Wes Mountain/The Pharmaceutical Journal
The pharmacy profession is undergoing a period of significant change. The rapid expansion of pharmacist prescribing, the growth of pharmacist-led services, minor ailment schemes and expanded clinical services are just some examples of how the pharmacist role is evolving at a fundamental level. This process of change necessitates the need to develop new skills, competencies and knowledge. To support this transition, The Pharmaceutical Journal has completed a thorough restructure of our professional skills content and related resources.
The ‘Professional skills’ collection comprises over 200 articles with new content added each month to ensure it continuously reacts to the changing learning needs of pharmacists, providing up-to-date and easy to access information on a wide range of topics.
To make it easier for readers to navigate and browse the collection, articles are now organised into nine categories that reflect modern healthcare dynamics and the changing nature of pharmacy.
Career and professional development — a wide-ranging set of articles exploring role development, career opportunities and progression;
Communication and consultation skills — a set of resources showing how pharmacists can develop high-quality consultation skills;
Equality, diversity and inclusion — discussion of inclusivity within the pharmacy context and how teams can create supportive environments for patients and colleagues;
Leadership, management and teamwork — resources focused on skill development and how pharmacists can play a fulfil their potential within the multidisciplinary team;
Practice-based skills — focused on core competencies and practical tasks including medicines reconciliation, structured medication reviews, documentation and more;
Prescribing — a comprehensive collection of resources mapped to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS)’s ‘Prescribing competency framework for all prescribers‘ covering the consultation process, diagnostic skills and person-centred approaches;
Professional judgement and decision-making — articles that explore complexity and how pharmacists can improve their ability to confidently navigation situations where clinical judgement is required;
Research skills and experience — practical articles exploring how to develop research skills and use evidence within pharmacy practice;
Service innovations and improvement — articles exploring continuous improvement, practice innovations and future direction.
Professional skills articles are concise, practical and designed to provide information, advice and tips that support personal and professional development. Content is also aligned with relevant RPS accreditation frameworks including the ‘Post-registration foundation curriculum’, the ‘Core advanced pharmacist curriculum’ and the ‘Competency framework for all prescribers’.
The collection can be accessed from the ‘CPD & Learning’ dropdown menu under the ‘Theme’ heading.
We have several upcoming articles that will cover a range of topics from how to discuss risk with patients, using data to improve practice, practical steps for creating an equality, diversity and inclusion strategy, and how pharmacists can address burnout. If you have suggestions for topics or themes that you would like to see us explore, please contact the learning team with your suggestions.
