How Do I Become a Nurse Prescriber?
What is a Nurse Prescriber?
A Nurse Prescriber is a registered Nurse who has completed an accredited prescribing course and registered their qualification with their regulatory body, are able to prescribe certain medications in certain situations.
The two main types are:
Community Practitioner Nurse Prescribers (CPNP)
These are nurses who have successfully completed a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Community Practitioner Nurse Prescribing course (also known as a v100 or v150 course) and are registered as a CPNP with the NMC. The majority of nurses who have done this course are district nurses and public health nurses (previously known as health visitors), community nurses and school nurses. They are qualified to prescribe only from the Nurse Prescribers Formulary (NPF) for Community Practitioners.
The items that a CPNP can usually prescribe are:
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Dressings.
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Certain pharmacy only medication i.e. cough medication, hay fever medication.
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Certain general sales list medications such as paracetamol, ibuprofen etc. and thirteen prescription only medicines (POMs).
Independent Prescribers (IP)
Independent prescribers are nurses who have successfully completed an NMC Independent Nurse Prescribing Course (also known as a v200 or v300 course) and are registered with the NMC as an IP. They are able to prescribe any medicine allowed within their place of work (can vary between settings). This includes medicines and products listed in the BNF, unlicensed medicines and all controlled drugs in schedules two – five.
Those who have successfully completed the supplementary part of the prescribing course are also able to prescribe against a clinical management plan.
Where can I do the training to become a Nurse Prescriber?
There are many Universities around the country who offer the Nurse prescribing course. You can search for a University near you using the link below: https://www.nmc.org.uk/education/approved-programmes/
What’s the course like?
Below is a link to an article written by a Nurse who has undertaken the course, and she shares her experience:
https://www.nurses.co.uk/nursing/blog/why-i-became-an-independent-nurse-prescriber/
References
Royal College of Nursing (2020). Non-medical prescribing. [online]. Available at: https://www.rcn.org.uk/get-help/rcn-advice/non-medical-prescribers Accessed: 28/02/20