The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has published a report which provides further analysis of those trainees who reported having been dissatisfied with their pre-registration training experience as part of a 2013 survey they took part in. The 2013 survey was aimed at building a better picture of the overall experience of trainee pharmacists and this follow up analysis focuses exclusively on the responses of those trainees who indicated they had been dissatisfied with the quality of their training.
The 2013 survey indicated that while the majority of pre -registration trainees rated the overall quality of their training as very good or good (77%), 11 per cent of trainees rated the overall quality of their training year as poor or very poor.
The findings suggest that there are some key demographic differences, with those who were dissatisfied more likely to be over 30 and from an Asian or Other ethnic background. These differences also appear to be influenced by the sector they trained in, with those trained in the community pharmacy sector being more likely to have been dissatisfied with the quality of their training than those who trained in a hospital setting.
Key findings include:
- Most dissatisfied trainees are from an Asian or other ethnic group background
- Most dissatisfied trainees undertook their training in community pharmacy
- More dissatisfied trainees were in London
- There were more dissatisfied trainees over 30 than under
Responding to the findings, Duncan Rudkin, Chief Executive of the GPhC said:
“Although the majority of pre-registration trainees is happy with the quality of their training, it is clear that this is not the experience for a minority of trainees, particularly for those training in community pharmacy.
“We are aware that the tutor trainee relationship is critical which is why we published our guidance on tutoring in 2014 and we would urge both trainee and tutors to actively use it. Meanwhile, our ongoing surveys around pre-registration training will allow us to increase our understanding of key trends, issues and themes in pre-registration training. We hope this report will go some way in helping training providers to find ways in which pre-registration trainees and their tutors can be better supported. It will also inform our future work as we prepare for the revision of the standards for the initial education and training of pharmacists later this year.”
In response to the report, Chloe O’Beirne, President of the British Pharmaceutical Students’ Association (BPSA), said:
“The BPSA Executive is pleased to see that the GPhC is looking into trainee satisfaction during the pre-registration year. It is a very important year for all future pharmacists, and the GPhC's work collecting and collating this feedback is a valuable insight into current experiences. However, the results of this survey highlight some key areas of dissatisfaction which must be addressed, particularly around the level of support and educational supervision provided.
“We hope the GPhC will continue to look into these areas of dissatisfaction, and work with relevant parties to help improve experiences for trainees where possible.”
A copy of the report is available on the GPhC website here.