It’s been a while since I was a pre-registration pharmacist, yet the memories are still very much present. From talking on the phone to my pre-registration tutor prior to day 1 to waking up after our final pre reg party with a sore head and my leaving card/ presents on my desk!
As I reminisce and look back on my pre reg year, I am filled with happiness and gratitude. My pre-registration experience was faultless, I was exposed to a lot and enjoyed my journey with three other “pharmacists’-to-be”, who will always be considered friends!
Yes, there were stressful times, mainly because I struggled to get organised, leaving me feeling like I was constantly chasing my tail! But once I started to balance work and life, additional to understanding what was expected of me, things started to fall into place.
TOP TIP – check the pre reg manual and performance standard prior to starting and periodically to ensure you are capturing all the evidence you require.
For those who do not know, the pre-reg year is effectively a year of on-the-job training to get everyone up to speed with real life pharmacy, bridging the link from the theory of the degree to practical application in the various clinical and technical setting in which a pharmacist functions. All of which is culminated in a final exam to become a qualified pharmacist ‘overnight’, which is equally as exciting and scary!
My Pre reg experience.
I undertook my pre reg year in a specialist tertiary hospital, where I spend 52 weeks rotating around and acting like a sponge, taking in as much as I could and asking so many question (TOP TIP – question everything!)
As the year is capped by THAT exam, it’s hard not to feel its weight from early in the year. However, it is vital to understand 52 weeks is a long time (yet it will fly past) and each day you are both consciously and subconsciously learning so much. Therefore, do ensure you take the time to step back, enjoy and really make the most of each opportunity.
As the year passes and you enter the final few months, it’s only natural to look towards the final hurdle and feel a sense of nerves and anxiousness pulsating at the mere thought of the dreaded pre-reg examination. Its five years in the making and at the time seems like a life or death outcome. But I always had faith in my training from day 1 at university, which was solidified and consolidated by an in-depth and insightful pre-reg year.
I knew what I had to do to get ready for that day, cram revision like I had done since I was 16 doing my GCSE’s. Why change my approach now, it’s got me this far! So that’s exactly what I did, annual leave request in, welcome 14 days of solid revision planned! A fun fact here was 5 days into this intense revision plan, my eyes failed and have never been the same since! I had to shoot to the opticians to get assess for glasses. Pharmacy has made me blind! Since that day glasses wearing George is a regular sight.
Cramming done and exam ready, I headed to the Excel centre in east London for an action-packed day of pharmacy exams. Back then is was open and closed book, the format has changed, but the knowledge requirement and level has remained the same. This level is that of a junior pharmacist. With that understanding you learning and revision should be focused accordingly. TOP TIP – do not waste your time learning in depth around specialist therapies, these are unlikely to come up
Whether you have a job secured or you are taking time for yourself, for most your future role is directly dependent on passing this exam.
I am glad to say all the negative thoughts, queries, concerns and stressful moments (even going blind!!) all paid off and I have spring boarded from my pre reg year to become a junior, senior to managerial pharmacist. Building off my knowledge and experiences throughout my pre-registration year.
Now my story is not normal/ perfect and the beauty is you get to write and experience your own pre-reg year story. By understanding where you want to be in ‘X’ years and knowing how you work/ learn/ revise, you are able to comfortably attain your goals and create the career you have worked and studied so hard for
Final thoughts
If you are reading this with the pre reg exam looming, my guess is insight in how to revise and what to concentrate on is at the forefront of your mind. My suggestion would be to do past papers (I have created some accessible here). By doing this, you can ensure that you cover all the exam topics, improve your knowledge and learn what the GPhC expect you to know. A lot of people dislike tackling practice questions early on into revision due to ‘not wanting to get things wrong/feel like an idiot’. I appreciate that everyone has their different learning styles and that what works for one person will not work for another. But this exam is different to previous university exams in that you have had a year of training and working in the relevant sectors, potentially with intermittent study days and cross sector placements, meaning that much of the core knowledge required is already stored subconsciously in people’s heads – it’s now just about bringing it to the forefront to allow safe passage through the exam!
Do not forget to do open paper exam style questions, remember up to 25% of the current GPhC exam is based off of the resources pack. Doing open paper practice help to familiarizes yourself with the SPC, BNF, Patient information leaflets, Article extracts etc. In the exam, these resource pack questions requiring you to efficiently find information. These questions are guaranteed marks if you know how to use the resources properly. Knowing where information on interactions, pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, dosage, special requirements in specific patient groups etc. can be found in a variety of SPCs will help
However, if you are a poster person, grab an A3 sheet and redecorate your room. Put post-its on mirrors and doors of key points and pieces information. Like mentioned previously you know what works and doesn’t work for you.
Another a key part of exam success is calculations! Most people that fail, fall short due to getting 1 too many calculations wrong! So, learn and get confident with all types of pharmaceutical calculation questions, also by being efficient with pharmaceutical calculations, you buy yourself vital time one clinical questions. Again, my top tip would be to grab pharmaceutical calculations book (check out amazon) and do practice papers. Once you nail calculations you make the exam easier. Grab your calculation papers and practice resource’s here
TOP TIP – R.T.F.Q – Read The F****** Questions – sound simple but in an exam the ‘least’ the ‘most likely’ get missed. How can you answer right if you have missed the defining part? Unlined these key pieces of info!
It’s only natural you will have your own question and concerns, and I am here to help. Drop a message in the chat box below or head to my Instagram @g.b.pharmacist
And remember Practice, practice, practice
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