The South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC or Council) developed the first competence standards for pharmacists in 2006. These competence standards were based on the unit standards specified in the Regulations Relating to Pharmacy Education and Training published in terms of the Pharmacy Act 53 of 1074, as amended.
At a meeting on 13 and 14 May 2015, Council resolved that the competence standards and outcomes be reviewed in line with current practice, the revised BPharm qualification 2012/3 to 2018, and the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) global competency framework (2012).
| 2.1 | In reviewing the competence standards, the following were considered: |
| (a) | the BPharm qualification approved by Council in 2011 and implemented in 2012/3; |
| (b) | the competence standards developed in 2006; |
| (c) | emerging trends in pharmacy practice; |
| (d) | literature on national and international developments in pharmacy education and training; |
| (e) | literature on competencies and an analysis of global competency frameworks in pharmacy; |
| (f) | the Global Report on Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and Continuing Education (CE) in Pharmacy published by FIP in 20121; |
| (g) | international benchmarking against the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, the European Union, Singapore, Canada, and the United States of America (USA); and |
| (h) | any other relevant information. |
2.2 Rationale for the development of competency standards
The competency standards have been developed to encompass the changes and developments in all sectors of pharmacy and practice, including new technologies, work processes, changes in legislation and international trends, primarily to ensure public safety.
| 2.3 | Areas influenced and informed by the competency standards |
The competency standards will influence and inform the following areas:
| (a) | education and practice standards; |
| (b) | BPharm curriculum development and review; |
| (c) | the SAPC pre-registration policy for pharmacist interns; |
| (d) | scope of practice of pharmacists; |
| (e) | identification of learning needs for CPD for pharmacists in practice in different sectors of pharmacy; |
| (f) | development of short courses to address learning gaps; |
| (g) | evaluation of courses for advanced practice e.g. Primary Care Drug Therapy (PCDT); |
| (h) | evaluation of courses for specialisations in pharmacy; |
| (i) | assessment of pharmacists with foreign qualifications; and |
| (j) | job descriptions and performance evaluation. |
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| 1 | FIP competency framework was derived from a comparative study of common behaviours within frameworks used in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Thailand, United Kingdom, USA and Zambia, which includes third world countries. |
