An interview for pharmacist preregistration training

[ramroum]

Hi,

Did anyone attend an interview for prereg job in pharmacy please (at community, or hospital), what kind of questions are asked?
Many thanks.

[admin]

Hi,

Did anyone attend an interview for prereg job in pharmacy please (at community, or hospital), what kind of questions are asked?
Many thanks.

I think most of us did, but it was a few years ago! Do you still want me to let you know what they asked me?

I have put a post somewhere about a hospital interview I once had - do you want me to put it on here again for you?

[ramroum]

Thank you very much for your reply. Yes please could you put the previous post (your interview for a hospital prereg) here again .
This forum is really good, especially the clinical interventions, I read them and learnt from them. Could you write more about situations when you had to deal with angry patients(errors and near misses) please.

[admin]

Thank you very much for your reply. Yes please could you put the previous post (your interview for a hospital prereg) here again .
This forum is really good, especially the clinical interventions, I read them and learnt from them. Could you write more about situations when you had to deal with angry patients(errors and near misses) please.

The post wasn't about a hospital pre-reg place, but a job I got when I had only been qualified a few months. There are quite a lot of posts on here about dealing with angry patients! Try having a look around the forum sections. If you need help put up a reply to this post and I will link it. I think I put this up on a student forum, but here it is: -

To Anyone Having a Hospital Interview

I got a job, as a grade D pharmacist, after being only qualified for 4 months. This is what got me it, over another candidate who already had 3 years experience, and a clinical diploma. It was a small hospital with only two pharmacists. The job was to cover maternaty leave and then do a job share afterwards. Q is the questioner, A is what I said.

Q. There are no other pharmacists in the hospital and all the doctors are on a course. The sister from ward 2 calls you and says she's worried about a patient on a drip.
A. What's the problem?
Q. They have developed a sudden high temperature.
A. Since the drip was put up?
Q. Yes within 15 minutes
A. Whats in the drip?
Q. Flucloxacillin
A. I would advise them to stop the drip. The patient could be having a bad penicillin reaction. Stopping the drip for an hour or so, until the doctors get back, won't harm the patient, but if it is a bad reaction it could cause real harm, even death to the patient.
Q. That's correct. Could you make decisions like this, on other matters?
A. Yes if I felt I had enough information.
Q. When can you start?

The woman with the experience, and diploma answered: -
A. I would find you
Q. I am on holiday out of the country
A. I would track you down
Q. I am in the amazon jungle with no phone
A. I would call another hospital

The interviewer (later my boss) told me that even though she had much more experience then me, and a clinical diploma, she simply could not make a decision. As there were only two pharmacists at the hospital,the other pharmacist would often have to run the department alone, and be confident enough to make a decision. He said he felt I could, so I got the job.

I don't know if this could help you, but basically be confident (not cocky) and try to show you can learn, and use what you have learned to advise others and make decisions.

I also interviewed two people when in this job. I took both candidates onto my wards with me, and talked to them about possible problems we might find. The first was only interested in re-arranging the stock, supplying drugs etc. They didn't ask a single question, and could not answer any of mine.

The 2nd listened to what I said, and asked questions about the drug therapy people were on. If he didn't know the answer to my question, he asked me where he could find it. I also took them both on a couple of ward rounds I used to attend. The first said nothing, not a word. The 2nd told the consultant about his final year project, and what he thought about the choice of drugs, asking questions and learning along the way. The team of consultant, SHO's and nurses listened to what he said and asked him questions, which he answered.

I gave the job to the 2nd candidate. Get the idea?

You do not have to be a walking BNF, but show you are keen. That's what impresses people.

Hope this helps someone

[admin]

Hi

At a rough guess I would think an interview today contains things like: -

1. Questions about over the counter medicines

2. Responding to symptoms

3. What kind of questions you might ask someone who comes in asking for some medicines

4. Customer service

5. Previous employment, experience of working in a pharmacy, etc.

6. Why you want to be a pharmacist

7. Why you want to work for this particular company

8. Why you will be good for them

9. What you expect to put in, and get out of the training

10. Your views on things that are changing in pharmacy - MUR's etc

Can anyone else think of some questions?

Thanks

[alex]

I didn't have an interview as such for community, but boots incorporated it into the very grand sounding "Gateway topre-reg" summer scheme that i did last year. They split their assessment into 7 categories, things like taking action, showing you can offer good customer service and that you are helpful, showing that you are able to identify your weaker areas, and that you can show how you took action to address your weaknesses. You have to give various examples of certain situations you've been in and how you've successfully dealt with them.

The hospital interviews i had were more varied, one panel asked a lot about what action i'd take in certain situations, eg "You are the pharmacist on the ward, a junior doctor wishes to give a dose of a drug, whihc you know to be potentially dangerous, but on informing them of this, they choose to ignore your advice. What do you do?"

Other things asked on the hospital interviews were things like what is the agenda for change, i got asked about how skils i gained working in a restaurant may be transferred to a pharmaceutical context. They asked too about how i'd developed through the course and what skills had i learnt that would make me a good pharmacist and similar to the boots assesment, asked how i identified areas of weakness and how i addresseed them.

I'll write more about the boots one tomorrow; its my graduation tomorrow morning so i'm off to get the train to manchester :-D

[admin]

Alex

Nice reply - thanks for taking the time to write it.

Have fun at your graduation. I never went to mine, preferring to stay at home, but if it's what you want then have a good one!

[ramroum]

Dear Admin, and Alex,

Thank you very very much for your replies and for the time you spent writing them, they are very beneficial.
Alex, hope you enjoy your graduation day.
Admin, you are so fantastic in creating this forum and for the time and effort you spend trying to answer each question.

[admin]

Admin, you are so fantastic in creating this forum and for the time and effort you spend trying to answer each question.

Ohhh stop it, I'm getting embarassed here....................

Well ok, perhaps I can take a bit more..............

[Linnear]

Ohhh stop it, I'm getting embarassed here....................

Well ok, perhaps I can take a bit more..............

Great! She's got all the companies lining up to give her money and now you're feeding her ego too!