My experiences in Pharmacy

1) Ofcourse it is harder to get into medicine than pharmacy, however I would say it is wrong to say medicine is more challenging than pharmacy. It takes 5 years to be a doctor or a pharmacist.
For me I'm very family orientated I need a job were I can go home and forget about work, I wasn't so sure I could do that with medicine.[/QU


Hello,I hope you okay, I have just had 2 offers in two different universities in the UK. One is Diagnostic Radiography and the other is Pharmacy. I have not been able to make a decision. Which of these two is preferable. I know pharmacy has a higher salary, and more years of studies while Diagnostic Radiography has higher job prospects, 3 years of studies though its salary is lower. Please could you advice me on which of the courses is better?thanks a ton.

Good Evening all,

I've been asked by many people to summarize my experience in pharmacy school and now as a pharmacist. Thus I thought the student room would be good platform to reach out to prospective pharmacy students and pharmacists.

I graduated from the Medway School of Pharmacy (University of Kent) in 2014 with a 2.1 in pharmacy. I am currently employed as a clinical pharmacist at a specialist hospital.
My time at pharmacy school was fun, interesting and at points frustrating.
Medway School of Pharmacy overall was a good school with a few disadvantages. Like many I often found lecturers very tedious and by the third year my lecture attendance had fallen <10%. Despite this I often scored very highly in exams due to the support material the SOP provided prior to exams and the lecture notes themselves were very extensive.

Pharmacy is not like any degree, it is not suitable for people who are reserved and shy as you will have frequent workshops in which you have to present your findings. In addition you have annual OSCEs which really test your ability to express what you have learnt in a coherent manner.
At the Medway School of Pharmacy there is overwhelming pressure! There are annual exams in which you have to reach above 70% to pass. Failure to do so will result in your removal from the course. This is has its pros & cons, it is beneficial as it gets you ready for the registration exam (this is an exam pharmacy graduates have to sit and attain over >70% to register as a pharmacist), however it can sometimes be overwhelming as there is so much to learn from hepatitis B drugs to fungal nail infection treatment!

Prior to commencing pharmacy I had no idea how much law and ethics I would cover. After completing the course I felt like a semi-solicitor covering a variety of acts and regulations ranging from the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 to the Animal Scientific Procedures Act 1986. Some people can find law tedious but only now as a practicing pharmacist I realised how essential law & ethics is to my practise as a pharmacist.
Pros of MSOP;
1) Extensive lecture notes and thorough support for those who seek it!
2) Fantastic Library facilities
3) Prompt feedback
4) Honestly, medway school of pharmacy graduates tend to have superior clinical knowledge and pharmaceutical calculation skills than other graduates that reflects the emphasis of teaching in this area.
5) A very close group, were people get along really well!

Cons:
1) Location, not much to do in the area other than catch the 1/2-45 minute bus ride to london
2) Coursework policy; whilst most unis now submit there coursework online/moodle anonymously (with student ID only) the MSOP still requires you to hand in your coursework by hand with your name. This can be very tricky as often there is a huge queue on deadline day meaning you may have to wait awhile! Additionally if your coursework is even a minute late you automatically get a zero, whilst most school of pharmacy issue a 10% penalty for late submissions.
3) Uni of kent and greenwich fiasco! Although being run by a dual uni has its perks (such as using a plethora of library facilities) there are several disadvantages also; these include frequent changes in the administrative team and lack of financial support (bursaries are almost non-existent)!
4) Although I really loved the academics and thought they were awesome in every sense of the word.. I often found auxiliary staff such as technicians and academic assistants (particularly in the chemistry department) a very grumpy bunch! They would often exude a sense of arrogance and superiority which was non-existent in our world renowned academics.

Overall I loved my time at medway and wouldn't change it for the world I think they warrant a 9/10!.

