Building confidence as a pharmacist prescriber
Published: 5 August 2026
On completing my prescribing qualification, I had mixed feelings of excitement, pride and responsibility. It was an important milestone, but also very much like the beginning of a new chapter rather than the end of a course. It felt like the start of something much bigger, with new responsibilities and opportunities to grow.
It has reminded me just how much there is to learn when you step into this role. Even after many years in pharmacy, it has given me a renewed appreciation for what it feels like to be learning, growing into a role, building trust in my own judgement and knowing when to seek support from those around me in a new area of practice.
A prescribing qualification is only the start
Completing the prescribing course was incredibly hard work, but it was also one of the most deeply rewarding things I have done professionally. It strengthened many of the clinical skills I had developed throughout my career, while also challenging me to see a new dimension to consultation skills: how we listen, how we support shared decision-making and how we manage the tricky conversations that can come with prescribing at times.
That was animportant part of the learning for me. Prescribing is not just about knowing the medicine or applying the guideline. It is also about being able to have honest, compassionate conversations with patients, especially when decisions are not straightforward or when the answer is not what someone was hoping to hear.
Whether you’re a newly qualified pharmacist or, like me, someone who has come to prescribing with years of pharmacy experience behind them, there is always a period of transition. It can feel energising and full of possibility, and it can feel daunting too. If that is how you feel, you are not alone.
How do you gain confidence as a prescriber?
As pharmacists, we’re used to building our confidence and developing capability over time. It comes through experience, seeing different patient presentations, reflecting on the decisions we make and sometimes learning from the situations that don’t go quite as planned. Prescribing has felt the same to me.
The qualification provides the knowledge, skills and framework needed to prescribe safely. But the confidence to make complex clinical decisions, manage uncertainty, explain options clearly and take responsibility for prescribing decisions develops gradually through practice.
Why support matters
In those early stages, new prescribers can often find themselves navigating unfamiliar situations, making increasingly complex decisions and working at the edges of their developing competence. That can feel uncomfortable and at times be challenging, but it is also where some of the most valuable growth happens.
For some pharmacists, particularly those working in community pharmacy, finding opportunities to discuss challenging cases or learn from peers can be difficult. During my own prescribing training in hospital practice, having colleagues around me to seek advice, sense-check a decision or talk through a difficult consultation made a real difference. For some pharmacists, particularly those working in community pharmacy, those opportunities are not always easy to find. Not everyone has that same access to support, which is why I feel strongly that access to professional support is important, especially when you are still building confidence.
How the Royal College of Pharmacy is supporting new prescribers
That’s why the College is providing real-time, practical, structured support for members who are new to prescribing: From qualified to confident. It’s for all new prescribers – whether you’re newly registered, recently qualified as a prescriber or returning to prescribing.
It includes:
- A real-time support line staffed by experienced pharmacist prescribers
- A structured 90-day development toolkit to guide you
- Sector-specific learning resources
- Career and leadership development support
- Wellbeing resources
- Information on professional liability cover for members
Together, these resources will build the confidence, capability and professional judgement needed to master your prescribing practice.
Don’t view qualification as the finish line. See it as the start of an exciting new chapter.
I hope it gives people the reassurance that they are not expected to have all the answers on day one, and that there is support available to help you build their confidence in a safe and supportive way.
The Royal College of Pharmacy is committed to supporting members every step of the way as they build the confidence, capability and professional judgement needed to prescribe. Find out more about the From qualified to confident resources to help you on your prescribing journey.
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