A reflective account is a written record of a pharmacist’s experiences and learnings, and how these are contributing to their ongoing professional development. It needs to include real-world examples of how the GPhC standards have been met, as well as reflections on what could have been done differently.
What is a reflective account?
A reflective account is a written document that pharmacy professionals are required to submit to the GPhC every three years as part of their registration renewal process. The GPhC introduced this requirement in 2019 to ensure pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are continuing to meet standards and impact patient care.
A reflective account encourages you to analyse your experiences, decisions and their outcomes to identify gaps in your learning, to guide your continued professional development. The account should be a detailed self-reflection, including real-world examples, and your thoughts and feelings on what went well or could have been approached differently.
When is a reflective account required?
The GPhC requires all pharmacy professionals to submit a reflective account every three years when renewing their registration with the body. By completing a reflective account, you have the opportunity to demonstrate how you’ve met the GPhC’s standards, while reflecting on your practice, including how you’ve navigated any challenges. This is a mandatory part of the GPhC revalidation process, which is used to assess pharmacists’ ongoing competence to practice.
What does a reflective account need to include?
A revalidation reflective account needs to outline how you’ve met three of the nine GPhC standards[SC1] , with at least one detailed example of how you’ve met at least one of these. Since October 2022, pharmacists have been required to reflect on at least one of the following standards:
- Standard 1: pharmacy professionals must provide person-centred care
- Standard 2: pharmacy professionals must work in partnership with others
- Standard 5: pharmacy professionals must use their professional judgement
Follow the below structure to make sure you include all necessary information:
- Start by outlining where you work and the nature of your practice, including your role and responsibilities
- Detail who uses your services
- Include examples of how you’ve met the GPhC standards; a minimum of one example is required, but we recommend providing more
- Reflect on how you’ve met each standard, picking out parts of the standard to specifically show how you’ve met them. Detail who, what, where, when, and why
- Outline any challenges you experienced and navigated along the way, including whether you could have done anything differently or would do in the future
- Cross-reference your reflections with the examples provided to make it clear for the reviewer to understand your points
How to write a reflective account: top tips
Everyone will approach writing a reflective account in their own unique way, but there are some top tips you should keep in mind when approaching the task:
- There’s no set word count for a reflective account, but it does need to include a good level of detail, including examples and reflections
- Try to find the balance between being too brief or vague, and providing too much unnecessary or irrelevant detail
- Use subheadings to divide your account into clear sections and break up the text
- Write out any acronyms in full (at least the first time you use them), as the reviewer may not be familiar with your field of pharmacy or the intricacies of your role
- Make sure the examples you choose are relevant to your personal pharmacy practice, rather than your wider team
- Keep relating your reflections back to the GPhC standards, with a focus on how your experiences enhanced your practice in these areas
- When stating “I felt…” or “I found…”, make sure you detail why – this is key to effective self-reflection
- Do not include any patient names or any other confidential information
Questions to ask yourself when writing a reflective account
Ask yourself questions to reflect on what you’ve learnt, how you’ve felt, your successes, and what could have gone differently over the last three years. Our top questions to ask yourself when preparing your reflective account include:
- What has your role been in the last three years?
- What are you most proud of?
- What specific skills have you used the most?
- Have you learned new skills or clarified an interest?
- How have you applied these learnings to your practice?
- What has been the most eye-opening or surprising experience?
- Has your view of the population you’ve been working with changed? Why? How?
- What are the pressing issues in your community? How are these impacted by the environment or social conditions, and how are you addressing them?
- What have you done that proved effective in the last three years? How are you intending to build on this in the future?
- How has your experience differed from your expectations?
- What issues have you encountered? How did these make you feel? How did you navigate them, and what did they teach you?
- What were the root causes of these issues, and what is being done to address these factors?
- What are your next steps? Which of those steps will come easiest, and which will be the most challenging? What can you do now to navigate the road ahead with the most success?
- What would you like to learn more about in the future?
- What learnings can you share with your peers to pass on knowledge and raise awareness?
What doesn’t need to be included in a reflective account?
