Postregistration education and training

Postregistration education and training

The current provision of structured postregistration training for pharmacists is varied but includes a number of common elements. After qualification most newly qualified pharmacists in the NHS take up a band 6 position, many of which include an opportunity to study on a clinical diploma. This is the standard route for most hospital pharmacists and many universities provide clinical diploma courses – these courses are not for-mally accredited by the current pharmacy regulator and vary across the country in their design and delivery. Opportunity to study a clinical diploma may be an aid to recruitment and retention for employers as well as a means of developing its employees.

The clinical diploma is usually a 2-year postgraduate diploma-level quali-fication which teaches pharmacists much of the clinical application of their knowledge with an emphasis on applying their knowledge to practice-based situations. The course is usually funded by the individual trust or, at time of writing, via the relevant strategic health authority.

Recent developments have seen a number of institutions, for example the University of Bath, launching a range of learning opportunities to meet the needs of mid-career pharmacists.¹⁴ These have been mapped to the Advanced and Consultant Level Framework and support pharmacists in developing in areas such as teaching and learning, research methods, man-agement and leadership.