Developing your career

The Newly qualified pharmacist programme is designed to enable pharmacists to demonstrate outcomes in the RPS Post-registration Foundation Curriculum. The programme is designed to develop pharmacists who can:

• communicate effectively, placing the person at the centre of any interaction
• deliver holistic person-centred care
• collaborate with the wider pharmacy and multidisciplinary team
• apply clinical knowledge and skills in practice
• draw upon and critically evaluate appropriate information to inform decision making and manage uncertainty and clinical risk
• use data and digital technology to enhance patient care and improve outcomes
• promote pharmacy services and develop the profession
• recognise opportunities for change, innovation and quality improvement
• demonstrate self-awareness, resilience and adaptability
• support the education and development of colleagues
• participate in research.

The Canvas online learning platform will be a virtual ‘classroom’ and networking site throughout the programme. We will provide you with Canvas login details and an induction to the platform.

The programme includes the following online modules:

• Module 1: Person centred care and collaboration
• Module 2: Clinical knowledge, skills and decision making
• Module 3: Leadership and management
• Module 4: Education and research

Each module has a self-assessment, an e-learning component and a range of workplace activities that are used to support the application of learning to practice. The modules are mapped to the domains, capabilities and learning outcomes in the RPS Post-registration Foundation Curriculum to enable learners to identify evidence of competence for their portfolio.

The Newly qualified pharmacist programme will include attendance at two CPPE workshops. Pharmacists choose workshops in discussion with their education supervisor, relevant to their individual learning needs. We have a list of recommended workshops, including clinical topics, such as COPD and asthma, and workshops to support pharmacists to deliver community pharmacy services eg, emergency contraception.

The majority of CPPE workshops are delivered online and we will restart some face-to-face workshops in 2022.

Pharmacists will also complete Community Pharmacist Consultation Service training, which includes a self-directed online course.

Assessments include e-assessments, supervised learning events (also known as practice-based assessments) and a portfolio. The assessment strategy is proportionate, providing assurance of patient safety within a manageable time.

The practice-based assessment strategy will support newly qualified pharmacists to complete a range of supervised learning events, that are assessed by their education supervisor. Assessment activities are recorded using standardised assessment tools to support a consistent approach.

The e-portfolio, provided by the RPS and Axia Digital, will assist newly qualified pharmacists and their education supervisor to record, upload, manage and review evidence to demonstrate progress against the learning outcomes in the RPS Post-registration Foundation Curriculum.

At the end of the Newly qualified pharmacist programme, pharmacists will have a review meeting with their education supervisor to discuss their progression over 12-months, in relation to the outcomes in the RPS Post-registration Foundation Curriculum and the evidence in their portfolio. The learner will also complete an end of programme learning needs analysis (LNA) and personal development plan (PDP).

Newly qualified pharmacists will be allocated a designated CPPE education supervisor, who will review progress in practice, and provide feedback and support. This support will develop the learner’s confidence and competence to deliver high-quality pharmacy services. The relationship between the pharmacist and their education supervisor is vital to successful development during the programme.

The education supervisor will meet with each pharmacist at the start of the programme to discuss their learning needs analysis and personal development plan. They will also meet with each pharmacist regularly throughout the programme, to complete end of module reviews and conduct supervised learning events. Meetings will be online, apart from some supervised learning events that require observation of practice in the workplace. The education supervisor will also complete a mid-point review and end of programme review.

The CPPE education supervisor’s role will include the following activities:

• supporting pharmacists with LNA and PDP
• providing developmental feedback
• conducting supervised learning events (SLEs)
• reviewing progress with the modules and how the pharmacist has applied the learning to their role
• reviewing the e-portfolio and evidence of how the pharmacist demonstrates the outcomes in the RPS Post-registration Foundation Curriculum
• competing an intermediate and end of programme review (education supervisor report).

In 2022, the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) agreed to change the requirement for pharmacists to spend at least two years on the register before enrolling on an independent prescribing (IP) course. Pharmacists will be able to begin an IP course when they have demonstrated readiness, rather than simply completing a specified period post-registration.

The implementation date for the changes to the requirements for entry to independent prescriber courses will be confirmed once the GPhC Council has approved the guidance for course providers.

As described by the GPhC, applicants to prescribing courses must have relevant experience in a pharmacy setting and be able to recognise, understand and articulate the skills and attributes required by a prescriber. They also specify that course providers will be required to assess the quality of the applicant’s previous experience, to make sure that pharmacists have the necessary skills and experience before starting the course.

The Newly qualified pharmacist programme will support pharmacists to demonstrate readiness to enrol on an IP course by enabling them to: