Diploma in Pharmaceutical Medicine

The Diploma examination is open to doctors who have entered pharmaceutical medicine and received structured training in the discipline. Applicants for Membership of the Faculty or for specialty registration in pharmaceutical medicine are reminded that they must meet additional eligibility requirements.

*** The Pass List for the 2011 Diploma in Pharmaceutical Medicine is now available. Please click here. ***

Eligibility

Candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria:

Medical Registration: must possess a medical qualification recognised by the General Medical Council (GMC) in the UK and be included on an appropriate medical register.

Experience in Pharmaceutical Medicine: by the time of the Diploma Examination, at least two years in a post that provides practical experience and training in pharmaceutical medicine.

The examination is comprised of three papers - a Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) paper consisting of 375 questions (75 stems each with 5 statements), a Critical Appraisal paper and a Short Answer Question (SAQ) paper. All three papers must be passed to achieve the Diploma.

The examination is taken over 2 consecutive days. The Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) paper and the Critical Appraisal paper are held on day 1 and the Short Answer Question paper on day 2.

*** The Syllabus for Pharmaceutical Medicine - Adoption of PharmaTrain 2010 Syllabus by FPM. ***

Since 1976 the Syllabus for Pharmaceutical Medicine has been developed by the Royal Colleges of Physicians in the UK for the Diploma in Pharmaceutical Medicine examination, and as the basis for course curricula in postgraduate training in the discipline, and subsequently specialty, of pharmaceutical medicine. Over the years the Syllabus underwent a number of revisions and updates under the auspices of the Colleges, and since 1989 by the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine.  In 1985 the Faculty’s Syllabus for Pharmaceutical Medicine was offered to IFAPP as the basis for the IFAPP Syllabus for Pharmaceutical Medicine, utilised for course curricula and examinations in Europe and by IFAPP National Member Associations around the world. In similar vein, in 2009 the Syllabus for Pharmaceutical Medicine was offered by the Faculty to IMI PharmaTrain, along with, we understand, the current IFAPP Syllabus, as the basis for PharmaTrain’s International Syllabus for Pharmaceutical Medicine, recognising the requirement for update, review and revision for widespread harmonised, international use under the PharmaTrain banner (presented as PharmaTrain Syllabus 2010).  

Given the provenance of The Syllabus for Pharmaceutical Medicine summarised above, the Faculty is pleased to receive the PharmaTrain Syllabus 2010 as the updated and revised Syllabus for Pharmaceutical Medicine. As a public partner of IMI PharmaTrain, the Faculty recognises that PharmaTrain Syllabus 2010 carries the brand of ‘PharmaTrain’.  The Faculty also recognises, and welcomes, the opportunity afforded by PharmaTrain for, in future, systematic, collective and harmonised review & revision of this international Syllabus, and agrees to abide by the requirements and conditions established for this, and to which the Faculty will assuredly contribute.

The syllabus is divided into sections covering the following:

The entire syllabus is available to download here.

To download further details about the DPM, please click on the links below.

• Examination information pack (2011 pack - for information only)
• Application form (2011 pack - for information only)
• Diploma Guidance for Candidates and Regulations and Procedures
• Examination Appeal Procedure
• Syllabus for Pharmaceutical Medicine which should also be read in conjunction with the guidance and regulations document.
• Sample answers to two SAQs from the 2010 examination.
• Past exam papers  from the 2008-2011 DPM exams

DPM Exam 2012

The next examination will be held on 1-2 October 2012 at Hamilton House Conference Centre in Bloomsbury, London.*

The examination will also be offered internationally at an additional examination centre at University of Stellenbosch in Cape Town, South Africa.*

The examination will be held on the same days and at the same times in both locations. Applicants will be asked to indicate within their application at which centre they intend to sit the examination.

The closing date for entry to the examination is Monday 20th August 2012. (TBC) An information pack, which will provide information on timings, will be sent to all candidates after the closing date for entries.

The fee for the 2012 examination is £755.00.

* The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine reserves the right to change the venue in the event of unforeseen circumstances.