Credentialing
We provide a standardised credentialing framework for pharmacists’ post-registration education and training, enabling them to be recognised for their advancing professional capabilities. Through national UK curricula and robust assessment, pharmacists can demonstrate their advancing knowledge, skills and behaviours against national standards. This assures patients, providers and commissioners of the quality and safety of care delivered.
Our model supports career-long development across three levels of practice: Post-Registration Foundation, Core Advanced and Consultant Pharmacist. It also includes specialist advanced pathways in critical care and mental health. By promoting consistency in post-registration development and assurance, the framework has the potential to be integrated into NHS policy and thus inform strategic workforce planning and be reflected in pharmacist roles across the system.
Enhanced curriculum and credentialing
For newly qualified pharmacist prescribers to develop their prescribing practice.
Post registration foundation curriculum
The stepping stone to advanced patient-focused pharmacy practice.
Core advanced pharmacist curriculum
Capabilities of an advanced pharmacist in a patient-focused role.
Advanced pharmacist critical care curriculum
For entry-level advanced pharmacists practising in critical care.
Advanced pharmacist mental health curriculum
For entry-level advanced pharmacists in mental health.
Consultant pharmacists
Credentialing pharmacists as consultant ready.
Accreditation of prior certified learning
Process of accreditation for prior certified learning.
Hear from credentialed pharmacists
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How PRF credentialing has supported my development as an early career pharmacist
Building confidence through structured development Engaging in Post-registration Foundation (PRF) credentialing has had a significant impact on my development as an early career pharmacist. The structured nature of the programme provided a clear framework for progression, helping me understand the knowledge, skills and behaviours expected of an early career pharmacist. As a result, I have become more confident in my practice, particularly in relation to clinical decision-making and managing the care of increasingly complex patients. Rather than relying solely on experience gained through day-to-day work, the credentialing pathway encouraged me to actively reflect on my development, identify learning needs and take a more deliberate approach to professional growth. Finding time for development One of the main challenges I faced was balancing my professional development alongside service demands. While opportunities to learn existed, it was often difficult to know where to focus my efforts or how to evidence my progress. Time remains the greatest barrier to development, both for learners and for the colleagues who support them. In a busy healthcare environment, protected time for learning is difficult to secure. However, creative approaches such as incorporating development discussions into regular rotational supervisor meetings, engaging in peer learning, and contributing to existing quality improvement or service development activities as evidence for the portfolio helped make progression more manageable. Looking beyond day-to-day clinical practice The pathway also changed my attitude towards learning and reflective practice. I now view professional development as a continuous process rather than a box-ticking exercise. The credentialing framework encouraged me to be more proactive in seeking opportunities to learn and helped me recognise the value of reflection in improving practice. It also demonstrated the value of working within a supportive environment where ongoing professional development is actively encouraged. Although the clinical domains are closely aligned with everyday pharmacy practice, the greatest developmental benefit has come from engagement with the leadership and management, education and research domains. These areas encourage early career pharmacists to think beyond their immediate clinical responsibilities and become involved in activities such as quality improvement, service development and teaching from an early stage in their careers. This broader perspective has not only supported my own career progression but also enables pharmacists to contribute more effectively to organisational priorities, service improvement and the future development of the profession. The impact on my practice and career Alongside these broader benefits, the credentialing process has had a direct impact on my clinical practice. Through structured reflection and the development of my evidence-based practice, I feel more confident and capable when assessing patients, making recommendations and contributing to multidisciplinary decision-making. Undertaking PRF credentialing has also influenced my career aspirations. The process has increased my confidence, improved my understanding of professional progression and provided greater clarity about future career opportunities. Without the confidence and self-belief, I developed through the structured support of the PRF credentialing pathway, I do not think I would have considered, let alone applied for, my current role. By Sophie White, Specialist Rotational Pharmacist at NNUH and a Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice at UEA. Read more blogs.
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Making enhanced credentialing happen, together
Chair of the curriculum steering group for the new enhanced credentialing pathway for newly qualified pharmacist prescribers explains more about the workforce summit at RPS in November 2025.
