The reflective account was first introduced as part of revalidation in 2019 and one of its main aims is to encourage you to think about how you are meeting the standards for pharmacy professionals.
Writing the reflective account will increase your awareness and understanding of the standards and help you to reflect on how your practice affects the people using your services.
Your reflective account should cover:
- which of the three standards you have selected
- at least one clear example of how you have met one or more of the three relevant standards
- your main roles and responsibilities
- the setting and scope of your practice
- your typical service users
Which standards should I reflect on?
From 1 October 2022, you should reflect on one or more of the following standards:
- Standard one: Pharmacy professionals must provide person-centred care
- Standard two: Pharmacy professionals must work in partnership with others
- Standard five: Pharmacy professionals must use their professional judgement
These standards were selected because of their relevance during the pandemic where many pharmacy professionals adapted their approach based on the individual care and needs of patients; increasingly operated as part of multi-professional teams; and were required to use their professional judgement in particularly challenging circumstances.
Tips on how to write an effective reflective account record
- Your reflective account can cover any area of your practice
- Try and strike a balance between a very brief description, which may lack important detail, and a very thorough account which may provide too much, possibly unnecessary, information
- Provide at least one real and specific example to support your account, so that we can see how you have reflected on your chosen standard(s). The standards for pharmacy professionals are all inter-related, so you will find that you can show how you have met more than one of them using just one example.
- Do not use examples which are vague or too broad; they will not be marked well by reviewers
- The example you choose should be relevant to your practice as a pharmacy professional and should focus on how you, personally, are meeting the standard(s), rather than your team as a whole
- Do not disclose names or confidential information about patients when writing your record
- On a practical note, make sure you initially spell out or explain any acronyms you use, as others who do not work in your area of practice may not be familiar with them