Advanced practice framework for pharmacy technicians

To qualify as a pharmacy technician and register with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), an individual must gain two years of experience as a pre-registration trainee pharmacy technician, working under the direct supervision of a pharmacist.

There is currently no structure for pharmacy technicians to demonstrate advanced practice, post-registration. To address this gap, an advanced practice framework has been developed that sets out 45 competencies across five domains. Each of these have descriptors at two levels – advanced and mastery. The framework will be piloted with 15-20 pharmacy technicians from January-October 2020.

The intention of this study is to evaluate the advanced practice framework pilot, seeking views on whether it is useful and fit for purpose.

The specific objectives are to find out:

• What motivates pharmacy technicians to join the pilot; what are their understandings and expectations of the framework?
• At what point do the pharmacy technicians on the pilot map to the advanced practice framework? How does this relate to career development? Are there sector differences?
• Is evidence required for all competencies within the domain? At what point is sufficient evidence accumulated to demonstrate that the competence domain has been met?
• Are there any competency descriptors that cannot be evidenced?
• What are opinions on the distinction between the two levels (advanced and mastery)?
  What types of evidence is provided (and from whom)? Can evidence be used from prior experience or from other roles outside pharmacy?
• Does engagement with the pilot / the pursuit of advanced status change practice?