Ramblings of my time in "Pharmacy Limbo"

My last blog on here was 24^th March 2012, and boy has a lot changed in just three months. Nearly a month has already passed since my final exams ended and, even though I haven't had the opportunity to gallivant around the world as some of my friends have, I've had a busy summer so far.

In addition to the constant stream of meeting up with friends, get-together meals, visiting relatives and the occasional wedding here and there, I travelled up to North Shields with a friend from university who is to begin her pre-registration training at the same hospital trust as me. The Northumbria NHS trust pre-registration trainees were required to attend an appointment at the trust's offices in North Tyneside. As I obtained my pre-registration place in the second round of recruitment, I hadn't yet seen my base hospital and was eager to do so. So after our appointment at the trust's offices, we made our way to North Tyneside General Hospital.

Now, I have quite a few friends who are from the North East and all have said that the people of Manchester seem a little subdued compared to people "back home". I didn't quite understand what they meant until I was there myself. My friend who was accompanying me on the journey once told me of a time in Manchester when she began making small talk with a stranger in the ladies' and was met with a blank expression that my friends interpreted as "err, why are you talking to me?". At the time I laughed, but was curious to try it out myself. So, while I was sat on some seats in the hospital waiting for my friend, I seized the chance when a girl in mint green uniform sat down beside me. After a bit of loitering, I said to her "do you work here?" She replied "yes, I do" in a thick Geordie accent and a massive smile.

And so began a conversation about anything we could fit into ten minutes, from the Newcastle bus services to life as a lab technician (which is what she worked as), until my friend returned. "Is she a friend of yours?" she asked. I laughed. "No, I just met her" I replied, realising that I would rather enjoy my time here.

Pre-reg doesn't start for another month yet and so for the time being I'm stuck in, as Connie correctly put it, pharmacy limbo. It's a strange feeling; we're not students anymore, neither are we graduates or employees. But I'm anticipating the wealth of changes that will incur all at once after I've graduated (God willing!) and become a pre-registration pharmacist. As well as becoming a professional, no longer having the security of university life and having an NHS card (Nando's visits may become even more frequent, I fear), the more strange occurrences include the fact that £300 was knocked off my car insurance once I ceased to become a student and a further substantial amount will be knocked off when I officially have a job and a Newcastle address, according to a certain insurance comparison website. For now, I'll simply enjoy the month of freedom I have left...