Careers
Information
Many different types of staff work in a pharmacy department. These can include any of the
following:
Let us look at some of these posts in more detail...
What do hospital pharmacists do?
Hospital Pharmacists manage all aspects of the use of medicines within hospitals, ensuring that
they are used safely and effectively to improve the medical care and quality of life of patients. We liaise
with medical and nursing colleagues to ensure that the right medicine in the appropriate presentation is given
to the right patient at the right time. Hospital Pharmacists are involved in:
The classic view of the role of a pharmacist is to supply medicines, but this is now a very simplistic view. The pharmacists' role carries a considerable amount of responsibility, both at ward level and in the dispensary. The focus today is very much clinically based, interacting with patients and staff to provide total pharmaceutical care for the patient. This includes providing the rationale for drug regimes, checking for drug safety in individual patients, considering compliance issues, implementing drug formularies and ensuring safe and effective drug treatment at all times. In addition to the clinical role of a pharmacist, more specialised roles have also been developed, such as medicines information, oncology and paediatric pharmacy, to better utilise their expertise and knowledge for the care of patients.
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Education and Training
A pharmacist is required to have a degree in pharmacy (either a BSc Pharmacy or now the Master in Pharmacy (MSc)) from one of the accredited schools of pharmacy in the UK. They must thencomplete a pre-registration training year at an approved community, hospital or industrial premises, at the end of which they sit an exam set by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. This exam must be passed before registration as a Member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (MRPharmS), which then allows the pharmacist to practice without supervision. Entry requirements for a degree in pharmacy is usually 3 good grades at A-Level (normally one of these needs to be chemistry and at least one other science, but this may vary from school to school). The pharmacy degree course will cover numerous aspects of drugs and medicines, inclduing their uses and indications, the disease states they are used for, their side effects and interactions, alternative and/or complementary therapies and also how they are designed, manufactured, formulated, tested and marketed. In addition to this, non-scientific aspects of pharmacy are also covered, such as legal and ethical issues, the structure of the NHS, communication and management skills.
Hospital pharmacists manage all aspects of the use of medicines within hospitals, ensuring that they are used safely and effectively to improve the medical care and quality of life of patients. We liaise with medical and nursing colleagues to ensure that the right medicine in the appropriate presentation is given to the right patient at the right time.
Back to the menu The Opportunities
Hospital pharmacists are employed in various capacities, including :
Pre-registration pharmacy graduates: These are graduates from Schools of Pharmacy who must undertake a year of pre-registration experience, plus the successful completion of a registration examination, before they are legally allowed to practice as a pharmacist. More information on pre-registration training is available elsewhere on this site (click on this link)
Diploma Students / Grade A/B/C Pharmacists: Once they have successfully completed a pre-registration year, pharmacists are employed as Grade A / B pharmacists in order to obtain further experience in all aspects of the practice of hospital pharmacy. Those pharmacists wishing to pursue a long-term career in hospital pharmacy are strongly encouraged to enrol for a Diploma in Clinical pharmacy. Various academic centres provide such diplomas, and the one conducted in the West Midlands is organised by the Department of Medicines Management, at Keele University in Staffordshire.
Clinical Specialists / Grade D / E pharmacists: Once the Diploma is completed or after some years of suitable experience, pharmacists wishing to specialise in a particular area of practice may do so. Usually employed at grades D or E, these career-grade pharmacists are able to develop their expertise to a significant level in one of the medical specialities, such as cardiology or surgery, or they may provide specialised services within the pharmacy, such as medicines information or aseptic preparation. Pharmacists at these grades tend to adopt some degree of managerial responsibility, and their expertise is generally much valued among their healthcare colleagues throughout the hospital service.
Pharmacy Managers / Chief Pharmacists: After ten to fifteen years of suitable experience, pharmacists with the drive and vision to do so may apply to manage whole pharmacy departments.
Trust Chief Pharmacists are responsible for the leadership, management and quality of the pharmaceutical services to a Trust, and for the provision of pharmaceutical advice to the Trust Board. This involves managing large numbers of professional and technical staff and budgets which can amount to many millions of pounds. Chief Pharmacists represent the Pharmacy profession on various committees involved in regulating the use of medicines within their Trusts. Chief Pharmacists also advise on appropriate manpower and staffing levels and organise recruitment, training and appraisal of pharmacy staff.
