PJ Online | MM Features (Faculty announces first annual conference will take place in May 2002)

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Medicines Management
Issue no 2, p23
March/April 2002

Features

Faculty announces first annual conference will take place in May 2002

Many people may be asking themselves the question "What can the Faculty of Prescribing and Medicines Management do for me?" Richard Seal, member of the faculty board and medicines management advisory board, gives some answers

It is true that since the launch of the Faculty of Prescribing and Medicines Management last year, things may have seemed quiet. However, the faculty board has been beavering away behind the scenes on a number of initiatives. And what these initiatives are will become evident at the first annual conference.

The inaugural meeting will take place in Nottingham on Friday and Saturday, 10 and 11 May 2002 — a date for your diaries. The conference will consist of a varied programme of learning activities and opportunities for professional development, all geared towards meeting the needs of UK pharmacists working in the field of prescribing and medicines management.

Delegates will be able to hear from pharmacists "working at the coal face" as well as taking part in workshops and tailored learning events.

Wide range of learning styles

The programme has been deliberately structured to cater for a range of different learning styles. So, as well as the more traditional conference presentations, there will be a variety of interactive workshops and breakout sessions. This will mean that delegates can choose the sessions that are most appealing to them and best suited to their own needs.

The theme of the conference is "Medicines Management in Practice". It will bring together a unique blend of practitioners from across the UK and from a range of backgrounds and areas of practice. This will include primary care, community pharmacy and hospital pharmacy as well as general practice.

Skill-building sessions will enable delegates to hone important professional skills, which all competent practitioners will need in their daily work. This includes critical appraisal, prescribing data analysis, "getting your message across" and pharmaceutical needs assessment.

"Learning for Action" workshops will focus on training needs analysis, personal development planning, learning networks, competency and lifelong learning opportunities.

Members of the College of Pharmacy Practice and the faculty board will be on hand to offer advice and guidance.

"Better practice" sessions will bring delegates face-to-face with practitioners who are recognised in the field as having set standards for good practice. There will be lots of opportunities for asking them questions and sharing experiences.

The annual general meeting will take place on the second day and is an opportunity to hear about faculty developments. All members of the board will be present to answer questions and to comment.

Social highlights

The social highlight will be the dinner, which will be held on the Friday evening. This will be a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and we hope for you to make some new ones, with after-dinner entertainment thrown in too.

The fee for the conference has been set at a modest £30 for existing associate faculty members. The fee for non-members will be £90 but this includes the optional faculty joining fee. So delegates can get associate membership as a bonus for attending the event, if they wish!

Chairman of the faculty board, Clive Jackson said "The board has been working hard to deliver this programme. We are confident that there will be something for everyone and I am personally looking forward to welcoming colleagues from across the UK to our first big event."

Details of how to sign up will be posted to existing associate members shortly but you will also find details on the "Pharmacy Management" (www.pharman.co.uk) and College of Pharmacy Practice (www.collpharm.org.uk) websites.