It’s important to keep your reflective account focused so the GPhC can easily see how you’re continuing to meet its standards. After writing your initial draft, take the time to read over and edit your document to make sure it’s clear and to-the-point.
Reflective accounts don’t need to include:
- Personal, identifiable information relating to patients or colleagues
- Too much technical jargon or overly flowery language
- Unnecessary data that isn’t relevant to the example
- Unrelated personal experiences
- Pharmaceutical procedures irrelevant to the learning outcomes detailed in the account
Bear in mind that a reflective account needs to go further than a workplace example, as this will simply outline a specific situation, focusing on what happened, who was involved, and the outcome. In contrast, a reflective account will analyse and evaluate the situation, detailing feelings and personal opinions, while encouraging self-assessment and critical thinking.
Reflective account example
Karen Gunnell, Director (Education Support) of UKCPA, Past Chair of the UKCPA Education & Development Group, and Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice at Keele University, drafted the following example of a reflective account. The example centres on an academic pharmacist, but the template could be adapted to any sector.
My work setting and main roles
One of my key responsibilities is acting as the educational supervisor for the 5-year integrated MPharm degree. This includes visiting Foundation Training Year placement sites to quality assure training, and providing support and guidance to both students and their designated supervisors.
The users of my service
As a non-patient-facing pharmacist, the users of my services are undergraduate and postgraduate students and their tutors or employers. The quality of my interaction with these service users will have an indirect effect on patient care. This is because the information I provide to my service users will be used by them to improve the standard of care provided. The assessments I design and administer allow me to ensure a minimal competence in my service users.
Reflection on standards
I will be reflecting on Standard 2: pharmacy professionals must work in partnership with others. I will be using Rolfe’s ‘What, So What, Now What’ model for reflection.
What?
A notable example of working in partnership with others occurred when one of my students was struggling to meet the intended learning outcomes (ILOs) during their Block 1 placement—the first of three blocks in the Foundation Training Year. Despite working hard, the student had not produced sufficient evidence of progress one month into the placement. Their designated supervisor contacted me with concerns, prompting a visit to the store to meet with both the student and supervisor.
During the visit, I worked with the student to understand the root cause of the issue. We discovered that the student had not fully grasped the expectations and requirements of the placement. I facilitated a joint discussion with the student and supervisor to clarify the expectations and collaboratively developed an action plan to support the student’s progress. To further strengthen the support system, I arranged for a more experienced student to mentor them, creating a team-based approach to help the student succeed.
Given that this situation triggered a red flag under the School’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), I informed the Head of School and the education department of the host company. I maintained weekly check-ins with both the student and supervisor to monitor progress and offer ongoing support. Within two weeks, the student was back on track and successfully completed their placement. I documented all actions and communications throughout the process. Feedback from both the designated supervisor and the company’s head office highlighted their appreciation for the support provided.
So what?
This example demonstrates how I met GPhC Standard 2: pharmacy professionals must work in partnership with others. I collaborated closely with the student and their supervisor to understand the situation before making any judgments. Together, we created an action plan that addressed the needs of the student, the supervisor, and the university. This was a true partnership effort, requiring input and cooperation from multiple stakeholders.
I adapted my communication style to suit each individual: using a supportive and relaxed tone with the student to encourage openness, and a more formal, business-like approach when liaising with the Head of School and the employer. Importantly, I involved the student in creating the action plan rather than imposing a solution, which empowered them and fostered accountability.
Had I not taken this collaborative and empathetic approach, the student might have failed the placement, potentially damaging our relationship with the employer and—most critically—compromising patient safety in the long term.
Now what
Reflecting on this experience, I believe the intervention was successful and appropriate. The student provided positive feedback in their end-of-placement evaluation, and both the designated supervisor and head office expressed appreciation for my involvement.
Going forward, I feel confident in my ability to manage similar situations and support students effectively. However, I recognise the need to consider alternative strategies for students who may not respond to this approach. Developing a theoretical toolkit of interventions and support mechanisms for different learner needs will be a valuable next step in enhancing my practice.
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