PRE-REG
From boat racing to Pharmacy
EWAN SWANN GIVES AN OVERVIEW OF THE ROUTE TAKEN AS A PRE-REGISTRATION PHARMACIST. EWAN IS CURRENTLY WORKING WITH CRAIGMILLAR PHARMACY IN EDINBURGH.
I
n July 2015 I graduated from the Robert Gordon University with a Masters degree in Pharmacy. What was I to expect from my ever-looming pre-registration year?
I am currently employed as a pre- registration Pharmacist in Craigmillar, Edinburgh. Craigmillar it is situated in the south east of Edinburgh and is now well into a City of Edinburgh Council regeneration programme which has seen the demolition of earlier estates and their replacement with new build fl ats and infrastructure. The area has benefi ted from many initiatives aimed at tackling the social deprivation that has characterised the area for decades.
Throughout my school career I foresaw a career in Dentistry. After countless weeks of work experience, the never-ending entry requirement tests and the UCAS application process I managed to get myself interviews in London and in Glasgow. After a catastrophe of an interview in London I eventually just missed out on a spot in Glasgow. After that disappointment I was at a loss in terms of what to do after leaving school.
A year out and a date with the Penguin career guide beckoned.
News fi ltered through before I was due to depart on my travels of offers
28 - SCOTTISH PHARMACIST
from the Universities I had applied too. I decided to accept an offer at the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen starting in August 2010.
After dragon boat racing in Victoria Bay, Hong Kong, scuba diving in the Barrier Reef, skydiving in New Zealand and walking the Grand Canyon I was ready to start my degree.
My 4 years at University were some of the most enjoyable of my life. The four-year course at RGU provides a well-rounded one, with the fi rst two years building the required scientifi c knowledge behind Pharmacy and the last two focusing on developing the necessary profession skills of a pharmacist, however is also highly sociable with a vast number of events in the course of the year, one being the Pharmacy Ball that is always well attended.
During my second year at RGU the GPhC reevaluated the course, altering the previous course to become less science based and more patient centred. I really feel RGU prepared me exceptionally well for what was to come.
Despite having confi rmed my employment in the middle of 2014 it was not until my degree classifi cation had come through and I was ready to graduate that I really started thinking
about my pre-registration year and what it might entail. My experience of working in the Pharmacy setting was limited. Thankfully the University organised a number of experiences over my degree that had been very insightful; however I needed more of an idea of what I was embarking upon before my offi cial start date. Graduation week came and went in a fl ash, and before I could believe it, it was Sunday night and I was starting work the very next day.
I had many hopes for my pre- registration year, the ultimate goal being to pass the fi nal exam. Although this remains my goal I am very aware that just passing the fi nal exam won’t make me a good Pharmacist. I want to be ready for the ‘big bad world’. I want to be a competent Pharmacist.
Along with my hopes for my pre-registration year came a number of fears.
My inexperience with the Pharmacy setting certainly impacted on my perceived fears, however one of my fears certainly came out to be true. I was concerned that I would be little more than a glorifi ed shop assistant. I worried that I wouldn’t be able to use my predominantly theoretical degree knowledge for the benefi t of real patients and, despite having the clinical knowledge, that I wouldn’t provide the quality of service expected of me.
Another fear was that I would be chained to a dispensing bench for the day, that I would be a robot involved with dispensing rather than in the customer based role I wanted. Lastly and the only fear that I’ve seen come true is that the pre-reg Pharmacist gets all the best jobs…. I’m your man for measuring compression stockings and making dosette box changes.
Ever since starting work at Craigmillar Pharmacy I feel myself progressing
AFTER DRAGON BOAT RACING IN VICTORIA BAY, HONG KONG, SCUBA DIVING IN THE BARRIER REEF, SKYDIVING IN NEW
ZEALAND AND WALKING THE GRAND CANYON I WAS READY TO START MY
DEGREE
rapidly. My progress in the work place is down to a number of different aspects, perhaps the most important one of which is the great Pharmacy team I have been adopted into. I have to admit that I have certainly landed on my feet with the Pharmacy, Pharmacist, and the staff I work with.
A number of things have surprised me during my fi rst 13 weeks of pre-registration. The fi rst of which negates one of my fears before starting my pre-registration year.
I
am heavily involved in patient care and my opinion, despite not being fully trained yet, is respected by other health professionals. My clinical knowledge from university has been easily transferred to the work place with my being able to implement correct clinical interventions to patients’ treatment regularly.
I
understand the importance of developing a good relationship with local GP surgeries and see its use
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