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Initial education and training of pharmacy
technicians: evidence framework
April 2018
About this document
This document is designed to support course designers and developers as they write courses for the initial education and training of pharmacy technicians. It also provides clarity for course providers, employers and pre- registration trainee pharmacy technicians (trainees) about achieving certain learning outcomes within the standards for the initial education and training of pharmacy technicians (the standards). It should be read alongside the standards in full. Awarding bodies and course providers must demonstrate that they meet the standards to have a pharmacy technician programme approved by us^1. They can do this in a number of ways. The evidence framework provides examples of the type of information and evidence awarding bodies and course providers could choose to submit, to have a pharmacy technician programme approved by us. However, this document is intended as a guide only, and how awarding bodies and course providers choose to demonstrate how they meet the standards may vary depending on their programme.
1. Introduction
a. Pharmacy technician initial education and training 1.1 Initial education and training for pharmacy technicians is vocational - it combines both knowledge and competency and allows trainees to learn based on experience of clinical, operational and scientific practices and procedures whilst working and studying at the same time. 1.2 As a vocational course, it is flexible in its delivery. It can be delivered face-to-face, at a distance, online or a combination of these and this document applies to all these delivery methods. b. Standards for the initial education and training of pharmacy technicians 1.3 The standards consist of two parts:
- Part 1: learning outcomes - includes the skills, knowledge, understanding and professional behaviours a trainee must demonstrate at the end of their initial education and training. The full learning outcomes are at Annex A. (^1) The term ‘approved’ used throughout this document refers to the GPhC’s authority to accredit or recognise courses which awarding bodies or course providers have demonstrated meet the standards for initial education and training of pharmacy technicians.
- Part 2: standards for initial education and training course providers – sets out the key features of courses that deliver the learning outcomes in part 1 of the standards. 1.4 The standards were based on the standards for pharmacy professionals, which are the professional standards trainees will be expected to meet, once they join the register. 1.5 All pharmacy technician courses will be approved against these standards. c. Supporting documents 1.6 This document should be read alongside the following relevant documents:
- Standards for the initial education and training of pharmacy technicians
- Standards for pharmacy professionals
- Criteria for registration as a pharmacy technician
- Guidance on tutoring for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Combined, these documents provide a full picture of the initial education and training requirements for pharmacy technicians. 1.7 To help understand these standards, we have published a glossary of terms at Annex B of this document.
2. Guidance on achieving the learning outcomes
2.1 This section explains how course providers and employers may interpret certain learning outcomes within the trainee’s scope of practice. 2.2 The guidance provided in this section is intended to help course developers, course providers, trainees and employers in making decisions about the design and delivery of the course, for trainees to achieve the learning outcomes. Although all learning outcomes have equal importance, the concepts and learning outcomes explained below were identified as areas requiring more information or clarification throughout the development process of the standards and this document. The full set of learning outcomes can be found at Annex A. a. Professionalism and accuracy checking 2.3 Professionalism is at the centre of the standards for pharmacy professionals and embedded throughout the standards. Trainees must demonstrate how they achieve learning outcomes which relate to the professional attitudes and behaviours of being a healthcare professional, in performing their day-to-day tasks. This includes ethical and effective decision making, identifying and responding to errors, and raising concerns. 2.4 Trainees must also demonstrate their competency in carrying out an accuracy check of dispensed medicines and products (learning outcome 40). The skill to consistently check items for accuracy relates to any point in the process of handling medicines or other parts of the trainee’s day-to-day duties. This ranges from ordering, receiving, maintaining and supplying medicines or other pharmaceutical products, to checking their own work or others’ work effectively.
d. Responding appropriately to medical emergencies, including providing first aid 2.12 Trainees must be able to know how to respond appropriately to medical emergencies. Medical emergencies are situations where someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk, requiring immediate response. Working in environments where pharmacy services are provided, mean from time to time, people are likely to present with a medical emergency. 2.13 Although pharmacy technicians may not always be expected to carry out first aid, as healthcare professionals, they must know how to recognise medical emergencies, as well as how to respond and provide first aid, if required. This may include undertaking a recognised first aid course or other training that may be workplace-specific, that prepares trainees about how to respond in a medical emergency.
3. Developing and delivering a pharmacy technician course
a. Developing the pharmacy technician course 3.1 The guidance in this section provides further information on what awarding bodies and course providers should consider in designing and developing a pharmacy technician course that integrates knowledge and competency elements. 3.2 Awarding bodies and course providers should embed the guiding principles of the design, development and management of the pharmacy technician course in the three core documents below:
- Management plan;
- Teaching and learning strategy; and
- Assessment strategy.
