Starting Pre-reg in Hospital - Worried

[sp419]

Hi, I am starting my pre-reg in a hospital soon and I am really really nervous because I feel like I have forgotten everything I learnt in my degree.

Has anyone else felt like this before they started their pre-reg?
How much will they expect me to know if I am working in a hospital?

I am also worried about communicating with other healthcare professionals such as doctors as I feel I don't know much clinically.

Please help.

[paul2008]

Hi, I am starting my pre-reg in a hospital soon and I am really really nervous because I feel like I have forgotten everything I learnt in my degree.

Has anyone else felt like this before they started their pre-reg?
How much will they expect me to know if I am working in a hospital?

I am also worried about communicating with other healthcare professionals such as doctors as I feel I don't know much clinically.

Please help.

I don't think you should be worried too much, I very much doubt that you will be thrown into the deep end. Things will come back to you or you will have a chance to learn them again.

Wonder if we should make a 2008 pre-reg thread for news and advice?

[gamhulcol]

I felt exactly the same when I started my prereg, felt like I didn't know anything, I was in community though, not hospital.

I don't know that much about hospital pharmacy but don't worry too much, your tutor and the other staff will guide you and you'll pick up things before you know it.

My tutor treated me like I didn't know anything at the start, but let me try and answer everything and he would teach me how to improve if I got stuck or how to improve.

I learnt more in my prereg year than I learnt in the whole 4 years of my degree, not just from working but when I read up things at home it seemed more relavant and stuck in my brain.

Good luck with your prereg.

[openmind]

The fact that you are wroried would suggest to me that you care - the most important attribute of a good Pharmacist.

You won't be thrown in at the deep end, you'll most likely have different rotations in all the departments - Dispensary, MI, Aseptic, Wards.

Look on this year as the chance to soak up as much info as you can,at the end of the year your clinical knowledge will be immense.

Try to keep on top of your evidence portfolio by writing it up as quickly as possible.

There is a useful Pre-reg study group run by Roy Sinclair on Yahoo groups.

[cezlaa]

I've just finished my pre-reg in hospital, and as the others have said, there's no need to worry. Everyone will expect you to know nothing at the beginning, and they definitely wont throw you in at the deep end.

You might get asked questions that you don't know the answer to by pharmacists when you go up on the ward with them, but that is only so that they can gauge how much you know. I'm sure no one will make you talk to doctors or make recommendations without any support until you've had lots of experience.

My little bit of advice is to keep a little notebook with you and write down everything you learn, or things you want to look up (eg if you come across a drug you've never heard of), and then at the end of each day have a quick look and remind yourself of what you have learnt.

[openmind]

I am also worried about communicating with other healthcare professionals such as doctors as I feel I don't know much clinically.

Just on this point, When Doctors ask you questions on the spot and you are not sure 100% of the answer - NEVER quess the answer, ALWAYS look it up (from as many sources as befits).
If you follow this policy, you will build up sound relationships with the Docs, if you quess answers without knowing the right answer 100%, their confidence in you will be diminished.

If they ask you a question and you are unsure of the correct answer, reply with something like "I'll have to doublecheck that, I'll get back to you on it".
Make a note and come back to them with the best answer (evidence based of course).
This is not a cop out, they are asking you because they don't know the answer and they value your contributions.

Doctors and consultants love throwing questions around which don't have a simple yes or no answer (Medicine is not Black and White).
Many Docs and consultants have a macho atititude about about knowing the "right" answer from rote - which they frequently get caught out on.

A good Pharmacist always doublechecks anything of which they are unsure of .

[openmind]

Wonder if we should make a 2008 pre-reg thread for news and advice?

That's a good idea.

[sp419]

Thanks everyone for the reassurance and thanks for your advice. I think its a good idea for a thread to be started for the pre-regs of 2008/2009. It would be of great help. Thanks.