Pre-registration Manual

Updates

This manual relates to training which started before July 2021
16 June 2021 - 4:20pm

If you started after this date, see the foundation programme information

2019/20 trainees
24 August 2020 - 4:41pm

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about completing your training and your next steps.

We recommend that you read the provisional registration application guidance [PDF 243 KB], as this covers completing the final progress report and declaration, which you will need to do to be eligible to sit the registration assessment, whether you intend to apply to register provisionally or not.

Finishing your training 

I have not been able to follow my training plan at certain points, due to the pandemic. Will this affect my ability to finish my training?

We appreciate that you may have been, and may still be, under significant pressure to deliver pharmacy services. This may mean that you haven’t always been able to keep training in a work environment which meets the pre-registration scheme requirements, and that you may be asked to do work which does not form part of your training plan.

We are taking a flexible and proportionate approach to the 2019/20 scheme requirements. The impact of the pandemic on your training will be specific to you. We expect you to have discussed your personal situation with your tutor, and to have planned between you how to meet your developmental needs.

Your tutor should consider this, the arrangements you put in place during this time, and any additional training needs you may have in their progress reviews, and in their overall assessment of your readiness to progress as part of the final declaration.

I may have more than 40 days absence from my training placement, due to illness or from self-isolation. Will this affect my ability to finish my training?

You will not be ineligible to register provisionally, or to sit the registration assessment, simply because you have taken more than 40 days of absence during your training. It will depend on the impact of the absence and how you and your tutor have managed this.

Your tutor should consider this, the arrangements you put in place during this time, and any additional training needs you may have in their progress reviews, and in their overall assessment of your readiness to progress as part of the final declaration.

Your tutor will also be asked to record the number of days you have been absent during your training as part of your final progress review declaration. If you have been absent from you training site because of self-isolation or shielding, but have been able to continue training, this will be recorded separately to sickness, or annual leave.

Will a new trainee be able to start at my site with my tutor, if I am still working there?

We will take into account the fact that the 2020 assessment sittings have been postponed, and that training may not be completed on time. We aim to make sure that any impact on trainees is minimised and will take a flexible and proportionate approach where a tutor exceeds the maximum permitted 13 weeks to train two trainees due to COVID-19.

How should I and my tutor complete my final declaration?

You should complete your final declaration on myGPhC, and submit it to your tutor to complete. You must complete your final declaration and progress report to sit the registration assessment, even if you do not plan to join the provisional register.

See our COVID-19 Q&A for trainees and tutors for more information about issues with your training

Applying for provisional registration

How do I join the provisional register?

You will need to apply to join the provisional register through your my GPhC account. You must complete your training before you can join the provisional register.

See the provisional registration page and read the application guidance form more information.

What is the earliest date I can start working as a provisionally-registered pharmacist?

From 1 August 2020, we will add successful applicants to the provisional register on the first and fifteenth of each month. We aim to register people as soon as possible after they apply.
You must have completed 52 weeks of training before you can be added to the register. This means that your training end date must be before the date you plan to join the register. For example, if you planned to join on 1 August, your training end date must be on or before 31 July.

Can I join the register provisionally if I’m not currently in training?

If you are not currently in training this does not automatically mean that you are not able to apply for provisional registration, if you meet all of the criteria. See the provisional registration application guidance for more information.

Can I join the register provisionally if I have previously been unsuccessful at the registration assessment?

If you have previously sat the registration assessment and been unsuccessful, you will not meet the criteria to be eligible to apply for provisional registration. You will need to wait until the next registration assessment sitting, and apply for full registration as usual once you have passed the registration assessment.

We understand that anyone who has failed the registration assessment previously will be disappointed at not being eligible to apply for provisional registration. We are sorry for that, and the disruption this may cause. We recognise the significant efforts people will have made to enhance their learning through further study and working as dispensers, for example.

In setting the eligibility criteria for provisional registration, we considered very carefully how we could protect patient safety and quality of care, while also reasonably facilitating pre-registration trainees to join the register to maintain the workforce. We also need to make sure that those joining the register on a provisional basis have up-to-date knowledge of pharmacy.

We decided to exclude from the provisional registration scheme those who have previously had the opportunity to demonstrate that they meet the standard, by sitting the registration assessment, and have unfortunately failed to do so. This is because a failure to pass the assessment provides clear and objective evidence that an individual has not yet demonstrated that they have met the required standard to be registered as a pharmacist.

We believe that those who are finishing their pre-registration year now and who have not yet had the opportunity to take the assessment due to the pandemic are in a different position.  We think it is right that they are able to register provisionally provided a number of requirements are met, including an enhanced tutor sign-off which involves seeking the views of another registrant or other healthcare professional confirming they have seen no evidence that the person will fail to meet the standards for pharmacy professionals.

We are working hard to develop an online registration assessment and to schedule this as soon as possible in a way that is fair for all candidates. We are committed to ensuring that any delay in sitting the assessment will be as short as possible.

Do I have to join the provisional register if I am eligible?

You do not have to join the provisional register, even if you meet the eligibility criteria. You may not want to join it at all, or you may want to take a break and submit an application later in the year.
We recommend that you talk to your tutor about your next steps and seek support if you are unsure what to do.

Sitting the rescheduled assessment

Please see our COVID-19 Q&A for trainees and tutors for more information on the rescheduling of the 2020 assessment sittings.

Resitting in 2020? No need to complete a six-month placement
21 October 2019 - 2:37pm

If you plan to re-sit the registration assessment for the second or third time in 2020, you do not have to complete a six-month placement to be eligible to sit the exam. We have removed this requirement from the assessment regulations for all sittings from 2020 onwards, so that you can reflect on your performance in the assessment and form your own plan to address the issues you identify.

Although there is no longer a formal requirement to complete any further pharmacy work experience, you may still want to continue with a current placement, or to arrange work experience before your next assessment sitting, if you feel that this would help you prepare to sit the assessment again. It’s important that you reflect on your performance, identify any issues, and make a plan to address these. This will help to give you the best chance of passing the assessment when you next attempt it.

If you do decide to carry out further pharmacy work experience, you do not need to notify us or provide any information to us about it.

You can find out more about what to do to prepare to resit the assessment in section 6.3.