#WeCareTogetherRoles in Pharmacy Pharmacist

Pharmacist

Pharmacists utilise their expert knowledge of medicines and health to help patients and support other healthcare professionals, making them an integral part of our healthcare systems. Through a passion for science and a desire to help people you can develop a rewarding career within a variety of sectors. Your career in pharmacy could mean running clinics, becoming a consultant pharmacist in a specialist area of medicine, or delivering patient care in your community.

You could be working in public health, digital, academia or education, NHS leadership, prisons, manufacturing or the pharmaceutical industry.

Pharmacists deliver patient care across our communities and specialist medical care in hospitals. Whatever your passion in science, biology or chemistry based subjects the broad pharmacy degree will enhance your employability and deliver your ambitions.

Within Norfolk and Waveney Pharmacists have multiple career opportunities for pharmacists to pursue.

Click on one of our people to find out about the different opportunities available to you in a career in pharmacy.

In order to become a pharmacist you must complete a Masters degree within Pharmacy (Mpharm) and a Foundation Training Year prior to registering with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)

Learn more (link to UEA )

Foundation Training Pharmacist

After receiving your MPharm Degree you will go on to work within clinical practice and complete your Foundation Pharmacist Training Year. During this period, you will combine your initial learning and education with practical training in a clinical setting. Allowing you to develop on your pharmacy knowledge and experiences under the guidance of a qualified pharmacist. You have the choice to complete your training year within multiple sectors. You will complete your core training within community pharmacy or hospital pharmacy with the option of doing a combination of the two sectors or between 3-6 months within GP practice. Your training will be supported by an extensive training programme.

Within Norfolk and Waveney we have multiple opportunities for Foundation Training Pharmacists to complete their training within Community Pharmacy, Hospital or cross-sector training within Community/ Hospital/ GP practice. These will be advertised on Oriel. (Link to Oriel)

Primary Care Roles

Pharmacy Technicians are essential to GP practice teams in supply and reviewing of medication and offering advice to patients to maintain their health. As a pharmacy technician you could be involved in a variety of tasks within GP practices in clinical roles or managerial roles.

In community pharmacies, Pharmacy Technicians work closely with Pharmacists and pharmacy support staff to ensure patients receive their medication and offer advice to patients on various aspects of their health.

Secondary Care Roles

Pharmacy technician form part of a large multidisciplinary team. You can work within Pharmacy take on many roles from dispensing, accuracy checking, supply and procurement to managerial, education and training. Pharmacy technicians work at ward level supporting patient centre care throughout various specialities such as surgery, frailty, acute medicine and mental health. Where pharmacy technicians take medicine histories, complete medicines reconciliation and support medicines management . Within Norfolk and Waveney there are multiple opportunities to work within one of our acute trusts, mental health trust or prison.

The role in all sectors can take on multiple career paths making this a varied exciting role for those interested in a career within healthcare.

Pharmacy technicians now enter the GPhC register with additional clinical and medicines checking competencies, completing the new Initial Education and Training standards from Sept 2022.

Qualifications

Training take 2 years. Involves a combination of practical work within study. You must complete 2 years consecutive work-based experience under the direction of a pharmacy technician for no less than 14 hours a week. Once you have successful completed the course you will register with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) in order to practise.

This is available as a Level 3 apprenticeship. Within Norfolk and Waveney we have vacancies to join the Pre-registration Pharmacy Technician apprenticeships please click for further information

Foundation Training Pharmacist

Sara Hasan, NNUH

“I became interested in pharmacy during sixth form because of my love for chemistry and my passion for patient care. I chose to complete my foundation year in hospital because I love the fast-paced dynamic environment and being directly involved in patient care.

I’ve been enjoying my time working on wards and being able to get a holistic picture of the patient’s whole medical history. I’ve also loved developing my communication skills with challenging face to face patient consultations.

If I am successful in my GPhC registration exam, I would love to stay at the NNUH to undertake my diploma and complete my prescribing exam. I look forward to learning more this year and gaining valuable experience in hospital pharmacy.”

Community Pharmacy

Within Norfolk and Waveney Primary Care you can work within GP Practice and Community Pharmacy.

Community pharmacy professionals are essential to the health and wellbeing of our local communities. Pharmacists are involved in assessing conditions, ensure patients receive their medicines and offer advice on minor aliments. In addition to offering service such as vaccinations and smoking cessation. As a pharmacist you can take on many roles such as owning your own business, management, education, leadership and mentoring.

Gregory Arthur

I have been practicing as a pharmacist for 10 years. My pharmacy journey began as a pre-registration pharmacist in a high street pharmacy based in Kelvedon, Essex.

Once I qualified, I took the opportunity to move to Norfolk to continue my development within community pharmacy and progressed from a store-based pharmacist to a pharmacy manager. When I sit and reflect on my career so far, I am proud that the profession has provided clear opportunities for me to develop my practice through both clinical and management courses.

However, I feel that the challenge of leading a pharmacy team through the strain of the pandemic, managing the closure of a local branch, and seeing the impact it had on those members of staff and our patients really showed me how integral the pharmacy profession is to both our local communities and the healthcare system as a whole. I look back with pride at the consistent commitment to making a difference to patient care demonstrated by both myself and all of my colleagues within the profession – particularly through the pandemic.

I have seen growth throughout the healthcare system and a positive shift in the perception of pharmacists who are now becoming more critical in the holistic care of a patient.

My journey and the learning from retail and community pharmacy has given me the platform to transition into a patient safety role within a community NHS trust. I feel that career pathways are broadening further with more opportunities for pharmacists to jump between different sectors and I strive to act as an ambassador for the profession through my interactions with patients and colleagues within a multidisciplinary team.

I plan to develop my practice further in the future by becoming an independent prescriber while also developing my leadership and management skills so I can continue to promote a positive change in the care of patients within my trust.

GP Practice

Pharmacists form a key part of our GP practice multidisciplinary teams. Clinical Pharmacists support patients to manage long-term conditions, improving outcomes from medicines and quality of care. More pharmacists are becoming independent prescribers allowing them to review and prescribe patients medication within specialist clinics. This is a vital role in supporting our GP practices to ensure they can continue to meet the needs of their patients

With further training clinical pharmacists can develop their roles and take on managerial, leadership and advanced practice roles within GP practice.

Secondary Care

Within Norfolk and Waveney we have multiple opportunities to pursue a career in secondary care. You can be located within one of our three hospitals. NNUH, James Paget and QE. (include images of all three sites). You will rotate through different specialities before choosing the right one for you. Become part our multidisciplinary teams. Be supported in your professional development, complete your clinical diploma and become independent prescriber.