Follow our blogs feed 
Hello guest, welcome to PJ online
gateway to the world of pharmacy and medicines
Hospital or Community Pre-Registration place-who decides?
By Kristy McGlynn
6 Oct 2011
For many people it is a simple decision as to which career path to choose, community or hospital, or even industry.
How about the students that are a little indecisive?
Some community pharmacies have chosen to offer pre-registration placements to students and expect a decision from the applicant prior to the hospital placement deadlines.
Does this add unnecessary pressure to an already stressful decision?
How would it look to potential employers if a student accepted a pre-reg in community and then later rejected the offer as a Hospital opportunity has arisen.
Or does this decision deadline now ascertain the community pre-reg from the hospital pre-reg applicants?
How do you feel about this fellow students?
A highly unfair process...
Hi Kristy,
This is a very interesting topic. I was in a similar situation, struggling to decide between hospital and community pharmacy. I think it is extremely unfair for companies to pressurise students to accept a place in community before they have had a chance to have a hospital interview. There used to be a rule set by the General Pharmaceutical Council, (correct me if I'm wrong) that allowed students to receive all offers, community or hospital, before they decided to accept a place. I think this needs to be bought back.
In the end, I did enjoy my summer placement with Boots and accepted the pre-registration place. Although I would have liked to maybe attend an interview or two for hospital, just to see what the outcome would have been.
I do know a few students at my university who were in a position where they accepted a place with community, signed the contract and later rejected as a hopsital place became available. I don't know what the consequences of doing this are, but I was warned against this because it is highly unprofessional and contradicts the code of ethics, which states that pharmacy students need to be honest and trustworthy. I think by signing into a contract and then rejecting it later, shows a complete lack of honesty and comittment. But then again, I believe it is unfair to put students in that position in the first place.