u/Such-Builder6745

Hi All, I’ve done two shifts in Boots as a Saturday job as a trainee dispenser. On the first shift I was given an SOP to read on handing out prescriptions. I didn’t have much time to read it in detail, but did the quiz at the end just fine.

Once read, I was whisked to the counter where I soon realised this would be a baptism of fire. I’m a very competent person in my regular 9-5 and would work to a high degree of autonomy, so I was dishearten to continually need to go to the Pharmacist or the store manager (ACT) for answers to questions every five minutes. Although everyone is supportive and willing to help- I know they’d rather me ask plenty and double-check than go ‘rogue’, I do want to fast-track my training and development myself.

I know it will come with time, and in the two shifts I’ve worked I have picked up a couple OTC products that I can start ‘confidently’ advising on.

Is there any way to access the training/learning portal for Boots SOPs from my own laptop at home or is it something that can only be accessed from work computers in the dispensary and an intranet.

With working only Saturdays I’m sure I’ll never get the proper time to read any SOPs especially when they need to use computers in the fast paced environment that is the dispensary.

Hi All, for some context I graduated with a BSc Pharmaceutical sciences, I work in the Pharma industry as a Formulation Scientist. In the past year I think I’ve decided I want to be a Pharmacist, which feels a little like a step back because I’ve studied the first two years of my degree with MPharm students.

Most of my colleagues are pharmacists who hated community pharmacy, and then changed to work in formulation development in industry so it is a very bias opinion I get from them- however I do know they mean well.

I like the idea of being a medicines expert, and transitioning into a healthcare professional role. All my work in industry is Phase I/Phase II drug products and most projects get terminated because of poor clinical trial results. The job itself isn’t all that challenging and I want to see the medicines that are being manufactured translated into patient care.

I do like the sound of hospital pharmacy a lot more than community Pharmacy. However, I am starting a job as a trainee dispenser in Boots this weekend (Saturday job). This is both to: 1. See if I like working in a Pharmacy, and 2. To get some experience before applying to UCAS.

I already have a degree so I’ll have to self-fund the MPharm, which is the equivalent of a house deposit. So I just want to be sure I make the right decision before I leave my (really quite good) early stage career as a formulation scientist.

I didn’t study an MPharm as my primary degree because being a Pharmacist it wasn’t on my radar at all, but I don’t regret this because I was just shy of the grades to get onto an MPharm programme.

I applied for graduate entry medicine this year but didn’t get it (and I’m kinda glad, because I’d maybe prefer to stick to my wheelhouse (pharmaceutical science))

Any thoughts/tips/realities of being a pharmacist would be much appreciated!