Structured block placements of hospital pre-registration trainee pharmacists in primary care medical practices across the United Kingdom: Lessons from a pilot scheme

Cross‐sector pre‐registration trainee pharmacist placements in general practice across England: A qualitative study exploring the views of pre‐registration trainees and education supervisors

“…Similar to previous research (Christou et al., 2020 ; Gray, 2019 ), GP placements involved gradual progression, which started with an effective induction period to ease the transition into (and understanding of) GP. This study confirmed the importance of GP tutors being pharmacists, to role‐model and support, and bridge the understanding of a clinical pharmacist's scope of practice amongst the GP team (Christou et al., 2020 ; Gray, 2019 ). The reasons for trainees starting with observing non‐clinical staff need to be explained, so that trainees understand their relevance.…”

“…Previous studies suggest that 26‐week GP placements are beneficial in developing the pre‐registration trainees’ clinical knowledge and confidence (NHS Health Education England, 2016 ), whereas 4–8‐week GP placements limit trainees’ opportunities to conduct supervised patient‐facing activities (Christou et al., 2020 ). Evidence from medical education suggests that placements longer than 8 weeks enable learners to better integrate into multidisciplinary teams, develop more autonomy, and undertake more complex tasks (Thistlethwaite et al., 2013 ).…”

“…To facilitate such a joined-up approach, good and regular communication and handover between the base and GP tutors and indeed a co-ordinated approach to supervision are important. The importance of effective engagement and support between both tutors as a catalyst for better trainee integration within GP teams has been highlighted in previous evaluations (Christou et al, 2020;NHS Health Education England, 2016).…”