The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 278 No 7451 p567
12 May 2007

Society summary

Society offers series of free training days for preregistration tutors

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society is planning a series of free training days for preregistration tutors. And in preparation for the event, the preregistration division is conducting a survey this month to determine the level of interest among current and prospective tutors and to find out how much training has already been undertaken by existing tutors — particularly any specific training in workplace assessment skills.

The one-day pilot course will be offered in different centres throughout Britain during October. Places will be limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. The topics to be covered will include:

• Formative and summative assessment
• Interpreting and measuring competence against performance standards
• Identifying and documenting appropriate evidence
• Skills on giving feedback

A major reason for offering the course is that in the future the Society will be required to carry out quality assurance on preregistration training, under a provision of the Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians Order 2006 (pharmacy’s Section 60 Order under the Health Act 1999). The Society points out that taking part in the course will also give tutors an opportunity to develop and achieve a continuing professional development goal.

Survey forms were being sent this week to current preregistration tutors. Completed forms should be returned by 28 May 2007 to Preregistration Division, Royal Pharmaceutical Society, 1 Lambeth High Street, London SE1 7JN.

Pharmacists interested in becoming tutors can obtain copies of the form from the same address or download a copy from the preregistration tutors’ page on the “A career in pharmacy” section of the Society’s website. Completed survey forms can be e-mailed to preregistration@rpsgb.org

The survey form can also be completed electronically by means of an online questionnaire available through the same page of the Society’s website.

The preregistration division’s initiative has been welcomed by other organisations involved in pharmacist training. The National Pharmacy Association’s head of education and training, Liam Stapleton, said: “This survey, and the information it will provide on tutors, will be a help to the Society and an asset to the profession. It is an important part of the wider picture of ensuring that pharmacists are properly prepared for a career as a modern health care professional.”

Rachel Stretch, preregistration training manager, London Pharmacy Education and Training, would like to see a good response to the survey. She said: “I welcome this initiative to offer tutors greater support to assess the performance of preregistration trainees in the workplace. I feel it will be invaluable for tutors to receive training in the area of workplace assessment as it can be difficult to assess a trainee’s performance and level of competence, especially in the NHS where assessment of written evidence plays a bigger role than direct tutor observation. Achieving consistency of assessment between tutors is also important.

“I encourage tutors to have their say in this area by completing the survey that the Society is conducting so that any training offered in the future can be tailored to meet the needs of those conducting the assessments”.