difficulties in pre-reg year

[parent of pre-reg student]

Please give me some honest information about what this year is really like and what must be done.

[Pharmanaut]

Please give me some honest information about what this year is really like and what must be done. I would like to offer my support to my offspring ( who got a 2.1 Degree) who feels totally inadequate, overwhelmed, unaided, and completly lacking the time needed - but am unsure how. I am a secondary school teacher with many yrs experience of stress and workplace bullying. We are both in so much debt from the 4yr MPharm, I am really worried about failure at the final hurdle. The pre-reg placement is community, working 5 days per wk 9 till 6 with max 4 hrs study time within these hours. How many hours per week must be done above and beyond these hours? Offspring arrives home exhausted in tears fairly often!

The pre-reg year can give you this isolated feeling.
It sounds like he/she needs a mentor who has recently qualified. Wonder if there's anyone on the board here who can offer advice?

[Zoggite]

I must admit to feeling very moved by this parent's post. I just wish I could help, but as I qualified "overseas" (well, over the Channel, anyway!), I escaped the seemingly arbitrary humiliation of the registration exam, so I am in no position to offer advice, only support and reassurance that it will all be worth it in the end!

[admin]

Welcome pre-reg parent!

What's the problem - has he/she told you? Is it that his tutor isn't very good?

I must admit I hated my pre-reg year, and my tutor was an awful bully, often shouting, throwing stuff around and slamming doors a lot.

I basically just gritted my teeth and made sure I passed those exams at the end of it!

If it really is the place or the people, is there a chance he could find another placement - you might have to contact the Pharmaceutical Society to find this out.

Good luck, and please keep us informed.

[Jeff]

feels totally inadequate, overwhelmed, unaided, and completly lacking the time needed

That's what community pharmacy is like nowadays.

I am really worried about failure at the final hurdle.

It is in no-ones interest to have students fail.

Offspring arrives home exhausted

In part due to being on your feet all day.

in tears fairly often!

Long hours of concentration, fear of making a mistake, constant interruptions and not enough time to check everything.
Perceived resentment by the regular staff who are vastly more experienced work faster and more accurately and earn less.

Sorry no easy answers - but I thought it might help to look at the causes.

Jeff

[kemzero]

hi Parent of pre-reg student

The Pre-reg exam:-for starters your child is above average as he/she bagged a 2:1 so I doubt whether he/she would have problems passing the pre-reg exam....past pre-reg exam papers can be found on the PharmSoc website
Bullying_- he/she has to stand up for him/herself..thats the only way out...I remember a friend of mine who was bulied and victimised by her tutor ....your child has to be firm,calm and confident and although he/she must not appear rude or a non-team player he must standup for himself and mustn't allow anyONE no matter who to push him around-----if it gets intolerable he/she should seek advice in confidence from the pharmsoc( a pal of mine had to do this) - if it gets bad he/she might have to transfer to another establishment(or branch if applicable)
Encouragement:- remind him/her of all their acheivements-constantly, b/c as I said earlier achieving a 2:1 grade is no easy feat.

As for other staff e.g counter assistants,dispensers or techs who are giving hiM/her a hard time...they are probably jealous and might feel they know more than him/her,although they only know the technical not the clinical bit;it might be that your child is not used to OTC/brand names yet...but "Responding to smptoms" Blenkinsopp is the answer to that-
I learnt by learning what the active ingredients in OTC products were and remembering them wasn't difficult because all undergraduates study pharmacology at Uni and soon he'll be able to give excellent OTc advice over and above what the most well trained assistant will be able to give because of his /her training......DON'T WORRY,IT'S ALL GOOD

Good luck

[alex]

Hello!

I registered as a pharmacist aftre passing the pre-reg exam in June, so its all fairly recent to me. It sounds like they may still be settling in. Pre-reg is a shock to the system. The thing i found the hardest was adapting from going from "student" timetable to full time work. You find your free time disappears and coupled with that you're tired out in the little free time you do have left. Over time though you get used to it and the bits which are difficult and cause stress become the norm.

the best advice available is just to give it time. As for gearing up for the exam, its still a long way off yet. Lots of people advise to practice calculations which i'd agree with. Familiarising yourself with the layout of the BNF, MEP and Drug tariff as early as possible is also advised so that when you're studying them more intensly later on, you know which bits to focus on.

Keep us updated with if things get better or if you want any more advice

[richtagg]

The RPSGB offers a service called Listening Friends Tel: 020 7572 2442, a confidential telephone service for stressed pharmacists and pre-regs.

If your child really wants professional help then try Pass the Pre-reg - Expert Tutoring for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Registration Examination
A tuition service offered by Alan Nathan, an extremely experienced pharmacist, preregistration tutor and a very nice man!

[ramroum]

Hello,
I was very toutched by your post concerning your child.