Welcome to the November PDA Education Update

In this issue:

• Summer School 2024 review
• Leading change for locum pharmacists
• Reps induction training
• Recognising and tackling discrimination
• Learning needs survey

The third year of the PDA summer school saw hundreds of pharmacists updating their skills and learning over the summer months. This summer’s most popular programme was ‘Developing effective teamwork’.

With increasing pressures faced by pharmacists, being part of a team that communicates well and offers support as a team can make a difference to working practices. The programme enables pharmacists to learn more about team behaviour, how teams are formed, and how to develop effective teamwork.

Kara O’Grady, who completed the programme said, “This course enabled me to easily see my strengths and weaknesses in a non-judgemental way.”

Karmen, a pharmacist who also took part said, “The course provided invaluable insights into team dynamics and self-awareness, equipping me with the tools to enhance both personal and professional relationships. It’s a must for anyone looking to build stronger, more cohesive teams.”

All PDA professional development courses are linked to the GPhC and PSNI standards and form part of skills development for many of the PDA’s members.

This course will run again in 2025. To make sure you are aware of the courses we are running, please look out for PDA Education email updates and visit the events page of the PDA website here.

Our popular online workshop for Locums returned in October with PDA Legal Operations Manager, Ruth Williams taking participants through their rights as a locum and some common mistakes that locums make. This included not agreeing the details of the shifts undertaken, break times, and non-payment of invoices.

Prior to the event, PDA locum members told us that they were hoping to get support from other locums at the event and find out about their rights and what to expect as a locum. 88% of attendees said that the workshop met their aims with one member, Aija Silina commenting that she liked “the welcoming and friendly approach and sharing real-life experiences, it was a good workshop”.

The PDA is expanding its support for those pharmacists working as locums and is calling on locum members to volunteer to become PDA Reps and engage in training. By working together, PDA locum members can lead change for all locum pharmacists.

PDA locum members who are interested in getting involved in the network for locum members and being included in the next ‘Locum Matters’ event should contact the PDA by emailing [email protected]. Those interested in becoming a PDA Locum Rep can learn more here.

It continues to be an exciting time for recruiting and working with PDA Student Reps. 66 reps have so far completed the new reps’ induction course, which is an online programme held on the PDA Education hub.

The induction has been written specifically for student reps and includes a mixture of theory and practice. The course begins with a live, online welcome session. Online drop-ins that encourage reps to share experiences and learn from each other are held throughout the programme.

One of the main aims of the induction is to support reps into becoming active, developing relationships with students, recruiting to the PDA, and being involved in a range of other activities that raise the visibility of the PDA in their universities.

Asa Abdulrazzaq, PDA Student Rep for Cardiff University, is a member of the PDA Student Rep team who has attended the TUC Young Workers event in Cardiff, joined in with online PDA events, and shared PDA news and events at his university. Asa also recently represented pharmacy students at the GFTU Young Members Development Weekend.

Asa said, “The Student Rep Induction course was essential in my development as a student representative, equipping me with the knowledge and skills to advocate for my peers and engage with the PDA community. It serves as a crucial starting point for any student rep looking to make a meaningful impact.”

Ewura-Adjoa Yamoah, who is studying at the Nottingham School of Pharmacy and is a PDA Student Rep said, “The Student Rep Induction course is a great resource provided by the PDA, especially when I first started my role. It gave me the chance to connect with other student reps, exchange resources and ideas beyond our regular meetings, and stay updated with the latest PDA news. The course enabled reps from across the country to share ideas, many of which I’ve been able to use to actively promote the PDA to my peers.”

The next cohort of student reps begins in February 2025. If you are interested in knowing more about becoming a PDA Student Rep, please contact Hannah Baker at [email protected].

In October we delivered a new course for our PDA Reps; ‘Recognising and tackling discrimination’. Reps working in community pharmacy, the NHS and as locums attended. The course aimed to help reps recognise potential discrimination in the workplace, support members with individual cases of discrimination, and looked at how to collectively challenge discriminatory practices and policies. We looked at the PDA’s EDI Networks and the range of tools that have been produced to support with campaigning on equality. The course ended with the reps developing an equality campaign plan for their workplaces.

The reps all said that that the course met their aims and that they felt more confident in recognising and challenging discrimination at work. When asked what they liked about the course, the reps told us that it ‘gave us a great opportunity to discuss and share our views’. One rep particularly enjoyed “the fair and free speaking of thoughts from all involved”.

PDA Reps training aims to ensure that all pharmacists who become reps are supported. Those on this programme particularly enjoyed the “relaxed environment in which to learn and a great opportunities to learn from others experiences” and found that it was “good to be in groups that aren’t too big so you get to work with everyone. Liked the mix of information giving but also sharing and coming up with campaign ideas, questioning and critiquing those plans.”

If you are interested in getting involved with the PDA as a rep, more information can be found here.

As 2024 comes to a close, we are looking ahead to 2025 and our new programme.

The programme will be out early next year with new courses and updated versions of some of our regular programmes. The webinars, events and online learning that we offer are based on the needs of pharmacists and aim to support you in a range of areas relevant to your role. To do this, we conduct an annual learning needs survey which was sent to all members over the last two months. There is still time to complete the survey and have your say about what training is available. You can have your say here.