The RPS Faculty is still a confusing concept to many. Asha Fowells talks to a community pharmacist who has not only become a Faculty member, but is reaping the rewards of this professional recognition

BEING A COMMUNITY pharmacist can be lonely – and one of the problems with working in isolation is that nobody says “well done” or “you did a good job”. Even at annual reviews – if they happen – much of the time will be taken up with talking about problems and setting short-term objectives.

This lack of professional recognition can be demoralising. However there is now a way for pharmacists to have their practice and experience recognised: the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Faculty.

For many pharmacists, the Faculty perhaps seems irrelevant, unnecessary or just too difficult to get to grips with. The reality is, however, that nearly 160 people are already full Faculty members, with more waiting to hear if they have passed the assessment. At the end of September, 1,765 pharmacists (448 in the community sector) had applied for and been granted access to the full range of Faculty tools and resources available on the RPS website.

Reservations

Locum pharmacist Joanne Kember openly admits that she had reservations when someone suggested she become a Faculty member.

“I thought it was way above me and that I couldn’t possibly do it. But once I sat down and started looking at it, I realised that the reflective writing I needed to do was actually very similar to logging CPD, and that it gave me a way to show what I was doing that went over and above my ‘day job’.”

In order to become a Faculty member, pharmacists – who must be members of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society – need to submit a portfolio, which must be mapped to the RPS Faculty advanced pharmacy framework.

“The portfolio took me a couple of months to do, but the hardest bit was getting started,” says Joanne. “Then I suddenly realised that I wasn’t starting with a blank piece of paper, but instead it was my working life I needed to reflect on. Once I got going, it was very rewarding, because it made me look at what I had done and think about things as recognisable achievements.”

She admits she found the mapping tricky, but points out that anyone who has done something along these lines before – helping a staff member who is putting together a portfolio as part of their training to become a pharmacy technician, for example, or tutoring a pre-registration pharmacist – is likely to find it relatively straightforward.

Alongside the portfolio, pharmacists are required to submit peer assessment testimonials. “This can be difficult for community pharmacists because we work in isolation, but I tackled it by looking at my ‘extra-curricular’ activities, such as my position on the local health board’s healthcare professionals’ forum, and work I had done with social services, the tertiary sector and chairing a pharmacist development group,” says Joanne.

Hannah Wilton, one of the RPS Faculty development leads, says there is nothing to stop pharmacists asking colleagues, staff members or even patients to complete a testimonial form. “We ask for at least two testimonials, one of which must be from a healthcare professional, but there is no reason why someone a pharmacist has mentored can’t complete the form stating how they found them as a role model, or why a patient can’t state how much difference an intervention made by a pharmacist has made to their health.”

The final piece of the Faculty assessment jigsaw is expert practice assessment. For those with more than 10 years’ experience, a CV – albeit one that lists key achievements and the impact on patients and the public in addition to job titles and dates – will suffice, which is what Joanne was able to do.

For those newer to the profession, practice assessments should be available next year, says Hannah Wilton. The reason for the delay in making these available has been the need for assessors, who are required to be Faculty members in order to undertake the role.

Once the required items have been submitted online, and an assessment fee of £300 paid, they are evaluated by two specially trained Faculty assessors. The wait was nervewracking, Joanne says, particularly when she received an email stating that she hadn’t fulfilled all the required competencies but, she says, there was no need for her to be so anxious.

“What people don’t realise is that the Faculty team and assessors really want you to get it right. That means that it isn’t like doing an exam, because they are there to help you if you are struggling.”

When the assessors have reached a decision on the outcome of the assessment, it goes to a panel for ratification. The pharmacist then receives their post-nominals (see panel), a certificate and a professional development plan. Joanne – who is a stage 2 Faculty member – found this last item very useful. “The professional development plan is based around what the assessors think you can do next. For me, they said that training was obviously something I cared about a lot, so they suggested lecturing. Having it written down like that gave me the professional authority and confidence to approach places to ask if I could.”

Don’t rush it

Faculty assessment is not something to be rushed into, says Joanne. “A pharmacist who is doing a standard dispensary role won’t be able to meet all the criteria and it is important to stress that anyone who doesn’t do it should not feel any less of a pharmacist. It just means that it isn’t for them at that time.

“In the future, if they expand their role or diversify their professional practice, they may want to reconsider.” For those looking for some form of professional empowerment, she recommends finding out more and maybe even joining or setting up a learning group as a means of support.

Hannah Wilton points out that while not everyone will feel ready for assessment immediately, it is possible to engage with the Faculty as a form of professional development.

“A pharmacist who does this may find that their passion for their career is reinvigorated, and we can provide guidance on the type of activities and experience that can be accessed to help improve practice and networking opportunities that can then help with the portfolio build.”

There is a wealth of information on the RPS website at www.rpharms.com/ development/faculty.asp and Hannah advises attending a webinar or event run by a local practice forum as a first step.

“If a pharmacist can’t find an event at a time they can attend or the information they are after, tell us,” says Hannah. “In fact, demand it of us, because we will respond to whatever pharmacists want in order to help them on their Faculty journeys.”