3.3 These documents have the following functions: 3.4 Further information about how to meet these standards is in section 4, Evidence to meet the standards. b. Delivering the pharmacy technician course 3.5 The course provider must ensure there are appropriate agreements in place with both the employer and the trainee which clearly set out how various aspects of the course will be delivered and by whom. 3.6 It is the responsibility of the course provider to establish and manage agreements that apply to all aspects of the course, with the relevant people involved in its delivery. The diverse nature of the initial education and training of pharmacy technicians means that agreements may vary in different educational and workplace settings. 3.7 The course provider must also explain how fitness to practise concerns about a trainee will be addressed including procedures, communication with the trainee and the employer and notification to the GPhC if necessary. More information about raising concerns can be found against criteria 5.10 in section 4, Evidence to meet the standards. Management plan
- Sets out the roles and responsibilities and lines of accountability of the course provider, employer and the trainee in the delivery of the course
- Defines structures and processes to manage course delivery and communication channels including addressing fitness to practise concerns, in line with the learning agreement
- Should be clear, realistic and achievable Teaching and learning strategy
- Sets out how the learning outcomes in part 1 of the standards for the initial education and training of pharmacy technicians will be delivered
- Shows how the knowledge and competency learning outcomes are being integrated
- Embeds the standards for pharmacy professionals into the course Assessment strategy
- Sets out the mix of methods used for assessing knowledge and competence
- Shows how the chosen mix of assessment methods are robust and appropriate for assessing knowledge and competence, including observation
- Sets out course regulations appropriate for at least national level 3 in England and Wales or national level 6 in Scotland
3.12 Courses which have been approved by us count towards the initial registration requirements for pharmacy technicians. 3.13 Further information about our approval processes can be found on our website.
4. Evidence to meet the standards
4 .1 In this section we provide appropriate examples of evidence to demonstrate how awarding bodies and course providers would meet our standards. These examples will form part of the considerations the accreditation or recognition panel make in determining whether a pharmacy technician course meets the standards. Domain 1 – Selection and entry requirements Standards
Selection processes must be open, clear, unbiased and keep to relevant legislation to identify applicants with the right attributes to train as a healthcare professionals. Criteria Evidence and supporting information
Entry requirements must ensure that applicants are fit to practise as trainees at the point of selection. Evidence that the awarding body or course provider has taken steps to ensure their selection processes, prior to enrolment, are fair, legal and designed to make sure they identify suitable applicants who will be fit to practise as trainees. In this context, the ‘right attributes’ in the standards refer to the attitudes and behaviours appropriate to a trainee healthcare professional. Course providers should have measures in place as part of the selection criteria that make sure applicants have the right attributes to train as a healthcare professional. This includes consideration of the appropriate characteristics, attitudes and qualities necessary to act professionally, provide person-centred care and prioritise patient safety.
Selection criteria must be clear and unambiguous. They must include as a minimum: Selection criteria must be appropriate for a level 3 (S)NVQ and for the course’s applicant base. Appropriate levels would include:
- GCSE English at Grade C/Level 4, Scottish National 5 or above, or equivalent English language evidence;
- meeting specified English language requirements
- meeting specified numeracy requirements
- other academic requirements or experience equivalent to national level 2 or above
- taking account of good character checks
- taking account of health checks - GCSE Maths at Grade C/Level 4, Scottish National 5 or above, or equivalent evidence of numeracy; - the ability to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of science suitable for entry to the course, for example, GCSE Science at Grade C/Level 4, or Scottish National 5 or equivalent; In addition to the requirements above, other appropriate evidence would include: - (S)NVQ at level 2 or above, preferably related to pharmacy; - Other appropriate academic requirements and/or experience. Course providers must demonstrate how their selection process has taken account of good character checks and health checks. These would include: - Good character checks, such as the Disclosure and Barring Service/Disclosure Scotland checks, or equivalent. - Appropriate health checks to seek information about conditions that may affect an applicant’s fitness to practise as a trainee and how such conditions could be managed. Formal agreements between the employer and course provider should clearly set out who is responsible for good character checks and assessing whether the trainee has the right attributes to train as a healthcare professional. These checks must be completed before commencement of the course. Course providers will be required to demonstrate how concerns about good character or health are dealt with during the selection process. Note that we do not consider a disability to be a health condition and would only need to be declared if it might have an impact on an applicant’s ability to practise as a trainee and for steps to be taken to mitigate the effects of the disability.
