Irrespective of the length of your qualification as a pharmacist, your experience of working as a GP Practice based pharmacist is still relatively limited as you have been working in a GP practice (or in a clinical role in secondary care previously) for less than one year.
You have recently completed your Clinical Diploma, your Independent Prescribing Qualification or another relevant postgraduate qualification that is relevant to work of a GP practice based pharmacist. You are a lot more knowledgeable and confident now than when you were an Intern, however, your experience of working as a clinical pharmacist in a GP Practice is still relatively limited.
You are working as a GP Practice pharmacist under one of the UK NHS Clinical Pharmacist in GP Practice schemes, or directly for a GP practice (either as an employee of the practice or through your Primary Care Organisation).
Alternatively, you don’t have any post-graduate qualifications, but you have worked clinically in a GP Practice for more than one year and have gained relevant experience through shadowing, supervised practice and self- directed learning.
You are now increasingly involved in clinical work, and are developing your knowledge and confidence.
You are undertaking clinical activities, but at this stage only the minority of your time is spent in more challenging clinical work that requires you to significantly extend your competency by increasing the depth or breadth of your knowledge beyond your initial IP or postgraduate clinical qualification or beyond your initial shadowing/supervised practice experience. Your activities are being shadowed, either by a GP, or by another suitably qualified and experienced practitioner (e.g. an experienced pharmacist). You are not taking responsibility for supervising or mentoring the GP Practice based work of other pharmacists. Any changes you make to a patients medication are being approved by another suitably qualified healthcare professional.
You recognise the ethical requirement for you to be working within the boundaries of your competency and the need to continuously develop your knowledge at all times. The boundaries of your competency will be much more extensive than when you were an Intern Level practitioner and you will regularly review and update these boundaries. We have provided a Boundaries of Clinical Practice Statement template that you may wish to use.
Helping you choose your level of competency in clinical practice
How would your describe the level of your practice?
Miller G. Academic Medicine. September Supplement 1990.