PRE-REG
when Doctors regularly contact my tutor for his professional opinion.
Another surprise for me emphasises what a privileged upbringing I have had. During my short time at Craigmillar I have noticed a literacy barrier.
The problem extends from small problems with reading and writing to being unable to either sign or read their prescription. In one particular patient I see, this is one of the biggest barriers in preventing him achieving his end goal of coming off methadone. Without our intervention he would not be able to attend any subsequent appointment as he is unable to read his appointment slip. A number of patients are also frequently in and out of prison which causes treatment issues.
One of the most useful parts of my normal pre-registration month is my allocated study time and, on occasion, the NHS Education Scotland organised study days. I am allocated an afternoon of study per week that can be carried out in a setting of my choice. This time out of the usual working day allows consolidation of points worked on earlier in the week.
My study days are also valuable assets to my learning. These NES organized days focus on areas such as diabetes,
Love for Laird
Jonathan Laird, community Pharmacist based in Aberdeenshire is been voted as the Scottish regional winner of the I Love My Pharmacist competition.
Over the last six weeks members of the public have been busy voting for the 18 I Love My Pharmacist regional
fi nalists, as announced in August. I Love My Pharmacist aims to fi nd Britain’s best-loved pharmacist who goes the extra mile for his or her local community.
The competition’s overall winner was Emily Rose, a Pharmacist at Southmead Hospital in Bristol.
infection and many more in the course of the year, using local specialists to impart useful information to the pre- registration trainees.
Being a pre-registration trainee is not all fun. Along with learning the profession, studying for the exam and getting used to full time work, we pre-registration pharmacists have a large amount of evidence to collect to prove that by the time of the fi nal exam we are rounded individuals that can deal with the varied requests that are thrown at Pharmacists.
This evidence requires constant thought to fulfi ll all competencies. During my short time already in the Pharmacy I have witnessed and had to deal with a number of interesting situations. So far I have seen patients having psychotic episodes in the consultation room, dealt with emergency fi rst aid in the pharmacy and consoled a number of patients. This is a constant reminder that we Pharmacists are not only in charge of pharmaceutical care but also responsible for psychological care
With 39 weeks of my pre-registration year to go I am currently unsure what the future holds. I am certainly enjoying my time as a pre-registration Pharmacist and know I have to continue to progress and work towards my fi nal exam. •
Ewan Swann, Pre-Registration Pharmacist
IF NOT US, WHO? SCARRING AND
STRETCH MARK ADVICE
With the treatment of minor ailments in primary care costing £2 billion annually1
, a new survey2 of
UK retail pharmacists reveals that common skin conditions could be managed within the pharmacy setting.
The survey, carried out by skincare treatment oil Bio-Oil, reveals that 89% of the pharmacists believe that concerns about stretch marks should and could be managed within pharmacies and 78% shared the same view for scars. Almost half of those asked (46%) stated that they feel they are best placed out of all healthcare professionals (HCPs) to offer advice to individuals around scarring and stretch marks.
Scarring and stretch marks are highly prevalent, however, the survey revealed that patients are not making the best use of pharmacist knowledge with only a quarter of
Jonathan Laird, Pharmacist, Aberdeenshire
1 Self Care Journal; The economic burden of minor ailments on the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK, 105-116. September 2010 2 Survey of 125 Retail Pharmacists, 22nd Sep- tember - 9th October, 2015, Opinion Health 3 Nursing in Practice survey amongst 251 primary care nurses commissioned by Bio-Oil (July 2011)
30 - SCOTTISH PHARMACIST
pharmacists being regularly asked for advice about pregnancy stretch marks, and 30% about reducing the appearance of scars caused by cuts or wounds.
The survey also revealed that 90% of pharmacists want to improve their knowledge about scarring and stretchmarks, to help them recommend appropriate products to patients.
Clinical Pharmacist, Steve Riley comments: “Scarring and stretch marks is an area that many HCPs do not have specifi c expertise in, and patients can fi nd they do not get consistent advice. Pharmacists are often the fi rst HCP that customers and patients seek advice from for scarring and stretch marks, with guidance and appropriate training, we can support patients by advising on how to care for skin and how to minimise the appearance of scars and stretch marks.”
Bio-Oil has developed a free online training resource which helps to bridge this gap. Taking around 15 minutes to complete, the training covers key topics to help pharmacists provide advice to patients and provides you with an e-certifi cate following completion. The training is available at: www/
bio-oilprofessional.co.uk/ training/
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56