Applicants must be working in a pharmacy environment or have secured a placement as a pre- registration trainee pharmacy technician and be supervised by a pharmacy professional. For training purposes, a pharmacy environment is any location where pharmacy services take place. The GPhC’s criteria for registration as a pharmacy technician require that:
- At a minimum, applicants should have secured a placement as a trainee in a pharmacy environment and registered for a course
registration trainee pharmacy technician. Course providers must demonstrate how equality and diversity data are collected to:
- inform relevant policies; and
- improve course design, delivery and the trainee’s experience.
Reasonable adjustments must be made to course delivery and assessment to help pre-registration trainee pharmacy technicians having specific needs to meet the learning outcomes. Teaching, learning and assessment may be modified for this purpose but learning outcomes may not. Course providers must have procedures in place for identifying or requesting reasonable adjustments to:
- course delivery; or
- assessments. Course providers must be able to demonstrate where appropriate reasonable adjustments have been put in place. Domain 3 – Management, resources and capacity Standard
- Courses must be planned and maintained using transparent processes which must show who is accountable for what at each stage of initial education and training. The education and training facilities, infrastructure, leadership, staffing and staff support must be adequate to deliver the course. Criteria Evidence and supporting information 3.1 All courses must be backed up by a defined management plan which must include:
- a schedule of roles and responsibilities, in the learning and training environments and in the workplace
- lines of accountability, in the learning and training environments and in the workplace
- defined structures and processes to manage delivery
- processes for identifying and managing risk Course providers must have a management plan. The management plan must:
- be realistic and achievable;
- clearly set out the roles and responsibilities of the course provider and employer in the delivery of the course. This must include lines of accountability and authority to act when concerns are raised;
- include risk assessments of key issues and a means to mitigate them;
- demonstrate that systems and structures are in place to manage the learning of trainees in all learning environments; and
- demonstrate how learners can access learning materials.
3.2 There must be agreements in place outlining the roles and responsibilities of all those involved in delivering a course. Course providers must have formal agreements in place for all learners. Formal agreements must:
- describe working arrangements between stakeholders, in particular employers and the course provider
- describe the range of roles and responsibilities, including those for: course providers employers designated educational supervisors assessment centres assessors individuals responsible for internal and external quality assurance processes 3.3 Each pre-registration trainee pharmacy technician must have a learning agreement covering all the learning and training environments. This must outline roles, responsibilities and lines of accountability, and must say how trainees will be supported during the course. Course providers must explain how they will be reassured that learning agreements will be implemented in full. Course providers must set in place learning agreements for all trainees. Learning agreements must:
- outline the trainee’s role and responsibilities;
- support trainees to meet the learning outcomes by establishing clear lines of responsibility for course delivery and assessment;
- be consistent with the teaching and learning strategy and assessment strategy; and
- explain how trainees can raise concern about their course. Course providers must demonstrate how the learning agreement is implemented and used to provide support to trainees throughout the delivery of the course. 3.4 All course providers must have pharmacy professionals involved in the design and the delivery of the course. Course providers must demonstrate how pharmacy technicians and pharmacists will contribute to the design and delivery of the course.