Pharmacist Career

Pharmacist Career (particularly in community) is becoming saturated, although salaries are still relatively high compared to other professions (a newly qualified pharmacist can expect to earn probably in between £32-£36K), although salaries in hospital are slightly lower but better career progression.
As a hospital pharmacist I absolutely love my role, my typical day would involve ward rounds, going over discharges, dealing with queries from nurses and consultants. Perhaps the public may still have the perception that pharmacists are "shopkeepers" but in fact they are highly trained individuals with 5 years of rigorous training.


Please feel free to ask any questions!

Good Evening all,

I've been asked by many people to summarize my experience in pharmacy school and now as a pharmacist. Thus I thought the student room would be good platform to reach out to prospective pharmacy students and pharmacists.

I graduated from the Medway School of Pharmacy (University of Kent) in 2014 with a 2.1 in pharmacy. I am currently employed as a clinical pharmacist at a specialist hospital.
My time at pharmacy school was fun, interesting and at points frustrating.
Medway School of Pharmacy overall was a good school with a few disadvantages. Like many I often found lecturers very tedious and by the third year my lecture attendance had fallen <10%. Despite this I often scored very highly in exams due to the support material the SOP provided prior to exams and the lecture notes themselves were very extensive.

Pharmacy is not like any degree, it is not suitable for people who are reserved and shy as you will have frequent workshops in which you have to present your findings. In addition you have annual OSCEs which really test your ability to express what you have learnt in a coherent manner.
At the Medway School of Pharmacy there is overwhelming pressure! There are annual exams in which you have to reach above 70% to pass. Failure to do so will result in your removal from the course. This is has its pros & cons, it is beneficial as it gets you ready for the registration exam (this is an exam pharmacy graduates have to sit and attain over >70% to register as a pharmacist), however it can sometimes be overwhelming as there is so much to learn from hepatitis B drugs to fungal nail infection treatment!

Prior to commencing pharmacy I had no idea how much law and ethics I would cover. After completing the course I felt like a semi-solicitor covering a variety of acts and regulations ranging from the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 to the Animal Scientific Procedures Act 1986. Some people can find law tedious but only now as a practicing pharmacist I realised how essential law & ethics is to my practise as a pharmacist.
Pros of MSOP;
1) Extensive lecture notes and thorough support for those who seek it!
2) Fantastic Library facilities
3) Prompt feedback
4) Honestly, medway school of pharmacy graduates tend to have superior clinical knowledge and pharmaceutical calculation skills than other graduates that reflects the emphasis of teaching in this area.
5) A very close group, were people get along really well!

Cons:
1) Location, not much to do in the area other than catch the 1/2-45 minute bus ride to london
2) Coursework policy; whilst most unis now submit there coursework online/moodle anonymously (with student ID only) the MSOP still requires you to hand in your coursework by hand with your name. This can be very tricky as often there is a huge queue on deadline day meaning you may have to wait awhile! Additionally if your coursework is even a minute late you automatically get a zero, whilst most school of pharmacy issue a 10% penalty for late submissions.
3) Uni of kent and greenwich fiasco! Although being run by a dual uni has its perks (such as using a plethora of library facilities) there are several disadvantages also; these include frequent changes in the administrative team and lack of financial support (bursaries are almost non-existent)!
4) Although I really loved the academics and thought they were awesome in every sense of the word.. I often found auxiliary staff such as technicians and academic assistants (particularly in the chemistry department) a very grumpy bunch! They would often exude a sense of arrogance and superiority which was non-existent in our world renowned academics.

Overall I loved my time at medway and wouldn't change it for the world I think they warrant a 9/10!.

Pharmacist Career

Pharmacist Career (particularly in community) is becoming saturated, although salaries are still relatively high compared to other professions (a newly qualified pharmacist can expect to earn probably in between £32-£36K), although salaries in hospital are slightly lower but better career progression.
As a hospital pharmacist I absolutely love my role, my typical day would involve ward rounds, going over discharges, dealing with queries from nurses and consultants. Perhaps the public may still have the perception that pharmacists are "shopkeepers" but in fact they are highly trained individuals with 5 years of rigorous training.


