Dispensary Assistant Course

[cology]

hi all,
I am planning to start the dispensing assistant course this month. Got a letter from NPA as well. The letter says that I need to complete course in 6months time. But it didn't say anything about the minimum time required to complete the course. My question is, can I be able to complete the course in 2months. Since my visa expires after 2months, I would like to complete the course as early as I can. Please reply me for the same.
Awaiting for reply,

Regards,
Cology

[jessie]

Hi
Obviously it depends how busy you are and what knowledge you may have already... the workbooks are quite easy to do, I think there are 10 or 12 workbooks which were checked by my pharmacist at the end of each one with the easy quiz at the end. Once you do finish the workbooks there is then a test which you have to reach a certain % to pass, something like 70%, which I found covered everything!!

Hope this helps

jessie

[amanda harding]

when i did the 6 month course it was 4 work books, all of which had to be sent off to an external marker

[jessie]

Hi Amanda

Yes, just realised I was chatting away about the counter assistance course!!! Been a tough day!

Yes four workbooks.... once again depends on your exisiting knowledge and alot of collecting things from the dispensary.... plus a couple of tests.

Jessie x

[jessie]

Hi
Why put in all the effort...I work for a large multiply that has released hugh profits this year and have finished my course after alot of hard hard work, basically all in my own time. Now I am told there are no extra hours for me to work in the dispensary (as I work in the pharmacy shop) so I will be pulled between the shop and the dispensary as I am needed. How am I to learn anything!! I am so fed up. I thought phamacies were needing dispensing staff

Not a happy Jessie

[dizzyb23]

Hi Jessie
You sound as though you are having the same issues as most of the staff in our area. Same problems-----different people. I've been trying to complete my ACT for ages and our huge company keep banging on about training as many Techs to be ACT's BUT we never get the opportunity to do the training (checking) without being interrupted. I have complained till i'm sick of talking about it but nothing gets done. And the management put other staff on HCA, dispenser and Tech courses and expect me to train them alongside the many locums we get coming through our branch. I'm happy to help but what about my training needs???? Nothing changes....... The only good thing Jessie is that you have a great addition to your CV now.....

[johnep]

all to easy to give lip service to all this and then they can say they are doing it. The fact they allow no time or staff is a another matter.
johnep

[Bellalouise]

Hi Hayley, I'm sure if you contact the npa and explain your situation they'll give you an extension. As for your supervisor not having time to sign your sheets , have you thought of asking them to come in early one morning or stay until after the shop has shut for them to read through your work and sign? That's what I did with my pharmacist when I did the NVQ. Our pharmacy is so busy, we chase our tails all day there and I did most of my coursework at home because of it. I'd ask my pharmacist once a month to read and sign my work and we would come into work half an hour before the pharmacy opened or we'd stay for half an hour at closing time because reading and talking properly during opening times is impossible. Have you thought of doing that in the future?

[Bellalouise]

I agree with your comments. I qualified as an ACT nearly a month ago and I only started checking this week! There's just not enough staff for me to check. There's someone on holiday every week all through the summer and we don't have enough staff at the best of times let alone holiday time. They say they're crying out for ACTs but I don't think they contemplate the reality of it in practice. It's very frustrating but at least my wage has increased :-)

[henokzerai]

Hi everyone I use to study pharmacy and I have also work last 2009 summer in boots pharmacy. Any way my question is can any one send me an address or telephone number where I can take dispensary course. Because I want study dispensary and I want to become dispenser so can any on help me where I can take the course some where in Yorkshire close to Leeds will be preferable.

thank you