Pharmacy technician registration with GPhC

[pritam]

Hello,
I am a Non-EEA qualified pharmacist currently living in the UK. Considering the fact that being a Non-EEA, registering as a pharmacist here in the UK takes a minimum of two years and also I can not afford the OSPAP course cost, So, I want to register myself as a pharmacy technician with GPhC.

I went through the GPhc website to learn the complete procedure to follow.

As per my understanding, the following three requirements set by GPhC, I need to fulfill.

A) Knowledge-based qualification
B) Competency-based qualification
C) Professional experience

I do have the required professional experience and need to complete the other 2 requirements.

However, I need some help in understanding the above A and B. Please, someone, help me

1) What exactly the competency-based and knowledge-based qualifications are? what is the duration of these courses and do I need to go to a school or college to complete them?
2) Do I need to be currently working in a pharmacy setting in order to complete these courses or I can self learn them?
3) What is the minimum and maximum duration to complete them?

Please can someone help me

Regards,
Pritam

[karsa]

afaik you have to do the nvq3 even if you are an overseas pharmacist for which you have to be employed in a pharmacy, it can be very difficult because the course costs about 1500 and employers are usually reluctant to enroll people into them. Have you looked at Sunderland uni for OSPAP ? they are usually cheaper than unis in the south