Well-Rounded Pharmacists: An Employer Guide to Getting the Most from Multisector-Trained Newly Qualified Pharmacists to Benefit Patient Care

Demands on healthcare professionals are mounting. Pharmacists are increasingly expected to work in multiple settings and provide more patient services.

In response, from 2021, to become a registered pharmacist in Wales, pharmacy graduates must complete a multisector Foundation training year that provides exposure to hospital, community, and general practice settings, permitting any sector employment.

Traditionally, training and career pathways were single-sector. Multisector training has been piloted by Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) and evaluated by us. Findings demonstrated clear benefits of training but widespread concern around multisector-trained pharmacists’ preparedness-for-practice and service contribution. The Wales-wide rollout of multisector training will exacerbate such concerns. Through targeted review of our existing data from multi-sector newly qualified pharmacists (NQPs) and knowledge exchange with key stakeholders, we will develop a multimedia toolkit specifying how service provision can benefit from the skillset of multisector-trained NQPs, and the targeted support employers should provide to NQPs as they transition from trainee to registrant.