Practice, Skill Mix, and Education: The Evolving Role of Pharmacy Technicians in Great Britain

Pharmacy technicians’ roles are rapidly evolving in Great Britain (GB) as they undertake more extended activities with increased autonomy across the different pharmacy sectors. This paper compares the GB pharmacy regulator initial education and training standards recently introduced (2017) with the qualifications currently used in practice and discusses whether future qualifications will be ‘fit for purpose’. In this context, knowledge, skills, and competence are reviewed to assess whether they will meet the expectations and underpin the evolving pharmacy technician role as integral to healthcare provision. Based on drivers, policy change, and the changing GB healthcare landscape, effectiveness of skill mix is analysed to establish whether this is being optimised to support person-centred pharmacy in response to the challenges and pressures faced within the NHS. On this basis and given there is a limited evidence base, this review has highlighted a need for larger scale research to reassure the pharmacy and wider healthcare professions, and the public, that the evolving pharmacy technician role presents no increased risk to patient safety and contributes significantly to releasing pharmacists time for person-centred clinical activities

Sino-African journalism and journalistic fields: CGTN Africa’s workers between worlds

Much academic criticism and public-political opinion has been made of China’s “going out” in Africa, and particularly of its media apparatus’ role in this project. But there has been little concerted research into the forces that influence production at these news organisations. Why do they produce the news they do? Why do the journalists that work for them choose to do so? Drawing on almost fifty hours of semi-structure interviews and life histories with staff at one of these Sino-African news organisations, CGTN Africa, I will seek to explain and theorise its production of news. This thesis argues that field theory, as proposed by Pierre Bourdieu, can provide a useful theoretical basis for studying the particular context of news production at CGTN Africa, and can contribute to wider understandings of international news production. Bourdieusian concepts such as habitus, capital, and field, are helpful analytical tools to explain the processes of work at an organisation like CGTN Africa, but also need considerable adaptation to the specificities of the context of this case study. The analysis is presented in four chapters, the first three of which use the prism of differing vertical layers of field to interrogate the practice of CGTN Africa and its journalists: the global field, where CGTN competes with its international competitors; national fields, where journalists themselves emanate from; and urban fields, where news organisations tend to be based. The final analysis chapter then considers the overlapping of these layers of fields, and the unique patterns of practice this can produce. In the case of each layer, the context of news production at CGTN Africa is used to reflect back on Bourdieu’s “thinking tools,” and propose novel theoretical approaches to studying international news production. It first considers how competing heteronomies work to protect unique forms of journalistic practice at CGTN Africa. Second, how journalists interact with forms of capital emanating from competing national fields, developing new dispositions to engage with their work. Third, it considers how social position within journalistic fields relates to physical mobility and geographic positioning within and in relation to urban environments. And finally, it reflects on the role of race and racism in the day-to-day work and career trajectories of journalists working for international news organisations. Together, these analyses argue that, when used reflexively, field theory provides a fruitful toolkit for researchers investigating journalistic practice in a wider variety of contexts

Defining the Role of the Pharmacy Technician and Identifying Their Future Role in Medicines Optimisation

Background: Traditionally, pharmacy technicians have worked alongside pharmacists in community and hospital pharmacy. Changes within pharmacy provide opportunity for role expansion and with no apparent career pathway, there is a need to define the current pharmacy technician role and role in medicines optimisation. Aim: To capture the current roles of pharmacy technicians and identify how their future role will contribute to medicines optimisation. Methods: Following ethical approval and piloting, an online survey to ascertain pharmacy technicians’ views about their roles was undertaken. Recruitment took place in collaboration with the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK. Data were exported to SPSS, data screened and descriptive statistics produced. Free text responses were analysed and tasks collated into categories reflecting the type of work involved in each task. Results: Responses received were 393 (28%, n = 1380). Results were organised into five groups: i.e., hospital, community, primary care, General Practitioner (GP) practice and other (which included HM Prison Service). Thirty tasks were reported as commonly undertaken in three or more settings and 206 (84.7%, n = 243) pharmacy technicians reported they would like to expand their role. Conclusions: Tasks core to hospital and community pharmacy should be considered for inclusion to initial education standards to reflect current practice. Post qualification, pharmacy technicians indicate a significant desire to expand clinically and managerially allowing pharmacists more time in patient-facing/clinical roles

