Professional Training & Education for Pharmacists

Professionals

Pharmacists

18 February 2025

This section provides information on training and education opportunities available for pharmacists in Singapore.

The Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore is presently the only pharmacy school in Singapore. It offers an undergraduate degree program culminating in a Bachelor of Science (Pharmacy). It also offers professional postgraduate programmes including PharmD & Residency Training Programme.

Undergraduate Programme

Bachelor of Science (Pharmacy) with Honours

Pharmacy is a 4-year course and the degree B.Sc.(Pharmacy) with Honours will be awarded to candidates who have performed well throughout the course, as determined by their cumulative average point. Those who do not qualify for an Honours degree will be awarded a B.Sc. (Pharmacy) degree. The primary aim of the pharmacy course is to provide the relevant knowledge and skills that are required for the entry into the profession.

Entry Requirements

Students seeking admission to the undergraduate pharmacy course leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science (Pharmacy) must achieve good passes in the following subjects taken at the GCE 'A' Level Examinations or equivalent exams offered locally or overseas:

Singapore-Cambridge GCE-A Level
Very Good Pass in H2 Chemistry and Very Good Pass in either H2 Biology or H2 Physics or H2 Mathematics
International Baccalaureate
Very Good Pass in HL Chemistry and Very Good Pass in either HL Biology or HL Physics or HL Mathematics
National University of Singapore High School Diploma
Major CAP of at least 4.0 in Chemistry and in either Biology or Physics or Mathematics

For more information, please visit NUS Department of Pharmacy website.

Postgraduate Programme

Collaborative Practitioners Prescribing Programme (CP3)

The Collaborative Practitioners Prescribing Programme (CP3) prepares APNs and pharmacists to prescribe under a Collaborative Practice Agreement with a medical practitioner(s). Collaborative prescribing involves assessing the patient, considering treatment options, reaching a shared decision, prescribing, providing patient education, monitoring and reviewing of the patient. Through this programme, the individual will acquire skills and competencies in history taking, data interpretation, diagnostic formulation, physical examination, clinical decision making, applied therapeutics, psychosocial aspects of prescribing, collaboration with multidisciplinary team, effective communication and documentation.

The programme is designed to build on the basic skills already acquired in the APNs’ and pharmacists’ training. The core components comprise of areas involving safe and professional prescribing, as well as improving prescribing practice and prescribing as part of a team. The core competencies required include inter-professional collaboration, understanding prescribing systems, and professional and ethical considerations of prescribing. Based on differences in baseline skillsets of APNs and pharmacists, a portion of the curriculum is conducted separately to strengthen areas requiring further skills development in the two professions to perform collaborative prescribing.

For more information, please visit NUS Website.

Master of Pharmacy (Clinical Pharmacy) Programme

The Master of Pharmacy (Clinical Pharmacy) [MCP] and subsequent stackable option to the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree provide enhanced flexibility, improved options, and diverse pathways leading to the advanced generalist and specialist pharmacy practitioners. The programme offers a full-time course of study over 1 year, and a part-time option for Singapore citizens and permanent residents completed in up to 4 years. In addition, the coursework for the MCP fulfills the didactic portion of the NUS Pharm.D. degree.

The MCP programme will enhance the clinical knowledge and practice skills of the students in the delivery of patient-orientated services, aiming to inculcate in our students the qualities of resourcefulness and enterprising spirit in their professional progression.

For more information, please visit NUS website.

NUS Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) Programme

The primary objective of the NUS Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) Programme is to train pharmacy practitioners to possess leadership qualities, advanced expertise
and clinical experience that enable them to be at the forefront of the Pharmacy profession and health care in a variety of settings - institutional, community practice, government, academia, industry, translational research and drug development.

The curriculum emphasizes a patient-centered course of study and involves a structure that will enable the students to develop into reflective practitioners with skills and attitudes to evaluate critically and modify practices in a timely and effective manner.

For more information, please visit NUS website

National Pharmacy Residency Programmes

The Ministry of Health has set up the National Pharmacy Residency Programme to train and develop accredited specialist pharmacists to provide specialised pharmaceutical care services in our public healthcare institutions.

The 8 National Pharmacy Residency Programmes which have been accredited or re-accredited by the Pharmacy Residency Accreditation Committee (PRAC) and endorsed by the Pharmacy Specialists Accreditation Board (PSAB) are as follows:

The National R1 programme is designed to train pharmacists in a systematic fashion to achieve professional and clinical competence in the delivery of patient-
centred care services. Residents will be prepared to provide high quality pharmaceutical care as clinical pharmacists and continue into national R2 programmes for the purpose of specialist accreditation.

The National R2 programmes are designed to develop accountability, practice patterns, habits, expert knowledge, skills, attitudes, and abilities in the respective specialised area of pharmacy practice. R2 programmes build upon the broad-based competencies achieved in a R1 residency, deepening the resident’s ability to provide care in the most complex of cases or in the support of care through practice leadership.

Pharmacists who meet the eligibility criteria are invited to apply to Ministry of Health (MOH) to enrol into the R1 and R2 Residency programmes. MOH will announce the call for application for the programmes through a training circular,
which will be disseminated to the Heads of Department of Pharmacy and the Human Resources Directors in different public healthcare institutions.

Should you require any further information, please contact the Office of Residency Training or visit NUS website.

The Office of Residency Training (ORT)
Mr Desmond Lam
des.lam@nus.edu.sg

Journey of a Specialist Pharmacist

Get insights from our seven specialist pharmacists on their journey and contributions to pharmaceutical care here [PDF, 6 MB]!