Pharmacy Support and Basic Health Safety brings together three complementary courses, each with eight modules. The curriculum combines subject knowledge, responsible role boundaries and practical work.

Who can attend?

Open to everyone, including people interested in pharmacy support, retail healthcare products, shop or warehouse operations, customer relations and health safety.

Curriculum

Pharmacy Assistance

1. Pharmacy operations and role boundaries

The pharmacist's responsibilities and the administrative and logistical role of support staff; distinguishing the pharmacist title and legally defined assistant-pharmacist status. Practice: map pharmacy service flows and support tasks.

2. Introduction to products and categories

Recognising prescription medicines, non-prescription products, medical products and personal-care categories; referring enquiries without giving medical advice. Practice: classify products within the support role's boundaries.

3. Receiving and organising stock

Receiving goods, tracking barcodes, batches and expiry dates, appropriate storage and reporting missing or incorrect products to the responsible pharmacist. Practice: prepare a stock-control sheet using fictional data.

4. Communication and privacy in the pharmacy

Respectful reception, confidentiality, support for older customers and customers with disabilities, referring questions to the pharmacist and managing expectations. Practice: role-play an appropriate referral for a medicine-use question.

5. Digital records and operational tracking

An overview of pharmacy software, authorised-access principles, reports using fictional inventory data and data security. Practice: calculate stock movements in a sample spreadsheet.

6. Returns, complaints and error reporting

Separating suspicious, damaged or nearly expired products and escalating issues under applicable rules and pharmacy procedures. Practice: write an incident report for an incorrect delivery.

7. Hygiene and a safe workplace

Hand hygiene, shared-surface cleaning, orderly workplaces and safe handling of cleaning chemicals. Practice: create a hygiene schedule for the pharmacy's reception area.

8. Job applications and professional conduct

Understanding pharmacy support, retail operations and warehouse roles; CV and interview preparation. Practice: compile a small portfolio of stock-management and customer-communication work.

Hygiene and Sanitation

1. Hygiene fundamentals and transmission routes

Microorganisms, contact transmission, the role of surface and hand hygiene, and risks in different areas. Practice: map frequently touched surfaces and list associated risks.

2. Hand hygiene and personal protective equipment

When hand cleaning is required, why gloves do not replace hand hygiene, and principles for masks and gowns. Practice: prepare a protective-equipment selection checklist.

3. Cleaning plans and suitable products

Distinguishing cleaning from disinfection, understanding product labels, safe storage and avoiding mixing chemicals. Practice: create a day, frequency and responsibility schedule.

4. Preventing cross-contamination

Separating clean and dirty areas, one-way workflows and management of shared equipment. Practice: redesign a workstation's clean-to-dirty flow.

5. Safe waste segregation

Waste categories under organisational procedures, sharps risks and seeking authorised advice about uncertain waste. Practice: prepare a waste-bin placement checklist.

6. Personal hygiene and professional appearance

Work clothing, daily self-care, shared facilities and notifying the workplace about potentially infectious symptoms. Practice: write a personal-hygiene awareness plan.

7. Environmental checks and quality

Cleaning frequencies, records, recognising and reporting nonconformities, and coordinating routine inspections with responsible teams. Practice: complete a hygiene checklist and a sample nonconformity report.

8. Hygiene communication and lasting habits

Informing patients, visitors and staff without stigma, and adapting safe habits to work and home. Practice: write a short, clear hygiene-awareness poster text.

First Aid Certificate

1. First-aid purpose and legal boundaries

Scene safety, communicating with 112 and maintaining safety until professional help arrives; official first-aider certification requires an authorised centre and assessment. Practice: prepare a scene-safety assessment card.

2. Awareness of consciousness and breathing assessment

Recognising emergencies, theoretical principles of consciousness and breathing checks, and calling for help without delay. Practice: rehearse a 112 call for a fictional incident.

3. Basic life support awareness

The scientific purpose of adult and child basic life support, the role of an AED, and learning practical skills with an authorised instructor and manikin. Practice: prepare a manikin-training checklist.

4. Airway obstruction and drowning awareness

Recognising warning signs, initiating an emergency call and learning appropriate interventions through authorised practical training. Practice: prioritise actions on scenario cards.

5. Bleeding, injuries and shock awareness

Safe approaches, recognising severe bleeding, protection and calling medical teams; practical interventions require authorised instruction. Practice: prepare emergency-communication scripts for two cases.

6. Fractures, burns and poisoning awareness

Avoiding unsafe movement and harmful home remedies, recognising hazards and seeking professional help. Practice: identify risky behaviours in sample situations.

7. Emergency coordination

Managing bystanders, transferring information, giving 112 accurate location and incident details, and orderly handover to healthcare professionals. Practice: prepare a workplace emergency-communication diagram.

8. Official certification and drills

The importance of an approved curriculum, practical assessment and certification at a centre authorised by the Provincial Health Directorate. Practice: prepare a training plan and learning checklist for an authorised centre.

Integrated practical portfolio

Use fictitious product codes to plan a busy pharmacy operation: count stock, flag approaching expiry dates, refer a customer question to the pharmacist, inspect hygiene and design an emergency-call scenario. Produce a product and stock-control table, an expiry report, a referral card, a hygiene inspection form and an emergency communication template.

Professional boundaries and certificate scope

A course-completion document records participation and achievement in the relevant education only. Regulated healthcare professions, official first-aider certification and authorised clinical practice have separate legal requirements.

Frequently asked questions

Who can apply to this three-course programme?

Anyone may attend. Previous healthcare experience is not required, but institutional recruitment and official role requirements apply separately.

Does the education guarantee employment?

No. The programme aims to develop demonstrable skills and a practical portfolio; recruitment decisions belong to employers.

Are real patient or client data used?

No. Registration, communication, stock and incident scenarios must use fictional data only.

Pharmacy Support and Basic Health Safety