As hospital pre-registration places are becoming highly sought after, opportunities to transfer from community pharmacy to the hospital sector are few and far between. In previous years, hospitals had roles for dispensary pharmacists and dispensary managers. Such roles helped community pharmacists to enter the hospital sector. However with the hospital dispensaries becoming more technician led, community pharmacists have had to seek alternative routes to enter the hospital sector.
Although community pharmacists have extensive patient facing experience which can be a valuable asset when making the transition into hospital pharmacy, unlike their hospital colleagues, they lack in-depth clinical knowledge. Stream Pharmaceutical UK has recognised the challenges faced by many community pharmacists trying to make this transition and subsequently developed a training programme in which community pharmacists undertake work shadowing within a hospital pharmacy department and attend clinical teaching sessions at Brighton University.
Upon completion of the programme, community pharmacist trainees would have improved their clinical knowledge and understanding of hospital pharmacy to an extent that will enable them to apply for further hospital pharmacy experience or indeed junior hospital pharmacist roles in the future.