I am delighted to release Guest Blog 13 here at www.pharmascholar.co.uk

This piece has been written and supplied by Mr Adam O’Neill who is a 3rd Year Master of Pharmacy Student at Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Adam is passionate about the field of Pharmacy and how this healthcare discipline can positively impact upon patient care as a whole. It is Adam’s intention to study for a PhD after qualification and naturally we wish him all the best for this at www.pharmascholar.co.uk

The following Guest Blog entry is very topical for www.pharmascholar.co.uk as it highlights the power of an online educational support platform to assist with the student journey.

From a personal perspective, I like the point made about the bespoke nature of online support tutors (i.e. aspect 2 below). This is so as we can listen to the student and dynamically respond to any questions or queries posed. This is a key attribute of the service that I offer to undergraduate and postgraduate students, alike.

Without further a do, here is Guest Blog 13 by Mr Adam O’Neill:

“Continuous education is an integral part of being a pharmacist and so regardless of the stage of your career you find yourself - whether you are a pharmacy undergraduate, a foundation year pharmacist or even a fully qualified pharmacist undertaking a postgraduate course, for example to become a Pharmacist Independent Prescriber (PIP), additional academic support is always available and proves to be an invaluable resource, which ultimately leads to a better quality of care for patients.

Many of the tutor support platforms utilise remote learning very effectively, providing:

· Live sessions/Webinars through applications such as Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

· Private 1 to 1 sessions or small group teaching depending on your preference.

· Pre-recorded material that you can always go back to at a later date.

This remote learning tool is very convenient as it puts the tutee in control in terms of:

1. Flexibility in your learning – You are not put into a rigid timetable of classes to attend; you simply ask for help when you need it.

2. Owning your educational journey – You can get help with what YOU actually need to learn more about rather than following a “one programme for all” blanket approach. This will also help undergrads and foundation year pharmacists become more confident in taking ownership of their development which in turn will make Continuing Professional Development (CPD) cycles a lot easier to manage once fully qualified.

3. Developing key clinical and personal skills – You are given a deeper understanding of concepts rather than feeling like you just need to learn the BNF off by heart. The out of the box thinking many top tutors have also assists with personal development as it allows the tutee to think about situations in a different way.

4. Independence – the style of the sessions facilitated by tutors often allows for a less restrictive environment when it comes to discussion and this can enable you to augment your own understanding which in the long run will benefit every patient you meet as a professional.

5. Accessibility – working online allows your support to be specifically tailored to your needs, learning or otherwise, in order to reach your full potential.

As Pharmacists, we should work as healthcare professionals, not “sick-care” professionals. Our main aim should be to provide patients with the best possible care and so by taking advantage of the great tutor support platforms out there, such as www.pharmascholar.co.uk, we are not only improving ourselves academically with this extended clinical knowledge but also benefitting every patient we meet as we are better equipped to deal with their conditions and also their individual experiences – treating the patient holistically rather than just relieving the specific symptoms they present with.

There is nothing to be lost and everything to be gained from availing of any and all academic support available outside of your course teaching – why not give it a go?”

Thanks very much Adam, this is a great piece of work!