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Reflective account example: a community pharmacist reflects on his communication skills

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As the General Pharmaceutical Council’s (GPhC’s) revalidation deadline (31 October 2019) approaches, many pharmacists will be recording their learning and considering how to complete their reflective account.

The following example reflective account is intended to act as a guide to better enable you to complete your own learning record for submission to the myGPhC site. You should not replicate or copy and paste this material, rather create your own entry based on your experience. You should reflect on your own practice and consider how your patients or service users have benefited from your learning.

In your first year of completing a reflective account, you need to reflect on one or more of the following standards:

• Standard 3 – pharmacy professionals must communicate effectively;
• Standard 6 – pharmacy professionals must behave professionally;
• Standard 9 – pharmacy professionals must demonstrate leadership.

The following example is based on standard 3.

Improving my communication technique

What’s your area of work/ who are your service users?

Provide us with a reflective account of how you met one or more of the standards for pharmacy professionals. Give a real example(s) taken from your practice to illustrate how you meet the standards we have selected.

I am a community pharmacist manager working in a small pharmacy chain based in Scotland. I work alongside a pharmacy technician, two dispensers and several pharmacy counter assistants.

My service users vary, but are generally made up of patients, parents/carers, pharmacy staff members and other healthcare professionals (e.g. those from nearby general practices).

It is necessary as a community pharmacist to communicate effectively on a daily basis, whether this is with patients, staff or other healthcare professionals. However, after several years of practice, I realised I had not considered the effectiveness of my communication skills.

When considering the third standard ‘Pharmacy professionals must communicate effectively’, I thought about how I could improve my communication to ensure I am delivering person-centred care. I was conscious that communication encompasses not simply the words I use, but also body language and tone of voice. I wanted to ensure that I was being as effective as possible and where I could make improvements for my patients.

To better understand my current communication style, I asked a pharmacy colleague to observe me while I spoke to a patient about a minor ailment and make notes based on what she thought went well and what did not go well. Prior to the patient consultation I informed the patient that a colleague would be observing, but that the consultation would continue as normal and no details of the patient were going to be recorded. The patient was happy to continue with the consultation with an observer.

After the consultation my colleague collected her thoughts and made a list of points. We discussed these and I was able to find aspects of my professional practice that required improvement, such as consciously changing my body language and trying to ask fewer closed questions. In order to do this, I practiced body positioning in front of the mirror and created a list of open questions that would aid me in future consultations. I shared my learning with the team and encouraged them to let me know if they observed further communication issues.

The colleague who conducted the initial observation has since observed my general consultation and communication skills and provided me with feedback indicating that I have addressed the issues discussed. This has experience has helped me ensure patients are getting the best possible experience from me during consultations.

Before creating your own reflective account, see ‘ Revalidation: how to complete your reflective account ’, which provides a step-by-step guide for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians writing and submitting this vital part of revalidation.

You may also find the following articles on effective communication useful:

• ‘ Dispensing errors: where does responsibility lie? ’
• ‘ A day caring for vulnerable people with learning disabilities ’
• ‘ WhatsApp groups improve communication within pharmacy teams, finds study ’

How the Royal Pharmaceutical Society is supporting members with revalidation

A dedicated revalidation support hub, which also provides more information on the various support services offered is available on the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) website and includes:

• RPS MyCPD app – An app supported by The Pharmaceutical Journal. Available for iOS devices via the App Store and Android devices via Google Play . For information on how to use the app, see  ‘ How to use the new ‘RPS MyCPD’ app for pharmacy revalidation ’.
• Revalidation support service – Members can contact this service by phone (0333 733 2570 Monday to Friday 9:00 to 17:00) or email [email protected] .
• Revalidation events – Information on the latest events can be found on the website.
• MyCPD Portfolio – members can create a portfolio allowing you to make records of any CPD you have engaged with and retain these records throughout your career.

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Revalidation resources

Revalidation is a process which helps pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to keep their professional skills and knowledge up to date.  It helps to show how you provide the safe and effective care patients and the public expect, as set out in the standards for pharmacy professionals.

We have lots of resources to help you complete your revalidation, covering your reflective account (including which standards to reflect on), peer discussion and continuing professional development . 

Related content

Revalidation examples.

Read some examples of revalidation submissions to help you reflect on your own practice. 

See the examples

What to do if you can't submit

Find out how to request a deadline extension or reduction in entires through my GPhC.

Find out about requests

Revalidation FAQs

If you have a question about revalidation, we’re here to help. Find the answers to the most common questions.

See the FAQs

Managing your myGPhC account

We have compiled some tips to help you troubleshoot any issues you might experience when signing up, logging in, or using myGPhC.

See the troubleshooting tips

Reflective account

The purpose of the reflective account is to encourage you to think about how you meet our standards in the work you do.

Make sure you carry out your reflective account in plenty of time so you’re able to include how your learning has benefited people.

Standards to focus on in your reflective account 

The standards you should reflect on when renewing your registration:

• Standard one: Pharmacy professionals must provide person-centred care
• Standard two: Pharmacy professionals must work in partnership with others
• Standard five: Pharmacy professionals must use their professional judgement

Practise writing a reflective account

It’s a good idea to practise writing a reflective account. Use our form and guidance  to try writing one for your work. 

Preparing for your reflective account 

Find out more information about getting ready for revalidation and your reflective account.

Form and guidance

Peer discussion    

Peer discussion is a development activity that encourages you to reflect on your learning and practice with others.

Having an open and honest conversation with someone who you trust and respect can help support you to improve.

You’ll need to show how your learning has benefitted people, so make sure you carry out your peer discussion in plenty of time.

Preparing for your peer discussion  

Find out more about getting ready for your peer discussion  

See the form

Other resources

Guidance for pharmacy professionals

Guidance for peers 

Guidance for employers

Planned and unplanned continuing professional development

For revalidation, we want to hear how you’re developing your knowledge, skills and approach to do your job more effectively.

You’ll need to complete four CPD entries a year. At least two of these must be planned, such as attending a training course or reading relevant resources.

The rest can be unplanned, such as identifying learning when attending a meeting or responding to a query from a patient or another health professional.

It can be helpful to note your CPD activities throughout the year on your myGPhC account. Otherwise, you can use the downloadable forms and transfer the information to myGPhC to submit them.  

Prepare to record your CPD

Use the documents below for your CPD planned learning

Planned record

Unplanned record

Support from other organisations

We provide you with help and support throughout your revalidation activity. 

You may be able to get advice about completing revalidation from:

• your employer
• your professional body, including the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) , and the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK (APTUK)
• Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE)
• Pharmacist Support
• Primary Care Pharmacy Association (PCPA)
• Welsh Centre of Pharmacy Professional Education (WCPPE)
• UK Clinical Pharmacy Association (UKCPA)
• other learning and development organisations or communities that you may be a part of

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