Royal College celebrates 92% success in latest advanced credentialing round

Pharmacists working across community pharmacy, general practice and secondary care have achieved a 92% pass rate in the Royal College of Pharmacy’s latest round of advanced credentialing. Credentialing plays an increasingly important role across healthcare by providing independent assurance that professionals have the knowledge, skills and experience to deliver care at an advanced level. For patients, it helps build confidence that healthcare practitioners are meeting nationally recognised standards, supports high-quality and consistent care, and contributes to safer clinical decision-making. Candidates in the cohort had been supported through advanced-level development programmes provided by the Centre of Postgraduate Pharmacy Education, Public Services Delivery Scotland and University College London. Their success reflects the commitment of the pharmacists themselves, and the collaborative support provided by programme teams, supervisors, collaborators, employers and assessors. The cohort also marked two significant milestones for the profession. It included the first pharmacist to be credentialed as an advanced pharmacist in critical care through the collaborative Royal College and UK Clinical Pharmacy Association joint credentialing pathway. In Scotland, the cohort included the third community pharmacist to achieve Royal College credentialing at advanced level. This important achievement demonstrates that advanced practice can be developed and recognised across a breadth of pharmacy sectors and roles, and highlights the increasing clinical contribution community pharmacists are making to patient care. Deputy Superintendent Pharmacist Michelle Frazier MRCPharm (Advanced), from Crimond Pharmacy, said: "Achieving Advanced Credentialing is a milestone that I am incredibly proud of. Community pharmacy has evolved significantly, and pharmacists are delivering increasingly complex clinical care every day. Completing the credentialing process gave me the opportunity to reflect on my own practice, recognise how much it has developed over the years, and demonstrate that against nationally recognised standards. “For me, this achievement is not just about recognition; it is about demonstrating the value that community pharmacists bring to patient care and showing that advanced practice is firmly established within our sector. I hope it encourages other community pharmacists to have confidence in their own expertise and to see credentialing as an achievable and worthwhile step in their professional development." Joseph Oakley, Associate Director of Assessment and Credentialing at the Royal College of Pharmacy said: “A 92% success rate is a tremendous achievement and reflects the expertise, dedication and commitment of this cohort. It also demonstrates what can be achieved when pharmacists, employers, education providers, professional groups and the College work together around a shared vision for the profession. “We are particularly pleased to celebrate achievements in critical care and community pharmacy. Advanced practice exists across sectors and settings, and it is essential that pharmacists have equitable opportunities for their expertise and impact on patient care to be recognised. “Credentialing is about more than receiving a new professional badge. It provides independent assurance that pharmacists have demonstrated their capability against nationally recognised standards aligned to other advanced roles in healthcare, giving pharmacists confidence, employers assurance and patients trust.” The College’s curricula and credentialing pathways form part of its career-long approach to supporting pharmacists from their early post-registration development through to advanced and consultant practice. As pharmacists take on increasingly autonomous clinical and prescribing responsibilities, this combination of structured workplace development, shared professional standards and robust credentialing will become increasingly important. This approach will also underpin the forthcoming Enhanced Curriculum and Credentialing Pathway, which will support newly qualified pharmacist prescribers to develop their knowledge, skills and professional judgement through real-world practice and provide a clear bridge towards advanced and consultant-level practice. The Royal College of Pharmacy congratulates everyone who participated in the latest credentialing round and thanks the programme providers, assessors, supervisors, employers and partner organisations whose collaboration supported their achievement. Find out more about RCPharm credentialing. Read more news stories.