Qualified to prescribe

Ramisa Ahmed

Ramisa Ahmed graduated from the University of Portsmouth and is completing her foundation training year on a 50/50 split between secondary care and a primary care network.

Do you feel the weight of expectation about being the first graduate pharmacist prescribers?

I have had positive encounters with pharmacists and healthcare professionals across different sectors who have been encouraging and supportive about the transition towards pharmacist prescribing. I hope newly qualified pharmacist prescribers will continue to be welcomed and supported as we develop in our roles and contribute to our communities.

When you register, do you think you will consider community pharmacy, or are you looking elsewhere?

My plan is to continue to develop my clinical knowledge, confidence and overall skillset. I have enjoyed gaining experience across different sectors during my training year, and I am looking forward to exploring ways I can continue developing and contributing as a pharmacist.

With a community pharmacy NHS prescribing service in England promised but not yet implemented, what will you do if you cannot prescribe in your first year?

I do not feel pressured to prescribe immediately after qualification. I think it is important to continue developing clinical judgement, confidence and experience, and to prescribe appropriately within your competence and scope.

Are you nervous to prescribe or do you feel well prepared?

I have become familiar with the principles of safe prescribing and understand the importance of recognising limitations, escalating concerns and referring when appropriate, while working collaboratively with the wider multidisciplinary team to ensure the best outcomes for patients. While prescribing is a significant responsibility, I feel my training has prepared me well.

Are there any aspects of your training you think have been missing or areas where you would still like support?

I think ongoing support and opportunities to continue developing clinical confidence after qualification will be important. Regular supervision, mentorship and exposure to a variety of clinical cases will continue to help build confidence and experience.

Do you feel confident and competent for what your future career in pharmacy holds?

Overall, I am looking forward to progressing in my career, contributing positively to the pharmacy profession and helping improve outcomes for patients.

Malika Mostafavi

Malika Mostafavi studied at King's College London and did her foundation training year at Riverside Pharmacy in Isleworth.

Do you feel the weight of expectation about being the first graduate pharmacist prescribers?

I think it would be difficult not to feel that sense of expectation, because this is such a significant moment for the profession. There is a lot of excitement around what pharmacist prescribers will be able to contribute, especially in community pharmacy, and I do feel a responsibility to represent that well.

When you register, do you think you will consider community pharmacy, or are you looking elsewhere?

During university, I had placements across primary, secondary and tertiary care, including at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital. Those experiences were really valuable and gave me a broader view of the healthcare system, but they also helped me realise that community pharmacy feels like the right place for me to combine clinical knowledge with patient-centred, accessible care.

With a community pharmacy NHS prescribing service in England promised but not yet implemented, what will you do if you cannot prescribe in your first year?

I think it is really important to keep developing and maintaining prescribing knowledge, even if there are limited opportunities to prescribe immediately after registration. If I cannot prescribe straight away, I would still look for opportunities to keep that skill active.

Are you nervous to prescribe or do you feel well prepared?

I feel well prepared, but I also think a degree of nervousness is healthy. Prescribing is a significant responsibility, and I do not think anyone should approach it casually. I received training through ProPharmace as my training provider, and the sessions, particularly those focused on prescribing, have been extremely useful.

Are there any aspects of your training you think have been missing or areas where you would still like support?

I think one area that needs more attention is supervision and support during training. I have had some difficult experiences with supervision at previous sites, and I think the structure of pharmacy training can create quite significant power imbalances. When a trainee is dependent on a site or supervisor, it can be very difficult to speak up or ask for support if the environment is not supportive. I am now at a site where I feel genuinely supported, and that has made a huge difference to my confidence and development.

Do you feel confident and competent for what your future career in pharmacy holds?

Yes, I do feel confident, but I also know that confidence must come with humility. Pharmacy is always evolving, and there will always be more to learn. I am excited about the future of the profession and about the role pharmacists can play in improving patient care.

This foundation trainee pharmacist, who preferred to remain anonymous, split their training across hospital and community settings.

Do you feel the weight of expectation about being the first graduate pharmacist prescribers?

Yes, definitely. I think it's understandable that we will need to focus on our legal accountability, clinical competence, and whether newly qualified pharmacists can safely demonstrate diagnostic skills at such an early stage of their careers. While the opportunity is very exciting and represents a major step forward for our profession, it comes with much more responsibility.

When you register, do you think you will consider community pharmacy, or are you looking elsewhere?

I have always been particularly interested in secondary care, so I hope to pursue a career in hospital pharmacy after registration. However, community and primary care pharmacy still strongly interest me, given the evolving role of pharmacists.

Are you nervous to prescribe or do you feel well prepared?

Although my training has provided valuable exposure to prescribing within hospital practice, I still feel that more supervised experience is needed before I could independently prescribe with full confidence.

