Building the Foundation Pharmacist Portfolio
Prior to starting the programme Foundation Pharmacists must be familiar with the tools that will aid them with their development throughout the programme, as they are the backbone to the portfolio that each Foundation Pharmacist is required to build.
Supervised Learning Events (SLE)
Health Education England e-Learning for Healthcare (HEE e-LfH) has worked with HEE London and South East Pharmacy Team (working across London, Kent, Surrey and Sussex) to develop four new e-learning sessions, aimed at developing the knowledge and skills pharmacy educators require for supervising, assessing and evaluating pharmacy students in a variety of primary and secondary care settings. Although primarily aimed for educators the modules are also suitable for trainees on pharmacy programmes.
An SLE is an episode, organised in advance, where a supervisor assesses a trainee’s performance in the clinical or practice setting. It is a learning opportunity, which provides time for reflection and developmental feedback. There are several SLEs used in pharmacy programmes that can be used with different trainees in different sectors of care.
An introduction to SLE training modules is available below.
Mini-CEX = Mini Clinical Exercise
MiniCEX is a prospective observation of a practitioner providing pharmaceutical care for a patient new to the practitioner or a patient known to the practitioner prescribed new therapy. It involves practitioner / patient or practitioner / doctor or even practitioner / patient/ doctor interaction. MiniCEX Tool below.
CbD = Case-based Discussion
A CBD is a retrospective evaluation of input into patient care which should cover background understanding of disease, awareness of treatment goals and evidence-base and explanations for actual interventions made and management. The assessor can explore a number of different themes within a case. CbD Tool below.
DOPS = Direct Observation of Practical Skills
DOPS is a method similar to the mini-CEX that has been designed specifically for the assessment of practical skills and activities. These can be used in place of a mini-CEX in suitable rotations where developing process skills are essential e.g. clinically checking chemotherapy worksheets in aseptics or processing an enquiry in medicines information. A maximum of two DOPS can be used in place of MiniCEX within Stage 1 of the programme.
MRCF = Medication-Related Consultation Framework
MRCF is an observation focussing on consultation skills with a patient. MRCF Tool MRCF Appendix below. Training videos are available here: http://educatorhub.e-lfh.org.uk/Component/Details/458481 and Consultation Skills for Pharmacy Practice.
Other Evidence
Log of Interventions
Throughout both stages of the HEE LaSE KSS Foundation Pharmacist Programme practitioners are required to keep a log of day to day contributions to patient care. All contributions that result in a change to a prescription, and when advice or information is written in the patients care notes should be logged within the contribution to care log.
The log of interventions should be a much briefer record than the significant interventions but should contain sufficient information to enable the educational supervisor to gain a more rounded view of the foundation pharmacist’s work at ward level. Interventions could be recorded simply, the format is not important e.g. notebook, diary, spreadsheet. Suggested headers to the care log include:
- Date
- Intervention
- Outcome
- Comments / Reflection
Many institutions require pharmacists to record and share some or all interventions they make to patient care as they may be discussed at clinical governance committees or to identify the impact of pharmacy contributions to patient care. Trust’s with a policy covering which contributions should be recorded should be adhered to and form the basis of the log of interventions.
Significant Interventions
Significant interventions are examples of when a foundation pharmacist’s practice has made a significant impact on patient care at a particular point in time. Significant interventions will usually have improved the quality of patient care, or prevented patient harm. Significant Intervention Proforma below:
Extended Interventions
Extended interventions should demonstrate continuing care of a patient over a period of time or a series of significant interventions in a complex patient. For FS1, foundation pharmacists must reference at least one intervention to guidelines.
For FS2, at least one intervention must be referenced to primary literature in addition to use of guidelines.
Social Care Contribution
Social care contributions should demonstrate the resolution of a problem that will impact on the patient’s ability to manage their medicines outside the foundation pharmacists practice base. One of the social care contributions can be used as the basis for the foundation pharmacist’s written critical review, which forms part of the academic assessment for the programme.
Social Care contributions can be recorded on the significant intervention form above.
Continuing Professional Development
As a registered pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council, you are required to assure patients and the public that you are safe and effective in practice, through the revalidation process. To save duplication, copies of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) entries used for GPhC revalidation can be submitted as evidence. These must be reviewed by your educational supervisor. Where possible the CPDs should relate to the learning outcomes of the programme. Access revalidation resources for pharmacy professionals here.
Supplementary Evidence
You may add other material to your portfolio if you feel it is appropriate evidence, which may be needed for specific competences within the foundation pharmacy framework, for example presentations given at your place of work, external meetings attended etc. More information can be found in the FS1 course handbook.
Intervention identification and recording guidance
Guidance has been produced to assist practitioners in identifying and recording high quality interventions. The guidance is divided into definitions, general hints and tips; followed by specific examples for significant, social care and extended interventions.
Assessments of Practice
RITA = Record of In-Training Assessment
RITAs are formal meetings between the practitioner and the Educational Supervisor occurring at regular intervals throughout the programme.
MiniTAB = mini-Team Assessment of Behaviour
RPS Foundation Pharmacy Framework
All Foundation pharmacists must map their evidence to the RPS Foundation Pharmacy Framework.
FS1 Learning Set Individual Feedback Form
Foundation pharmacists are expected to reflect on any areas of strengths and areas requiring further developments that arise during a learning set via the use of the Individual Feedback form. This form must be shared with your educational supervisor after attendance at a learning set and included in your e-Portfolio.