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Monica Munro, Carole Muir and Angela
Cannon are
education and training pharmacy technicians in Scotland
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The consultation from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society on regulation
refers to pharmacy technicians as professionals.1 It is fair to say that
registration provides recognition of pharmacy technicians as professionals.
However, can this group of staff develop to their full potential and
be recognised as professionals in their own right when they are often
seen as underlings to pharmacists? Pharmacy technicians must accept their
professional identity and take charge of their own destiny, working as
equal partners with their pharmacist colleagues.
“The right medicine”2 is the Scottish pharmaceutical plan
for modernisation of the profession to meet the pharmaceutical needs
of the people of Scotland.
Regulation, continuing professional development and “Agenda for
change” are further drivers in the evolution of the role. Pharmacists
are developing their clinical roles to improve patient care, using skills
appropriate to their training. In order to meet the aims of “The
right medicine”, pharmacy technicians are developing in parallel
by taking on appropriate new task-focused roles and responsibilities.
In addition, the pharmacy care team must be fully integrated as part
of the multidisciplinary health care
team, which places the needs of the patient at its core.
A recent letter to The Pharmaceutical Journal asks if a pharmacist can
carry out the roles of care provider and manager effectively.3 Pharmacy
technicians have the knowledge and skills to carry out many roles associated
with medicines management, including the day to day management of people,
processes and systems. Pharmacy technicians can be, and are, working
as equal partners in multidisciplinary teams in some areas. “Pharmacy
workforce in the new NHS”4 refers to skill mix and a need to “liberate
the talent and skills of all the workforce so that every patient gets
the right care in the right place at the right time”.
The fast developing role of the pharmacy technician in medicines management
will support the Scottish Executive’s vision for the future of
patient care by ensuring the right medicines are available for the right
patient at the right time. Pharmacy technicians will function as part
of the multidisciplinary health care team, focused on patient needs.
This will provide maximum health gain and patient compliance through
the best use and availability of medicines, and encourage the removal
of barriers between health care professionals. The skills of pharmacy
technicians make them the most appropriate health care staff to manage
medicines from procurement to the point of administration and, in some
cases, beyond. The in-depth, often specialist, clinical knowledge base
and skills of pharmacists make them the appropriate health care staff
to manage pharmaceutical care supporting patient diagnosis and subsequent
medicines-related treatment decisions.
The changing role of the pharmacy technician is already evident with
many pharmacy services being managed by pharmacy technicians. To facilitate
the need for progression of the pharmacy technician role it is essential
that this group of staff have the knowledge, skills, aptitude and awareness
to enable fitness for practice at all levels. The education and training
for this staff group needs to be appropriate and flexible enough to allow
specialised training and work-based learning.
Employers need to be assured that their staff are adequately equipped
for the roles they are carrying out and, as professionals, pharmacy technicians
share in this responsibility. New roles for the pharmacy technician are
emerging in the area of medicines management in both primary and secondary
care settings. It is vital that a solid foundation of academic achievement
is used as a basis for developing future roles.
The provision of appropriate structured training will allow the development
of a competent, skilled workforce. The training must be available to
allow career progression to the highest level; pharmacy technicians must
embrace the culture of lifelong learning. The framework for lifelong
learning introduces the concept of a “skills escalator”,
which enables individuals who join the NHS to develop their skills and
progress through investment in their training and development to professional
levels, and beyond.
In Sweden there are three levels of pharmacy staff, the pharmacist (four
years of university study), the prescriptionist (two years of university
study) and technicians (intermediate vocational education).5 In future
our educational system needs to review the way training is provided to
allow staff to develop their competencies and realise their professional
aspirations. We must challenge existing roles and beliefs and look to
the overall service required from the pharmaceutical industry. A learning
framework is required to enable technicians to gain appropriate generic
as well as pharmacy-centred training.
In the past, nurses were widely considered to be the handmaidens of doctors.
The nursing profession is now well established; nurses are professionals
in their own right and have a structured career path to meet their aspirations.
Likewise, pharmacy technicians will achieve many of their own aspirations
with current and emerging roles. The demand for education and training
to support this will grow. Therefore, in terms of education and training
delivery, it is imperative that the demand is met.
There will be additional benefits from developing a training framework
that allows the integration of learning at universities, colleges of
further education and in the workplace. It will provide staff with knowledge
and practical abilities to enable competence in their roles and the ability
to manage and develop pharmacy services for the benefit of patients.
The future for the pharmaceutical service is to have pharmacy technicians
with a postregistration, degree level or higher knowledge base from which
they will be able to provide, in partnership with clinical pharmacists,
a safe, effective and efficient pharmacy service to the people of Scotland
and other parts of the UK.
References
1. McKean K. Teamwork will progress pharmacy strategy. The Pharmaceutical
Journal 2002;268:661.
2. Scottish Executive. The right medicine: a strategy for pharmaceutical
care in Scotland. Edinburgh: The Executive; 2002.
3. Ridge KW, Thomson DAM. Care provider or manager? (letter). The Pharmaceutical
Journal 2003;271:743.
4. Department of Health. Pharmacy workforce in the new NHS. London:The
Department; 2002.
5. Mobach MP, Werf JJ van der, Tromp TFJ. APOM-project: an investigation
of pharmacy organisation and management. SOM Research Report 97A07.
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