Trainee Pharmacist Membership

A trainee pharmacist is someone who is undertaking a foundation training year to become General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) registered. Under the guidance of a trained pharmacist, trainees are responsible for delivering all aspects of pharmacy care, including dispensing medicines, offering healthcare advice to patients, and supervising the daily running of the pharmacy.

Placements involve hands-on training in different areas of pharmacy practice alongside continued professional development and studying for the GPhC examination they will be invited to take at the end of their training year.

From the 2025 training year, all new foundation training placements in England, Wales, and Scotland will be recruited through the Oriel recruitment portal.

To become a trainee pharmacist, you will need to complete a GPhC recognised MPharm master’s degree in pharmacy. After this, you can become a trainee pharmacist. 

As a trainee, you’ll undertake a foundation year of hands-on training where you will work under the supervision of a designated pharmacist supervisor. You will also need 90 hours of training with a designated prescribing practitioner (either medical or non-medical prescriber). This will culminate in the GPhC registration exam, after which you can register with the GPhC as a qualified pharmacist and apply for jobs in your chosen field.

Whilst training, pharmacists are expected to assist in different areas to familiarise themselves with all aspects of pharmacy practice. 

A trainee pharmacist job description will encompass most, if not all, of the responsibilities of a qualified pharmacist alongside a need to study and become familiar with best practices.

Under the supervision of a qualified pharmacy professional, trainees will:

• Deliver patient care, answering questions about healthcare and lifestyle
• Deliver pharmaceutical services, including providing over-the-counter and prescribed medication
• Develop a working knowledge of policies, procedures and standards of practice held within their organisation
• Gather evidence to support their GPhC registration.

Signing up to a free UKCPA membership gives trainee pharmacists unrivalled access to training resources, communities and support from peers.