Preparing our future pharmacists

The profession is undergoing uncertainty and change but this represents an opportunity for us to promote and embed new ways of working.

For these new roles to be sustainable in the long term there needs to be access to high quality education and training for pharmacists at all stages of their careers.

Having worked in academia for nearly 14 years, I understand the challenges associated with the alignment of the MPharm degree to current pharmacy practice. One of my current goals is to support students towards an integrated approach to learning and practice, enabling these skills to be translated into integrated models of care. The MPharm needs to prepare students for practice in the true sense, which includes appreciating the challenges and opportunities the profession is facing.

The pre-registration year is a challenging time for trainees, where a work-study balance needs to be managed and achieved. Coupled with this is that educational support for trainees varies nationally.

Having recognised these issues, I founded and developed the popular Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) pre-registration revision courses in 2012 and have nurtured them into the success they have become today.

These courses have gathered momentum nationally, meaning most trainees are able to attend. This has been a great achievement for me. Meeting trainees from all sectors from a variety of demographic areas has been a highlight of my teaching of these courses. Networking, listening to their concerns and absorbing their enthusiasm for the profession has been meaningful.

I attribute a large part of the courses’ success to me continuously drawing on the expertise of pharmacists from all areas of practice to develop and teach on the programme. By cultivating, learning from and supporting this multi-specialty team, I have been able to rapidly implement changes regarding pre-registration training and assessment into the programme. As such, the course content continuously undergoes a rigorous and robust review to ensure the learning needs and exam preparation of trainees are supported. The two-day programme is followed by a suite of ongoing support for attendees; by using social media effectively we can provide a platform for trainees to interact with the teaching team and each other right up to the registration assessment.

Being involved at the grass roots level of education and training for our profession gives me immense satisfaction; preparing the future workforce by strengthening and equipping them for the challenges of today and difficulties of tomorrow.

Nadia Bukhari

Election Candidate, English Pharmacy Board, Royal Pharmaceutical Society