no hospital work experinece can i still get a pre reg in hosp?

[star]

hey guys

I am from nottingham uni, in my 3rd yr on a 2.1
I have had work exp in Boots for one whole summer, and have recently accepted another placement with them for the coming summer, i have also mangaed to cram a few weeks into the summer holidays to work in hopsital pharmacy, now i am still very confused with what path to choose for my pre reg, is it true that hopsital pays better than community?

also how easy is it to climb to higher positions in hopsital NHS pharmacy ocne graduated, time scales, pays any ideas guys??

if I do apply for pre reg hopsital placements without any work exp in hopsital will i still have a chance?
as wouldn't they give the pre reg place to some one whos already had summer placements in hopsitals?

also what are the entry requirements for hopsital as my firends keep telling me i have to get a 1st for hospital is this right?

im so confused and really need your help thanks alot

[Chirpy]

Hi Star,

In terms of salaries - community salaries start off much higher than hospital, but then do not increase as much, and there is less obvious career (& salary) progression.

In community you can start as a relief or second pharmacist then take on the additional paperwork & personnel responsibilities of becoming a pharmacy manager, then you can leave the front line and become an area manager. There are other jobs out there but few & far between. You have to be fairly disciplined about training yourself (no your MPharm does not give you all the knowledge you need to do a good job!).

In hospital your progression will depend to a large extent on the hospital that you are in, so it becomes very important to do your homework. Some will start you off slowly, improve your clinical knowledge by in-house training and leave you to settle down for a year or so before putting you forward for a clinincal diploma. Others will start you off on that immediately. Then there is a big difference in how you will progress if you work in a hospital with a busy on-call. My experience has been that for most people it is easy to get a band 7 job once they have completed their diploma (takes approx 2 yrs), but then finding a band 8 job becomes a bit of a lottery and waiting game. You need to wait for a specialist role in an area that you are interested in to become vacant then successfully apply. As well as clinical pharmacy roles you could specialise in education & training, medicines information, interface liason, management, & do prescribing courses etc. Once you have your band 8 job, then you can sit pretty, or continue to strive for consultant pharmacist heights. If you choose a popular specialty then there may be some competition for jobs, or you could be in the right place at the right time. Although the amount of experience needed is in theory set in stone, there is a bit of wiggle room, and I know pharmacists who have progressed extremely fast simply because the hospital they worked at was desperate for bodies!

In terms of needing a 1st - no that is not necessary!! If so there would be far fewer hospital pharmacists. As with applying for any job, they will want to get the best pharmacist possible for the job. They will look at your marks - they give an indication as to how easy you will find it to learn and how motivated you are. Experience in pharmacy in general and in hospital specifically will also go to prove how motivated you are, and that you know what you are getting into. They will also look at how well you will fit in with the team and a good CV should get you the interview so that you can convince them of this.

I've worked in both hospital and community. The jobs are hugely different & I would advise you to go for whichever you find more interesting. Don't feel that the decision that you make is cast in stone. If you are unsure which sector you want to start in then remember it is much easier to move from hospital into community than the other way around. Part of the difficulty of moving from community to hospital is a knowledge gap - you need to relearn all the clinical knowledge and new trials etc, part is a big salary drop if you work your way up in community then need to start at the bottom of the ladder in hospital.

Good luck

[ramroum]

My advice would be to make an informal appointment to visit the hospital that you are interested in. Try to show that you are very enthusiastic in working there. Getting the pre-reg job is depending on how well you perform in the interview regardless of your previous experience.
Good luck.

[babi pharm]

Previous experience doesn't seem to matter when applying to hospitals. I didn't have any experience in hosp pharmacy but still got a pre reg place in a hosp.

You just have to show your interviewers that you really want to work in hospital pharmacy an that you're the type of person that will fit in well in a hospital environment. Think about how you see your career progressing in hosp pharmacy, more so than in community.

[johnep]

In today's financial climate it is a no brainer. Start in hospital as you can transfer to community any time, not so easy the reverse.

Also, when in hospital can do the occasional week end community locum to keep your hand in. Best would be to find a Saturday morning job, I did one for 15 years. Had I not done so, I would have found the transition from industry to community very hard.
johnep