Hospital pharmacist : Entry requirements

To qualify as a hospital pharmacist you need to:

• successfully complete a four-year pharmacy degree course (MPharm), which must be accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) ;
• complete one-year’s pre-registration (pre-reg) training in a hospital;
• pass a registration examination.

Entry to the profession without a pharmacy degree or with an HND only is not possible. Work as a pharmacy technician will give you experience of the work environment but does not allow progression to hospital pharmacist.

Most MPharm courses require an A-level in chemistry and two further A-levels in either biology, mathematics or physics. Students may also be considered with A-levels in chemistry and one other science (preferably biology), together with another subject. In Scotland, Higher qualifications with a strong emphasis on the sciences, particularly chemistry, are required. Basic literacy and numeracy skills (for example, GCSE grades A to C in English language and mathematics) are also essential.

Students on pre-reg training must demonstrate that they meet certain performance standards and successfully pass a registration examination. It is possible to complete the pre-reg year in another area of pharmacy, such as community or industry, and then transfer over to hospital pharmacy. However, it is more usual for hospital pharmacists to have done their pre-reg year in a hospital pharmacy.

Students who wish to obtain a pre-reg placement in hospitals in England or Wales must apply by 31 August, one year before graduation. Details are circulated to students through all university schools of pharmacy and on the Pharmacy Clearing House  website. Hospitals that have not filled their pre-reg positions during the August recruitment round post their clearance places on the Pharmacy Clearing House website. Students who have not secured a pre-reg position must apply online by the end of October.

Pharmacy students who wish to complete their pre-reg year in Scotland need to apply for their pre-reg placement by June in the year before graduation. Booklets containing details of placement opportunities are sent to university schools of pharmacy. See NHS Education for Scotland (NES)  for information on how to apply for pre-reg positions and vacancies within NHS Scotland.

Details of how to obtain a pre-reg placement in Northern Ireland appear in the local press in October. Contact the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland  for further details.

Pre-reg trainees rotate between different areas of the pharmacy service, gaining an introduction to all aspects of pharmacy practice, including medicines information, training in dispensary work, aseptic dispensing and inpatient and outpatient pharmacy. In addition, trainees take residential courses and study days and complete a pre-reg project. Regular assessment and feedback occurs throughout the year and concludes with the pre-reg examination.

A pre-entry postgraduate qualification is not needed, although a clinical diploma or MSc may give an advantage in gaining a position as a hospital pharmacist.

Candidates need to show evidence of the following:

• ability to work carefully, methodically and accurately - this is vital as mistakes could prove fatal;
• computer literacy;
• interpersonal skills and a caring and sympathetic manner, as the work usually involves contact with patients on the wards and in outpatient departments;
• a responsible attitude to work;
• general clinical awareness.

Pharmacists with supervisory responsibility require:

• effective management skills;
• the ability to delegate tasks and monitor the work of junior staff.

For more information, see work experience and internships and search courses and research.