The Foundation Pharmacist Project: exploring new models of dual-sector postgraduate pharmacy training

Abstract

Abstract Objectives To explore the experiences of primary care-based professional stakeholders in a dual-sector training programme for foundation pharmacists. Methods Professional stakeholders were defined as foundation pharmacists or members of staff working with foundation pharmacists such as general medical or nurse practitioners and administrative staff. Stakeholders were invited to participate via email and through gatekeepers. Participants were asked how they were involved in the training pathway, what their experiences had been and what they hoped for the future. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed using computer software. Key findings Twenty-eight face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted. Five major themes were identified (1) benefits of integration (2) appropriateness of the work (3) perceived impact (4) identity development and (5) training and peer support. These findings outline participants’ experiences of establishing a scope of practice in primary and secondary care settings and developing mechanisms to negotiate non-prescriber status to save general practitioners, practice nurse, community pharmacy and administrator time. Foundation pharmacists were able to develop a professional identity whilst working in each care setting, highlighting the dominance of hospital pharmacy exposure in clinical knowledge acquisition and establishing a community of practice across organisational and geographical boundaries using WhatsApp as a peer support tool. Conclusions Foundation pharmacists are able to work within their own competencies in two different care settings, developing scopes of practice and contributing clinically to service provision. This work provides evidence that this type of training pathway can offer an appropriate landscape for pharmacy practitioner development. Further work is needed to explore the longitudinal outcomes of the programme.