Are there any aspects of your training you think have been missing, or areas where you would still like support?

The current prescribing elements set by NHSE in our portfolio have shown positive development for the profession. However, as part of the first cohort, there are understandably challenges in integrating prescribing training into a curriculum that was not initially designed for it, and I feel there is still a gap between the university curriculum and real-life practice. I would like more structured opportunities in the foundation training year for supervised practice and diagnostic training, or even OSCE-style assessments.

Do you feel confident and competent for what your future career in pharmacy holds?

I would not say I feel 100% confident or competent yet, but I do feel motivated and optimistic about the future of pharmacy. I think confidence and competence gradually develop through experience and reflection.

Lilas Almofti

Lilas Almofti studied at UCL School of Pharmacy and trained in a community pharmacy.

Do you feel the weight of expectation about being the first graduate pharmacist prescribers?

There is definitely a sense of pressure in being part of the first cohort coming out as prescribers. At times, it can feel as though people are waiting for us to make mistakes or questioning whether we were ready for this change. But I also see that pressure as motivation to prove that our generation of pharmacists can bring real value to patient care.

When you register, do you think you will consider community pharmacy, or are you looking elsewhere?

I plan to stay in community pharmacy, or potentially explore GP practice pharmacist roles, because I genuinely enjoy patient interaction and the impact pharmacists can make in those settings. I'm also very passionate about dermatology and aesthetics, so I'd love to continue developing my knowledge and experience in these areas alongside my main role. Beyond that, I'd love to make an impact on a wider scale. As someone originally from Syria, I'd really like to use the knowledge and experience I've gained here to support others and share learning where I can.

With a community pharmacy NHS prescribing service in England promised but not yet implemented, what will you do if you cannot prescribe in your first year?

If I'm not able to prescribe in my first year, I'd see it as an opportunity to build even more clinical confidence, gain experience, and make sure that when I do prescribe, I'm doing so safely and competently.

Are you nervous to prescribe or do you feel well prepared?

Naturally, I do feel slightly nervous because prescribing is a major responsibility, and as a newly qualified pharmacist, everything feels new at first. But I also feel excited. I've spent years building my clinical knowledge, and I know that learning doesn't stop after registration.

Are there any aspects of your training you think have been missing or areas where you would still like support?

One area I think could be improved is the communication and structure around the prescribing qualification itself. While we learn a huge amount about medicines, clinical decision-making and patient care during university and our training year, I feel there could be more direct prescribing-focused opportunities during foundation training.

Do you feel confident and competent for what your future career in pharmacy holds?

Yes, and a big part of that confidence comes from the people who have supported me throughout my journey. My family has played a huge role in that, and I've also been very fortunate to have an amazing manager during my training year who has supported me and encouraged me to develop. Alongside that, I was surrounded by amazing pharmacists who gave me opportunities early on to build my confidence, improve my clinical skills, and gain exposure to real-world challenges.

Saba Hosseini

Saba Hosseini studied pharmacy at Newcastle University and is completing her training year in community pharmacy, as well as prescribing shadowing in a GP practice.

Do you feel the weight of expectation about being the first graduate pharmacist prescribers?

There is definitely a sense that the profession is watching to see what we can do, but I see that as exciting rather than intimidating. It feels like we can help shape what pharmacist prescribing looks like in practice.

When you register, do you think you will consider community pharmacy, or are you looking elsewhere?

I think my ideal future role would sit between community pharmacy and GP pharmacy. I really enjoy the accessibility and patient-facing nature of community pharmacy, but my GP shadowing has shown me how much I also enjoy clinical decision-making, multidisciplinary working and being involved in more complex patient care.

With a community pharmacy NHS prescribing service in England promised but not yet implemented, what will you do if you cannot prescribe in your first year?

If that is the case for me, I would still see the first year after registration as an important opportunity to build confidence and experience.

Are you nervous to prescribe or do you feel well prepared?

I feel prepared by my training, but I also know that prescribing is a responsibility you grow into. My GP shadowing has shown me how clinical decisions are made in practice, especially when cases are not straightforward.

Are there any aspects of your training you think have been missing or areas where you would still like support?

For newly qualified pharmacist prescribers to use their skills confidently, there need to be clearer NHS pathways for how prescribing will work in practice, particularly in community pharmacy. Access to relevant patient records, clear governance, protected time for clinical development and structured supervision would make a difference. Stronger integration between community pharmacy, GP practices and secondary care would also help pharmacists contribute more effectively to patient care across the system.

Do you feel confident and competent for what your future career in pharmacy holds?

Overall, I do feel confident about my future in pharmacy, but I recognise that registration is only the beginning. Newcastle University, my community pharmacy training year and my GP shadowing have given me a strong foundation. More than anything, they have shown me that I want a career where I can combine accessibility, clinical knowledge and meaningful patient care.