Support for preregistration trainees

In this section you will find all the support available to our Associate members during their preregistration year and how this relates to the preregistration training programme.

The preregistration trainee programme is overseen by the General Pharmaceutical Council and is one of the most important years of your career. It can also often be one of the most stressful. We can support you through your training, ensuring you have all the tools you need to make your year go as smoothly as possible.

Associate membership can support you with each stage of the training year. The early years of a career are a time when individuals potentially require more support and guidance and we are ideally placed to provide this support. Ensuring you are fully supported through your preregistration year will ensure you are more confident and competent when you qualify as a pharmacist.

• How we can support you »
• How we can help you prepare for your exam »
• Additional support »
• Useful links »
• Careers support »

• RPS Support

RPS Support are available to provide you with advice, support and guidance around professional practice, as well as the decision making processes surrounding legal and ethical issues, associated with day-to-day pharmacy practice. We can support you throughout your training year by providing you with the necessary tools to empower you through these decision making processes, thereby enabling you to be more confident and capable when you qualify as a pharmacist. We can additionally assist in identifying the relevant resources available both within the Society and externally to facilitate independent learning.

• Medicines, Ethics and Practice (MEP)

MEP is an essential guide to pharmacy practice and legislation, that supports you in making professional decisions. As the definitive guide to being a pharmacist, it covers many of the Professional and Legal Practice areas of the registration exam syllabus.

• Pharmaceutical Journal
As part of your Associate membership you’ll receive your regular copy of the PJ, to ensure you keep up to date with all that is happening in the profession.

• Practice guidance and support tools

Our practice guidance and support tools are available exclusively for members through our website. They cover many aspects of pharmacy practice and will be an invaluable resource during your preregistration year and could help contribute to the Medicines and Health section of your workbook. Topics covered include:

- POM to P reclassification guidance
- Guidance on law and ethical issues
- Best practice
- Public health issues
- Information on diseases and medical conditions

The box on the right hand side of this page shows the top ten practice guidance tools for preregistration trainees.

• Clinical audit

As part of the Personal Effectiveness section of your workbook all trainees are required to carry out a small, planned audit assignment. Our clinical audit section will support you in preparing for and conducting your clinical audits (including templates) so that you can demonstrate your excellent services and identify areas where you can enable real improvements. You could also take a look at our Map of Evidence.

• Relevant, timely information direct to your inbox*

We know you’re a busy and it’s often difficult to find the time to keep up with everything that’s happening in the profession. That’s why we have a range of email services to ensure you’re always up to date.

• Today’s headlines – bringing you the days’ health stories from the national media
• Support alerts – we summarise the latest medicines and device alerts, patient safety notices, and other important communications concerning patient safety
• E-alerts – ad hoc emails which let you know about information from the Society which might need urgent attention
• E-news – our monthly newsletter providing you with information on the latest developments from the Society and the profession

*Associate Members can opt-in to receive any of these emails as part of their membership by visiting their My Profile page.

• Map of Evidence

Another important member resource that can help build your knowledge of evaluating data as well as using it as a source of information. This is a knowledge requirement that you will need to demonstrate as you work through your workbook.

• Library

Our library is the first port of call, if you are looking for information resources and information support. This can be useful in demonstrating your working knowledge of using information sources and evaluating literature and data. We can help with literature searches and have an e-library which provides access to central reference works on pharmacy and related subjects as well as some of the most important textbooks on pharmacy and medicine.

• Local Practice Forums

As part of the Personal Effectiveness section of your workbook you need to demonstrate ongoing learning and development. You also need to undertake a range of learning activities. One of the suggested ways of doing this is by attending local practice forum meetings. One of the best ways of developing your skills and knowledge is through learning from the experiences of others. Local practice forums are the local face of the Society and a great way for you to meet qualified pharmacists and build up your local network of contacts. Many LPFs hold educational meetings and presentations on a range of topics, so are a great way to develop your learning. You can find the latest LPF events in your area by visiting the networks pages.

