Switching from the Community to GP Pharmacist?

I have enjoyed the benefits of being a full-time CP for a few years, but I do believe it's now time to explore other areas of pharmacy. My goal is to have a portfolio career whereby I work 1-2 days in the community, 1-2 days in a GP practice and a day as an academic researcher undergoing a part-time PhD.

Who has explored this? Has it been worthwhile? Is it easy to make the switch from a full-blooded CP to a GP pharmacist? Steps to take etc?

If you're willing to undergo IP training, the CPPE primary care pathway and more CPD than all your years combined as a CP then sure, making the transition to GP is straightforward. Starting salaries are £45-£50k and rise with experience and qualifications. I hear you can earn up to £80k and drive Land Rovers working in CP though, not sure if it's worth the jump.

The goal is to explore the clinical expertise of being a GP pharmacist, maintain a healthy income as a CP whilst keeping the brain running smoothly as an academic researcher. I have seen a few older and experienced colleagues do this, so it isn't just my idea. Working part-time for 2 days a week as a locum CP in the desolate and socioeconomicallYy deprived areas of the NE like I do now will probably earn circa £700/week, £2800 gross per month.

I might decide to shadow an experienced GP pharmacist for a few hours a week for free just to see what the job entails.

You'll most likely be overburdening yourself if you plan to do all 3 of these specialties at once.

The DES specifies that practice pharmacists have to be enrolled on training programmes, this means a year and a half CPPE pathway which is like a postgraduate degree in itself including dozens of case studies, webinars and tutorials to attend and presentations to be delivered, you have staff and patient satisfaction questionnaires on your performance, have to demonstrate practical skills and submit a portfolio of evidence at the end. You're then expected to do an IP accreditation afterwards which is usually just shy of a year training and includes more advanced cases and assessments, advanced practical skills, OSCEs and a portfolio to submit at the end.

That right there is about 2.5 years of training just for getting your foot in the door of GP, whether you're doing full-time or part-time. Trying to balance this ontop of an academia role would eat out of your available free time if that even matters to you.

Wow, that's a hell of a lot of work to be a GP practice pharmacist. Is that the route everyone has to take?

But from what I've read the OP earns a 'GP level salary' and has a mansion and a big car, not sure why they want to take a 50% pay cut, and do all this extra work, when they have stated they love CP so much and would do it for free, I recall in one post.

Portfolio career is the way to go. Why enjoy just one part of pharmacy when I can enjoy other parts as well at the same time. My self assessment figures for the last financial year tells me I made just over £82,000 in total as a CP. I'm more than happy to cut this down to £60,000 in order to explore a portfolio career.

Wow, that's a hell of a lot of work to be a GP practice pharmacist. Is that the route everyone has to take?

But from what I've read the OP earns a 'GP level salary' and has a mansion and a big car, not sure why they want to take a 50% pay cut, and do all this extra work, when they have stated they love CP so much and would do it for free, I recall in one post.

Yes, this is standard for practice pharmacists. Some are IP's before they get into it, others aren't. But it's an absolute requirement to go through the CPPE pathway + IP accreditation as the DES makes this a requirement as part of salary remuneration from NHS England.

Luckily I've already got my IP under my belt going into practice but the CPPE pathway is ontop of the work hours at the surgery. I get to do a lot of the case studies, tutorials and meetings during work hours but prep work and further studying is outside of work hours. Let's just say I have no shortage of CPD to provide for renewal every year!

Yes, this is standard for practice pharmacists. Some are IP's before they get into it, others aren't. But it's an absolute requirement to go through the CPPE pathway + IP accreditation as the DES makes this a requirement as part of salary remuneration from NHS England.

Luckily I've already got my IP under my belt going into practice but the CPPE pathway is ontop of the work hours at the surgery. I get to do a lot of the case studies, tutorials and meetings during work hours but prep work and further studying is outside of work hours. Let's just say I have no shortage of CPD to provide for renewal every year!

Yes, this is standard for practice pharmacists. Some are IP's before they get into it, others aren't. But it's an absolute requirement to go through the CPPE pathway + IP accreditation as the DES makes this a requirement as part of salary remuneration from NHS England.

Luckily I've already got my IP under my belt going into practice but the CPPE pathway is ontop of the work hours at the surgery. I get to do a lot of the case studies, tutorials and meetings during work hours but prep work and further studying is outside of work hours. Let's just say I have no shortage of CPD to provide for renewal every year!

Out of curiousity, how often do you use your IP quals in practice?

The only reason I haven't gone for IP quals is the requirement to have a designated doctor as a supervisor. We can't blame the doctors really, they have no incentive to supervise a trainee for nothing in addition to their normal work load. There are a few dodgy doctors underground who offer to do this for a backhand payment of a few £1000s. Clearly illegal, but I know a few desperate pharmacists who have acheived their IP quals through this route.

Every time I need to write a prescription, so almost every patient or med query. Maybe 50 - 100 times a day depending what's going on.

Many thanks. You are in the fortunate position of having been trained and employed to use your core IP skills. I have spoken with many of my colleagues in the community with IP quals and they all say that they are not in a position to use the quals in the community, with the exception of Scotland where apparently it can be used in the community. However, the pay also matters. I'm yet to see GP pharmacist jobs advertised for above the £50,000 odd offered to practices by the NHS. I do hear that some practices supplement this with a stipend which takes the annual pay above £60,000, but no concrete evidence of such.

Many thanks. You are in the fortunate position of having been trained and employed to use your core IP skills. I have spoken with many of my colleagues in the community with IP quals and they all say that they are not in a position to use the quals in the community, with the exception of Scotland where apparently it can be used in the community. However, the pay also matters. I'm yet to see GP pharmacist jobs advertised for above the £50,000 odd offered to practices by the NHS. I do hear that some practices supplement this with a stipend which takes the annual pay above £60,000, but no concrete evidence of such.

I looked into going into this area of work recently, and you are looking at a 50% paycut from your 80k+ salary. Most jobs were band 7 around just over 40k. Equating to approx £20.50 an hour. plus were full-time so you would have to do your £45 an hour locums on the weekend, when you should be doing the 12-16hr private study per-week. Not sure it will fit in with your money first orientated stance??

I worked an average of 60 hours per week for over 2 years as full-time employed and locum. I'm sure I can create a balance if I do go down this pathway. However, I'm looking for part-time openings only, no more than 2 days a week. There is actually an agency I met a while back in Newcastle that recruits pharmacists to work as locum in GP practices across the NE. The job basically involves medication reviews and some admin.I have lost contact with them, but I think similar agencies exist everywhere.

If you're willing to undergo IP training, the CPPE primary care pathway and more CPD than all your years combined as a CP then sure, making the transition to GP is straightforward. Starting salaries are £45-£50k and rise with experience and qualifications. I hear you can earn up to £80k and drive Land Rovers working in CP though, not sure if it's worth the jump.

Wow, that's a hell of a lot of work to be a GP practice pharmacist. Is that the route everyone has to take?

But from what I've read the OP earns a 'GP level salary' and has a mansion and a big car, not sure why they want to take a 50% pay cut, and do all this extra work, when they have stated they love CP so much and would do it for free, I recall in one post.

PRSOM

But yeah, im in a similar boat of wanting to go into gp land but not having any luck finding a Dmp over the last few years.