Uncovering the role of a Trainee Pharmacist

In this blog, you will learn:

• The career path of a Trainee Pharmacist. 
• The responsibilities of a Trainee Pharmacist. 
• Challenges Trainee Pharmacists face and how to overcome them.

• Advice for aspiring Pharmacists.

• Where the latest Pharmacist jobs are and how to apply for them. 

According to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society survey of Pharmacists, 80% were at risk of burnout. It’s important that Pharmacists have a good work-life balance to support their mental health and reduce the risk of burnout. 

We had the opportunity to speak to a dedicated Trainee Pharmacist to uncover what it’s really like to work as a trainee in this profession. This Trainee Pharmacist was fully qualified in Nigeria but now has to undertake more training to become fully qualified in the UK. 

Throughout this blog, you’ll discover how they got started, transitioned into another country and the obstacles they have faced in their career.

Tell us about your career so far

I graduated as a Pharmacist in Nigeria in 2014 when I was 21 years old. As a young Pharmacist, not entirely sure of what I really wanted to do at that time, it helped that some parts of the next steps were spelt out for me. 

All new graduate Pharmacists were to complete a mandatory year of internship placement and then go ahead to complete a compulsory year of National Youth Service (service to the country).

I basically started my career in the community pharmacy setting and then transitioned to the hospital setting before finding my way back to the community setting.

After about 3 years, I ventured into the pharmaceutical industry where I worked as a Medical Representative.

I would say this opened up a completely different and interesting part of pharmacy practice for me. I ended up spending most of my time doing this before finally deciding to relocate to see what practising pharmacy was like in another country, continent and climate.

Tell us about your training in the different sectors so far

My days changed based on the role I occupied at the time. When I worked as a hospital Pharmacist, mornings were chaotic. It involved a lot of patient reviews, prescriptions interpretations, medication reviews and clinical meetings. 

In some cases we had to do ward rounds, liaise with other medical practitioners across multidisciplinary roles, counselling and clinical training.

I preferred training in the community setting as it was more local and the counselling sessions with patients meant it involved a lot more familiar faces. Community also meant that I had to recommend dispensing and sale of medications.

What inspired you to become a Pharmacist?

My parents inspired me as my mum is also a Pharmacist. My dad also wanted my siblings and I to be in the medical field as he believed that we would excel and I would want to believe he was right.

What obstacles have you faced in your career and how did you overcome them?

I’m someone who isn’t so comfortable being in a cycle of doing the same things over and over again and feeling stuck - or not feeling like I’m developing in any way. 

In previous roles, I found myself wanting more and wanting to switch job roles and then when I eventually did, the transition was the major obstacle. 

Getting used to the new role, not feeling like a fraud and also trying to outdo myself so I’m not left behind all felt really overwhelming. 

I would like to think my greatest challenge career wise was moving to a new country and the entire process of being registered as a Pharmacist here in the UK.

What advice would you give to aspiring Pharmacists?

All I can say is be resilient. If I’m being completely honest, it’s a far harder profession than I thought it would be but it’s really rewarding. It’s a good feeling knowing that the part you play goes a really long way.

In your opinion, what are the key qualities that make a successful Pharmacist?

Key qualities that make a successful Pharmacist:

• Resilience.
• Great time management. 
• Empathy. 
• The ability to work as a team.

What specific areas of pharmacy do you find particularly rewarding?

A lot of people think the role of a Pharmacist is basically just to ‘give out medication’. It’s far deeper than this. The most rewarding part of practice for me is having a significant effect on the outcome of a patient’s quality of life either through medication review or even just counselling.

Do you have any specific goals or aspirations for your career as a Pharmacist?

I’m interested in mental health as a whole and would love to go into mental health practice as a Pharmacist. Impacting lives, one life at a time!

Health and social care recruitment specialists

As specialist health and social care recruiters, we support local authorities, children's residential homes and private sector organisations nationwide with their temporary, interim and permanent staffing needs.

If you're struggling to recruit the right talent, simply request a call back and one of our experienced recruiters will contact you to discuss how we can help. 

Looking for your next health and social care job? Either search the latest jobs or upload your CV and one of our consultants will be in touch when a suitable opportunity arises.