Royal Pharmaceutical Society

How I started my career as a newly-qualified pharmacist

by Daniel Freeman, Clinical Pharmacist

Starting Off

I started my journey at Cardiff University around five and a half years ago where I spent four years working towards my goal of becoming a pharmacist. After my pre-reg year, closely followed by a brief stint as a Provisionally Registered Pharmacist, I qualified in April 2021. During my first year in university, I noticed an advertisement for a pharmacy counter assistant in the shop window of a newsagent I worked in. I decided to apply for the position as I wished to work in a community pharmacy because I knew I would enjoy a patient-facing role.

I continued doing both jobs throughout my whole university experience and I am fortunate to still be working at the local independent community pharmacy in Cardiff to this day. I have very close relationships with my colleagues, tutor and patients. The sense of community has helped build my confidence.

Alongside my community pharmacy responsibilities, I have recently started working as a Private Hospital Pharmacist, which has given me more of an insight into a different field of pharmacy. I truly enjoyed my laboratory and hospital placements during my time at university, so working in the hospital is helping me further my knowledge, experience and critical thinking. I want my work to have an impact and make a difference to patients’ lives in every aspect which has led to me advancing into a hospital setting.

In addition, I am incredibly proud that I am now a qualified COVID-19 Vaccinator and have been able to provide vaccinations from the community. It is great to see pharmacists in community pharmacies being utilised to help with the overall vaccination programme, which is crucial to help reduce the spread of the virus.

Gaining Knowledge

I find the RPS an immensely useful and supportive organisation that strives to ensure pharmacists have a voice, which in turn increases the quality of patient care. Throughout my degree and career, I found the RPS e-library is a useful resource. They have recently extended their article access to include three pharmaceutical journals as well as webinars to keep you updated on all aspects of pharmacy. I have found these RPS resources a real asset to me in preparation for my current role and particularly helpful to ensure that my knowledge is sound, relevant and up to date.

Future Ambitions

I aspire to further my studies and expand my knowledge and the RPS resources are helping me achieve my goal. I plan to become more involved in all aspects of pharmacy and give pharmacists a voice, by promoting the profession.
 

Want to get your career off to the best start? Join RPS today.

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