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A fully-funded pathway to formally recognise advanced pharmacist practice has been launched by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), Health Education England (HEE) and the Centre for Postgraduate Pharmacy Education (CPPE).
Eligible pharmacists — who must be based in England and near to, or already practising at, an advanced level — will receive funding to build their ‘RPS Core Advanced e-Portfolio’, in which they can demonstrate evidence that they meet the outcomes in the RPS Core Advanced Pharmacist Curriculum.
The funding includes supervision and support from CPPE’s pharmacy education supervisers.
Those who successfully complete the pathway will be recognised by the RPS as an ‘advanced pharmacist’ and will receive a digital badge from HEE’s Centre for Advancing Practice.
There are 300 places available for the 2023/2024 cohort; successful applicants are due to begin the pathway later in March 2023.
More places will be made available later in 2023 and applications can be made through HEE’s ‘Centre for Advancing Practice for its ePortfolio (supported) Route’.
Joseph Oakley, associate director for education and development at the RPS, said the pathway “marks a milestone in recognising and assuring advanced pharmacist practice in England”.
“This pathway strikes the perfect balance between allowing pharmacists to develop specific advanced pharmacist capabilities while ensuring alignment with other healthcare professions.
“It also provides pharmacists with the opportunity to evidence their advanced practice through work-based experiential learning and assessment with the support of a high-quality educational supervisor,” he added.
Matthew Shaw, director of CPPE, said: “It has long been the ambition at CPPE that completion of our practice-based learning pathways would enable the individual to gain recognition of their achievement through their professional body.
“Gaining this mark of assurance simultaneously through the HEE Centre for Advancing Practice and the RPS affords pharmacists a great opportunity.”
