Want to be better at your job, whilst providing the best advice and support to your patients? You need CPD…
Keeping up-to-date with your continuing professional development (CPD) is vital for all pharmacy professionals. In addition to developing your skills, it’ll also help you learn about new guidance and research within the healthcare industry.
We spoke to The Pharmacy Academy; experts in delivering free CPD courses to pharmacy professionals, to find out why CPD is particularly important in 2021:
What is CPD?
CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development, and refers to the ongoing learning activities a person carries out to develop their professional skills and knowledge.
What kind of CPD courses are available for pharmacy professionals?
There are a number of CPD courses that allow pharmacy professionals to develop their knowledge in specialist areas.
These include everything from infant skincare, breastfeeding, and pregnancy planning, right through to childhood immunisations, common nasal conditions, managing acute dental pain – and much more.
And, if you take a course with The Pharmacy Academy, you’ll be able to study for free. These CPD courses can also be used towards revalidation with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). What’s not to like?
View all free CPD pharmacy courses
Who can take a CPD pharmacy course?
CPD pharmacy courses are designed for pharmacy professionals, who are already working in the healthcare industry and are looking to develop their skills.
This makes them the perfect choice for:
- Pharmacists
- Pharmacy Assistants
- Pharmacy Technicians
- Pharmacy Dispensers
- Community Pharmacists
- Medicines Counter Assistants
What is CPD revalidation?
CPD revalidation for pharmacy professionals is a process that records professional development activities on a yearly basis.
It documents how you’ve kept your skills up-to-date, whilst helping you to reflect on how you’ve put your learnings into practice.
What’s more, revalidation is an essential part of your yearly General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) registration renewal – which is a legal requirement for all pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.
How much CPD do pharmacy professionals need to undertake?
There is a minimum requirement of four CPD records a year for pharmacy professionals. These will need to be recorded in your GPhC registration renewal, along with:
- One peer discussion record
- One reflective account record
In your reflective account, you should reflect on one or more of the following standards:
- standard 3 – pharmacy professionals must communicate effectively
- standard 6 – pharmacy professionals must behave professionally
- standard 9 – pharmacy professionals must demonstrate leadership
For more guidance on recording your CPD, refer to the revalidation framework set out by the GPhC.
Why is CPD important for pharmacy professionals?
CPD is vital in every career, but it’s particularly important for pharmacy professionals.
Here’s why you should continuously develop your pharmacy skills:
- There’s never been a better time to learn
As a result of COVID-19, the NHS is struggling to keep up with patient needs. What’s more, coronavirus fears are likely to have prevented many from attending their usual check-ups or appointments, or even from seeking urgent care.
This makes the role of a pharmacy professional absolutely vital – now, more than ever.
Carrying out regular CPD will arm you with the extensive knowledge you need to help meet this increased demand, as well as ensure you’re assisting people in the best way possible.
- It’s a requirement for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians
CPD isn’t just important for pharmacy professionals – it’s also an essential requirement, set out in the rules made under the Pharmacy Order 2010.
CPD revalidation is something all pharmacists and pharmacy technicians will need to carry out in order to maintain their expertise, further their knowledge, and tick the boxes required to renew their GPhC membership.
This makes it vital for professionals in this sector to keep a continuous focus on lifelong learning.
- It’ll make your job easier
By regularly developing your skillset, you’ll enhance your ability to care for others.
Whether it’s through taking a CPD course in a brand new subject area, or simply advancing your knowledge with CPD courses that help build on what you already know – you’ll be making your day-to-day easier.
You can even tailor your learning to accommodate for the most common problems and issues you come across in your daily role.
- You can study for free
There are a number of CPD courses available that cost absolutely nothing to study.
For example, all of The Pharmacy Academy’s pharmacy courses are free for everyone, and only take 30-60 minutes to complete.
And, because they’re online and mobile optimised, you can study at a time and location that suits you.
Why study with the Health Professional Academy?
The Health Professional Academy is an online learning community designed for healthcare professionals, offering free CPD courses in three specialist academies – Mum and Baby, Child Health, and Pharmacy.
Not only will their CPD courses allow you to build on specialist knowledge, all of their pharmacy modules can be used towards revalidation with the GPhC.
Other benefits of studying with Health Professional Academy include:
- All CPD modules are FREE for everyone
- CPD modules take just 30-60 minutes to complete
- All content is mobile optimised
- Courses are self-paced and based entirely online
- Video content available
Ready to start studying? Find a CPD course with the Health Professional Academy today.
The Health Professional Academy is an online learning community designed for healthcare professionals, offering free CPD courses in Mum and Baby, Child Health, and Pharmacy.