Other opportunities: Hospital pharmacy practice experience is invaluable in many areas of activity outside the hospital environment. The pharmaceutical industry values hospital experience, as do the primary healthcare institutions, such as Primary Care Groups (PCGs) and local Health Authorities, who tend to find that this experience gives a great deal of insight into all aspects of drug use and prescribing behaviour. Other opportunities include medical journalism, various career positions within the Civil Service, and academic-related positions such as joint appointments between pharmacy departments in Universities and hospitals
Back to the menu What do Medical Technical Officers do?
To become a student medical technical officer (MTO or pharmacy technician), applicants require 5 G.C.S.Es or O-Levels including: maths, english and one science subject. It is also increasingly common that they also have 6 to 12 months experience as a hospital Assistant Technical Officer (ATO). These qualification are needed to enter the NVQ LEVEL 3 course in Pharmacy Services, provided in the Region at Matthew Boulton College, Birmingham. This course is spread over 2 years, during which theory work is done at college on a day release basis and practical training is given at the hospital pharmacy. There are a set of standards which need to be followed, and during this period there are continuous assessments for each area within the pharmacy department, as follows :
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In and outpatient dispensing
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Controlled drugs training
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Stores and department ordering
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Aseptic work i.e. TPN, Cytotoxics and CIVAS
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Ward Distribution and topping up services
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Preparative Services
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Medicine Information
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Over the Counter sales
To be competent in each area, the student has to be assessed on a minimum of 3 occasions. Once all the exams and practical assessments are successfully completed, the candidate is awarded an NVQ level 3 in Pharmacy Services.
Pharmacy Technician MTO 1: These are newly qualified technicians who undergo a separate in-house training programme. This helps to advance their experience in each of the areas listed above, allowing them to develop their skills, gain experience and develop their professional skills.
Pharmacy Technician MTO 2:
Technicians who have been MTO1 for at least 1 year will have undertaken assessments in all the specialised areas, and they may then be assessed and judged suitably qualified for advancement to MTO2. Technicians in these positions supervise support staff and provide specialist supervision in their area of practice. These technicians help to train all new staff using the in-house training programmes to guide them, and they also supervise ATO staff to help the smooth running of the department. Several technicians have completed the Regionally-accredited Accuracy Checking course, which qualifies them to provide the final accuracy check of dispensed prescriptions which have been clinically checked by a pharmacist. Another key role technicians have recently undertaken is to become D32/D33 NVQ Assessors. This qualification enables them to assess any students who studying the NVQ Level 3 in Pharmacy Services. To become an assessor a portfolio is required to be completed, which can take up to 12 months. Then can then become an internal verifier for the department.
Specialist Technicians are technicians who work in specialised areas i.e. TPN, Cytotoxics and CIVAS. They also take on the role of supervising technicians and have undergone some of the above courses. Senior Pharmacy Technician MTO 3 and above: Senior MTOs manage a specialist area within the pharmacy department. A minimum of 3 years experience as an MTO 2 is required, and they will commonly have undertaken a management-training course. These technicians manage the technical staff in a Pharmacy Department, and ensure compliance with areas such as Continuous Professional Development portfolios.
Back to the menu What do Assistant Technical Officers do?
Assistant Technical Officers (ATOs) usually require G.C.S.Es or O--Levels in maths and english, and generally sit a written test at interview. Good communications skills and a good memory are required, as is the ability to work as a team. Basic computer skills and background knowledge can also be advantageous. Dispensing ATOs provide support for the pharmacists and technicians in the dispensary, for example, by dispensing prescription which come into the pharmacy for checking by the pharmacists or checking technicians. Other roles include rolling stock checks of all drugs, re-stocking bottle shelves, boxes, bags and similar, and issuing stock items to wards and departments. All such functions are carried out to established standard operating procedures (SOPs). Other ATOs provide a support role which does not include dispensing, and they generally work in specialised areas. The ATOs have a training programme to help them advance their skills and knowledge in pharmacy. This training scheme to help them prepare towards NVQ Level 2 in Pharmacy Services, which may be introduced later on this year, and their experience mayeventually equip them to study to become fully fledged Pharmacy Technicians.
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