Revalidation: listen to an example of a peer discussion
Struggling with what to talk about in your first peer review discussion? Hear an example from two community pharmacists
Thinking through what to talk about in advance of your discussion can be helpful for both you and your peer. Revalidation requirements do not require you to disclose in detail what you discussed with your peer – you only need to describe the suggestions and changes you decided to implement in your practice as a result of the discussion, as well as the result of these changes, using real examples.
So what might a peer discussion sound like? It can be difficult to imagine these conversations until you’ve had one, so C+D has produced an example discussion and CPD entry, which you may find useful when preparing for your own.
In the scenario below, a community pharmacist is having some difficulties with her pre-registration pharmacist and asks a colleague for advice on how she could better approach the situation.
Example peer discussion revalidation entry
Please give the name, contact details and role of your peer on this occasion*:
Name: Philip Crilly
Role: Pharmacist
Organisation: Health Pharmacy
Telephone: xxxxx
Email: [email protected]
*If you took part in a group peer discussion, please only provide details for one person from the group.
Describe how this peer discussion changed your practice for the benefit of people using your services.
- Tell us why you chose this peer
I chose my peer because they have a very similar career history to me and a good understanding of the topic that I chose to discuss with them. I value their opinion and know that I can have an open and transparent conversation with them, without being wary of being criticised or judged. My peer is also a community pharmacist, with a history of pre-registration trainee tutoring.
- Tell us how this peer discussion has helped you to reflect on and make improvements to your practice
I knew that I had some personal feelings interfering with my clarity on dealing with this situation. It was useful for me to discuss this with an objective peer, as it provided some perspective and allowed me to create a SMART objective plan, helping me to break the task down into a manageable process.
The peer discussion helped me to reflect on my current practice and allowed me to think clearly about what the underlying issues were in my situation. I realised that working in a busy pharmacy means I have few opportunities to consider objectively how I interact with my team. By discussing this with someone who is aware of my role, I was able to put myself in the student’s shoes, in a fair and balanced way.
- Give a real example of any beneficial outcomes for the people using your services as a result of making changes to your practice. Do include any feedback about your practice that you have had from other people. You do not have to include information on the subject(s) discussed if you feel the contents are confidential.
After the discussion, I arranged an informal setting for a one-to-one with my pre-reg trainee. We both shared honest feedback with each other and discussed how we could improve our working relationship, which really helped to clear the air. Together we drafted next steps and organised a meeting with the rest of the dispensary team, which was led by the pre-reg to allow her to demonstrate her leadership skills and enable her to have a greater impact within the team.
Every morning I now make a conscious effort to review our plan for the day and ensure I am enabling the pre-reg student to take greater accountability, with regular feedback delivered in a constructive way. This allows her to reflect first on the issues, rather than beginning by telling her what she is doing wrong each time, which she felt was undermining her confidence in her abilities and making her resentful.
I feel having a peer discussion made me far more self-aware of my qualities as a leader and of my communication skills. It made me realise the impact of the busy dispensary environment, and the need to take a step back to enable the team to all take a more proactive approach in leading the dispensary. This in turn has given me more time to focus on my role as a pharmacist and pre-reg tutor, improving the patient experience and morale in the pharmacy team.
Peer discussusion tips
We asked the community pharmacist how they found the peer discussion, and if they have any advice for those completing a discussion for the first time.
Did you feel worried before carrying out your peer discussion?
“I was worried ahead of it, as I was overthinking and wanted it to be a very structured conversation. What I found is that as long as you choose someone you are comfortable talking to, then it actually can be a friendly chat over coffee.
“I thought the whole process would take a lot longer than it did. The actual write-up is quite simple and the structured headings make it very easy to write up at the end.”
Do you have any tips for those completing their peer discussion?
“I realised that if I had chosen someone who wasn't an objective peer (ie a line manager or someone who didn't feel comfortable giving me honest feedback), it could have adversely impacted our discussion.
“While we were completing the peer discussion, I found that by bouncing thoughts off someone, I was able to ‘hear’ myself and reflect on my actions.
“I suggest that you write up as much as possible straight away to ensure you don't forget the details.”
Where can I find more information about revalidation?
Check out C+D’s latest feature ‘This year’s GPhC revalidation submissions: everything we know so far’ for more information on submitting your revalidation records, an example reflective account and tips on how to prepare for your submission.
In addition, C+D’s Update Plus learning package includes an example CPD revalidation entry at the end of each ‘planned learning’ module and ‘unplanned learning’ article, for you to use as guidance when submitting your own entries.
