New 2012 GPhC Exam Updates

[minisini]

The information covering the new 2012 update to the exam is sketchy at best, so PharmacyCPA called the GPhC and asked some questions...

New GPhC Regulations - No MEP, No Tariff

What do the new 2012 GPhC exam regulations mean?

In late 2011, the GPhC decided to change the format of the Registration Assessment Exam. During the open book exam students in the past were allowed to take in with them the BNF, Drug Tariff and the whole MEP. Now, students can only take the BNF, the MEP ethical supplement to the exam and NO Tariff.

How will the new update change the new exams from past exams? Does this mean that the Tariff and the MEP will not be included in the exam?

You should be so lucky! PharmacyCPA confirmed with the GPhC that the exam will be almost exactly the same as to what it was before however, minus any questions associated with the price of drugs. This mean you will have to learn all those CD tables and "Notes on charges" off by heart. For instance, the GPhC mentioned that they expect pre-regs to know how many charges are associated with Tridestra and (Femoston - prescribed together)!

What will the 2012 exam questions look like?

The GPhC put a strong emphasis on wanting pre-regs to have sufficient knowledge to be able to safely perform a pharmacists duty. This is a bit tricky as in general pharmacists usually have their MEP or Tariff close to hand. The new questions will probably be less specific. Instead of asking questions like what schedule is Zolpidem they will ask how long a benzodiazepine prescription is valid for.

[Asterix]

Th
How will the new update change the new exams from past exams? Does this mean that the Tariff and the MEP will not be included in the exam?

You should be so lucky! PharmacyCPA confirmed with the GPhC that the exam will be almost exactly the same as to what it was before however, minus any questions associated with the price of drugs. This mean you will have to learn all those CD tables and "Notes on charges" off by heart. For instance, the GPhC mentioned that they expect pre-regs to know how many charges are associated with Tridestra and (Femoston - prescribed together)!

.

What are these charges, surely cd questions will be open book, I need my BNF to check which drug is which class

[minisini]

Yes you can check the class using the BNF but you wont know what the legislation is concerning that drugs as you will not have the MEP to hand. Its because the GPhC do not see the MEP as a legal document, they say that it is written by clinicians and is not properly endorsed. Similarly with the tariff, they do not release a hardcopy in Scotland so the students up there would not be able to reference it as it is online...

[weeneldo]

Don't forget that there's a section on requirements for CD scripts in the BNF, and as far as I know, you're still allowed to make relevant pencil annotations in the text, so what you can do is go through and annotate the entry for each CD with little abbreviations for the requirements.

eg.

"MST Continus - CD2 Rx reqs, 28d, S Cus, Regis, ExpLic, ReqNec, Denat, PrRxFrm"

This would mean that MST Continus, a schedule 2 CD, must conform to the prescription writing requirements, the prescription is valid for 28 days, it requires safe custody, the register requirements must be met, a licence is required for export and import, a requisition is required to make a supply, it must be denatured before disposal and private scripts must be on a standardised form.

Obviously you can use whatever abbreviations you want, and you can write some little reminder notes on register keeping etc if you do it in the right place and keep it abbreviated and succinct.

This can also be extended to the prescription charges questions. Before the exam, look up the number of charges in the tariff for various items (HRT, dressing kits etc) and mark the number of charges in pencil next to the item in the BNF.

Of course, its better that you learn all this stuff, but in the stress of the exam, having a wee reminder is always handy.

I just hope they haven't changed the rule about penciling notes into your BNF, otherwise I've wasted a whole load of keystrokes

[Nik]

"MST Continus - CD2 Rx reqs, 28d, S Cus, Regis, ExpLic, ReqNec, Denat, PrRxFrm"

Why didn't I think of something good like this when I did the exam ?!

[Asterix]

Don't forget that there's a section on requirements for CD scripts in the BNF, and as far as I know, you're still allowed to make relevant pencil annotations in the text, so what you can do is go through and annotate the entry for each CD with little abbreviations for the requirements.

eg.

"MST Continus - CD2 Rx reqs, 28d, S Cus, Regis, ExpLic, ReqNec, Denat, PrRxFrm"

I don't think you could do those abbreviations for every cd as they may deem it as cheating no. Plus those requirements you have beautifully listed apply to all sch 2 drugs,

[Asterix]

Yes you can check the class using the BNF but you wont know what the legislation is concerning that drugs as you will not have the MEP to hand. Its because the GPhC do not see the MEP as a legal document, they say that it is written by clinicians and is not properly endorsed. Similarly with the tariff, they do not release a hardcopy in Scotland so the students up there would not be able to reference it as it is online...

you will as the BNF has it. There isn't too much to it, cd sch 2 always needs register filled in and cd 3 doesn't. Remember little bits like that and you will be flying

[ghibtah]

What are these charges, surely cd questions will be open book, I need my BNF to check which drug is which class

New Feb 2012 guidelines are now on GPhc website

[Asterix]

New Feb 2012 guidelines are now on GPhc website

they are not very clear to are they