The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 269 No 7225 p744-745
23 November 2002

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Letters to the Editor

Training

Give equal weighting to hospital and community

From Mr J. Harris and Mr N. Sewak

As preregistration trainees, we read with some incredulity the article on preregistration cross-sector training (PJ, 9 November, p682). We believe that cross-sector training is a vital part of the process of helping pharmacists in the future to be well rounded, and promote better links between the hospital and community sectors. What we struggle to understand is how the article contributors can believe that two weeks is sufficient time, in a different area, to gain useful insight with regard to potential future careers.

The University of Bradford sandwich degree allows a full six months to be allocated each to community and hospital pharmacy. This provides the chance for preregistration trainees to see the complete spectrum of pharmacy, including things like pharmacist-led clinics and consultant ward rounds in hospital pharmacy, and nursing home and domiciliary oxygen services in community pharmacy. This simply is not possible in a two-week period, and can only produce a distorted image of what pharmacy is today. This is typified by the Sainsbury's employees saying that they spent too much time in the hospital dispensary. Any hospital pharmacist will tell you that they do not spend the majority of their time there, yet there was the potential for the Sainsbury's students to leave with that impression.

We believe that the only way that true cross-sector training can be achieved is to give equal weighting to both hospital and community placements. Each area teaches different skills. Let us give people the chance to gain the full experience of both, and then decide on a future career.

James Harris
Preregistration Trainee
C&A Brack Pharmacy
York

Navin Sewak
Preregistration Trainee
Nu-Pharm Chemists Ltd
Hyde, Manchester

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