Pharmacy technicians should not just support research — they should lead and shape it

Speaking to Rebecca Chamberlain, a pharmacy technician with specialist expertise in professional regulation and the education and training of pharmacy professionals, one point comes through clearly: pharmacy technicians should not be described only in terms of the pressure they relieve elsewhere in the system.

She wants us to ask more ambitious questions: what evidence do we need to recognise the contribution pharmacy technicians are already making? What could they be enabled to lead in the future?

Chamberlain began her career as a pharmacy technician in 1999 in a district general hospital in west Wales, working across dispensary, aseptics and medicines management, while supporting the education and training of pharmacy support staff. She later moved into post-registration education in Wales, contributing to accredited checking technician, medicines management and level 4 education programmes. Her portfolio career has since spanned education, regulation, accreditation, professional leadership and research, including eight years on the General Pharmaceutical Council’s investigating committee and a current Economic and Social Research Council-funded PhD exploring pharmacy technician practice and professional development.

Chamberlain traces her route into research back to a Master’s in education, when her dissertation examined pharmacy technician roles and responsibilities in community pharmacy across Wales^​1​. That first project highlighted the structural, organisational and interpersonal barriers that can limit the development of pharmacy technician practice. It also showed her that research could provide the evidence needed to shape change within the profession.

Beyond ‘freeing up pharmacist time’

Chamberlain says pharmacy technician development should not be framed solely around “freeing up pharmacist time”. That language risks defining pharmacy technicians by the pressure they relieve elsewhere in the system, rather than by their own expertise, professional contribution and potential.

Pharmacy technicians are registered pharmacy professionals in Great Britain, with education and training standards set by the General Pharmaceutical Council^​2​. Their roles span a wide range of settings, including procurement, medicines information, technical and clinical services^​3​. However, if the profession is to continue developing safely and confidently, role expansion must be supported by evidence rather than assumption.

The more useful question is not simply what tasks pharmacy technicians can do, but what they are uniquely positioned to contribute, where their expertise can have the greatest impact and what research is needed to support future practice.

Research that can inform policy

Chamberlain’s doctoral work focuses on pharmacy technician practice, professional development and the structures needed to support career progression. As part of her PhD scholarship, she completed a three-month research and practice placement within the pharmacy and prescribing branch of the Welsh government, under the leadership of Andrew Evans, chief pharmaceutical officer for Wales.

During this placement, she carried out multiple case studies on advancing pharmacy technician practice. This included documentary analysis of policy and professional documents, followed by interviews with eight pharmacy technicians working across several areas of practice. The study examined whether pharmacy technicians are operating at the boundaries of practice, how their roles mapped to advanced practice, and what barriers and enablers had shaped their careers.

The findings were written up as a report for the Welsh government and presented to the Welsh Pharmaceutical Committee. This is a clear example of research informing policy in practice. It also illustrates why evidence matters: policy cannot be built confidently without a clear understanding of what pharmacy technicians are already doing, where advanced practice is emerging and what support is needed.

Advanced practice across healthcare is commonly described through four pillars: clinical practice, leadership and management, education and research^​4​. Chamberlain’s work suggests that pharmacy technicians may already be strongly represented in clinical and leadership domains, while research and education remain less visible. That should not be interpreted as a lack of capability, but rather as a reflection of limited infrastructure, opportunity and expectation in those areas.

Research is a skill, not a title

Chamberlain describes research as a skill, much like leadership. That framing is important. Research capability is not determined by professional title — it develops through curiosity, critical thinking, methodological training, mentorship and practice.

Yet pharmacy technicians continue to face specific barriers. Research has not historically been embedded consistently within pharmacy technician initial education and training, and those who develop research skills through postgraduate study don’t always have opportunities to apply them in the workplace^​5​. That represents a loss, not only for individuals but for pharmacy services more broadly.

Pharmacy technicians’ work with medicines systems, operational workflows, patient-facing services and multidisciplinary teams leaves them well placed to identify questions in these areas. Their perspective can reveal issues and opportunities that may not be visible from other professional vantage points.

