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Check that you qualify and registerNewly Qualified Pharmacist pathway
Contents
The HEE Newly Qualified Pharmacist pathway aims to link the initial education and training reforms to a continuum of development into post-registration.
This new (optional) pathway is designed for learners across all sectors of pharmacy, to help them meet their development needs as they enter newly qualified practice.
The pathway is also intended to help pharmacists make the transition to more independent learning. It acts as a stepping-stone towards enhanced and advanced practice.
The goal is to establish lifelong learning along the pharmacy education and career continuum.
Registration is open
Core elements of the pathway include: funded access to the RPS e-Portfolio, learning outcomes linked to the RPS Post-registration Foundation Pharmacist Curriculum, a library of curated learning resources mapped to the new Curriculum domains, and funded access to educational supervision.
Registration for the pathway is open for pharmacists who completed pre-registration training in 2020/2021. Please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions, Getting started guide for learners, Getting started guide for supervisors and Briefing for employers. You will find them at the end of this page.
Please note: There will be 2 webinars run by the RPS to support the launch of the e-Portfolio:
- Online webinar registration: Wednesday 26th January 7-8.30pm (for educational supervisors)
- Online webinar registration: Wednesday 2nd February 7-8.30pm (for learners)
If you are not able to attend the webinars but would like to receive the recordings, please use the links below to register:
Key features of the Newly Qualified Pharmacist pathway:
- Designed to integrate with work commitments and complement existing workplace and postgraduate learning
- Designed to provide a consistent approach to training across service providers and across organisations
- Learner-led and designed to fit around working practice
- Flexible and adaptable to learner and employer needs
Benefits
The pathway will benefit you and your employer by augmenting and enhancing existing learning programmes:
- Opportunity to assess your own progress against the RPS Post-registration Foundation Pharmacist Curriculum learning outcomes
- Providing access to a funded e-Portfolio for professional development: helping you to assess your learning needs, develop an action plan and reflect upon your experiences over time
- Providing access to a virtual library to help you develop your professional skills: resources are mapped against the new curriculum domains and will support your professional development based on your individual learning needs
- Providing access to educational supervisor training/support for those receiving educational supervision through their workplace
- Fostering a culture of life-long learning and career-long professionalism by utilising experiences in the workplace
- Utilising learning in the workplace - no additional study time over and above the learning programme you are already following (eg CPPE programme, diploma or in-house learning), using validated supervised learning event tools to receive feedback and improve performance
There will be no mandated assessments or time out of practice. Structured learning events (SLEs) will take place in the workplace, enabling your educational supervisor greater flexibility and responsibility over assessing your progress against the RPS Post-registration Foundation Pharmacist Curriculum learning outcomes.
The pathway provides access to a 12-month structured learning programme via CPPE for newly qualified pharmacists who don't have access to a programme provided by their employer. See the CPPE website for eligibility information: Newly qualified pharmacist programme: CPPE.
Elements for success
Working with partners and stakeholders, we have identified four elements that will contribute to developing newly qualified pharmacists’ learning and growth:
- Access to the RPS e-Portfolio: Developed to support learners assess their learning needs, develop an action plan, and reflect upon their experiences.
- Curriculum: The RPS Post-registration Foundation Pharmacist Curriculum is designed to support pharmacists grow from meeting the initial standards of education and training through to being confident practitioners who can provide increasingly complex care.
- Learning resources: Curated resources have been mapped against the new curriculum domains. This virtual library will support the professional development of newly qualified pharmacists, based on their individual learning needs, and can complement resources available locally. The learning resources library is available online.
- Access to supervision: We will support access to supervision and a full learning programme for pharmacists who completed pre-registration training in the 2020/2021 cohort and are working in community pharmacy (except those with in-house training programmes), primary care, health and justice and locums.
Frequently Asked Questions
Registration is open. Find out more below:
Who is eligible for the Newly Qualified Pharmacist pathway?
The HEE Newly Qualified Pharmacist pathway is open to pharmacists in any pharmacy sector who:
- Undertook their pre-registration year in 2020-21
- Have GPhC registration
- Are in employment in England
- Have access to a workplace educational supervisor or are enrolled on the CPPE Newly qualified pharmacist programme 2021/22 and have access to an educational supervisor via CPPE.
Will the pathway be open to pharmacists who completed their pre-registration training before 2021?
