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The Department of Health (DoH) has launched a new programme to provide pharmacy undergraduate students in Northern Ireland with clinical placements across hospital, community and general practice settings. It has commissioned the Northern Ireland Centre for Pharmacy Learning and Development (NICPLD) at Queen's University Belfast (QUB) to deliver the new Experiential Learning (EL) programme. NICPLD will work with QUB, Ulster University (UU) and local employers to co-ordinate the work placements, the department said. Students across years 2- 4 of the Masters of Pharmacy course will be given up to 12 weeks of Experiential Learning with multisector placements in hospital (6 weeks), community pharmacy (3 weeks) and general practice (3 weeks).

Northern Ireland's Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt, has welcomed the launch of the 2024/25 Experiential Learning (EL) Programme, designed to equip future pharmacists with the skills needed for a greater role in clinical care. Starting in 2026, pharmacy undergraduate students will qualify as independent prescribers upon registration, and this programme is designed to prepare them for that responsibility. The EL Programme provides pharmacy students with multi-sector clinical work placements across the region. Speaking at the programme's launch at Ulster Hospital, Minister Nesbitt said: "This is the second year of this successful programme, which will see pharmacy students in Northern Ireland benefit from the training by completing up to twelve weeks of practice-based learning in hospitals, community pharmacies and general practices across NI. "This will provide them with actual practice-based experiences in a range of healthcare settings, facilitating them to interact with patients and engage in interprofessional practice.