including processes if a trainee is not progressing adequately on the course. Domain 4 – Monitoring, review and evaluation Standard
4. The quality of courses must be monitored, reviewed and evaluated in a systematic and developmental way Criteria Evidence and supporting information 4.1 All relevant aspects of courses must be monitored, reviewed and evaluated systematically. When issues are identified they must be documented and dealt with within agreed timescales. Course providers must:
- have quality assurance processes that are robust, rigorous and transparent;
- provide evidence of quality monitoring data from a variety of sources; and
- provide evidence of how provision has developed as a result of quality assurance and monitoring, taking into account the views and feedback of relevant stakeholders and patients. Course providers must also comply with any legal obligations which apply to them including reviewing any aspects of the course which could be affected by changes to legislation. 4.2 (^) There must be a quality- management structure in place that sets out procedures for monitoring and evaluation. This must include who is responsible, and the timings for reporting, review and taking action when appropriate. Course providers must provide evidence of quality management procedures, including roles and responsibilities. Both awarding bodies and course providers must be open with the GPhC about matters affecting an approved pharmacy technician course. It is a requirement of the Pharmacy Order 2010 that course providers assist the GPhC in its work by providing information on request. For transparency, awarding bodies and course providers must raise relevant issues proactively with the GPhC. 4.3 (^) There must be systems in place to monitor and evaluate the standard of teaching, learning and assessment to make sure that quality is maintained across all learning environments. Course providers must provide evidence that:
- course provision is monitored and evaluated using evidence from a variety of sources, such as staff appraisal, trainee feedback, employer feedback, patient feedback and peer review;
- there is external and independent evaluation of assessments; and
- outcomes of evaluation and feedback are acted on. 4.4 Course monitoring and review must take into account the external environment, especially pharmacy, to make sure that courses stay up to date as they are delivered. Course providers must provide evidence of how advances in pharmacy practice, changes to national standards/frameworks and developments within a wider healthcare context potentially impacting on pharmacy are taken into account. This should occur both during course design and delivery, where a significant change in practice must be reflected in a course. Course providers must seek approval for significant changes to a course from the GPhC. GPhC approval is not needed for routine modifications to a course. If a course provider is unclear whether a proposed change is significant or routine, they should seek advice from the GPhC. 4.5 Feedback to pre-registration trainee pharmacy technicians must be a part of monitoring, review and evaluation processes. Course providers must:
- provide evidence of how feedback is actively provided to both trainees, and employers, where relevant; and
- provide evidence of how trainees can provide feedback on their course. Feedback may relate to the trainee’s work and/or academic performance. Domain 5 – Course design and delivery Standard
- Courses must develop the required skills, knowledge, understanding and professional behaviours to meet the outcomes in part 1 of these standards by using a coherent teaching and learning strategy. The design and delivery of training must take account of stakeholders’ views and must ensure that trainees practise safely and effectively. Criteria Evidence and supporting information 5.1 (^) Courses must be designed and delivered using strategies which bring together knowledge, competence and work experience Course providers must demonstrate how knowledge, competence and work experience are integrated through course design and delivery. This should be described in the teaching and learning strategy. 5.2 (^) The GPhC’s standards for pharmacy professionals must be part of all courses and used actively. This is to make sure that pre-registration trainee pharmacy technicians know what will be Course providers must show:
- how the standards for pharmacy professionals are embedded in the course; and
5.9 Course regulations must be appropriate for a course that leads to professional registration. That is, they must prioritise professionalism, patient safety, and safe and effective practice. Course providers must demonstrate:
- how course regulations are appropriate for a course leading to professional registration as a pharmacy technician;
- how course regulations ensure that unsafe practice is not passed; and
- how course regulations include relevant policies such as plagiarism, grievance and appeals. 5.10 All course providers and employers must have procedures to deal with concerns. Serious concerns that may affect a pre- registration trainee pharmacy technician’s suitability for future registration must be reported to the GPhC. Course providers and employers must have procedures to deal with concerns including those about a trainee’s fitness to practise. Concerns could relate to either the quality of pharmacy education and training or about a trainee that could suggest there is a risk to patient safety or could affect the public’s confidence in pharmacy in either their learning or training environment. We may investigate concerns about the quality of a pharmacy course or a training placement – especially if the way the education and training is delivered might present risks to patient safety. Concerns relating to a trainee’s fitness to practise should be raised directly with the course provider, who must have a clear procedure in place to deal with the concerns raised. Although we do not investigate concerns about a trainee’s fitness to practise, course providers should inform us if there are serious concerns that relate to a trainee’s fitness to practise that could affect a trainee’s suitability for future registration. Domain 6 – Course assessment Standard
- Courses must have an assessment strategy which assesses required skills, knowledge, understanding and professional behaviours to meet the outcomes in part 1 of these standards. The assessment strategy must assess whether a pre-registration trainee pharmacy technician’s practice is safe. Criteria Evidence and supporting information 6.1 (^) Courses must have an assessment strategy which ensures that assessment is robust, reliable and valid. Course providers must have an assessment strategy that clearly sets out how a trainee will be assessed. The assessment strategy must include at a minimum:
- assessment regulations;
- requirements for designated educational supervisors and assessors;
- marking criteria, including the minimum to achieve a pass;
- verification of assessment decisions;
- policies for resits and resubmissions;
- procedures for suspected plagiarism and/or malpractice
- appeals procedures; and
- mapping of assessments to learning outcomes. 6.2 The assessment strategy must assess the learning outcomes in part 1 of these standards. Methods used must be appropriate for what is being assessed; and teaching, learning and assessment must be aligned. Course providers must provide:
- evidence of how assessments are designed and mapped to learning outcomes;
- evidence of how the approach and mix of assessment methods proposed will test the knowledge and competency requirements in the learning outcomes;
- evidence that the assessment methods chosen clearly align with the teaching and learning strategy, to ensure both strategies are coherent and integrated; and
- evidence of how assessment methods will allow trainees to develop and improve without being a risk to patients. 6.3 The assessment strategy must include a methodology to assess decisions of competence in the workplace and other appropriate environments. Course providers must provide evidence to demonstrate why they have chosen their assessment methods and evidence used to assess competence and knowledge to ensure it is aligned to their assessment methodology. Course providers must verify that a significant proportion of assessment decisions of competence take place in the workplace, for the trainee to demonstrate how they meet the learning outcomes in practise. Course providers may use evidence provided by experienced assessors other than their own, or expert witnesses testimony, to assess competence, but this can only form part of a range of evidence sources. 6.4 Patient safety must come first at all times, and the assessment strategy must assess whether a pre-registration trainee pharmacy technician is practising safely as a trainee. The assessment strategy must clearly set out principles about how a trainee is able to learn through assessment methods, without being a risk to patient safety. This includes providing them with feedback and opportunities to identify and address errors, throughout the course, to allow them to learn and train safely. Assessment pass criteria must reflect safe practice and be included in the assessment strategy.
