Introducing the new pharmaPSA service here at www.pharmascholar.co.uk

We can support you in the following ways:

1. Explain the core competencies as per the General Medical Council Outcomes for Graduates 2018 document

2. Support understanding of the British National Formulary (BNF) and how to navigate successfully

3. Outline key concepts within practice tests and go beyond to expand your knowledge and confidence

4. Address any issues you may face in terms of your medical / pharmaceutical knowledge-base

More detail may be found below…

Book your bespoke session today by contacting Dr Davies via mike@pharmascholar.co.uk

1. Introduction

The prescribing safety assessment (PSA) is a pre-requisite all Year 5 Medical Students and Overseas Medical Graduates who wish to work as a Foundation Year 1 (FY1) Doctor within the United Kingdom (UK) as part of the National Health Service (NHS).

This formal assessment aims to probe prescriber competencies with regards to the safe and effective use of medicinal products.  Successful completion of the PSA signifies that those newly licensed prescribers hold medical competencies as stipulated within the General Medical Council Outcomes for Graduates publication to support patient care.

Here, we will outline background to the PSA and how our new pharmaPSA service offering at www.pharmascholar.co.uk can support progression through this assessment for future career success.

2. Overview

Healthcare providers within the primary and secondary care settings frequently write prescriptions for their patients.  The provision of safe and effective patient care lies at the very heart of the NHS within the UK.  A prime aspect of such care is the use and application of medicines and medical devices.  As such, those clinicians prescribing medicines, on a daily basis, must be trained appropriately and pass regulated assessments to be considered safe.  Over the course of recent years increased attention has been placed on prescribing skills within the undergraduate medical curriculum throughout the UK.

To evaluate the prescribing skills of 5th Year Medical Students / Junior Doctors, the PSA was devised and developed jointly by the British Pharmacological Society and the Medical Schools Council.  This platform was initially released in 2016 as an online test and as a result of the positive influence on prescribing behaviour it has been used ever since. 

The PSA includes 8 different types of questions; namely:

· Prescribing

· Prescription Review

· Planning Management

· Providing Information

· Calculations

· Managing Adverse Drug Reactions

· Drug Monitoring

· Data Interpretation

These 8 elements aim to mimic those tasks faced or requirements demanded of prescribers when providing patient-centred care in either the primary or secondary care settings within the UK. The questions presented in the PSA are closely aligned to those clinical scenarios that a Doctor may experience along the course of his or her career.  The 7 clinical settings comprise:

· Medicine

· Surgery

· Elderly Care

· Paediatrics

· Psychiatry

· Obstetrics and Gynaecology

· General Practice

3. PSA Format

The PSA has a total of 60 questions that must be attempted over a 2 hour period.  All questions will reflect key requirements expected from those Doctors starting their careers within the NHS.  Clear focus will be on commonly presenting disease states in the clinical setting plus related drugs that are utilised to routinely manage them.

Here, candidates must use their understanding of medicines (i.e. material learnt over time at university) in combination with the British National Formulary (BNF) reference source.  It is in the candidate’s interest to know the material well to save time looking answers the up from the BNF but also using the BNF with speed to minimise the time associated with each question. Here, ‘Control F’ is key! 

Also, it is important to understand the mark distribution within the PSA to maximise opportunity.  That is to say, if candidates are aware of where most of the marks are allocated and focus on those sections in the main then the chances of attaining a higher mark (hence the pass mark) are improved.  For example, the 8 prescribing questions are worth 10 marks each and overall account for 40% of the total marks available.  At the same time, the 8 prescription review items are worth 4 marks each and make up 16% of the mark allocation.  The remaining elements are worth only 2 marks each!

The PSA applies the Modified Angoff Method to establish the pass mark for each sitting. This approach is frequently utilised in the field of Medical Education and involves an expert panel who understand the issues that newly qualified Doctors may experience and what the minimum standard of medical practice is required.  Standard setting is undertaken to specify those characteristics of a candidate who is just able to pass the assessment.  From that point, the panel are required to indicate what fraction of those just able to pass would answer each question correctly.  Once the means scores are calculated by the group, the pass mark for the paper is declared.  In general, the pass mark floats around the 65% level but this can change depending on how easy or hard the questions are in the paper released for completion.

4. Support

Here at www.pharmascholar.co.uk, we are perfectly placed to support those individuals on their journey to complete the PSA; hence the establishment and roll out of our pharmaPSA service offering. 

We are able to help PSA candidates in the following ways:

1.      We can clearly explain the core competencies as outlined in the General Medical Council Outcomes for Graduates 2018 document (e.g. the Prescribing Medicines Safely section).  Here, we have fully analysed the competencies and can apply our understanding to question theme preparation and presentation from the PSA writing panel.  Also, we are able to clearly translate all of the points listed into relevant, modern day clinical practice aspects in support of best patient care.  This will help those candidates engaging with www.pharmaschlar.co.uk to know what to expect in the PSA.

2.      Access to the BNF will be granted during the PSA.  Candidates will need to apply the information presented within this publication to answer certain questions during the way.  You will have access to the electronic version of the BNF or the paper version of the resource.  We can help support with your understanding of this book / e-platform and how to navigate successfully in a rapid timeframe to locate the guidance of relevance to the question.

3.      We can also support candidates with practise PSA tests, on a one-to-one or group basis. Thorough preparation is key, and with this knowledge of what to expect during the assessment is invaluable.  We can run through key concepts presented in the practice tests and go beyond to expand your knowledge and confidence (i.e. outline how commonly prescribed drug formulations can be used to manage illnesses effectively).  Practise papers are a valuable resource for preparation give scope to become familiar with answering the types of questions that will be posed in the PSA. We should underscore that time is a crucial factor during the PSA, and this makes it tricky to pass.  Clearly, attempts at passing the PSA in advance within the time limit is great preparation and we can fully support with our pharmaPSA service offering.

5. PSA 2024 Dates

Typically, the PSA schedule is arranged by the Medical School that the Year 5 Medical Student attends.  Here, the examination date will be released well ahead of time to enable sufficient preparation timing links well to the national programme.  Those undergraduates within Year 5 will receive details of the PSA, including account activation information, directly from their Higher Education institution.

Should candidates not have passed the PSA before commencing the FY1 training (i.e. via graduation from outside the UK) then the expectation would be to undertake the test within the Foundation School. 

The normal pattern for PSA availability involves a September sitting plus two extra sittings in the spring of the next year. For those undergraduates beginning FY1 in August 2023, forthcoming PSA dates are:

· Tuesday 12th March 2024 at 1.00pm

· Tuesday 23rd April 2024 at 1.00pm

6. Pricing Structure

The price per candidate per hour session is £29.99, as per the www.pharmascholar.co.uk website.  However, we are currently taking bookings for 5 students (i.e. 5 course mates) at £15 / student / hour, which is really cost effective and can be fun whilst learning about the material and assessment strategies at the same time.  Bespoke sessions can also be arranged to suit your needs with the price being determined accordingly.

7. Get in Touch Today!

Booking an appointment for your individual or group tutorial session could not be any easier!   We are currently taking booking for weekend and evening slots.  Click here to jump to our ‘Contact Us’ page where you can leave all necessary details as well as a summary as to how we can help you.  Alternatively, you can email Dr Davies directly by clicking on the following: mike@pharmascholar.co.uk

We look forward to hearing from you soon and helping you along your PSA journey!