Pharmacy Foundation training year (FTY)

The Foundation Training Year (FTY) Supervisor Induction is a mandatory learning activity for all Designated Supervisors (DS) and Designated Prescribing Practitioners (DPP) who will be supporting the upcoming group of trainee pharmacists through their FTY. This is a requirement for supervisors of trainee pharmacists on both full and interim learning outcome pathways.

If you have received confirmation from NES that you have been approved as a DS, DPP or a DS/DPP you can now book a place on an induction session that is most convenient for you to attend. Please note you must have completed your induction within 13 weeks of undertaking your role.  

Supervisors will be required to complete pre-work, attend a 90 minute online session, complete some post session activities and once in post, attend a peer support session based on their own learning needs.  

The aim of the session and associated pre work is to equip DPPs and DSs with the relevant knowledge and skills to undertake their role supporting a trainee pharmacist.  

After attendance at the FTY supervisor induction session and completion of the associated pre-work, supervisors should be able to: 

• Describe the key professional behaviours that trainee pharmacists should demonstrate to ensure their readiness to prescribe 
• Recognise how performance against GPhC learning outcomes  will evidence trainee pharmacists’ development 
• Identify how supervised learning event tools can be used in assessment of trainee pharmacists’ development 
• Understand key aspects of completing and documenting the period of learning in practice  
• Consider effective feedback techniques 

Mandatory tasks

Watch the relevant ‘Roles and Responsibilities’ animation.  Reflect on this and be prepared to ask questions, and share reactions at the session.

Share your questions and ideas on the padlets: 

• Evidence and feedback
• PLP time

Familiarise yourself with the supervised learning event tools for Case Based Discussion and Mini-Cex.  

Read the NES FTY prescribing outcome SLE guidance which may help you identify the best tools to evidence and assess the prescribing-related learning outcomes. 

Optional tasks based on prior learning and knowledge

The following e-learning programmes may already be familiar to attendees and if you have already completed them there is no requirement to repeat these. However, based on your own learning needs you may find there are aspects that you  wish to reflect upon ore refresh your knowledge of.  (Non pharmacist DPPs will have their own equivalent supervision modules)

• Educational Supervisor Learning Programme
• Supervised Learning Events (SLEs)

Using short videos to illustrate part of a trainee pharmacist’s SLE, participants will be encouraged to imagine they are in the role of the supervisor. Each scenario relates to a learning outcome relevant to developing skills as a prescriber, recognising that those on the ILO pathway will still need to acquire these skills to become prescriber ready. Supervisors will be asked to consider if the scenario they see meets the standard, using the structured SLE tools to support consistent assessment. Then through group discussion, facilitators will explore how the supervisors see those feedback and development conversations going in a variety of circumstances.