These processes must be clearly set out in the assessment strategy. 6.9 Pre-registration trainee pharmacy technicians must receive appropriate and timely feedback on their performance, to support their development as pre- registration trainee pharmacy technicians and professionals. There must be deadlines for assessments to be marked and for feedback to be given. Feedback must be given in time for it to be used effectively by the trainee. Links between assessments – including diagnostic, formative and summative – as well as feedback must be made clear to trainees. Action must be taken if deadlines are not met. 6.10 Assessment regulations must be appropriate for a course that leads to professional registration. That is, they must prioritise professionalism, patient safety, and safe and effective practice. Assessment regulation must prioritise patient safety, which means unsafe practice cannot be passed. As a general principle, all assessments must be passed. This means that condonation, compensation, trailing, multiple re-sit opportunities and other remedial measures should be extremely limited, if they are permitted at all. Domain 7 – Pre-registration trainee pharmacy technician support and the learning experience Standard
- Pre-registration trainee pharmacy technicians must be supported in all learning and training environments to develop as trainees and professionals during their initial education and training. Criteria Evidence and supporting information 7.1 There must be a range of systems in place to support trainees to achieve the learning outcomes in part 1 of these standards, including:
- induction
- effective supervision
- an appropriate and realistic workload
- personal and academic support
- time to learn
- access to resources. Course providers must provide:
- evidence that there are robust systems in place to support trainees;
- a clear description of who is responsible for each part of the process in those systems; and
- evidence that systems apply to the training environment as well as the learning environment. This information should be set out in formal agreements between the course provider and the employer as well as the management plan.
7.2 There must be systems in place for pre-registration trainee pharmacy technicians to meet regularly with workplace colleagues to discuss and document their progress as learners. Course providers must provide:
- evidence that trainees interact regularly with their workplace colleagues, including their designated educational supervisor as well as peers;
- evidence of how the designated educational supervisor will have oversight of the trainee’s training; and
- evidence that guidance for designated educational supervisors on the expected kind of interaction with trainees is consistent with our Guidance on tutoring pharmacists and pharmacy technicians****. 7.3 (^) Pre-registration trainee pharmacy technicians must have support available to them covering academic study, general welfare and career advice. Course providers must provide:
- evidence that trainees have access to support for their academic and general welfare needs;
- evidence that trainees have access to career advice about their professional development and work pathways. If it is no longer possible for a trainee to continue and complete the course, they should be made aware of what options are available to them. 7.4 Pre-registration trainee pharmacy technicians must have access to pharmacy professionals who are able to act as role models and give professional support and guidance. Course providers must provide:
- evidence that trainees will work with a range of professional role models including other members of the pharmacy team and other healthcare professionals. This may also include pharmacy professionals who do not work in the same pharmacy team, such as course provider pharmacy technicians;
- evidence that trainees will have access to peers, such as other trainees or workplace colleagues, for support and guidance. 7.5 Pre-registration trainee pharmacy technicians must have the opportunity to work in multidisciplinary teams. Course providers must provide evidence that trainees will have the opportunity to work with other health or care professionals and trainees during their training. This may include relationships with other local health or care professionals in local GP practices or clinics, various wards in hospitals or district nurses. Trainees may work for a period of time in another setting or regularly working and communicating with other health or care professionals at a distance. These arrangements should be included in the trainee’s learning agreement.
