Careers

Have you considered a career as an education and training pharmacist?

By Barry Jubraj, PGCEA, MRPharmS, Kenye Karemo, MRPharmS, Wendy Pullinger, MEd, MRPharmS and Aamer Safdar, PGCE, MRPharmS

Few junior pharmacists aspire to specialise in education and training, but a changing learning environment means that there is a growing need for practitioners in this field. This article describes the work of education and training pharmacists, along with some of the skills needed

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Barry Jubraj, Kenye Karemo, Wendy Pullinger and Aamer Safdar are all education and training pharmacists at teaching hospitals in London.

Correspondence to:
• barry.jubraj@chelwest.nhs.uk
• kenye.karemo@uclh.nhs.uk
• wendy.pullinger@stgeorges.nhs.uk
• aamer.safdar@gstt.nhs.uk

The 'sandwich analogy'

The “sandwich analogy” demonstrates the intangibility of the work of an education and training practitioner

SUMMARY

it is unusual for junior pharmacists to aspire to specialise in education and training (E&T) for a number of reasons, including early aspirations to specialise clinically or operationally. We authors are no different, coming from a variety of backgrounds before specialising in E&T.

Given the impact of recent changes affecting NHS career progression, such as the introduction of Agenda for Change and the Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF), we believe that there is a need to produce future generations of E&T practitioners who will develop, promote and support the quality of clinical education within an increasingly complex learning environment. We hope that our perspectives will provide junior pharmacists and others with an insight into how pharmacists can specialise in E&T and the wide range of responsibilities involved.
We are four dedicated E&T pharmacists working at a senior level in London teaching hospitals. We recognise that our contexts are not universally applicable and also that E&T may be a secondary role for others. Much of what we say applies to both pharmacists and technicians in an E&T role.