Work based, lifelong learning through professional portfolios: Challenge or reward?

As the world of work changes, UK pharmacists are increasingly required to recognise and articulate lifelong learning. College of Pharmacy Practice (CPP) portfolios were made available to 25 pharmacists in a single Workforce Development Confederation area. The evaluation reported here formed one strand of a larger study exploring CPD activity in the NHS. This strand aimed to describe and consider the ways in which pharmacists used the CPP portfolio as a vehicle to articulate their acquisition and use of practice based knowledge. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with nine pharmacists before and after using the portfolios (n = 18 interviews) and were analysed using "framework technique". Key emergent themes were "socialised learning" and "learning amplification", in particular the findings emphasised the importance of recognising:the advantages/disadvantages of work based (socialised) learning approaches; and the environment in which learning takes place and ensuring that learning can be "amplified" for the individual and the organisation.