The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) released a report on why black African students are statistically less likely to perform well in the registration exam last week (July 7). 

While the regulator's chief executive Duncan Rudkin warned that "no firm conclusions" could be drawn from the report, he said its findings pointed at a "complex interplay of factors" that contributed to the poor exam results.

Here are the key points that the report found.

1. Outright prejudice

Some students, particularly those who had studied overseas, faced either explicit or implicit bias, the report found.

Some trainers had “lower expectations” of black African students, which undermined the ability of some students to “reach their full potential”.

Prejudice could also “adversely affect” the pre-registration placements that black African students applied for or were offered, the report showed.

A “small number” of those interviewed felt that applying to community pharmacy placements opened them up to bias against their appearance or accent, it said.

Some students also felt there was a lack of black African role models in education and training who could “guide, inspire and motivate” them.

2. Students who studied overseas at a disadvantage

Around half of the research participants had completed their secondary education overseas, meaning that some students from overseas experienced challenges with “adapting to new styles of learning and assessment”, the report said.

For example, some students had a “more deferential” attitude to academic staff, less confidence to ask questions or seek feedback and also struggled with the “perceptions and assumptions” of some tutors and trainers.

Others reported barriers to engaging with their tutors, which prevented them from receiving detailed feedback.

3. Financial or family pressures

A high proportion of black African candidates who failed their first registraion exam were mature students, which meant they were more likely to face family or financial pressures, the report found.

These factors adversely affected some students’ learning because it was challenging to study and form supportive relationships with other students, both of which are “essential to success” during the MPharm degree and pre-registration placement.

But some candidates overcame this by “managing their time effectively through goal-setting, forward planning and by making the most of the available time in the day”.

4. Some students felt isolated

Some students said they felt like a “small minority…among large cohorts of white and Asian students” in their school of pharmacy, which lead to feelings of “isolation and exclusion” in some cases. This issue also prevented some students from forming productive study groups and support networks with their peers, it said.

Some black African students reported feeling more isolated from their peers during the pre-registration year, which put them at a disadvantage during their preparation for the registration exam, the report said.

5. Pharmacy schools must drive change

The report suggested that schools of pharmacy should tackle the isolation of black African students by aiding integration between students, and taking a “proactive approach” to supporting mature and overseas students.

They should also ensure that tutoring arrangements provide students with equal opportunities and one-on-one discussions with tutors, to ensure that there is a “robust approach” to equality and diversity in academic settings.