to be hospital pharmacist 10

Getting to know your tutor

The first time that you find out who your tutor is going to be is when you
send in your RPSGB notification form to the hospital for the tutor and
manager to complete, before it goes back to the RPSGB with your cheque
for payment for the pre-reg year. At this point this is just a name on the form;
you probably don’t know who this person actually is.

At this stage it is well worth your effort to find out who your tutor is
going to be in terms of his or her role within the pharmacy department at the
hospital. You may even want to contact him or her beforehand to touch base
and find out more. A word of caution, however; your tutor may turn out to
be the chief pharmacist who is probably a very busy person. In some hospitals
the role of the pre-reg tutor is taken very seriously and there are dedicated
education and training pharmacists who undertake these roles; in other
hospitals, while still being taken seriously, the pre-reg tutor is a pharmacist
whose main role is in another area in the pharmacy and the role of the tutor is
tagged onto their main role. There are advantages and disadvantages with
each and, to be honest, it does not really matter because what you make of the
year is up to you and your tutor is there to guide and support you.

Some hospitals try to have one tutor for each individual pre-reg so there
can be quite a few pre-reg tutors at the hospital, depending on the size of the
hospital, although they are generally overseen and supported by a pharmacist
who has overall responsibility for pre-reg training; this is usually the pre-reg
manager. Most pre-reg tutors, but by no means all, are quite senior pharmacists
although it must be said that not all like, or are any good at, being tutors,
and they have these responsibilities placed upon them by their seniors. 

These pharmacists may have little knowledge, or experience, of what the pre-reg
programme involves and how to support you throughout the year. If you are
unlucky enough to be one of the ones to have such a tutor, it is very importantthat you try to manage your own training year as much as you can. You must
also make sure that you are completely familiar with the requirements of the
training programme, so it is definitely worth reading through any documentation
sent to you by the RPSGB.

Although most of you will know nothing about your tutors until you
arrive, it may be worth asking your pharmacy friends or colleagues if you
have heard anything about your new tutor. Pharmacy can be a very small
world and you may be surprised when someone knows someone who knows
of your tutor. Any information can be useful, particularly if you have colleagues
who have completed, or are undertaking, their pre-reg year at the
hospital to which you are going.