The Principles of Pharmacy Education & Training

The aim of all stages of pharmacy education, including initial and post-registration education, is to ensure that pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are capable and practise ethically throughout their careers in whatever context. Education and CPD should result in a pharmacy team with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that enable them to discharge their responsibilities to patients, other users of pharmacy services, colleagues and society in general.

These principles are based on the understanding that pharmacy education is capability-based and people-centred and must reflect the professionalism required by all members of the pharmacy team at all stages of their career.

It is important to note that while the principles are generic, they relate to all stages of pharmacy education, the whole range of education providers and both public and private sector employers of pharmacy teams. How they will be applied will be proportional and appropriate to specific sectors and circumstances.

The Society consulted widely on these principles in 2006 and into early 2007, and received overwhelming support for them from all stakeholders. These principles reflect, therefore, the consensus views of the profession and of the bodies with which it works.

The Society is establishing a set of principles that will guide the review and development of pharmacy education. As part of that process, Society is reviewing its own education policy and standards.

In drawing up these principles the Society recognises that they are ambitious but achievable - providing that appropriate resources and investment are available. They reflect how the Society envisages pharmacy education developing over the next 10 years. They also recognise the situation where there is support for a particular aim but constraints (particularly of resources) against immediate attainment. This latter point serves to highlight the magnitude of some of the tasks in question.

Definitions

Capability: The term capability is used throughout this document. The Society views education as the means of acquiring the basis of capability, an all round human quality, an integration of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values used appropriately and effectively – not just in familiar contexts but in response to

new and changing circumstances. It is more holistic than competence and that change has been made in response to views on the use of competence gathered in the consultation.

Education: Education refers to formal and informal periods of directed and self-directed learning at a level appropriate to the needs of an individual at a given time. By adopting this broad definition of education, the need for the use of the word training is avoided.

Professionalism: The Society views professionalism as the autonomous application of capability in a professional context and in a manner which meets the expectations of peers, patients, the public and society.

Education providers: When referring to pharmacy education providers we are including higher education institutions (HEIs), further education colleges (FEIs), the NHS and other education providers and employers, including NHS hospital trusts, primary care organisations and community pharmacy contractors.

Funders: When referring to those responsible for funding pharmacy education we are including the higher education funding councils, the Department of Health, strategic health authorities, the Welsh Assembly and Scottish Executive Health Department, NHS education bodies, and employers including NHS hospital trusts, primary care organisations and community pharmacy contractors.

Students: When referring to students we are including those studying undergraduate pharmacy, preregistration graduates, pharmacists undertaking post-registration education, student pharmacy technicians and pharmacy technicians undertaking post-qualification education.

Use

These