From Mr P. F. Foster
SIR,-As an undergraduate midway through the MPharm degree pathway, my attention is drawn to the decision of which branch of pharmacy to pursue as a career. With hospital and community pharmacy both providing a sound environment for a satisfying and rewarding career, the largest factor affecting my decision - and I believe this would apply to many of my fellow students - is money.
In 1998, the Government made radical changes to the way in which students finance their education. This has been mainly by shifting the financial burden on to the undergraduate. Many students, after completing the new, longer MPharm degree, will owe the student loans companies over £14,500, and may have overdrafts and credit card debts, all of which should be considered a financial investment for the future.
I have compared the salaries of newly qualified pharmacists in both community and hospital pharmacy, and the difference is staggering. The newly qualified hospital pharmacist after five years' training (four-year degree plus one year preregistration training) can expect a salary similar to that of a newly qualified nurse who has completed three years training and is without the same level of debt.
With hospital pharmacy already short of pharmacists, and increased financial pressure on graduates, how can tomorrow's graduates enter hospital pharmacy knowing that if they worked in community pharmacy, the burden of their debt could be reduced over a shorter period and with a greater return on their initial investment.
However much hospitals argue their case, the bottom line is money - money to pay off the debts incurred by student life and to fund day-to-day living. Has this point of view been considered by the hospital pharmacy sector, and how is it going to address the problem?
Phillip Foster
Portsmouth