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Get a feel for where and when you'll carry out each placement throughout your MPharm. Placements are organised by the School, but you're free to arrange additional placements in areas of your choice, and we'll be on hand to help.

Year and term of study Location  Duration  Details

Year 1

Autumn or Spring enhancement week 

Oxford Road Community Pharmacy, Reading 1 hour An introduction to the role of community pharmacists.

Year 1

Autumn or Spring enhancement week

Royal Berkshire Hospital 3 hours An introduction to hospital pharmacy. You will visit the dispensary, stores, aseptic production, clinical trials, medicines information and a hospital ward.

Year 2

Autumn and Spring term

Royal Berkshire Hospital 2x 4 hours Visit the hospital wards to gain experience of screening drug charts, extracting information from medical notes, performing clinical calculations, counselling patients on medication and writing a pharmaceutical care plan.

Year 2

Spring enhancement week

Community pharmacy 1 day Gain a better understanding of how community pharmacy contributes to patient care, and the professional skills required of pharmacists. Gain experience of using the electronic and documented systems in place for day-to-day operations in the pharmacy.

Year 3

Autumn and Spring term

Royal Berkshire Hospital 2x 4 hours Gain further experience on the hospital wards; talking to patients and obtaining their medication history, writing a care plan and suggesting changes in order to optimise a patient's medication regimen based on evidence-based choice, patient safety and patient preference.

Year 3

Summer term

Community or hospital pharmacy, or GP placement 1 week
In-depth experience of working in a community, hospital pharmacy or GP practice.

Year 4

Spring term

On-site clinical placement: Healthy living assessments
2 hours
Students undertake 11 diagnostic tests (e.g. blood pressure, body composition) on volunteer patients and give healthy living advice.


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How you'll study

Learn through a range of methods including team-based learning, placements, inter-professional workshops, and case-based learning sessions. You will also have the opportunity to work with staff on pharmacy research projects. 
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Why study with us

Gain hands-on experience in our Clinical Skills Suite, benefit from our strong links with employers and be guided through your MPharm by our supportive and inspiring teaching staff.
Kalid Odweyne

Kalid Odweyne's story

"The University was very good at arranging placements every year. Each placement used knowledge we'd learnt in that year of the course, so the placements were longer each year."

Kalid Odweyne, MPharm graduate