Ask me anything! Passed my GPhC registration exam (to become a pharmacist) today.

Soon to be on the register and a practicing pharmacist. Feel free to ask me anything about pharmacy, pre-registration training year, anything about myself etc.

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Reply 1

mercuryman

Original post by greenlantern

Soon to be on the register and a practicing pharmacist. Feel free to ask me anything about pharmacy, pre-registration training year, anything about myself etc.

Spoiler

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 2

mercuryman

Original post by AlphaAsFuark

How much pussy did you get?

Do you think you're funny

Reply 3

AlphaAsFuark

Original post by mercuryman

Do you think you're funny

U mad?

Reply 4

mercuryman

Original post by AlphaAsFuark

U mad?

Go beg for reps elsewhere.

Reply 5

FallenPetal

Firstly off, massive congratulations - I know first hand how hard qualifying can be.

How did you find the exam? Were any questions unfair?

What is your biggest emotion moving forward?

Reply 6

umar39

Hey Congratulations! What an achievement! :smile:

Are you excited for a career in Pharmacy?
What do you expect from your career?
How relieved are you now? (honestly! :biggrin:

)

Again, congratulations to you!

Reply 7

greenlantern

Original post by mercuryman

Spoiler

1. In my opinion it isn't as hard a degree as some people make it out to be, but the teaching method, course content does vary quite a bit between the different years and between uni. In general however I would say you would have to invest the time to be able to do well and it can be very demanding, specially in the later years when it really counts towards your degree classification. You need to be committed and motivated to cover a wide range of topics and syllabus some of which you will love to enjoy whilst others you will just be glad to get through. I think in the later years they prepare you to become more of a clinical pharmacist working in the community or the hospital as these are the 2 sectors most people go into. Saying that you do learn a lot about the industry and other aspect of pharmacy throughout your degree.

2. A-level grades- Biology-A, Art & Design-A, Chemistry-B, Maths-B

3. Which uni you go to does matter but only to a certain extent, in terms of Unis having better relationships with big pharma companies like GSK and Astra-Zeneca, it seems a lot of there pre-reg trainee pharmacists are from unis like nottingham but that doesn't mean they don't take other students, as I am aware students from my Uni (Bradford) who have gone on to also work for companies such as Astra Zeneca. I think the main skill to try and achieve whilst still being a student is getting as much pharmacy work experience as you can over the long summer holidays after every year (especially in 3rd year summer holidays) many may even offer you pre-registration place afterwards. I think many of the better regarded unis also provide more work experience as part of their course at both hospital and community which can be advantageous, specially considering it can be hard finding experience by yourself

4. There is still a demand for good, suitably qualified and experienced pharmacists, but there is also the growing competition you have to get through over the years even after pharmacy school, pre-reg training and even after years of working as a pharmacist, With numbers of students increasing and therefore increasing number of graduates, there will be an even greater competition in the future. But it is a bit of an uncertainty whether employment for pharmacists will be as effected as more new job oppotunities are arising e.g. working as an independent prescriber in a gp surgery and utilising the Master of Pharmacy degree in other areas of Science. Only time will tell what happens in the future. Although job prospect is not as great as it used to be few years ago, it is definitely still a lot better compared to many other degrees and career paths.

5. Community pharmacy higher paying intially and with experience (specially if you go on to running your own successful business) but Industry can lead to much higher pay in the long run, particularly if you can reach the highest levels in the company.

Reply 8

greenlantern

Original post by FallenPetal

Firstly off, massive congratulations - I know first hand how hard qualifying can be.

How did you find the exam? Were any questions unfair?

What is your biggest emotion moving forward?

Thankyou.

As I sat the new style of exam, there was always a fear of unknown knowing what to expect. But what came up on the exam was mostly fair and I think the exam was passable if you prepared yourself well, but definitely feeling a lot more relieved now I know that I have definitely passed.

I think I would say I am anxiously both excited and nervous as I will be starting my new job in a weeks time as a qualified pharmacist at a hospital and definitely will be feeling the pressure of signing things as the responsible pharmacist.

