Revised work experience requirement for registration as a pharmacy technician
The Council of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society has approved an amendment to the registration criteria for pharmacy technicians to make it clear that all those who register under the transitional arrangements must have relevant work experience within pharmacy.
At the October
Council meeting, it was agreed that the registration criteria
should include the following wording: “Applicants for registration
in the Register of Pharmacy Technicians who do not meet the work experience
criteria for registration under the standard route whose applications
are therefore subject to scrutiny and
evaluation must be able to demonstrate that they have undertaken a minimum
amount of work experience under the supervision, direction or guidance
of a pharmacist of not less than 14 hours per week over a two-year period,
either during the training period or post-qualification.”
The Council heard that at least one further education college had delivered
and awarded the National Vocational Qualification level 3 qualification
in pharmacy services to doctors’ dispensers. The programme had
been set up with no pharmacist input and no requirement for work-based
experience in pharmacy. In addition, a number of pharmacy technicians
who had valid qualifications but who worked in non-standard environments
such as dispensing GP practices had been able to register under the existing
arrangements.
The Council also decided that a pharmacy assistants’ qualification
operated under statute by the South African Pharmacy Council
is not acceptable for entry to the Register of Pharmacy Technicians under
the transitional arrangements.
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The
Pharmaceutical Journal