Pharmacy Technician Vocational Training Foundation Programme Evaluatio
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A qualitative exploration of the Pharmacy Technician VT Foundation Programme (PTVTFP): is it fit for purpose?
IRAS ID
245544
Contact name
Valerie Findlay
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
National Health Education for Scotland
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
The Pharmacist Technician Vocational Training Foundation Programme (PTVTFP), is undertaken by qualified pharmacist technicians after registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council. The purpose of the programme is to equip pharmacist technicians with a generic range of ‘core’ skills enabling the development of a flexible competent workforce that meets the needs of patients. The scheme is developed from an existing Vocational Training Foundation Programme for pharmacists which has been run successfully in the hospital sector for pharmacists for some years and in 2017 was expanded to include all community and general practice. The pharmacy technician programme will start in 2018. The aim of this qualitative study is to explore the views of the participants and their educational tutors about the scheme and identify any unmet training needs. Information will be collected from pharmacist technicians undertaking the training and their tutors using audio recorded focus groups conducted at the start of training, midway through the training and on completion of training. The pharmacist technicians will also be invited to keep audio diaries to record any events or experiences as they occur. Selection of events, frequency, and duration of recording is at the discretion of the trainee pharmacist technicians. All recordings of focus groups and diaries will be transcribed and data analysed inductively, with themes identified by consensus. Social Cognitive Theory will be used as the basis for understanding the findings, with a focus on the development of professional identities, and ability to solve problems and manage difficult situations to ensure patients get the best pharmaceutical care. A meeting will be held to share the findings with the educational team, other health care professionals, pharmacy professional bodies and patients to identify unmet training needs and agree any required programme changes.
REC name
South West - Cornwall & Plymouth Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/SW/0107
Date of REC Opinion
4 May 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion