By Jane Hall, member of the RPS Primary Care Pharmacy Expert Advisory Group
I qualified as a pharmacist in 2001 and spent the first half of my career working in community pharmacy. In 2005 I successfully passed my Canadian entrance exams to allow me to immigrate to Canada and work as a pharmacist there for 2 years. It was a fantastic experience and allowed me to do lots of travelling and experience many new things.
Becoming a Prescriber
On returning to Scotland in 2007 I decided to undertake my Independent Prescribing certificate which led me into a role within the NHS in a GP practice. Working in GP practice allows pharmacists to develop clinical knowledge and skills. For those that are prescribers, it's a great opportunity to fully utilise their prescribing qualification.
Over the years, my pharmacy training and experience, allowed me to progress through a number of roles and gain a broad range of experience at different levels within the team. For example, in my post as an Associate Director of Pharmacy in NHS Ayrshire and Arran, my remit includes the primary care clinical pharmacy service, community pharmacy services, mental health, pharmacy education & development and also substance misuse.
Opportunities in pharmacy
The landscape within pharmacy has changed dramatically in the last decade creating many exciting opportunities for development and career progression in both the pharmacist and technician workforce. I am passionate about developing pharmacists’ clinical skills to enable them to become highly advanced non-medical prescribers. I am also encouraging and supporting the development of the technical workforce within my board to ensure we maximise the contribution of our highly skilled technical team as well.
There has never been a better time to work in pharmacy!
RPS Primary Care Pharmacy Expert Advisory Group
The PCPEAG ensures this area of practice is both recognised and supported across England, Scotland and Wales, acting as a source of expertise, advice and opinion to inform RPS policy decisions and work plans.
Find out more.