MPharm Undergraduate Clinical Placements

    Project Details

    Description

    We are proposing a 5 day placement within a community pharmacy setting for 104 Year 2 students. During the placement students will complete the Cough and Colds and Gastro-Intestinal modules within the Medicine Counter Assistant training course. Background knowledge will be covered by the University of Portsmouth in preparation for the placement in addition to the relevant content that is already delivered within Year 2 of the course. This pilot placement will allow us to gather evidence and develop methods to enable students to meet the GPhC Initial Education and Training Standards (IETS) at the relevant level within a placement setting. It is recognised that students will not be at a ‘Does’ or ‘Shows how’ level at the end of the placement but valuable insight will be gained towards meeting the LOs at the required level upon graduation.

    This placement will allow several of the learning outcomes (LOs) of the GPhC IETS to be demonstrated in the person-centred care and collaboration domain. Specifically, we believe the following LOs will be covered within the placement setting:

    1. Demonstrate empathy and keep the person at the centre of their approach to care at all times
    2. Work in partnership with people to support and empower them in shared decision-making about their health and wellbeing
    3. Demonstrate effective communication at all times and adapt their approach and communication style to meet the needs of the person
    4. Understand the variety of settings and adapt their communication accordingly
    5. Treat people as equals, with dignity and respect, and meet their own legal responsibilities under equality and human rights legislation, while respecting diversity and cultural differences
    6. Take responsibility for ensuring that personal values and beliefs do not compromise person-centred care
    7. Take into consideration factors that affect people’s behaviours in relation to health and wellbeing

    In future years we plan to extend this placement activity to 2weeks and deliver it to Year 1 students allowing these students to engage with the Medicine Counter Assistant training.

    Layperson's description

    A 5-day community pharmacy placement pilot was undertaken in March 2021 and the impact and outcomes will enable us to further develop and deliver longer placements in all academic years of the MPharm programme.

    Key findings

    Findings:
    The majority of providers (92%) thought students had sufficient skills to start the placement and that the placement helped to improve their skills further. Both students and providers thought the placement was of benefit to them; 91% students thought placements should be delivered to all academic years of the MPharm and all providers, who responded to the survey, reported a positive experience supporting MPharm students on this placement. Over 90% students felt the MPharm course prepared them for the placement, 58% students and 55% providers thought access to the medicine counter assistant (MCA) should be gained in Year 1 of the MPharm. At the same time, similar proportions of students (64%) and providers (67%) preferred online access to the MCA course.

    The structure of the placement was a concern for almost all respondents to the surveys.
    Thus, clearer guidance and expectations need to be agreed between providers and the University in plenty of time prior to placement commencement. A definitive list of GPHC learning outcomes, with suggested activities that could be undertaken, could be provided to students and providers prior to placement. Core activities could be identified e.g. CORE SOPs to read and sign, dispensing log and daily portfolio evidence write up.

    Positive student outcomes reported by providers included: they could manage their workload better, instilled confidence in what they already know and helped them identify gaps in their skills, knowledge and experience.
    The majority of students felt adequately supported and welcomed by the team and able to apply knowledge to patient care. The placement aided professional development and helped them take responsibility for their own learning. Students reported that some providers gave their time to explain and show how things are done, were helpful and had patience.

    Providers reported that Year 1 MPharm students should know the following prior to placement:
    How to use the BNF, OTC knowledge, Rx Legality, Rx journey i.e. requests, dispensing, labelling, checking and handout, aware of SOPs and the reason for them, basic understanding of drugs including OTC, have an idea of how a community pharmacy operates and some previous work/vacation experience would be desirable.

    Providers reported that Year 2 MPharm students should know the following prior to placement:
    MEP, Generic drugs, use of BNF, familiarity with medicine names, OTC counselling, how to respond to minor ailments and self-care, Pharmacy services- essential/enhanced/advanced; Public Health, process of repeat prescriptions, soft skills especially leadership and advanced communication skills and some previous work/vacation experience would be desirable.

    Conclusion:
    The pilot placement was successfully delivered and on the whole was a positive experience for providers and students.
    Future placement provision needs to include the following processes to improve the experiences further:
    1. University to provide a definitive list of GPhC LOs aimed to be developed during the placement;
    2. A checklist of suggested activities that could be undertaken to contribute to the GPhC LOs;
    3. A CORE list of activities that should be undertaken as a minimum requirement;
    4. University to deliver sessions to enable students to develop and improve soft skills prior to placement;
    5. Students’ expectations need to be addressed prior to placement;
    6. Students to appreciate and understand the need to be self-directed not tutored during their placement;
    7. Providers need ample notice prior to placement commencement and a copy of the checklist/workbook/activities that students need to complete.
    8. Inform providers that any experienced member of the pharmacy team can supervise the student, it does not have to only be the pharmacist. This will benefit those that regularly have locum cover.
    9. Access to SOPs prior to placements could benefit students.
    10. Students must contact the providers at least 7 days prior to placement commencement.
    11. The majority of the £81,000 covered accommodation and travel to placement locations. Future placements will need a learning support fund (LFT) in addition to the clinical tariff to enable HEIs to allocate enough placements for their students.
    12. Response to the survey was low from both providers and students, future placement feedback could be incorporated into the end of the placement sign off process so immediate and timely feedback is captured.
    StatusFinished
    Effective start/end date1/11/2130/06/22

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