WELCOME to the public Continuing Professional Development pages of PSNZ Inc.

• CPD Record Sheets are available to download and fill in by clicking on the "CPD Record Sheets" button on the left.
• The Outcome Credit Scale of the Pharmacy Council of NZ is available HERE
• Details of current ENHANCE training workshops are available from the member's area

If you would like to enrol into the ENHANCE CPD Programme contact Liz Johnstone at enhance@psnz.org.nz

INDEX

Introduction

Historical Background

Benefits of the Competence Programme

The Competence Framework

The Competence Standards

Current Assessment for Competence

Continuing Professional Development -"ENHANCE at a glance"

FAQ's

INTRODUCTION

The Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 requires pharmacists to have a mechanism to demonstrate that they are competent and fit to practice. It is internationally accepted that health professionals must be committed to life long learning throughout their professional life so that they are able to maintain their competence, and also to develop and adapt their practice to the ever changing health environment.  ENHANCE is, at present, the only recertification programme for pharmacists accredited by the Pharmacy Council of NZ that allows pharmacists to demonstrate that they are maintaining their competence to practice, through participation in relevant Continuing Professional Development (CPD).  This will be compulsory for recertification from March 2006.

This section explains the:

• Competence Framework

• The Competence Standards

• Assessment methods that are in current use

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE COMPETENCE PROGRAMME

In 1995 the Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand introduced competence standards which defined the skills, knowledge and attitudes of a New Zealand registered pharmacist.  The competency-based Preregistration Programme was put in place in 1997, and has ensured that all new pharmacists entering the register of pharmacists have been assessed as meeting these competence standards.  This programme has met with international acclaim for both the excellence of the principles that underpin the concept and the assessment methods used.

In 2001, after extensive consultation with members of the profession, the Competence Standards were ratified by the Council of the Pharmaceutical Society for the purpose of initial registration and ensuring the continuing competence of currently registered pharmacists.  The assessment of continuing competence began in July 2001 with the launch of the new name for the Continuing Competence programme - ENHANCE. This programme was then piloted and developed with nearly 1000 pharmacists in all areas of pharmacy practice until February 2005, when the fully developed version of the programme, accredited by the Pharmacy Council of NZ, was released to all pharmacists practising in New Zealand.

BENEFITS OF THE COMPETENCE PROGRAMME

A competence programme for a profession such as pharmacy has a number of significant benefits for stakeholders who include the public of New Zealand, the profession as a whole and each individual pharmacist.

For the Public

• The public can be assured that there is a competent pharmacy workforce.

• Continuing professional development by pharmacists can lead to improved pharmaceutical care, thereby improving health outcomes for New Zealanders.

• The programme helps ensure consistency of pharmaceutical care by pharmacists throughout New Zealand.

• The competence programme links with the HPCA Act 2003 that is aimed at ensuring the competence of all health professionals.

For the Profession

• The Competence Framework describes the unique role of the pharmacy profession in the provision of health care. 

• The standards provide direction for providers of both undergraduate and postgraduate education of pharmacists.

• The assessment of continuing competence of pharmacists provides assurance to the profession of quality as a whole.

• Having a competent workforce enables the professional body to continue to support pharmacists in initiatives that meet the changing health needs of the public.

For the Pharmacist

• Pharmacists have a clear bench-mark by which to determine their competence.

• Pharmacists are given assurance of their competence.

• The programme helps pharmacists identify learning needs to plan continuing professional development that maintains and supports their practice.

THE COMPETENCE FRAMEWORK

There are seven standards, written by NZ pharmacists for NZ Pharmacists, and each covers a broad area of pharmacy practice.  Each standard lists the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to be competent in that particular area of pharmacy practice, and evidence must be gathered against each standard to determine competence.

THE COMPETENCE STANDARDS

The competence standards are a written description of the skills, knowledge and attitudes a pharmacist must have to be competent.

There are seven competence standards:

The competence standards define the minimum standards for entry to the profession.  This is the level that all new entrants to the register must meet before registration through the Preregistration Programme.  The ENHANCE programme also allows registered pharmacists to assess their practice against the Competence Standards, as required by the Pharmacy Council of NZ for recertification.

Recognition of expertise

Advanced scopes of pharmacy practice will be developed for specific practice areas.  Pharmacists working in these areas will be able to achieve accreditation to practice within their advance scope of practice and will have this recognised on their Annual Practising Certificate.  

CURRENT ASSESSMENT METHODS FOR COMPETENCE

Entry to the Register

All new entrants to the register of pharmacists, that is anyone applying for entry or re-entry to the register, needs to achieve competence in all seven standards.  The Preregistration Programme of the Pharmaceutical Society assesses against the Competence Standards using a range of assessment tools.  These include workplace assessment, written assignments, appraisals, objective structured clinical examinations (OSCE) and an interview.

Graduates of New Zealand Schools of Pharmacy and pharmacists from countries other than those with reciprocal registration agreements must all successfully complete the Preregistration programme of the Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand. 

Pharmacists returning to the New Zealand practising register after a period of absence should contact the Pharmacy Council of NZ for registration requirements. (See  Entry to Register )

CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (ENHANCE)

The ENHANCE programme is a competence-based Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme for currently registered pharmacists, practising in New Zealand.

ENHANCE follows the four steps in the CPD cycle - Reflection, Planning, Action and Outcomes

Step 1         Reflect   Determine which competence standards are relevant to practice Assess competence against the Competence Standards Identify CPD needs. Step 2         Plan Develop identified CPD needs into learning plans Step 3         Action     Implement the planned learning Step 4        Outcomes    Evaluate and document the outcomes of learning and continue the cycle

The CPD folder is a lifelong package and the onus will be on the pharmacist to maintain their learning records themselves.  A random audit of pharmacist's folders will be implemented in the future.

FAQ's

1.       WHAT IS CPD?

"CPD is the process by which a professional person maintains the quality and relevance of professional services throughout his/her working life"  CPD is therefore continuous professionally focussed life long learning and ENHANCE is the process to help you decide where to focus your learning, how to evaluate the results of this and a folder to keep your records.

2.      HOW DOES CPD RELATE TO COMPETENCE?

All health professionals need to keep up to date in their field of practice of they are to remain competent.  CPD is a very important component of this. CPD is not about reaching a minimum standard, but about continuous improvement: eg a CPD record can demonstrate how learning from mistakes, appraisal or planned learning enables pharmacists to improve the way they do their job.  It shows how pharmacists use what they have learnt to improve their practice.

3.    WHY CPD AND NOT CE?

International research tells us that learning is most useful to a professional when:

• You select your own partuicular learning needs (against set standards)
• You choose your preferred learning style to gain knowledge
• You decide how to apply the knowledge to your own practice situation.

Continuing Education (CE) is usually a structured learning programme provided by face to face or distance learning.  CE can be one part of CPD, however CPD goes further as it recognises all ways of learning and ensures that learning is relevant to your practice of pharmacy.  CPD is about applying what you learn to what you do.  In ENHANCE CPD is measured not by how many courses you attended or how many hours you spent doing CPD, but by evaluating how you applied what you learnt in your practice of pharmacy.

4.    HOW MANY COURSES DO I HAVE TO ATTEND?

It is recognised internationally that learning isn't about just doing courses.  Much of our learning is inevitable and happens ''ón the job'' .  What is clear is that our learning must have an impact in our every day work if it is to be of any benefit to us and our patients.It is possible to have a large impact on our practice with a small amount of learning, and vice versa, a small impact on our practice with a large amount of learning.