Internship Programme
Following the successful completion of a PSI-accredited pharmacy undergraduate degree course, a student is eligible to apply to complete the National Pharmacy Internship Programme (NPIP), the fifth year of education and training to become a pharmacist.
In July 2009, the PSI Council decided that an academic institution will provide the in-service practical training programme (pre-registration training) on behalf of the PSI for a three-year period, starting with the 2009-2010 training year. This programme is known as the National Pharmacy Internship Programme (NPIP) and is provided by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) for the three-year period 2009-2012. The Programme will lead to the award of an MPharm degree to all successful candidates.
The National Pharmacy Internship Programme (NPIP) comprises two components: (i) the in-service practical training programme and (ii) the Professional Registration Examination.
The pharmacy intern will remain under the direct supervision of a tutor pharmacist in an approved training establishment and will be required to complete an academic programme which will be delivered principally on-line. The taught programme is designed to assist the intern improve their performance in the training establishment.
The basis for the curriculum is the identification and definition of competence standards that describe the knowledge, skills and behaviours required of a newly-registered pharmacist and which are consistent with international best practice for pharmacy professional education.
Each intern will undertake a placement which will include the mandatory six-month clinical requirement under the supervision of a tutor pharmacist in either a hospital or community pharmacy. While the majority of interns will undertake a 12-month placement in a clinical environment, some interns will undertake split placements (i.e. six months in hospital or community pharmacy and six months in an appropriate non-clinical environment approved by the PSI - such sites would include the pharmaceutical industry, the Irish Medicines Board, HIQA).
The programme includes support and assistance for the tutor pharmacists who mentor and guide the intern in the practice of pharmacy and who provide training opportunities for the intern to gain the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to be a competent pharmacist.
The primary aim of the programme is to ensure that graduates have obtained the designated learning and competencies appropriate for professional practice as a pharmacist. The new graduates will be able to practice pharmacy competently and work effectively within the healthcare team to ensure the safe supply of medicines to patients.
The development of the NPIP brings pharmacy education and training in Ireland in line with international best practice and further enhances the career options of these new graduates in the many areas of professional practice, including the pharmaceutical industry.
General information on the National Pharmacy Internship Programme can be downloaded here.
Please direct any specific queries you may have about the Programme to:
Hugh Carroll
Programme Co-ordinator
National Pharmacy Internship Programme
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
123 St. Stephen’s Green
Dublin 2
Email: mpharm@rcsi.ie