UKCPA training for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians working in critical care
In January 2024 UKCPA was awarded a contract with NHS England to deliver CPD modules to support pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who are new to working in critical care, on rotation, or who provide adhoc cover to critically ill patients during times of surge, weekend cover or sickness.
The modules, fully funded for practitioners working in England, can be taken individually or as a series to form a longer, more comprehensive Foundation course.
The Critical Care Foundation Course for pharmacists consists of four online modules delivered live with expert speakers. Participants have access to recorded pre-learning content with some reflective questions to bring to the live tutorials. The online tutorials will review the key learning outcomes to ensure understanding and retention, and will use a facilitated case-based discussion to enable participants to apply their knowledge in context. The online sessions will be run in small groups to allow meaningful discussion and check understanding. Participants also have the opportunity to attend a face-to-face Skills Day to demonstrate and practice clinical decision-making and communication skills, and to receive formative feedback from experts. This is to prepare and practice Supervised Learning Events that will be required for credentialing.
The Critical Care Foundation Course for pharmacy technicians consists of three online modules delivered live with expert speakers. Pre-learning content is provided and will enable preparation for the live online sessions which will focus on reviewing the information and discussing patient cases to consolidate learning. The final module is delivered face-to-face and will provide an opportunity for networking and peer support, improving clinical, leadership and management skills, and presentation of audits and QI projects. Participants can also discuss their roles and the value they bring to the MDT team and patient care.
All modules have an online assessment which generates a certificate of completion if the pass mark is achieved.
UKCPA also run an Advanced Critical Care course suitable for post-foundation level pharmacists with more than six months experience in an ICU. This course is made up of four two-hour online sessions, each requiring participants to undertake pre-reading, attend the online sessions and complete an assessment for each session. Upon successful completion of each session and the appropriate assessment, delegates will be awarded a certificate of completion.
For all our critical care courses, participants have exceptional access to the UK’s most expert critical care pharmacy practitioners who have led the development of critical care pharmacy workforce standards, as well as the development of the specialist curriculum and credentialing assessment. Participants also have access to ongoing peer support and resources via the UKCPA communities and online forums.
Find more information here on all UKCPA education and training.