Activities
Activity 1: Task list
It is important to involve all team members from the outset, and a good starting point could be the listing of all the tasks that are required to keep the pharmacy running. Get team members to initial the tasks they complete on a regular basis. This has the additional benefit of identifying team members who may not have many tasks as well as those who have too many. You can also use this table to reprioritise tasks up or down the frequency time frame or critically assess if they need to be done at all.
If you already employ an appraisal process that includes an annual one to one with your team members, you will be in a good place to carry out the next activity.
You can make this process as simple or as complicated as you wish. Most job roles require a core set of competencies or skills to carry them out effectively. Lists of potential competencies can be found online, and one place to look is the GPhC’s standards for the education and training of pharmacy technicians.
You can adapt the core principles included there to accommodate all levels of team members by using the simple model on the right.
If you choose to use a more personalised format, you can build your own competency model using some key core skills common to all jobs.
Activity 2(A): Simple competency/skills assessment
Ask each team member to asses themselves and complete Table 1 (below), then review it with them. You can also use this table to assess their ability to do the tasks in the task list.
| Table 1: Simple competency/skills assessment | ||||
| Knows | Knows how | Shows how | Does | |
| Communicates well with customers | ||||
| Is careful and pays attention to detail | ||||
| Is good at making decisions | ||||
| Manages own time and tasks | ||||
Activity 2(b): a more comprehensive competency assessment
Table 2 (below) is a template for a hierarchical competency model that you can complete with the skills you want in your team members. As before, your team members should assess where they think they are on the table.
Key competencies can include:
- Communication skills
- Team working
- Problem solving
- Decision making
- Time management
- Leadership.
| Table 2: A more comprehensive competency assessment | |||
| Basic level | Competent | Skilled | |
| Communication skills | Able to pass on information to customers and team members | Able to communicate well with customers and can answer questions well | Able to assess information and communicate fluently with customers, team members and professional colleagues |
| Team working | Able to work collaboratively across their own team | Can work across the whole pharmacy team | Able to work with colleagues outside of the pharmacy competently and skilfully |