Uni of Manchester pharmacy help

Hi,
I’m starting pharmacy at Uni of Manchester this September and wanted a head start before I go. Everyone that I’ve spoken to or heard from says it’s content heavy on bio and chem so wanted to gain some knowledge before I go. My question is, why can’t I find any lectures PowerPoints online from UoM? Is it illegal to ask past students for their lecture PowerPoint slides so I can have a look and make notes before I go? Or is it that students don’t like to share information online because they’re gatekeeping? I’m going to UoM anyways but doesn’t hurt for me to get a head start right?

Reply 1

mike23mike

The powerpoint material is the intellectual property of the lecturer and the university so will not be available as public access. Looking at the 1st year at Manchester there are two 60-credit units; PHAR11001 core concepts in semester 1 and then PHAR11002 Gastrointestinal system, liver and kidneys in semester 2.

If you are really keen to get ahead and you live near Manchester, you can go to the uni library and ask them what the core texts are for PHAR11001 and PHAR11002. They will be able to tell you. There will not be one core text but several e.g. one on biochemistry, almost certainly one on organic chemistry and cell biology. The uni library will have copies of these texts so grab a seat and have at it.

One heads-up is that Manchester uses the flipped classroom approach - very different from the lessons you have had in years 12 and 13. Here the lecture material/recordings of the lecture will be made available prior to the class with the expectation that students read the material/ complete the exercises in advance of the class. Then in the actual classroom, the lecturer will debate and discuss points from the lecture material and expect the audience to engage with the discussion. Thus, if you have not done the pre-work it can be embarrassing when the teacher asks you to comment on XYZ's model or the ABC case from chapter 3 and you don't have a Scooby

University of Manchester

Manchester

Reply 2

Anonymous #1

Original post by BChillington

It’s common practice for course content to be private, you need to be a student to access it. It would be an unfair advantage if some had access and some didn’t. You can prepare yourself though by really getting a solid foundation on biology and organic chemistry (especially the chemistry). I was in your position so I bought this book: Catch up Compendium, third edition: for the life and medical sciences https://amzn.eu/d/4Z1KmZ6 . It’s good to have in order to get everything down pat before you start, and is also a handy reference throughout the year when you need to go back to basics.
You’ll be studying in much greater depth of course, but it’s so much easier to stay on top of things if you have a good foundation. Also the MPharm course at UoM is very applied, so you won’t just be learning book knowledge, you’ll be learning in a healthcare context and will be expected to apply your learning and present it to others. In my opinion it would be far more beneficial if you got a summer job in a pharmacy before you start, that helped me more than any books and gave me a lot of confidence so I was never nervous about role-playing or public speaking. Good luck and don’t worry too much! They’ll try and ease you into it. Just stay on top of things and try not to let it build up.