For many, the first step into research may be joining a journal club, contributing to a quality improvement project, supporting a clinical trial, engaging in patient and public involvement work, or developing skills in critical appraisal. These activities build confidence and research literacy, as well as shift professional identity from using evidence to helping generate it.

Chamberlain describes being part of a small WhatsApp group of pharmacy technicians undertaking doctoral-level study. Research-active pharmacy technicians clearly exist but they are not always visible. Increasing that visibility can help others see that similar pathways are possible for them, too, and strengthen a sense of connection between pharmacy technicians who are already contributing to research. It’s an aspect of our conversation that stays with me.

The framework that is still needed

Which one change would make the biggest difference? Chamberlain points to the development of a clear post-registration curriculum and career framework for pharmacy technicians.

Without a shared framework, it’s difficult for pharmacy technicians, employers, educators and policymakers to define what foundation, enhanced, advanced or consultant-level practice looks like in reality. It limits visibility of how research, education, leadership and clinical practice should evolve across a career.

There’s already been important progress. The Cardiff University CUREMeDE team developed an advanced practice framework for pharmacy technicians, setting out competencies across five domains^​6​. Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK (APTUK) has published work on developing a UK-recognised career pathway for post-registration pharmacy technician practice, highlighting the need to evidence enhanced and advanced levels of practice, and align development with the four pillars of practice^​7​.

Chamberlain says that frameworks matter because they signal expectation. If research is explicitly embedded within post-registration development, it becomes part of pharmacy technician identity rather than an optional extra. In turn, education, supervision, funding and workplace support are then more likely to follow.

Funding routes may not always be obvious

For Chamberlain, securing research funding took several years and required persistence.

She advises looking beyond the most obvious funding route. Not every pharmacy technician research question will sit neatly within a clinical funding stream. Some align more closely with education, workforce development or policy. Chamberlain’s own funding sits within an education pathway, although the work is directly relevant to pharmacy practice.

The funding landscape is improving. Pharmacy Research UK states that its schemes are open to UK-registered pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, and its PhD Studentship Scheme is open to pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who are UK-registered pharmacy professionals^​8,9​. This is a welcome step, but access still depends on awareness and mentorship. Pharmacy technicians need help to identify funders, shape proposals, find supervisors and build relationships with higher-education institutions.

From being researched to leading research

There remains relatively little research into pharmacy technician practice, particularly studies led by pharmacy technicians or involving them as core members of the research team^​1,5​. This creates two problems. First, it limits the evidence available to inform policy and practice. Second, it means research about pharmacy technicians may be shaped without sufficient input from the profession itself.

The future must look different. Research should not only be done on pharmacy technicians, but with and by pharmacy technicians.

For the Royal College of Pharmacy (RCPharm), supporting that ambition is about connection rather than duplication. APTUK has an important and distinct role in supporting and advancing pharmacy technicians. At RCPharm, we can complement that work by helping pharmacy technicians involved in research see a place for themselves within the wider pharmacy science and research community, with opportunities to connect, contribute and have their expertise recognised alongside colleagues across pharmacy.

The questions are pressing. What are pharmacy technicians doing across sectors? Where is advanced practice already emerging? What enables progression in some settings but not others? How do their roles contribute to patient safety, access, service quality and medicines optimisation? What education, supervision and governance structures are needed? How should research capability be embedded across the career pathway?

These are not abstract workforce questions. They will shape the future of pharmacy services.

Believe in your capability

Chamberlain’s message to pharmacy technicians considering research is simple: believe in your capability.

Research begins with noticing a problem, asking why it exists and wanting to understand it well enough to improve practice. It does not require starting as an academic, but having curiosity, support and opportunity.

What I took from speaking with Chamberlain is that pharmacy cannot afford to overlook pharmacy technician research capability. The profession needs career frameworks, mentoring, research education, funding access and workplace cultures that make research possible. Chamberlain’s journey shows what can happen when pharmacy technicians are given the opportunity to ask important questions and pursue them rigorously.

Pharmacy technicians should not only support research. They should lead it, shape it and see themselves as part of the wider pharmacy research community.