Where employers identify staff who would benefit from the pathway but don’t meet the eligibility criteria, they should contact their regional HEE pharmacy team to discuss:
- East of England: pharmacy.me@hee.nhs.uk
- London and South East: lasepharmacy@hee.nhs.uk
- Midlands: pharmacy.me@hee.nhs.uk
- North East and Yorkshire: medicinesoptimisation.north@hee.nhs.uk
- North West: medicinesoptimisation.north@hee.nhs.uk
- South West, Thames Valley and Wessex: pharmacy.south@hee.nhs.uk
Is the Newly Qualified Pharmacist pathway mandatory?
No. The programme is not mandatory. However, participation in the pathway will help you demonstrate progression against the RPS Post-registration Foundation Pharmacist Curriculum learning outcomes. The pathway is also intended to help pharmacists make the transition to more independent learning and to act as a stepping-stone towards advanced practice.
Is the pathway open to all sectors of pharmacy?
Yes. The pathway is open to pharmacists from all sectors, including locums.
How can pharmacists in different sectors access the pathway?
For community pharmacy (except those with in-house training programmes), primary care*, health and justice and locums, access is through the CPPE Newly qualified pharmacist programme 2021/22. Registering with the CPPE programme will give you fully funded access to educational supervision, a full learning programme, and the RPS e-Portfolio. The CPPE programme is for eligible pharmacists working in community pharmacy, primary care* and health and justice (including locums). Registration is open now.
*If you are employed as part of the PCN Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS), you will be expected to enrol for the CPPE Primary care pharmacy education pathway as a requirement of the PCN Directed Enhanced Service (DES) specification. You can find out more information about the pathway and how to apply here. Do not enrol for the CPPE Newly qualified pharmacist programme if you are employed via ARRS funding.
For community pharmacy large multiples, who provide their own learning programmes including supervision support, registration to the HEE Newly Qualified Pharmacist pathway will give registrants access to the suite of learning resources mapped to the RPS Post-registration Foundation Curriculum and access to the RPS e-Portfolio. Employers will receive a contribution towards supervision costs for each learner enrolled. Registration starts from 18th January 2022 via the RPS e-Portfolio. Advice on how to get started on the pathway is in the HEE Getting started guide for learners.
For secondary care pharmacy (hospital and mental trusts) who provide their own learning programmes, including supervision support, registration to the HEE Newly Qualified Pharmacist pathway will give registrants access to the suite of learning resources mapped to the RPS Post-registration Foundation Curriculum and fully funded access to the RPS e-Portfolio. Employers will receive a contribution towards supervision costs for each learner enrolled. Registration starts from 18th January 2022 via the RPS e-Portfolio. Advice on how to get started on the pathway is in the HEE Getting started guide for learners.
Is the pathway open to locums working in community pharmacy?
Yes. The pathway is open to eligible locums via the CPPE Newly qualified pharmacist programme 2021/22. See above for registration details.
I am already studying for a Diploma. Do I need to register for the Newly Qualified Pharmacist pathway?
The Newly Qualified Pharmacist pathway is not mandatory. However, the pathway is designed to complement existing programmes including postgraduate diplomas. As such, we strongly encourage all eligible pharmacists to register to benefit from the supplementary tools and targeted support.
The pathway is learner-led and designed to fit around working practice, whilst complementing existing programmes and post graduate learning. Learners working in these settings should continue with their organisation’s Newly Qualified Pharmacist programme concurrently, as these programmes will augment the development from undergraduate studies towards advanced practice, with a focus on moving to independent learning.
The pathway is aligned to the RPS Post-registration foundation curriculum and enables pharmacists in any sector to demonstrate that they meet the learning outcomes. This will enable pharmacists to demonstrate their capabilities and should facilitate a more flexible workforce that can transfer between sectors.
What do I receive at the end of the pathway? Are there academic credits attached?
There will be no pathway endpoint, and as such no certification process by Health Education England. You may wish to pursue accreditation by the RPS against the Post-registration Foundation Pharmacist Curriculum – more details about this process, including costs and independent prescribing requirements, are available from the RPS.
Does the pathway include prescribing?
The RPS Post-registration Foundation Pharmacist Curriculum learning outcomes have been designed to develop prescribing competence. The HEE Newly Qualified Pharmacist pathway uses these learning outcomes to help you develop the skills and competence you need to prepare for a prescribing course.
