1. The Bologna Process and professional regulation in the UK Damian Day, Head of Accreditation, Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain

2. Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain Regulator and professional body for pharmacists (c.48,000) and pharmacy technicians (c. 12,000) Two registers: pharmacists and pharmacy technicians Accredited qualifications and training leading to registration Accredit qualifications leading to annotations Registration for pharmacists allows free movement in EEA states Registrants from c. 150 countries inc. all EEA member states

3. Becoming [and remaining] a pharmacist [EQF 5: Pharmacy technician] EQF 7: MPharm EQF 7: Preregistration training [vocational] EQF 7: Continuing professional development & revalidation [vocational] EQF 7/8: Specialist & advanced practice [advanced vocational] EQF 8: Consultant pharmacist [advanced vocational and academic – doctoral]

4. 1. The legal and legislative context

5. European legislation Directive 85/432/EC & 2005/36/EC ‘concerning the co-ordination of provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in respect of certain activities in the field of pharmacy’ Minimum theoretical and practical training Minimum training requirements [MTR]

6. ‘Minimum theoretical and practical training’ Plant and animal biology Physics General and inorganic chemistry Analytical chemistry Pharmaceutical chemistry, including analysis of medicinal products General and applied biochemistry (medical) Anatomy and physiology, medical terminology Microbiology Pharmacology and pharmacotherapy Pharmaceutical technology Toxicology Pharmacognosy Legislation and, where appropriate, professional ethics [!]

7. Minimum training requirements 5 years, comprising 4 years of full- time university study plus at least 6 months in patient-centred care This is law: we must comply Can have part time study from 20 October 2007 [implementation date of 2005/36/EC]

8. UK legislation New Pharmacy Contract [2005] –Dispensing –Prescribing [restricted diagnosis] –Patient counselling –Medicines use review Higher education has to take account of this

9. 2. Descriptors, Learning Outcomes

10. The MPharm Conforms to UK requirements Bologna: integrated Masters – –3 years B [first cycle] + –1year M [second cycle] –[180 ECTS for B + 60 ECTS for M, so compliant] All MPharms have Certificate/Diploma/ Bachelor exits [which are not accredited] All UK degrees and modules have learning outcomes and credit volume

11. Learning outcomes vs competencies False dichotomy EQF could assist with this Build bridges between academia and the workplace Academic learning outcomes & professional standards – competencies No conflict with EQF

12. Other regulated degrees Majority comply with Bologna [Nursing, Social Work, Architecture etc…] A few do not, for various reasons: Medicine and the MEng Some are changing [probably]: the 5- year Dentistry BDS → MDS

13. 3. Benchmarking

14. Benchmarking source material UK: Quality Assurance Agency’s Framework for Higher Education Qualifications [FHEQ] Europe: QF-EHEA (articulates with FHEQ] Europe: EQF – studying now ECTS: used ECVET: an interesting innovation

15. Useful groups UK Inter-professional Group [most regulated professions represented] Inter-regulatory education group [for medical and healthcare regulators] Both well aware of Bologna issues

16. 4. The value of Bologna to regulators

17. General Consistency and transparency Acknowledgement of vocational education – often advanced – in the EQF Opportunity to link initial education with continuing professional development Opportunity to link ‘academic’ learning outcomes and ‘professional’ standards [an artificial distinction], via competencies Build ‘skills escalators’ into professions: ECTS ECVET

18. Pharmacy EQF: Regulated vocational education for pharmacy technicians: the 2-year Foundation Degree [QF-EHEA ‘short cycle’] EQF: Benchmarking of register annotations for advanced and specialist practice ECVET: Continuing professional development and revalidation All: Pharmacy technician → Pharmacist

19. Summary Law is law The QF-EHEA and EQF are useful thinking tools Promote consistency and mobility One framework please