Asked to do a task you have not been trained for

Introduction

Everyone in a pharmacy has limits to what they are trained and authorised to do. New starters feel the most pressure to say yes. This scenario is about how to say 'I have not been trained for that yet' and why it is the professional thing to do.

What happened?

A new medicines counter assistant was three weeks into her first pharmacy job. She had not yet been enrolled on a training course and had not been signed off on the pharmacy's sales of medicines protocol.

On a busy Saturday a colleague went home unwell. The manager asked her to 'just cover the counter' while the pharmacist caught up in the dispensary. A customer asked for a Pharmacy (P) medicine for her ten year old son's hay fever. The assistant did not know the questions to ask or that the product had an age limit. She picked the product the customer pointed at and put the sale through without speaking to the pharmacist.

The customer's mother-in-law, a retired nurse, read the pack at home and brought it back. The product was not licensed for children under twelve. The child had not taken any.

What was the concern?

• A P medicine was sold without the right questions being asked and without involving the pharmacist.
• The assistant was working outside her competence. She had not been trained, and the task had been delegated without checking that she had.
• She did not feel able to say no, or to ask for help, on a busy day.
• Delegation failed on both sides. The person delegating is responsible for checking competence. The person accepting is responsible for speaking up.

What was the outcome?

In this scenario the pharmacist spoke to the customer, supplied a suitable product and recorded the incident. The team reviewed it together. The assistant was enrolled on an accredited course that week, worked through the sales protocol with the pharmacist, and was given a simple rule: if you are not sure, ask, every time. The manager changed how cover was arranged so that untrained staff were never alone on the medicines counter.

What can we learn?

1. It is professional to say 'I have not been trained to do that yet. Can you show me or can someone else do it?'
2. P medicines are sold under the supervision of a pharmacist and in line with the pharmacy's sales of medicines protocol. If you have not been signed off on it, you should not be selling them alone.
3. Always check who the medicine is for and how old they are. Age limits differ between products, even for the same condition.
4. If you are unsure, refer to the pharmacist. Nobody will think less of you.
5. If you are regularly asked to do things you are not trained for, raise it. Start with the pharmacist or manager. Your pharmacy will have a procedure for raising concerns.
6. If you delegate a task, check first that the person is trained and confident.

Relevant pharmacy practice

The GPhC sets requirements for the education and training of pharmacy support staff. Staff involved in selling or supplying medicines should be enrolled on a suitable accredited course within three months of starting the role, and should only carry out tasks they are competent to do while they train. Pharmacy owners are responsible for making sure this happens.

WWHAM is the usual structure for a medicines sale: Who is it for, What are the symptoms, How long, Action already taken, Medicines being taken.

PPets learning connection

The Level 2 Certificate for pharmacy support staff covers medicine sales, WWHAM and when to refer. Our free WWHAM cheat sheet and OTC red flags guide are useful on the counter from day one.

Record this as CPD

Registered pharmacy technicians can use this article towards GPhC revalidation, as an unplanned CPD entry or as the starting point for a reflective account. Pharmacy assistants and trainees can use it as evidence of reflective practice. Note down three things:

1. What you learned from this article
2. How you have applied it, or will apply it, in your own role
3. The benefit to the people who use your pharmacy's services

Sources and further reading

• GPhC guidance on raising concerns
• GPhC: education and training requirements for pharmacy support staff
• GPhC standards for pharmacy professionals

Related from PPets

• WWHAM training
• Community pharmacy red flags
• Level 2 Certificate for pharmacy support staff

This article is for general educational purposes only. It is not legal advice, professional regulatory advice or clinical advice about an individual patient. Always follow your pharmacy's SOPs and check current official guidance and product information.

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