Are you ready for change? Farsight for construction: Exploratory scenarios for Queensland’s construction industry to 2036

The future of work and employment is a global hot topic with interconnected and powerful forces shaping jobs, industries and entire economies. Farsight, prepared in partnership with Construction Skills Queensland, examines the future of construction work in the state. Specifically, the report discusses critical trends and alternative scenarios for the future of Queensland’s construction workforce. Eighty leading experts across the state contributed to this future through a range of thinking and participation in interviews and workshops – where they considered what the industry could look like in 2036, and how job profiles and skills requirements might change to align with that future. A comprehensive scan of trends impacting the industry was undertaken, 25 of which are discussed in this report. This industry input and trends scan culminated in the development of four scenarios (Figure 1) that capture key areas of uncertainty and impact for jobs and skills in the industry. Each scenario is possible and takes the reader down an evidence-based journey about a plausible future. Because the future is not exact, there are multiple paths leading to multiple scenarios. Our scenarios describe a range of futures – some we would like to happen or others we would like to avoid. The aim in scenario planning is to be objective and inform decision-makers to identify, select and implement optimal strategies to achieve a better future – for all involved. Farsight was designed to help the industry understand what could happen in the future, and to identify what future(s) the industry wants and what steps could be taken to move toward desired futures. The scenarios were defined using a strategic foresight process that involves the identification of two spectrums that capture a range of plausible outcomes. The end points are extreme possibilities, with each relatively independent of the other. The outcomes of Farsight rests upon a set of trends compiled and synthesised by the research team. Crossing the axes defines the scenario space and the four scenarios which detail the tools we will need to keep stay nimble, relevant and effective in a global marke

Public Preferences to CCS:How does it Change Across Countries?

AbstractThe aim of this research was to extend an Australian developed large group process which proved effective in engaging the general public on issues related to climate change, energy technologies, and the overall shift towards a low carbon society. The results from Australia, the Netherlands, Canada and Scotland found that in each of the geographic locations the context varied, and participants reported different experiences and understanding of each topic. This paper explores how context may have impacted on the results, the differences that arise and discusses the implications for policy makers and research developers

A Systematic Review of Strong Gravitational Lens Modeling Software

Despite expanding research activity in gravitational lens modeling, there is no particular software which is considered a standard. Much of the gravitational lens modeling software is written by individual investigators for their own use. Some gravitational lens modeling software is freely available for download but is widely variable with regard to ease of use and quality of documentation. This review of 13 software packages was undertaken to provide a single source of information. Gravitational lens models are classified as parametric models or non-parametric models, and can be further divided into research and educational software. Software used in research includes the GRAVLENS package (with both gravlens and lensmodel), Lenstool, LensPerfect, glafic, PixeLens, SimpLens, Lensview, and GRALE. In this review, GravLensHD, G-Lens, Gravitational Lensing, lens and MOWGLI are categorized as educational programs that are useful for demonstrating various aspects of lensing. Each of the 13 software packages is reviewed with regard to software features (installation, documentation, files provided, etc.) and lensing features (type of model, input data, output data, etc.) as well as a brief review of studies where they have been used. Recent studies have demonstrated the utility of strong gravitational lensing data for mass mapping, and suggest increased use of these techniques in the future. Coupled with the advent of greatly improved imaging, new approaches to modeling of strong gravitational lens systems are needed. This is the first systematic review of strong gravitational lens modeling software, providing investigators with a starting point for future software development to further advance gravitational lens modeling research

Assessing the Effects of a Program to Promote Energy-Efficiency Upgrades in Existing Homes

Energy efficient mortgages (EEMs) are intended to mitigate some of the financial barriers to upgrading the energy efficiency of existing (and sometimes new) houses. The Time of Sale Energy Renovation Program (TOSER) is designed to overcome key obstacles that have limited the use of EEMs when existing homes are sold. Conducted by Staples-Hutchinson for Pacific Gas and Electric, the Program primarily provides seminars to real estate agents and lenders to educate them about the characteristics and benefits of EEMs. EEMs typically allow the buyer to include cost-effective efficiency upgrades in her mortgage. This paper presents an overview of the TOSER Program and the results of the third and fourth evaluation of this Program. This study relied on market actor interviews and statistical analyses of key program data to identify program impacts and opportunities to improve program effectiveness