MPHARM AT KEELE -- Personal Experiences

Has anyone graduated -- or currently a student -- in the MPharm programme at KeeleU? If yes, could you please share your experiences?
I.e. what is the Uni like, the course, pros/cons, any personal views?
Do you enjoy studying there?
I am a Canadian student (never been to the UK) and I'd like to know your thoughts. (If you have any questions about Canadian Unis, feel free to ask!) :smile:

Thank you so much to everyone who replies!

Reply 1

Daydreamer7

Original post by dmta22

Thank you so much to everyone who replies!

Hiya

The university itself is amazing!

- It has a real community feel and pretty much everyone is friendly.
- The campus is really beautiful and there is a lot of space.
- There are a bunch of different societies and things to do.
- The two towns and train station are quite close with a direct bus going to all three
- I would say the only negative is if you want to eat out at a really nice restaurant or want a huge shopping spree it's not the best area for that, to be honest. However, both Manchester and Birmingham are huge nearby cities and are easy and quick to get to by train.
- As you are an international student, I would definitely encourage you to look around the UK (London, Scotland, Ireland, touristy places around the UK, etc.) rather than spend all of your time in Stoke because there is so much to see and moving here for uni is the best opportunity to look around :smile:

For the course:

I'm going to be in my final year this September and I'm not going to lie the past three years have not always been easy. The course is tough and you'll have to work hard. However, there is a LOT of support available if you get stuck at any point (lecturers, personal tutor, student buddy, student e-mentor, careers support, I.T. support, student support, free counselling, etc.) and the work (assignments, exams, lab work, online tests, reflective pieces, etc) is definitely do-able as long as you don't leave it last minute, which I am guilty of doing many many times 🙈 (do NOT leave your reflective portfolio last minute!)

The first year is pretty lecture heavy and is focused on getting everyone up to the same level. I found the best way to tackle lectures is to print out the slides (4 to a page and double sided to save paper) and write directly on top of them rather than take notes in a blank notebook. You can also use your laptop in most sessions and if you ask the lecturer beforehand they may allow you to record the lecture too.

There are also many different types of sessions: labs, dispensing, workshops, lectures, placements, etc. that you'll have in you first year.

I personally have really loved my time at Keele and am really sad this will be my final year :frown:

The only time I have personally not enjoyed it was some parts of my second year that I found quite difficult. However, with some extra time studying and some support from the lecturers, I managed to pass without needing any resits. My favourite year was definitely the third year as it's more clinical than chemistry :smile:

Hope this helped! If you have any more qs or need anything clarifying let me know :smile:

Samera
Fourth-year pharmacy student at Keele :smile:

Keele University

Keele

Reply 2

dmta22

Hiya Daydreamer,
Thank you SO MUCH for your reply!
I'm glad you enjoy(ed) your time at Keele -- I'm hoping to come to the UK someday and it's good to hear from current students.
For Pharmacy, do you do clinical rotations in hospitals? If yes, how exactly do they work? I.e. how many rotations, when do they start, etc.

I wish you all the best in your endeavours -- if you have any questions regarding Canadian (Ontario) Universities feel free to contact.
Thanks again xx

Reply 3

Daydreamer7

Original post by dmta22

Hi

No problem at all I am here to help :smile:

Aw fingers crossed you will be able to!

There are not many hospital placements in the course as compared to nursing or midwifery students for example. A lot of our learning happens on campus rather than on placements. However, for your first and second year, you will be taken to the hospital a couple of times to have a look around. You will also have a couple of community pharmacy placements and a booklet to fill in.

In your third year, hospital placements become much more involved rather than mainly being a tour. You will have learnt how to read and interpret drug charts, learnt the drugs, side effects, etc. for certain conditions and more in lessons on campus. During the placements, you will use all of that knowledge to work your way through a real patient's drug chart with a supervising lecturer and sort of work backwards to figure out what their presenting complaint is and if the drugs are appropriate and safe, etc keeping in mind any current drugs they're using and other factors like age, weight, etc. You will have three of these placements in your third year.

Hope this helps

Samera
Fourth-year pharmacy at Keele :smile:

Reply 4

dmta22

I'm just deciding between applying to MPharm or Medicine and for me it is such a difficult choice! I'm about to complete my MSc and MPharm is on the radar...
However, I like patient interaction and I think Pharmacy, while a wonderful profession, doesn't deal with patients (esp. retail pharmacy) as much as I'd like.
Informing patients of drug use, proper dosage, etc. is very important. But personally I think I'd like to be more involved with patients and I'm not sure if I'll be able to.
Out of all the pharmacy work opportunities, I think I'd prefer hospital pharmacy because it deals more closely with patients.
It's a tough call! :smile:

Anyway, thank you once again, you're awesome!
If I have any more questions, I will definitely ask you.
Wishing you all best! xx

Original post by Daydreamer <3 xx

Hi

No problem at all I am here to help :smile:

Reply 5

dmta22

Hi Daydreamer,
If possible, could you please let me know the number of courses as well as the subjects students undertake in their 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th years?
Is it the same for all UK MPharm programmes?

Thank you,
DM