Choosing the right hospital for you

Where to apply
Choosing the right hospital for you can seem overwhelming. We recommend that you ask anyone who you think could help you to decide which hospital to apply to as each person will have different advice for you. The suggestions here are only part of the process of making your choice; each person is different and will look for slightly different things in a training post.

Location
The first consideration is usually location. Proximity to family and friends may be important to you or you may wish to spend a period of time enjoying the benefits of city living, or you may prefer a more suburban or country location. Many hospitals can offer accommodation which is excellent value for money and offers the opportunity to meet people.

The hospital entries have been grouped into regions because pharmacy training in the NHS is organised on a regional basis. The regions presented are not necessarily identical to the official NHS regions because in some cases a region is so large that it is divided into sectors, and in other cases the boundaries for pharmacy training are not identical to the official NHS regions. We have therefore named each region according to the geographical area covered. You should consider the maps and accompanying regional pages and read the hospital entries for the geographical area you are interested in.

What type of hospital pharmacy environment will suit me best?
You should also consider what type of hospital pharmacy environment will suit you best. Most pre-registration trainee pharmacists work in non-teaching hospitals, just as most hospital pharmacists work in non-teaching hospitals. A teaching hospital is a hospital which provides clinical training to medical students and does not refer to teaching in pharmacy or any other profession. Famous teaching hospitals sound attractive but there are a large number of other hospitals to consider that offer equally good pre-registration training. You may relish being part of a large cohort of trainees in a large teaching hospital, or you may prefer the more intimate environment of a smaller hospital where you are the only pre-registration trainee pharmacist and receive individual attention.

Having decided broadly the geographical area in which you want to be based and the type of hospital pharmacy environment that will suit you best, how do you choose between hospitals?

Choosing between hospitals
You may be one of many applicants applying for each hospital place and hence it is important to have as much background knowledge as possible about a particular hospital before applying. This should help you to make an informed decision about your choice.

The best way to find out more about the pharmacy department and the pre-registration training provided is to chat to the pre-registration tutor(s) at the hospital. Most hospitals have a website that can provide valuable information about the hospital itself and the range of services provided. You should follow up any web links and make contact with any hospitals in which you have a serious interest.

If you can, try to visit the hospital as some hospitals may not look particularly inviting from the outside, but can provide a really friendly and supportive training environment. It is important not to pre-judge a hospital based on a photograph and a visit will help you get a better feel for whether you think you could happily spend a year there, and that feeling is more dependent upon the people you meet than the bricks and mortar. If a visit is not possible because of the distance involved, making the effort to speak to somebody about the pharmacy department and training provided will demonstrate your initiative, especially if you explain the difficulties in visiting, and will make you an attractive candidate.

Some pharmacy departments or regions prefer to co-ordinate visits and hold an open day for pharmacy undergraduates; these will be advertised on www.pharmacytraining.nhs.uk

Vacation experience
Many hospitals offer vacation experience in hospital pharmacy which is either paid or provided on a voluntary basis. Vacation experience will provide you with an insight into hospital pharmacy and may enable you to achieve specific objectives during that time, both of which should help you to decide where to spend your pre-registration year. If you are not able to organise vacation experience, don't worry, as it is not essential in order to apply for hospital pharmacy pre-registration training.

Hospitals marked with the symbol *
Certain hospitals in this book have been marked with the symbol * to highlight that they usually receive substantially more applicants than other hospitals in their geographical area. This may be because they are near to a school of pharmacy, offer a large number of places, are a large teaching hospital or are 'famous'.

You should not be afraid to apply to hospitals marked with the symbol * especially as many of these hospitals offer a large number of places, however, we suggest that you do not make all of your applications to these hospitals because the competition may be greater. Our recommendation is to apply to no more than two hospitals marked with the symbol *.

Getting in touch with hospitals
Each hospital entry in this book includes the contact details of the person who will be able to provide you with additional information. Hospitals and most regional pharmacy training services have a website for further information.

Scotland and Northern Ireland applications

Pre-registration training in Scotland and Northern Ireland are covered by separate recruitment schemes. For further information on training in Scotland refer to www.nes.scot.nhs.uk/pharmacy/prereg For further information on training in Northern Ireland refer to http://www.psni.org.uk/professionals/pre-registration-training/pre-registration-training.php