Community Pharmacist

Community pharmacists work in pharmacies alongside pharmacy assistants and pharmacy technicians. Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, and reviewing medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. A pharmacy is where medicines are stored, prepared (labelled etc) and dispensed.  Community pharmacists work to legal and ethical guidelines to ensure the safe and correct supply of medical products to the general public. You may also be interested in becoming a hospital pharmacist.

As a community pharmacist, you’ll be responsible for dispensing and supplying prescription medicines to the general public. You’ll also be involved in providing advice and information for maintaining and improving customer health. You’ll also sell over-the-counter medical products and instruct people on the use of medicines and medical appliances.

Community pharmacists are based in high street pharmacies which may be independent or part of a chain of pharmacies including supermarket pharmacies. Alternatively, you might work in a doctor’s practice or health centre.

The range of duties is broad and varies depending on the post, but may include the following:

• dispensing prescription medicines to the public ensuring that different treatments are compatible (pharmacists are experts in medicine so are well suited to this role)
• checking dosage and ensuring that medicines are correctly and safely supplied and labelled
• supervising the preparation of any medicines (not all are supplied ready made-up by the manufacturer)
• keeping a register of controlled drugs (CD) for legal and stock control purposes
• liaising with doctors about prescriptions
• selling over-the-counter medicines
• advising the public on the treatment of minor ailments
• advising patients of any adverse side effects of medicines or potential interactions with other medicines/treatments
• preparing dosette boxes, usually for the elderly, but also for those with memory/learning difficulties or those who have several combinations of tablets to take, where tablets are placed in compartments for specified days of the week
• undertaking Medicine Use Reviews (MUR), an advanced service to help patients understand how their medicines work and why they have to take them
• providing support through the New Medicine Service (NMS) to patients starting certain medicines to treat long-term conditions (England only)
• managing a needle and syringe exchange
• measuring and fitting compression hosiery
• offering specialist health checks, such as blood pressure and cholesterol monitoring and diabetes screening
• running stop-smoking clinics and weight-reduction programmes
• arranging the delivery of prescription medicines to patients
• managing, supervising and training pharmacy support staff (pharmacy assistants and pharmacy technicians)
• managing finance and budgets
• keeping up to date with current pharmacy practice, new drugs and their uses
• providing the range of services listed on the NHS website.

In order to be a good pharmacist, you will need to have:

• good interpersonal skills
• a high level of customer service
• the ability to read and carry out instructions
• the ability to pay attention to detail
• an interest in science and concern about people’s health
• the ability to clearly explain instructions to customers
• the ability to work well within a team as well as to lead others in a team
• an understanding of business principles
• a professional and confident manner
• the ability to inspire the trust of others
• an understanding of and application of the law in terms of the storage and dispensing of medicines
• a willingness to take on a high level of responsibility.

To qualify as a pharmacist, you must:

• complete a General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)-accredited Master’s degree in pharmacy (MPharm) which is full-time and four years in length
• complete a period of one-year paid pre-registration training in a GPhC-approved community pharmacy, under the supervision of a qualified pharmacist

If you don’t have the required qualifications to get a place on an accredited MPharm degree, you can take a pharmacy foundation degree – a two-year, full-time course that includes the content of year one of the MPharm degree plus work placements. This should provide you with the knowledge and experience to get a place on an MPharm degree directly into year two.

Training to become a pharmacist involves:

• passing the GPhC registration assessment (you must build up a portfolio of evidence to show that you have the required skills and knowledge to work as a pharmacist)
• meeting the GPhC fitness to practise requirements for registration as a pharmacist.

You’ll then be eligible to apply for registration with the GPhC, which is essential to practise as a pharmacist in England, Wales and Scotland. Pharmacists who want to practise in Northern Ireland must register with the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland.

Many employers provide well-structured, intensive training programmes of varying lengths aiming to provide new entrants with a broad overview of the company and offering the chance to gain experience in various retailing areas. As well as pharmacy-related training, you’ll receive training in skills such as communication, problem-solving and decision-making.

Course providers of the MPharm look for evidence that you’re committed to becoming a pharmacist. You can show this by job shadowing a community pharmacist, or talking to your local pharmacist about the role. It may also be possible to get part-time work within a pharmacy as a pharmacy assistant to get a feel for the working environment.

Customer service skills gained from working in retail is also useful.

In order to complete your year of pre-registration training in a community pharmacy, you’ll need to spend at least 52 weeks in an approved training site under the supervision of a tutor. The GPhC website has a list of approved training premises

Employers of pharmacy assistants include:

• community pharmacies (on the high street or in supermarkets)
• primary care organisations
• some pharmacists set up their own businesses

You may have to work unsocial hours in a community pharmacy as many are open past 17:30pm and before 9:00am. Most employers operate a rota system.
There are opportunities for part-time work, job-share and locum work.

Pre-registration trainee salaries can range from £16,000 to over £20,000.
Typical starting salaries for qualified community pharmacists are in the region of £30,000 to £35,000, depending on the size of the employer, location and conditions of employment, note that small chains and independent pharmacies may pay less.
With experience, your salary can rise to around £45,000, and at a specialist or management level, it can reach £50,000 to £70,000.
Locum pharmacists are usually paid by the hour. Locums can negotiate rates, including higher pay for weekend and holiday work. According to the Chemist + Druggist Salary Survey 2020, the average hourly rate for locum pharmacists is around £22.34, although this varies depending on the region you work in.

Once qualified, you’ll need to renew your registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) annually. To remain registered you must undertake regular continuing professional development (CPD) to show you’re keeping your skills and knowledge up to date.
You must keep abreast of developments in drug research including new drugs on the market, new ways of treating conditions with drugs and the government policy on drug treatment. This will involve reading professional journals and publications and attending courses and training sessions throughout your career.
Membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society provides access to relevant resources, events, mentoring services, professional networks, webinars and CPD support.
You can choose to undertake further postgraduate training, such as a clinical diploma, to develop your knowledge and skills. There are a range of continuing education and postgraduate courses available in various aspects of community practice.

Promotion will usually involve the management of specific service areas, such as managing staff other than pharmacists, including accuracy-checking pharmacy technicians and pharmacy assistants.

If you’re working for a major chain of pharmacies, there may be opportunities to progress to branch and then district manager roles. At the most senior level, you could be working as a pharmacy superintendent, influencing the running of the business and contributing to overall strategy, with responsibility for many pharmacists. There are also opportunities to move into management roles in areas such as business or professional development.

With lots of experience, you may choose to set up your own business. It’s also possible to move into careers in scientific writing, research, publishing and consultancy, including recruitment and training. Complementary medicine and animal medicine are other options.

he following organisations may be able to help provide you with further information:

General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)#

Telephone: 0203 713 8000
E-mail: info@pharmacyregulation.org
Website: http://www.pharmacyregulation.org
Twitter: @TheGPhC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGPhC

National Pharmacy Association (NPA)#

Telephone: 01727 858687
E-mail: npa@npa.co.uk
Website: http://www.npa.co.uk/
Twitter: @NPA1921
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Supportyourlocalpharmacy/

NHS Scotland Careers#

Website: http://www.careers.nhs.scot
Website (2): https://jobs.scot.nhs.uk/
Twitter: @NHSScotCareers

Royal Pharmaceutical Society Scotland#

Telephone: 0845 257 2570
E-mail: scotinfo@rpharms.com
Website: http://www.rpharms.com
Twitter: @rpharms
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/royalpharmsoc/

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