What are the benefits of the RPS e-Portfolio?
The RPS e-Portfolio provides a dashboard to help learners track their progress against the RPS Post-registration Foundation Pharmacist Curriculum learning outcomes. It gives access to validated Supervised Learning Events (SLEs) and the ability to collect feedback from colleagues and patients – via Multisource Feedback (MSF) and a patient survey. The platform also enables learners to record evidence of their learning and professional development, undertake learning needs analysis and develop action plans.
Do I need to upload information on the RPS e-Portfolio if I have already started using an e-portfolio provided by my employer?
Where you have already started using an e-portfolio to track your progress, please contact your HEE regional pharmacy team or CPPE to discuss:
- East of England: pharmacy.me@hee.nhs.uk
- London and South East: lasepharmacy@hee.nhs.uk
- Midlands: pharmacy.me@hee.nhs.uk
- North East and Yorkshire: medicinesoptimisation.north@hee.nhs.uk
- North West: medicinesoptimisation.north@hee.nhs.uk
- South West, Thames Valley and Wessex: pharmacy.south@hee.nhs.uk
- CPPE Newly qualified pharmacist programme: newlyqualified@cppe.ac.uk
Where can I get more information about the RPS e-Portfolio?
There will be 2 webinars run by the RPS to support the launch of the e-Portfolio:
- Online webinar registration: Wednesday 26th January 7-8.30pm (for educational supervisors)
- Online webinar registration: Wednesday 2nd February 7-8.30pm (for learners)
If you are not able to attend the webinars but would like to receive the recordings, please use the links below to register:
- Recorded webinar registration (for educational supervisors)
- Recorded webinar registration (for learners)
Further information about the e-Portfolio including technical user guides is available on the RPS e-Portfolio webpage.
If you require technical support with the e-Portfolio, please contact the RPS e-Portfolio support team (Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm) at: eportfolio@rpharms.com.
When does registration open and close?
- For the CPPE Newly qualified pharmacist programme 2021/22. Cohort 2 registration is open now until 6 February 2022. Start date: 31 January 2022. Contact: newlyqualified@cppe.ac.uk
- For community large multiples and hospital trusts, registration starts from 18th January 2022. Either register as an e-Portfolio user (scroll down the page) or use your RPS login details if you are a member.
If you require technical support with the e-Portfolio, please contact the RPS e-Portfolio support team (Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm) at: eportfolio@rpharms.com.
Is there a timeframe by which the pathway must be completed?
As there is no endpoint to the pathway, there is no defined timeline. We would anticipate newly qualified pharmacists would use the pathway for between one and three years. HEE will provide access to the RPS e-Portfolio until March 2023, after which learners may wish to continue their access to enable RPS credentialing.
HEE educational supervision support funding will enable educational supervision for the first 12 months of registration on the pathway.
What will the educational supervision requirements be?
Please refer to the Newly Qualified Pharmacist pathway educational supervisor ‘Getting started’ guide, available from the HEE Newly Qualified Pharmacist pathway webpage.
What will the educational supervision training requirements be?
HEE offers an e-learning for healthcare (elfh) programme to support educational supervisors develop the skills and knowledge they require. We would expect educational supervisors to have completed the core module (Module 1) within the last 2 years. We would also encourage educational supervisors to undertake the enhanced module (Module 2). Education supervisors will be able to use this as evidence towards their advanced practice portfolio.
Please note: We will accept equivalent learning through accredited providers (such as regional HEE-funded courses or HEI-delivered educational supervisor training or CPPE-delivered educational supervisor training).
Does the Newly Qualified Pharmacist pathway provide a contribution towards supervision costs?
Yes. The CPPE Newly qualified pharmacist programme is fully funded by HEE for those who are eligible (see eligibility and registration FAQs). The 12-month programme takes a blended learning approach, and offers a mix of online learning, workshops, assessment and work-based support through a designated CPPE education supervisor.
For those in community pharmacy large multiples and hospital trusts, HEE will contribute towards learners' supervision costs - per learner signed up to the pathway. The learner registration process will be via the e-Portfolio. Registration to the e-Portfolio will initiate the payments-to-employers process, through existing payment mechanisms.
Register via the RPS e-Portfolio
If you work in an NHS Trust or large multiple such as Boots
Register now - you don't have to be a member of the RPS: scroll down the page and select ‘Become a registered user*'