Charlotte Burrell, a dispenser at Oundle is undertaking a two-year apprenticeship to become a pharmacy technician. She enjoyed her work experience at a GP surgery so much that after school she worked in dispensaries and pharmacies.
She joined Oundle three and a half years ago and loves being an integral part of the dispensary: 'We have such a good, stable team and it is a really good environment to work in. We issue repeat prescriptions, serve patients, order and pack stock and complete weekly dosette boxes for patients and support with any queries they have got. Anything that is above our role we refer to a pharmacist or GP.'
She started her online apprenticeship course in November and, once completed, she will be able to widen her remit: 'It is a position which is becoming more common in GP surgeries; due to the high workload of GPs we have more pharmacists now so this role is about supporting them. I am learning all the basics. In the dispensary we are aware of certain interactions between medications, but this is a lot more in depth.'
'The plan is to work part time in the dispensary and assist the pharmacist part of the time involving doing medication reviews and hospital letters. It is about helping with workflow, freeing up the pharmacist more to work alongside GPs.'
'Rhiannon, our pharmacist, is really supportive. My confidence and knowledge is growing and the course is really rewarding. I am enjoying it and getting support from my colleagues. Every day is a learning day, it is very interesting.'