'Pharma-SEE!'

Introducing ‘Pharma-SEE!’ - a virtual work experience for children that is based in a Community Pharmacy, and is a 'proof-of-principle' piece as part of a Clinical Fellowship project.

Using 360-video and virtual reality (VR), ‘Pharma-SEE!’ enables a ‘virtual work experience’, inspiring children without them needing access to a healthcare setting, developing an inclusive, strategic, All-Wales approach to promoting all pharmacy team careers in Wales.

The creation and implementation of digital technology for educational purposes is becoming extremely commonplace, and this method of delivery will soon become normalised in the academic pathway. To inspire the future generation of healthcare professionals, it is vital that employers in the NHS begin to develop engaging, contemporary resources to inspire a younger generation to work within an increasingly modern and digitalised NHS Wales.

'Pharma-SEE!' aligns with:

• Health Education and Improvement Wales’ (HEIW) ‘Strategic Pharmacy Workforce Plan’;

• Welsh Government’s ‘A Healthier Wales: Our Workforce Strategy for Health and Social Care’;

• Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s ‘Pharmacy: Delivering a Healthier Wales’;

• Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s ‘Prescribing Progress: Transforming Clinical Hospital Pharmacy in Wales for Enhanced Patient Care’.

Due to the Clinical Fellowship lasting only 12 months, the Clinical Fellow was really limited in what was achievable as a formal output. The Fellow had considered other sectors for this initial piece, and chose to host in Community Pharmacy as this is a Welsh Gov. priority area at the moment.

There are plans to showcase 'Pharma-SEE!' around secondary schools in Wales during the 2024 / 2025 academic year, allowing children access to the resource via the latest VR headsets.

We hope you enjoy the idea, and here’s to hoping a few who access the resource will pursue a career in health and social care in NHS Wales!