Courses to become Act (Accredited Checking Technician)

[sarnie]

hi everyone,
can you guys tell me how long the course is to become a ACT,and what it involves, is it similar to NVQ3,

[dizzyb23]

Hi Sarnie
I've posted some info in your other thread
Hope it helps a bit

[Koul Kougar]

HI Sarnie,

You need to be able to register with the RPSGB as a Pharmacy Technician - check that your current qualifications allow you to do this as not all of them do! After this it really depends of who you do your training with. Normally it takes about three months, where you are building up a portfolio of evidence to show your competance to an external assesor. Along with this youwill be checking of Rx's that your tutor pharmacist has set up for you. You will need to check off 1000 items correctly. If you make an error, you need to start back at the beginning! Once this is done you have a external exam where you check of Rx's that may or may nor have errors on them.

Hope this helps,

Mary

[johnep]

Then you can go off to hospital where shortage of technicians, and enjoy a progressive career upto CEO level.
johnep

[janeN]

Heya hunny

I have done the NPA course which is what has been described above and im in the middle of the BTEC checking diploma thingy that the hospital are making me do - which is veery similar but the portfolio is soooooo much more work - Its more like an NVQ than anything else

[PtitpupUK]

Johnep, I have NVQ 3 and am ACT, and have been seriously considering working at the local hospital. Had informal chat with head of education dept and was told I would need to start again with a new NVQ 3 if mine was more than 5 years old and have to do the BTEC too, so it's all back from scratch (and so is the paye)... Is it like that everywhere else or is it just because they're picky in my local hospital pharmacy and have enough staff to allow themselves to be more selective?

[janeN]

I have just started in the hospital and havent been made to do the BTEC (i have NVQ3) however a friend of mine works at a different trust and she said they make their community people do the BTEC. I went in on a band 5 and the only thing they have made me do is the BTEC checking diploma (i already have the NPA one) as thats a bit more intense.


Try a different trust if your able, seems to me they are not all consistent

[PtitpupUK]

Thanks -- I expect the BTEC is more or less compulsory as more hospital pharmacy orientated, and I was really keen to do this training, after all it would be kind of the basics really. I will look into other trusts's requirements, thanks for the info !

[dizzyb23]

Different trusts have different ways of doing things.

[sunny]

......
You need to be able to register with the RPSGB as a Pharmacy Technician .......... After this it really depends of who you do your training with..........
Mary

Can I enrol on an ACT course, with the NPA or anyone else (community, not hospital), if I'm not a RPSGB registered technician?
Koul Kougar/Mary - do you know for sure?

I am definitely eligible to register right now, but I'm unwilling to pay to register until I have to do so (July 2011). (I don't want my boss to pay for me either, until she has to. She has said she will do it for me before July 2011 if it is a requirement for training as an ACT though.)

So, my question is: Can I train to become an ACT (community, not hospital) without being registered?

thanks
sunny

first post! .....doffs hat, thank you very much.....