• Online groups

We have a dedicated online group for preregistration trainees so you can find out how others are getting on with their preregistration year, share experiences and develop your own support network. Our online groups also give you access to the whole cross section of the profession. So if you’re looking for an industrial placement or have a question relating to a particular role you can use our online groups to find an answer.

• Mentoring service

Our mentoring service allows you to benefit from the support and guidance of their more experienced colleagues through a variety of approaches to mentoring. We have a number of mentors who have only recently qualified who may be able offer you additional support through your training year. Our online mentor – mentee matching database which allows you to access a mentor to suit your needs.

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The registration exam is the culmination of your year’s work. Many of the services listed above will be useful in helping you prepare for your exam.

In addition the following may also be useful:

• TP ONtrack
  Our online revision site has over 1,000 registration exam-style MCQs, all checked and verified by RPS Support. Members get discounted access to the site. Find out more about TP ONtrack here »
• Pharmaceutical Press
  Members get a minimum 25% discount on all Pharmaceutical Press titles, including their range of textbooks designed to help you prepare for the exam. These include:
  - Registration Exam Questions I and II
  - MCQs in Pharmaceutical Calculations
  - MCQs in Pharmacy Practice
• Medicines, Ethics and Practice
  MEP covers many areas of the syllabus for the registration exam.
• London LPF factsheet: Top Tips for passing your pre-reg exam

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You may find our additional support useful in building your understanding of personal effectiveness as well as meeting many of the requirements of the performance standards:

• Leadership Competency Framework for Pharmacy Professionals

Pharmacists of the future will play a more central role in public health, both in terms of health improvement and health protection. This will require leadership at all levels of the profession. The LCFP sets out five areas that will help individuals develop their leadership skills. The areas are supported by a range of pharmacy based examples in practice, learning and development opportunities that will help pharmacy professionals to acquire the leadership competence required to meet these challenges regardless of the stage they are at in their career. Areas 1, 3, 4 and 5 are all relevant to developing personal effectiveness, whilst area 2 can support the development of your interpersonal skills.

• Research support

Trainees need to demonstrate a working knowledge of the principles of data and literature evaluation and a use of information resources. Our research support section provides you with guidance and information on using and conducting research.

• CPD support

All pharmacists need to complete continuing professional development throughout their career. Our support will help you develop good practice from day one and ensure you keep up-to-date with the latest developments in pharmacy and deliver an optimal service to patients and the public.

We are here to help you with recording your CPD. View a sample CPD entry from a recent Pre-Registration Pharmacist.

• Events

The Society runs a number of educational events both face to face and online. Our webinars are free for members and discounts are available on all our face to face events.

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These organisations will also be a useful point of reference during your preregistration year.

General Pharmaceutical Council – The GPhC sets the education standards for all parts of pharmacist education and training in Great Britain. You can also find further details of pre-registration training requirements, past registration exam papers, the pre-registration manual and other useful resources for your pre-registration year.

National Pharmacy Association – The NPA offers a wide range of courses for preregistration trainees as well as free professional indemnity insurance.

British Pharmaceutical Students’ Association – BPSA is the official student body of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. They offer services designed to help you through your preregistration year.

Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education – CPPE provides educational solutions for the NHS pharmacy workforce in England. They offer specific learning programmes for preregistration trainees to complement your workplace training.

Wales Centre for Pharmacy Professional Education – WCPPE motivates and supports the pharmacy team through the provision of learning and development opportunities. They deliver the residential training element for preregistration trainees across secondary care sites in Wales.

NHS Education for Scotland – NES is NHS Scotland's education and training body ensuring that patients and their families get the best healthcare possible from well trained and educated staff.

Pharmacist Support – provides help and support to pharmacists and their families, former pharmacists, students and preregistration trainees in times of need.
Free and confidential support includes financial assistance for people in hardship, specialist advice in employment, debt and benefits, a confidential Listening Service for those experiencing stress, support with addiction and information, including factsheets specifically for preregistration trainees.

United Kingdom Clinical Pharmacy Association – UKCPA

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