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Professional growth with RPS post-registration foundation credentialing
This was published when the organisation was the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. Following completion of my hospital foundation training year in 2021, I started the RPS Post Registration Foundation Portfolio as part of the first cohort of this new programme. The programme is supported by NHS Education Scotland (NES) has become embedded within the team I work in and has been instrumental in shaping my professional growth. Supervised Learning events (SLEs) in practice For this programme to succeed, it was essential to embed SLEs into my practice. While crucial for the programme, this also created a new way of working. Fortunately, NHS Lanarkshire has an excellent education and training team whose supportive culture extends across the service, ensuring that SLEs are now fully integrated into our practice. As a team, we have become more familiar with the different types of SLEs and recognise that everything counts towards the portfolio and that this extends beyond clinical interventions. This understanding has made it easier to see how the portfolio fits into practice. The use of SLEs has cultivated a robust feedback mechanism, offering comprehensive insights into individual practice. Using a variety of supervised learning events has supported my development by providing feedback on multiple areas of my practice from various members of the multidisciplinary team and from patients. MDT feedback As part of my credentialing journey, I completed my independent prescribing course, further integrating my role within the multidisciplinary team (MDT). The use of multisource feedback forms and SLEs enabled me to receive valuable feedback from colleagues outside the pharmacy team. This collaborative approach has not only enhanced my clinical competencies but also deepened my understanding of my role within ward teams, driving my professional development through learning from others. Working across the four pillars and professional development The portfolio's flexibility allowed me to explore opportunities in non-clinical areas such as leadership and research. Reflective practice has been crucial in this process, helping me identify areas for development and actively address them. This approach has supported me in taking on challenges, considering them from new perspectives, and implementing effective solutions. Future practice My practice has developed through my credentialing journey, better preparing me for advanced practice. I have progressed from working within each pillar to demonstrating them concurrently. This growth has allowed me to manage new challenges, consider them in new ways, and implement solutions in practice. As I advance within the RPS framework, I am excited to leverage the skills and insights gained, confident that my familiarity with the four-pillar approach will support my ongoing development. Reflecting on my credentialing journey, I realise how pivotal it has been in shaping my professional growth. The integration of SLEs, the support of the MDT, and the flexibility of the RPS portfolio have all contributed to my development as a reflective practitioner. As I transition towards advanced practice, I am eager to continue this journey, confident that the experience gained during this credentialing process will support my ongoing development and success. For more information on Post-Registration Foundation Credentialing. Read more blogs.
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My journey with RPS post-registration foundation credentialing
This was published when the organisation was the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. I began my career as a pharmacist at Inverclyde Royal Hospital where I enrolled on the Post Registration Foundation Pharmacist programme. From the get-go, I undertook supervised learning events (SLEs), initially with senior pharmacists within my team as collaborators, then, as I gained more experience in the SLE process, I reached out to other healthcare professionals to collaborate and gain feedback on my practice. This proved especially useful when undertaking my clinical skills section as it allowed me to gain feedback from healthcare professionals with the necessary expertise. Incorporating IP experiences into my portfolio After completing the first stage of the programme, I began my Independent Prescribing (IP) qualification, where I was able to use experiences gained from my prescribing course as evidence in my portfolio. Following receipt of my IP qualification, I knew I was on the home straight and focussed on completing SLEs relating to the non-clinical domains. By this point, I felt well-established within the hospital I was based at and managed to use a wide range of collaborators from different specialities to complete my portfolio. Understanding the framework and guidance As I was in the first cohort of pharmacists undertaking this programme, my educational supervisor and I took the time to read through the framework and guidance offered by the RPS and NHS Education for Scotland (NES) to gain an understanding of what was expected of us over the coming years. Throughout my first year working as a pharmacist, the majority of my SLEs focussed on developing and applying my clinical knowledge and skills as well as working within the multidisciplinary team to provide person-centred care. Using SLEs and gathering feedback I used a variety of SLEs such as clinical evaluation exercises (mini-CEX), case-based discussions (CbD) and acute care assessment tools (ACAT) to demonstrate my abilities whilst gathering constructive feedback on how to improve and strengthen them. As these skills improved, my educational supervisor and I discussed how I could focus further on the non-clinical domains. Using the Intermediate Progress Reviews and the Learning Needs Analysis helped us to navigate how I was going to achieve this by highlighting areas for development and allowing me to track my progress. Seeking learning opportunities As a result, I actively sought learning opportunities such as undertaking a quality improvement project, authoring a blog for the health boards’ webpage on cost savings, leading on a focus group for frailty, and teaching junior doctors about high-risk medications, where again, I was able to receive feedback in order to strengthen my leadership, management, education and research skills. Ultimately, the Foundation Pharmacist programme has not only helped me to grow as a pharmacist in terms of my clinical and non-clinical capabilities, but it has also encouraged me to seek out a multitude of learning opportunities which I would not have necessarily undertaken otherwise. Furthermore, it has simultaneously allowed me to build strong relationships with colleagues within our multidisciplinary team for which I am extremely grateful and will utilise throughout my career and as I progress onto my advanced practice. I am lucky to have had such a supportive team and thank everyone who contributed to my portfolio. For more information on RCPharm Post-Registration Foundation Credentialing. Read more RCPharm blogs.
A model for successful credentialing in pharmacy
Read this article from the Pharmaceutical Journal on how to effectively prepare for credentialing in pharmacy and present credentialing evidence to produce a high-quality portfolio.
