All pre-registration tutors asked to follow new guidance

 

New guidance has been produced by the GPhC to help those who tutor pre-registration trainee pharmacists and pre-registration trainee pharmacy technicians to fulfil their roles and provide appropriate support and supervision to their trainees.

 

Guidance on tutoring for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians provides examples of how to meet key obligations in relation to the Standards of conduct, ethics and performance.  These include practising as a tutor only if you are fit and competent to do so, putting patient safety first at all times and taking appropriate action when a concern is raised by or about a trainee.

 

Tutors are also asked to follow further guidance on areas including being a professional role model, assessing a trainee’s performance and providing feedback and support.  Tutors are advised that they should take a number of steps to support their trainees during the training programme, including:

 

  • inducting the trainee at the beginning of their training so they know what is expected of them and when it is expected
  • discussing what evidence the trainee needs to produce so the tutor can evaluate their performance
  • giving the trainee regular constructive feedback to help them develop during their training
  • taking all reasonable steps to respond to a request for support from the trainee

 

The guidance includes an important new recommendation that a pre-registration trainee pharmacy technician’s employer should choose a pharmacist or pharmacy technician to act as the trainee’s designated educational supervisor. This would be a similar role to a pre-registration pharmacist tutor, with the educational supervisor providing oversight of the pharmacy technician’s training and being a source of advice and support.

 

Currently pre-registration trainee pharmacy technicians may have a variety of people involved in their training, including assessors and line managers, and it is intended that people in these roles will also use this guidance when it is relevant to them.

 

Duncan Rudkin, Chief Executive of the General Pharmaceutical Council, said:

“A trainee’s relationship with their tutor is one of the most important professional relationships they will have in their entire career.  We know that at the moment pre-registration training can be of variable quality and we want to help to promote improvements in tutoring.  This new guidance will help tutors to build their understanding of what they should be doing to help their trainees achieve their full potential.” 

 

The guidance makes clear that it is important for the tutor to ensure that the ongoing assessment of their trainee is fair and objective and helps them understand how they are performing in line with the requirements of their training plan, and how they are performing as a professional.

 

The guidance was developed with the input of an expert working group and focus groups that included pre-registration trainee pharmacists and pre-registration trainee pharmacy technicians and tutors in England, Scotland and Wales.  All tutors, pharmacy owners and superintendent pharmacists are being asked to read the guidance and will receive copies in the coming weeks.