I’m really pleased to release Guest Blog 5 here at www.pharmascholar.co.uk
This Blog is totally relevant to those Pharmacy Students who are making the transition away from University to the World of Work. For me, it is an important entry for others to read and potentially to act upon (i.e. buy the book and reach out for consultancy support). This Blog brings home the very essence of why I established www.pharmascholar.co.uk in the first place - to help others succeed.
Please take the time to read the entry that has been prepared by Miss Mythily Nagarajah (@mypharmvlog), I think it is really interesting and very supportive for others.
“The Oriel recruitment system is what is used to recruit pharmacy students (sign up at the end of third year) to complete their training year known as the foundation year (previously known as the pre-reg year). This is overshadowed by Health Education England, working together with training providers. All hospital programs can be found on here including majority of community places and more recently there has been more cross sector placements. As part of the application, you are assessed and ranked according to your score, alongside you would also be required to rank your choices of your programs according to your preference (also known as preferencing). Once you have ranked your choices your score will be compared against the rest of students and your choices based on this you would be made an offer.
There are three elements to the assessment:
1. Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
2. SJT (Situational Judgement Test)
3. Numeracy Test
The MMI usually takes places in person, however during the COVID 19 pandemic this was cancelled, usually there are 6 stations with a mixture of professional and competency-based questions (using the professional attributes framework found in the pharmacy oriel recruitment handbook). The SJT and Numeracy test are completed on the same session, which takes place at Pearson test centres. The numeracy test is 10 questions which is completed in 15 minutes, and you will be allowed to use non-scientific calculator. The SJT takes 104 minutes to complete questions, and this involves two types of questions. The first type is ranking the answers in the correct order and the second type is choose the 3 best answers. The numeracy test is usually used in tie breaking situations only and you will be ranked based on you MMI (40%) and SJT score (60%).
My personal experience
I went through the Oriel recruitment process last year; it was tough especially during the COVID 19 pandemic. One thing that shocked me the most was the lack of resources for pharmacy students going through it. There were many guidance’s available from different providers, however there were hardly any useful resources or real information out there. This inspired me write my own book The ORIEL survival guide, providing a breakdown of each of the elements of the process (link below). I have provided an example calculations test to assist students. Going through the Oriel process can be overwhelming and can be one of the toughest things you do as undergraduate, therefore I wanted to write a book equipped to this from a student’s perspective. It can be scary being ranked against 2000 students across the country, and it can be self-destroying not getting the offer you want. It is important to remember that there will always be opportunities despite how you do and the most you can do is give your best effort.
In my book, I go through how it was like completing each part and what are the best tips for it. I wanted to write a book to change how students felt while going through the process, and to remind them they are not alone. I wanted to also write a book that was realistic about what to expect. Having completed the process, I will now be starting my hospital training year at one of my top choices, no one method fits all therefore the book is mainly based on my own experience and what I found useful. I will appreciate feedback on the book, and if it was helpful for you during your application process. Do not undermine yourself even before you go through the process, and do not hesitate to put down choices you think is out of your reach. All the best with your application process and hope you found this blog post insightful.
If you would like more help with topic do not hesitate to reach out to me through one of my online platforms. You can find me under the username @mypharmvlog on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
Resources to check out:
· The ORIEL survival guide
This book was written by a student who has completed the Oriel process recently, in this book there is a breakdown of the assessment elements. The numeracy test section also has an example test. It is a great guide for students to use to guide them through the process, there are also tips on the application and preferencing.
· The pharmacy situational judgement test
· Practical pharmaceutical calculations