Please feel free to ask any questions!

Good Evening all,

I've been asked by many people to summarize my experience in pharmacy school and now as a pharmacist. Thus I thought the student room would be good platform to reach out to prospective pharmacy students and pharmacists.

I graduated from the Medway School of Pharmacy (University of Kent) in 2014 with a 2.1 in pharmacy. I am currently employed as a clinical pharmacist at a specialist hospital.
My time at pharmacy school was fun, interesting and at points frustrating.
Medway School of Pharmacy overall was a good school with a few disadvantages. Like many I often found lecturers very tedious and by the third year my lecture attendance had fallen <10%. Despite this I often scored very highly in exams due to the support material the SOP provided prior to exams and the lecture notes themselves were very extensive.

Pharmacy is not like any degree, it is not suitable for people who are reserved and shy as you will have frequent workshops in which you have to present your findings. In addition you have annual OSCEs which really test your ability to express what you have learnt in a coherent manner.
At the Medway School of Pharmacy there is overwhelming pressure! There are annual exams in which you have to reach above 70% to pass. Failure to do so will result in your removal from the course. This is has its pros & cons, it is beneficial as it gets you ready for the registration exam (this is an exam pharmacy graduates have to sit and attain over >70% to register as a pharmacist), however it can sometimes be overwhelming as there is so much to learn from hepatitis B drugs to fungal nail infection treatment!

Prior to commencing pharmacy I had no idea how much law and ethics I would cover. After completing the course I felt like a semi-solicitor covering a variety of acts and regulations ranging from the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 to the Animal Scientific Procedures Act 1986. Some people can find law tedious but only now as a practicing pharmacist I realised how essential law & ethics is to my practise as a pharmacist.
Pros of MSOP;
1) Extensive lecture notes and thorough support for those who seek it!
2) Fantastic Library facilities
3) Prompt feedback
4) Honestly, medway school of pharmacy graduates tend to have superior clinical knowledge and pharmaceutical calculation skills than other graduates that reflects the emphasis of teaching in this area.
5) A very close group, were people get along really well!

Cons:
1) Location, not much to do in the area other than catch the 1/2-45 minute bus ride to london
2) Coursework policy; whilst most unis now submit there coursework online/moodle anonymously (with student ID only) the MSOP still requires you to hand in your coursework by hand with your name. This can be very tricky as often there is a huge queue on deadline day meaning you may have to wait awhile! Additionally if your coursework is even a minute late you automatically get a zero, whilst most school of pharmacy issue a 10% penalty for late submissions.
3) Uni of kent and greenwich fiasco! Although being run by a dual uni has its perks (such as using a plethora of library facilities) there are several disadvantages also; these include frequent changes in the administrative team and lack of financial support (bursaries are almost non-existent)!
4) Although I really loved the academics and thought they were awesome in every sense of the word.. I often found auxiliary staff such as technicians and academic assistants (particularly in the chemistry department) a very grumpy bunch! They would often exude a sense of arrogance and superiority which was non-existent in our world renowned academics.

Overall I loved my time at medway and wouldn't change it for the world I think they warrant a 9/10!.

Pharmacist Career

Pharmacist Career (particularly in community) is becoming saturated, although salaries are still relatively high compared to other professions (a newly qualified pharmacist can expect to earn probably in between £32-£36K), although salaries in hospital are slightly lower but better career progression.
As a hospital pharmacist I absolutely love my role, my typical day would involve ward rounds, going over discharges, dealing with queries from nurses and consultants. Perhaps the public may still have the perception that pharmacists are "shopkeepers" but in fact they are highly trained individuals with 5 years of rigorous training.


Please feel free to ask any questions!

Good Evening all,

I've been asked by many people to summarize my experience in pharmacy school and now as a pharmacist. Thus I thought the student room would be good platform to reach out to prospective pharmacy students and pharmacists.

