[parent of pre-reg student]

The review is this week so will let you know! Things are not very good really - she does not want to do the job any more, but is still hoping to pass and at least have the choice open to her. This is such a shame, as all her teachers know her to be incredibly hard working, positive, friendly and a great listener - she would have made a good pharmacist with some praise and a little understanding. She may do a PGCE Science if she fails the year. Still, her experience is postively blissful when compared to the recent post in this forum! Undergrads should be told about the difficult nature of the calcs test at the end of the pre-reg year - following the 4 yr slog that is the MPharm - many wouldn't do the course if they knew they could not even register for a job without it. Tutors should be trained, monitored, and made aware of how little the degree actually relates to the job - my daughter is not at all stupid, great grades at GCSE and A level and a 2.1, but has been made to feel so because she does not know as much as someone with many years' practice. Pre-reg students should be visited in their establishments by their Uni professor or some independent body to see that they are not at risk - they are very vulnerable to abuse, living in fear of failure as they do. One of the worst things to cope with is the resentment of the techs. A truly dreadful experience and introduction to a well-respected profession. Would things have been very different I wonder had she gone to a hospital or multiple? I suspect that sympathetic tutors are rare - and getting rarer because of job stresses - but they should not volunteer to supervise without the qualities every teacher needs - patience, kindness, maturity and the sense to see that confidence cannot grow where no dignity is afforded.
I'll get off my soap-box! Cheers for asking, Chosen 1.