university of lincoln opening new pharmacy school

http://www.pjcareers.com/job/6671/head-of-school-of-pharmacy/?utm_source=widget&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=www.pjonline.com&ProcessedTrackID=1

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Reply 1

college80

This is getting ridicilous now. There are already 2 other new schools opening next year. Pharmacists have been saying for the last year or so that the profession is over subscribed with jobs going to be very hard to get with an over supply in the next few years.

This is purely a business move by the university and nothing to do with supply.They are not bothered about the over supply which will leave their students with no jobs to go to -its all about fattening their pockets. Sadly the pharmacy board is not putting any caps and new schools are popping up everywhere.

I am shocked at this news, especially as pharmacist saturation is already beginning.

Reply 2

petzneo

What the hell is the GPhC up to? How are they letting things spiral out of control.....we need more jobs rather than schools of pharmacy!

Outrageous decision.

Original post by petzneo

What the hell is the GPhC up to? How are they letting things spiral out of control.....we need more jobs rather than schools of pharmacy!

The GPhC has nothing to do with new school openings other than accrediting the course.

Within the Pharmacy Order (2010) the General Pharmaceutical Council only has power to regulate pharmacists, technicians, premesis, and education and training. It has no powers to control openings of new schools of pharmacy.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 5

manupalace

This is getting ridiculous now. I just hope new entrants aren't conned by promises of job security (but the probably will be). We are going to see huge numbers of new grads who can't even get pre-reg, the numbers are already on the rise.

Original post by college80

Which unis are these?

Edit: Just made use of google :colondollar:

and found out the 2 unis are Durham and Birmingham.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 6

petzneo

Original post by TigerSwift

Thank you for clarifying that for me. I think its a shame that the GPhC has no control over this.

There is quite a good blog entry in the PJ on this topic:
http://www.pjonline.com/blog_entry/are_universities_to_blame

Reply 7

TigerSwift

Original post by petzneo

Indeed, and mine is the last reply (at time of posting this) on there :tongue:

Reply 8

firestar101

This is really beginning to annoy me now.

Something seriously needs to be done about this. There is already too many pharmacy schools as there is.

Reply 9

petzneo

Original post by TigerSwift

Indeed, and mine is the last reply (at time of posting this) on there :tongue:

I thought it was :smile:

Reply 10

aspirinpharmacist

Not another one. UEA had better be as good as I hoped it would be if I'm going to get a job.

Reply 11

Caponester

Original post by aspirinpharmacist

Not another one. UEA had better be as good as I hoped it would be if I'm going to get a job.

Sadly, employers rarely care which school you attend. It's all about work experience and making a good impression while on summer placement etc.

Reply 12

aspirinpharmacist

Original post by Caponester

Sadly, employers rarely care which school you attend. It's all about work experience and making a good impression while on summer placement etc.

Well, that's what I thought. But surely which school you went to is going to become more important now that there are three more pharmacy schools opening up? And I clearly need to get on my knees and beg for a job at the local pharmacy this summer. Although one of the reasons I accepted UEA in the first place was because apparently it does quite a lot of placements. This had better be true.

Reply 13

levantine

it does matter which one you go to but its not going to be a major factor when deciding who to give a job to. its all about ecperiences and commitment

Reply 14

TigerSwift

As long as the school of pharmacy is accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council it doesn't matter which school you attend. It's all about who you are as a person, how you communicate in the interview, and what you have achieved whilst at university (not necessarily related to your degree class either).

At the BPSA Annual Conference last week there were key members of the hospital and community pharmacy sectors and they said they didn't care which school of pharmacy you attended and rarely looked at the degree class - it's all about you as a person.

Reply 15

manupalace

the pre-reg coordinator at the pre-reg I will be doing (apparently) doesn't even look at academic references. Many hospital pre-reg programmes also ask no clinical questions during interviews. It's all about you not your classification (although this is not universal).

Reply 16

pharmasaurus

I personally think so many pharmacy schools are opening in preparation for pharmacy degree moving to integrate the pre-reg year into the course.

5 years at £9000 looks very appetizing to the institutions, I feel sorry for anyone who studying the degree as this occurs thinking they'll be getting paid for the pre reg year

Reply 17

TigerSwift

Original post by pharmasaurus

1) The integration of the prereg year into the degree hasn't yet been fully agreed by government and its various departments so may not even happen.
2) The proposed idea is that there will be two 6-month blocks of prereg integrated into the degree. Whilst it hasn't been finalised (see point 1) it would make more sense to me that universities will only charge partial/half fees for those years.
3) The proposed idea aims for the final year to become a clinically funded year. This could drive down the fees for the final year for students, and may also open up the window for NHS bursary/funding. Again, see point 1.
4) This will not affect those already studying. If (see point 1) this integration occurs it will start from a new intake.

Reply 18

pharmasaurus

Original post by TigerSwift

there will be more than 25 pharmacy schools in the UK by 2014. lets say each graduate around 100 pharmacy students a year and also lets say the average pre-reg salary is £20,000 (for simplicity). That means the government would save £50 million per year by scrapping the pre-reg programme and incorporating it into the degree. Given the current financial climate its not a matter of "if" but "when".

yes they may reduce fees but we would still be paying for a year we didnt previously pay for...

we may be entitled to an NHS bursary but I assure you that it would be a fraction of what you'd earn as a current pre-reg...

and finally my degree course has dramatically changed in preparation for the 2014 re-accreditation. Im pretty sure they can do whatever they want.

Reply 19

TigerSwift

Original post by pharmasaurus

As someone who sits on the Modernising Pharmacy Careers Programme Board, and its undergraduate work stream, I can confirm it isn't a simple case of 'when' but is still very much a case of 'if' and 'what' and 'how'.

Also, who is to say trainees won't get paid for the training slots? Who is to say a reduced fee will add up to an extra year, or more or less? There are a number of funding/payment/fee arrangements available but they're still being discussed.

Your course will likely have changed to meet the new standards for the initial education and training of pharmacists - set out by the GPhC. Whilst MPC may well have had some affect on the change of your course it is likely the main driver was the new accreditation system and standards set out by the GPhC.

You can read the proposals for the integrated degree here: http://www.mee.nhs.uk/latest_news/publications/mpc_ws1_proposals.aspx

More information on progress will be published on the MPC pages, in the PJ and more than likely on the BPSA website/publications.