regard as high achievers since they graduated, going on to deliver the highest standards of excellence as clinical pharmacists but also as leaders in the profession. Many have gone on to influence the profession and the wider health service on the national stage.
I would highly recommend the TCD MSc in Hospital Pharmacy. The course's strengths are manifold including taught lectures, strong tutor involvement from base hospitals and long history of producing excellent graduates. It covers all aspects of hospital pharmacy (clinical, aseptics, MI, dispensary, management etc) and has a very strong research component. I would like to particularly highlight two major strengths. The first is student support. Students on this course have the weekly support of each other at lectures and ongoing support from the Course Co-ordinator. Most importantly, students have continuous input from tutors at their base site with whom they are working on real live cases and policy issues. This compares very favourably with distance learning courses which are a more lonely experience and will of necessity involve more scenarios rather than actual cases. The second strength is the preparation this course gives to students for future senior and extended roles in the hospital pharmacy. The coursework is very multifaceted e.g. clerkship exercises encourage students to take on active policy work in the hospitals. Also, the assessment methods are very varied, not only exams and written assignments, but tutor led ward assessments, oral presentations to departments, patient cases and clerkship exercises with direct feedback from in house tutors. Students finish the course not only with comprehensive clinical and other hospital pharmacy knowledge but also with great skills in writing, presenting and policy work.
I have found that the Trinity Masters in Hospital Pharmacy has provided me with an extensive education in all areas of hospital pharmacy. I feel that the course is unique in that it provides face-to-face interaction with lecturers, which worked really well for me in terms of understanding and affording the opportunity to ask questions. I particularly appreciated the confidence I gained in my daily work, as I put into practice the up-to-date knowledge base that was delivered to the highest standard from experienced lecturers. The structure of the course allows for the development of a comprehensive set of skills both academic and practical, which have definitely stood to me in my career today.