Reply 9

mercuryman

Original post by greenlantern

3. Which uni you go to does matter but only to a certain extent, in terms of Unis having better relationships with big pharma companies like GSK and Astra-Zeneca, it seems a lot of there pre-reg trainee pharmacists are from unis like nottingham but that doesn't mean they don't take other students, as I am aware students from my Uni (Bradford) who have gone on to also work for companies such as Astra Zeneca. I think the main skill to try and achieve whilst still being a student is getting as much pharmacy work experience as you can over the long summer holidays after every year (especially in 3rd year summer holidays) many may even offer you pre-registration place afterwards. I think many of the better regarded unis also provide more work experience as part of their course at both hospital and community which can be advantageous, specially considering it can be hard finding experience by yourself

Original post by greenlantern

5. Community pharmacy higher paying intially and with experience (specially if you go on to running your own successful business) but Industry can lead to much higher pay in the long run, particularly if you can reach the highest levels in the company.

Oh, Ok. I've heard opening your pharmacy takes many years (decades). But what is the average salary for pharmacists working in industry? Google keeps giving mixed results, I've heard it's really rewarding, especially when you have a higher role in the company (as you've mentioned above too)

Awesome reply btw, thanks!

Reply 10

greenlantern

Original post by umar39

Hey Congratulations! What an achievement! :smile:

Are you excited for a career in Pharmacy?
What do you expect from your career?
How relieved are you now? (honestly! :biggrin:

)

Again, congratulations to you!

Thankyou.

Overall I sure am excited. Specially being able to finally call myself a pharmacist after 5 years since starting pharmacy school, it definitely does feel good. I enjoy some aspect of pharmacy but not so much others so I don't really have a clear plan yet on which route I want to progress further (I did split 6 months of pre-registration training in the community and the other 6 months in hospital as part of being a Bradford sandwich student).

Currently, I will be starting my new job as a band 6 pharmacist next week. I am hoping to soon start the clinical diploma through my job role in the hospital and hopefully go on to work in a more specialised area in the hospital or move on to work at GP surgery if suitable opportunities arise.

I am definitely feeling very relieved right now. I have passed the final hurdle to becoming a registered pharmacist in the UK! Well done also to everyone else who have passed. Really pleased for everyone.

Reply 11

greenlantern

Original post by mercuryman

I see, so with regards to work experience, If I managed to continually secure work experience on each of my university years would I be likely to secure a pre-reg placement at (for example) my local boots pharmacy straight after graduation? Also, What is your opinion on pharmacy at KCL?

Oh, Ok. I've heard opening your pharmacy takes many years (decades). But what is the average salary for pharmacists working in industry? Google keeps giving mixed results, I've heard it's really rewarding, especially when you have a higher role in the company (as you've mentioned above too)

Awesome reply btw, thanks!

Nothing is guaranteed, I must say. If your local boots offers pre-reg placement you will definitely have an advantage if you have worked for them over the last 3 summer holidays. However, in many cases they will get feedback from your work supervisor and still interview you to further check your suitability for the job post.

KCL is a well known university as I am sure you are already aware. Interesting fact, is that they were involved in the drug testing of athletes during the london olympics in which many of the pharmacy students from there got to volunteer in. I heard from some students, that a big part of their course is taught through the problem/team based learning style and some seem to love it whilst others hate it over lectures, really depends on individual students. Best people to ask are pharmacy students currently studying there, admission tutors and just visiting the pharmacy school yourself on an open day or a visit day.

Salary in Industry does vary greatly. I don't really know the average myself. I believe a current preregistration pharmacist earns around a little more than £21,000 (btw you only spent 6 months in industry if you get a pre-reg placement in a company such as GSK, Astra-Zeneca etc, the other 6 months are spent in a hospital to get the necessary training experience to pass the training year). Whereas I know a pharmacist who is a Qualified Person (QP) (read further on the role) who earns around £85,000 and other pharmacists who have managerial and directive roles who possibly earn even more.

Reply 12

jaffacakes101

Original post by greenlantern

Soon to be on the register and a practicing pharmacist. Feel free to ask me anything about pharmacy, pre-registration training year, anything about myself etc.

Hi, how would you go about getting work experience after year 1 of the degree? Does your uni help you or do you have to do it independently?

Reply 13

greenlantern

Original post by jaffacakes101

Hi, how would you go about getting work experience after year 1 of the degree? Does your uni help you or do you have to do it independently?

