Students from non-white ethnic groups are more likely to be dissatisfied with their pre-registration training than white students, General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) research has shown.
 

Eleven per cent of Asian pre-reg students and 16 per cent from other ethnic groups were dissatisfied with their training in 2013, according to a survey commissioned by the regulator. This compared with 6 per cent of white students, the GPhC said in a report published on Monday (January 19).


The survey, conducted by research company Information by Design, also showed that dissatisfied trainees were more likely to be over 30 years of age, the GPhC said. Nineteen per cent of patients in this age group were unhappy with their training, while just 9 per cent of younger students felt the same, according to the data.

The least satisfied sector

The survey was conducted in 2013 and Monday's report was compiled from further analysis of the 11 per cent of students who expressed dissatisfaction with their placement. The GPhC highlighted that differences in satisfaction levels were driven by the sector the individual trained in, with students aged over 30 or from non-white ethnic groups "significantly more likely" to have trained in community pharmacy. This sector accounted for 81 per cent of all dissatisfied students, it said.


Three quarters of dissatisfied trainees reported either "poor" or "very poor" quality of supervision during their placement, and two thirds did not feel they had been supported and encouraged in challenging situations, the GPhC said. Almost half of dissatisfied trainees did not feel their training had enabled them to fully cover the GPhC's pre-registration standards, it added.

GPhC chief executive Duncan Rudkin said he hoped the survey would "go some way" to help training providers find ways to better support pre-reg trainees and tutors. "Although the majority of trainees are happy with the quality of their training, it is clear that this is not the experience for a minority, particularly those in community pharmacy," he said.

Both trainees and tutors should “actively use” the GPhC’s 2014 guidance on tutoring, he stressed.

 
British Pharmaceutical Students’ Association (BPSA) president Chloe O’Beirne said the survey gave a “valuable insight” into “some key areas of dissatisfaction which must be addressed” by the GPhC.

 
In 2013, students and pharmacists stressed the need for greater quality control of pre-reg tutors after students complained of “traumatising” and “painful” experiences.

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