Level 3 Apprenticeship Standard in Pharmacy Technician

You must be working in a pharmacy environment as a pre-registration Trainee Pharmacy Technician (PTPT). Applicants are likely to be intending to join the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) register of Pharmacy Technicians. You must be employed in a community, hospital or primary care pharmacy for a minimum 30 hours per week on a continuous basis.

Units include:

• providing safe and effective pharmacy services

• supplying medicines and devices to patients, whether on prescription or over the counter

• achieving the best outcomes through a patient’s medicines

• assembling medicines for prescriptions

• providing information to patients and other healthcare professionals

• managing areas of medicines supply such as dispensaries

• supervising other pharmacy staff

• answering customers’ questions face to face or by phone

• pre-packing, assembling and labelling medicines

• referring problems or queries to the pharmacist.

You will be responsible for carrying out both routine and specialist services, including highly complex activities requiring you to use your professional judgement.

You are expected to work both individually and as part of a multi-disciplinary team, with minimum supervision and a high degree of autonomy, taking responsibility for the quality and accuracy of the work.

Pharmacy technicians are expected to communicate effectively with healthcare professionals, patients and the public, while respecting and maintaining confidentiality and privacy.

Entry requirements

You will need maths, English and double science or biology GCSE grade 4 or above, or a merit in a Level 2 BTEC applied science and Functional Skills Level 2.

What attendance is required?

Each intake will be expected to attend classes at College, this day will be confirmed soon. There will be two induction sessions; one at Highbury Campus for those who can attend, and a subsequent virtual version for those who cannot travel to Cosham. Thereafter classes will be held on-site approximately once a month.

Other classes will be performed on-line using Microsoft Teams. You will need to have access to a computer or device in order to interact with the tutors, receive materials and send your written work. Attendance to classes is mandatory.

Your assessor will liaise with you to set up mutually convenient times for consultation and assessment visits at your place of work. Attendance at College may be required to complete Functional Skills (if needed) and some parts of the knowledge units.

You will spend 6 hours of your apprenticeship working towards your off-the-job learning, which can consist of college attendance, homework/coursework, project related work, employer training, mentoring, and coaching – plus a number of other tasks (more information can be shared).

How is the course assessed?

There are 21 units, each taught and assessed by a Highbury pharmacist or pharmacy technician. In addition to live classes, you will receive course notes and structured tasks.

Your knowledge will be assessed by means of end of unit assignments such as written reports. Four of the units are assessed in your workplace. The Lead Assessor will visit your workplace to review your practice log and to observe your practice.

What does this course lead on to?

You will be able to practise in any sector of pharmacy, not just the sector where you have been a PTPT. The programme encompasses the key transferable skills between sectors but is also broad enough to experience the range of roles you can take on.