I graduated from the Medway School of Pharmacy (University of Kent) in 2014 with a 2.1 in pharmacy. I am currently employed as a clinical pharmacist at a specialist hospital.
My time at pharmacy school was fun, interesting and at points frustrating.
Medway School of Pharmacy overall was a good school with a few disadvantages. Like many I often found lecturers very tedious and by the third year my lecture attendance had fallen <10%. Despite this I often scored very highly in exams due to the support material the SOP provided prior to exams and the lecture notes themselves were very extensive.

Pharmacy is not like any degree, it is not suitable for people who are reserved and shy as you will have frequent workshops in which you have to present your findings. In addition you have annual OSCEs which really test your ability to express what you have learnt in a coherent manner.
At the Medway School of Pharmacy there is overwhelming pressure! There are annual exams in which you have to reach above 70% to pass. Failure to do so will result in your removal from the course. This is has its pros & cons, it is beneficial as it gets you ready for the registration exam (this is an exam pharmacy graduates have to sit and attain over >70% to register as a pharmacist), however it can sometimes be overwhelming as there is so much to learn from hepatitis B drugs to fungal nail infection treatment!

Prior to commencing pharmacy I had no idea how much law and ethics I would cover. After completing the course I felt like a semi-solicitor covering a variety of acts and regulations ranging from the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 to the Animal Scientific Procedures Act 1986. Some people can find law tedious but only now as a practicing pharmacist I realised how essential law & ethics is to my practise as a pharmacist.
Pros of MSOP;
1) Extensive lecture notes and thorough support for those who seek it!
2) Fantastic Library facilities
3) Prompt feedback
4) Honestly, medway school of pharmacy graduates tend to have superior clinical knowledge and pharmaceutical calculation skills than other graduates that reflects the emphasis of teaching in this area.
5) A very close group, were people get along really well!

Cons:
1) Location, not much to do in the area other than catch the 1/2-45 minute bus ride to london
2) Coursework policy; whilst most unis now submit there coursework online/moodle anonymously (with student ID only) the MSOP still requires you to hand in your coursework by hand with your name. This can be very tricky as often there is a huge queue on deadline day meaning you may have to wait awhile! Additionally if your coursework is even a minute late you automatically get a zero, whilst most school of pharmacy issue a 10% penalty for late submissions.
3) Uni of kent and greenwich fiasco! Although being run by a dual uni has its perks (such as using a plethora of library facilities) there are several disadvantages also; these include frequent changes in the administrative team and lack of financial support (bursaries are almost non-existent)!
4) Although I really loved the academics and thought they were awesome in every sense of the word.. I often found auxiliary staff such as technicians and academic assistants (particularly in the chemistry department) a very grumpy bunch! They would often exude a sense of arrogance and superiority which was non-existent in our world renowned academics.

Overall I loved my time at medway and wouldn't change it for the world I think they warrant a 9/10!.

Pharmacist Career

Pharmacist Career (particularly in community) is becoming saturated, although salaries are still relatively high compared to other professions (a newly qualified pharmacist can expect to earn probably in between £32-£36K), although salaries in hospital are slightly lower but better career progression.
As a hospital pharmacist I absolutely love my role, my typical day would involve ward rounds, going over discharges, dealing with queries from nurses and consultants. Perhaps the public may still have the perception that pharmacists are "shopkeepers" but in fact they are highly trained individuals with 5 years of rigorous training.


Please feel free to ask any questions!

Hi i am going into my third year in September and i am really interested in applying for hospital pharmacy for my pre reg.Did you have any hospital pharmacy experience? What would improve my chances of getting hospital pre reg? Thank you

How tough were your first two years of the course? Were they as demanding and gruelling as the OP says in his original post? I spoke to a 4th year student who said the work load for A-levels is more than what you'd do during the Pharmacy course, did you feel this to be true?

My daughter is going to do got I through a btec course will she able to hack a pharmacy course she found alvels very hard and dropped out