| Summary: | Major changes to the role of the pharmacist in the past decade include an increased prevalence of pharmacist independent prescribing and a shift towards multi-disciplinary working. In 2011 the GPhC accreditation criteria for schools of pharmacy also changed significantly, moving to a more outcomesbased education. Little is known about the preparedness of post-2011 graduates for modern practice in both hospital and community pharmacy settings. This study aimed to explore perceptions of this. Semi-structured one-to-one interviews were conducted to determine current perceptions of graduate preparedness for pre-registration training, what schools of pharmacy do well and areas for improvement. Fourteen members of academic staff (including teacher practitioners) from the Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, twenty-five employers (individuals involved in the supervision/training of pre-registration trainees) from hospital and community pharmacies, and seventeen recent pharmacy graduates from both hospital and community pre-registration training programmes were interviewed. A range of themes and subthemes were created through thematic analysis. The time between graduation and the early weeks of pre-registration training was identified as an important period in the transition from student to healthcare professional. This transition was eased by a graduate’s prior exposure to the workplace (specific training site and more generally). All three stakeholder groups were supportive of enhancing spirality in MPharm curricula such that material learnt at university may be contextualised in pharmacy experiential placements. Students’ exposure to patients improved their confidence and communication skills whilst their interactions with pharmacist role models informed their expectations of practice. While stakeholders perceive graduates to have sufficient knowledge, their ability to apply this may be improved, suggesting post-2011 graduates are not as prepared for pre-registration training as they could be. The need for enhanced student exposure to practice, patients and pharmacists as part of the undergraduate degree has been identified.
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