Students back centralised pre-reg recruitment scheme
Pharmacy students have expressed support for plans to centrally allocate pre-registration placements in England from 2017.
Current and former students took to Twitter last week to show support for an England-wide centralised recruitment and selection process for pre-reg posts.
British Pharmaceutical Students’ Association (BPSA) secretary general Tom Byrne told C+D on Tuesday (August 30) that a centralised scheme will be “quite a big improvement” on the current recruitment process.
At the moment, current variation in the way hospital and community pharmacies recruit pre-regs creates a lot of uncertainty for both students and employers, he said.
Students hold onto offers until an alternative job comes up, “then they withdraw at the last minute leaving the pharmacy in the lurch”, he explained.
"Having one system where all the offers are made at the same time will be more efficient," Mr Byrne added.
Health Education England (HEE) has outlined how the new pre-reg placement system will work in practice, but Mr Byrne stressed that the process must be well-communicated in advance.
Positive reaction from the sector
The plans have been received positively so far, with Boots confirming to C+D that it has met with HEE to discuss the possibility of signing up.
Gail Fleming, dean of pharmacy for HEE London and South East, said “roughly” 300 community pre-reg posts had expressed an interest in just one week.
The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee said last month that taking part in the centrally allocated system will be mandatory for hospital pharmacy pre-registration positions, but "optional" for those in community pharmacy.
However, the BPSA's Mr Byrne stressed there are not "any downsides for community pharmacists”.
Signing up to the scheme would give pharmacies “more exposure” – ultimately making them “more attractive” to pre-reg students, he told C+D.
Mr Byrne added: “Everyone is looking for similar standards and abilities, so it makes sense to [take part in a scheme that uses] assessment centres and a centralised recruitment system.”
Students show support on Twitter
@ChemistDruggist IMO having just finished pre-reg, yes, works well in Scotland with NES. Standardised process which is fair and consistent
— Michael Smith (@mspharm93) August 23, 2016
@ChemistDruggist Seems positive wrt broadening opportunities - shows students a greater variety of options than a non centralised system
— Sarah Kirk (@skirk93) August 24, 2016
@skirk93 @ChemistDruggist totally agree, filling out similar applications for serval pre-registration posts wastes so much time and money.
— Ahmed Mattan (@M4774N) August 24, 2016
@ChemistDruggist Yes!! Focus on one killer application and allow a fair points-based system allocate the right students for the right place
— Sana Sharif (@sana_sharif) August 24, 2016
In depth: How will the new pre-reg placement system work?
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Students will register for the scheme in June and July 2017, where they will be able to see information employers have posted about each pre-reg placement.
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Students will submit their application forms in August 2017, where they will choose their preference for placements – based on location and sector.
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They will then be offered a placement from their list of preferred options, following a selection process, which PSNC said employers hope will incorporate situational judgement tests and multiple mini-interviews.
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PSNC said there will be a provision for students to still get a placement even if they have not secured any of their preferred options, but stressed that this should be avoided "if possible".
Will your pharmacy take part in the centralised scheme