It's a mixture of both. I would say mainly you would have to do all the searching but sometimes unis e-mail students with part-time job opportunities, summer placements and work experience to apply for. The career service in most unis are also very helpful in your search as they have previous experiences dealing with other students in similar situations to yourself. They can also help in improving your CV/ application form and hold mock interviews. Also you may have a good tutor at uni who can give you feedbacks on draft applications. In terms of finding work, I would say after 1st year, you will have a better chance of getting some experience in community than hospital (as hospitals usually give preference to 3rd year students). Try going into your local pharmacies near you early on the year and near the holidays and hand in CVs/ask if there are any opportunities available for a student or if there will be in the future. Good luck! :smile:

Reply 14

_anastasiagram

I am currently in my pre reg year. What advice do you have in terms of studying? Like when did you start and how should I prep myself for the exams?

Reply 15

greenlantern

Original post by _anastasiagram

I am currently in my pre reg year. What advice do you have in terms of studying? Like when did you start and how should I prep myself for the exams?

Hope you are enjoying your pre-reg year. I have already answered a similar question on another thread so pretty much copied and pasted a lot of it when answering this question.

It's great that you are already starting to get some preparation done for the exam, but make sure you don't get too stressed too early and also enjoy your training year and make the most out of the experience!

In terms of revising, different things help different people. In terms of where to look for help- RPS, Team PreReg are good companies to start with. Your training provider will also most likely provide you with sources to help you prepare for the exam. If you have facebook both have pages and will keep you updated on latest things they have on offer e.g.practice question book based on new style exam and mock exams. Another group I found helpful on facebook was RPS PreReg 16 as it was more of a place for discussion between students asking questions, with other actual pharmacist, lecturers helping out in answering, providing tips and spider diagrams to help learn things for the exam.

You can also find them through google search so there's no necessity to join them on facebook if you don't really want to. Team Pre-reg also provide a summarised syllabus which really helps with revision as it breaks down the sections to simpler questions you need to know for exam. Ontrack is another online source, which I would say you can get nearer the time to get more question practice prior to exam. Make sure you also read upon sources and do the sample questions GPhC provides.

In terms of Syllabus, focus more on high-medium priority sections but cover the low priority as you can. A lot of sections you need to know are based on BNF sections, NICE guidelines, MEP etc so cover them WISELY.

I started reading around the contents I needed to know for the exam early on, but focused more on covering, learning and being able to apply the knowledge I learned much more nearer the exam, eg through practice questions, mock exams etc. However, I did cover a lot of the content of the exam I needed to know already a month before the exam through my university course as a Bradford sandwich student so I think when to really start proper revision is totally up to you and I am sure you are aware from your university studies, how much time investment you may have to give for the preparation for this exam as it varies significantly between student to student.

Hopefully what I wrote here is helpful and good luck for your pre-reg year!

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 16

blessed107

how hard is to attain a pre-reg place? i really dont wanna go into community i want to either go into industry or hospital? i am about to start my first year at durham uni, also do i have a good chance at getting into industry due to the fact that i go durham ? (russell group top 5)

Reply 17

usernamenottaken

Original post by greenlantern

Soon to be on the register and a practicing pharmacist. Feel free to ask me anything about pharmacy, pre-registration training year, anything about myself etc.

What questions did you get asked for hospital pre-reg?

Reply 18

username1539513

Original post by greenlantern

Soon to be on the register and a practicing pharmacist. Feel free to ask me anything about pharmacy, pre-registration training year, anything about myself etc.

Would you still recommend Pharmacy to current A-level students?

What did you study during your degree? Did you learn organic mechanisms?

Reply 19

greenlantern

Original post by blessed107

Nearly everyone can get a pre-reg place if they have a good application/interview/willing to move around the uk. Hospital places are harder to get and industry even harder. Durham still haven't had their 1st batch of students graduate and go on to pre-reg so it's a bit difficult to say but the course is apparently good and like most unis they probably would provide support/help to applicants when applying for summer placements/ part time job whilst being a student and then when applying for pre-reg. As a student make sure you try to get as much work, voluntary experience etc as you can specially during the summer holidays as that will help you with applications and stand out more when you apply for pre-reg later on.