Guys and St Thomas

[uurrehma]

hello,

I have just gained an interview Guys and St. Thomas for a Pharmacy Pre-reg position commencing August 2008. However, I am not too sure about the style of questions that Guys and St. Thomas ask. Do they ask clinical based questions or generic?

If you could point me in the right direction, I would appreciate it a great deal.

Thank You

[Chosen1]

Re: Guys and St Thomas

Although I personally did not apply for a hospital pharmacy placement, I know of colleagues who successfully did. Most hospitals will ask the standard questions relating to why hospital and not community? What attracts you to this hospital? etc.

BUT, expect some clinical questions as well and don't get thrown back by them; i.e. if you don't know the answer, admit it, but also tell them where you would find the information to address the question should it have arisen if you were a pharmacist.

Clinical questions can range from simple ones such as the role of beta-blockers. Easy as it may seem, an answer of lowering blood pressure although correct will not make you look to good. Think of other roles too as this shows you are more clinically aware, for e.g. angina, arrythmias, after a heart attack, and for the more clinically minded of us, in anxiety, hyperthyroidism, and migraine among others.

Clinical Interactions and side effects also tend to feature heavily in hospital interview questions. One example from an interview this year included a script for Theophylline and Erythromycin; the interviewee asked the pharmacy student what the roles of the drugs were and what (s)he would do if they saw this script. Simple enough (Erythromycin is an enzyme inhibitor and so theophylline levels will increase leading to nausea, vomiting, tachycardia, hyperglycaemia, etc), but it can phase you if you are unable to recall what Theophylline is and how it works (bronchodilator, ?PDE inhibitor, etc)!

Hope this information is of use to you and all the best on your interview.