NPA
PREREGISTRATION TRAINEE PHARMACIST Welcome to the 2nd edition of the NPA Preregistration Trainee Pharmacist Newsletter!
NEWSLETTER
Hopefully you have settled into your preregistration placements and enjoying applying your knowledge to practice.
January 2009 Audit Project
Important Dates for your Diary Study Course 2 Reminder Wakefield Group 21st, 22nd, 23rd January 2009 St Albans Group 4th, 5th, 6th February 2009 Birmingham Group 11th, 12th, 13th January 2009
NPA Preregistration Trainee Pharmacist Conference 23rd & 24th April 2009 The annual Preregistration Trainee Pharmacist Conference will be held at the Aston Conference Centre, University of Aston, Birmingham, on the 23rd & 24th April 2009. The theme of the conference will be “the registration examination and beyond”. Please ensure you have the dates in your diary!
The RPSGB requires all Preregistration Trainee Pharmacists’ to complete an audit project. Audit was introduced at the September 2008 study days and possible audit topics were discussed together with the audit cycle. Your project is to conduct an audit of practice which has relevance to your pharmacy. Please discuss the audit project (suitable project, planning, timescales, etc) with your Supervising Pharmacist Tutor. When you have completed the audit, submit a brief (A4) abstract of your audit signed by you, the Preregistration Trainee Pharmacist, and your Supervising Pharmacist Tutor. Please send your audit abstracts for the attention of Sabina Khanom, Assistant Head of Education and Training, National Pharmacy Association, Mallinson House, 38-42 St Peters Street, St Albans, Herts, AL1 3NP. Closing date for receipt at the NPA is 5pm Tuesday 31st March 2009. Short listing of abstracts will be conducted by members of the NPA Education & Training Department. Authors of short listed audit projects will be invited to participate in a poster presentation session at the NPA Preregistration Trainee Pharmacist Conference in April 2009. Prize giving for the winning audits will also take place at the Conference – good luck!
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Re-cap of Audit: The following section will provide a brief outline of the key points relating to audit to assist you with your project – this was covered at the October 2008 study days. What is audit? • Improving care by looking at what you are doing, learning from it and if necessary changing practice • Provides objective information rather than subjective information • Part of quality assurance • Minimise risk of errors • Should have clear outcomes and should lead to improvements in patient care
Audit design (planning stage)
Set design criteria and agree standards (what should be happening)
Monitor progress
Collect data
(was the change successful?)
(what is actually happening)
Implement changes
Topic ideas? • Needs to be important to pharmacy, patients or practice • Think of areas where improvements are necessary • Local issues • Targets • Areas of concern • New Pharmacy Contract • High risk • High volume • Remember – keep it simple!
Analyse audit data
(making the change)
• • • •
(compare results)
Identify cause(s) of non-achievement (decide on change)
•
• • T
W RPSGB.
Other considerations….. • Is your topic area • Realistic? • Measurable? • Can a change be made as a result? • Is it possible in the timescale? • Only collect the data you need
Exam tips Below are a few helpful tips to support you through the preregistration year and the preregistration exam. • Familiarise yourself with the examination regulations and format of the examination. • All questions are multiple choice – make sure you attempt them all – there is no negative marking! • Closed book (no reference sources allowed) 90 questions in 90 minutes • Open book (3 specified reference sources) 80 questions in 150 minutes (60 non calculation style, 20 calculation style). Remember to use only the specified editions of the reference sources as the examiners will not compensate for incorrect answers arising from the use of the wrong edition. • Reference sources may be annotated with handwritten (not printed) comments. Try and annotate your reference sources as you proceed through your preregistration year, this will help you familiarise yourself with the reference material and save vital time in the examination. • Read and familiarise yourself with the syllabus – discuss it with your tutor and identify gaps in knowledge and understanding. • Top – tip! Seek to learn at every opportunity during the preregistration period, taking responsibility for your learning and thereby making it happen! We will re-visit the above at the Preregistration Trainee Pharmacist Conference in April 2009.
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RPSGB Website
Please note the following are now available on the RPSGB website: The National Health Service: an overview for Preregistration Trainee Pharmacists The RPSGB have recently updated the section on the NHS • If you have previously obtained a copy of this, please ensure you have the most up to date version (updated October 2007). You can obtain a copy of this at the following link: http://www.rpsgb.org/pdfs/preregnhsbrief.pdf. Frequently Asked Questions About The Registration Examination The above document is available on the RPSGB website: http://www.rpsgb.org/pdfs/preregexamfaqs.pdf. Please have a read of this useful document.
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Pharmaceutical Calculations Have a go at the following calculations under examination conditions. Answers to the calculations will be in the next newsletter.
1
You are required to dispense 200g of 0.25% betamethasone cream. You only have a 2% cream. The diluent to use is aqueous cream. What quantity of each will be required?
2
Calculate the dose of drug X for a child weighing 2 stones, if the recommended dose is 2.4mg/kg.
3
Calculate the quantities required for the following TPN preparation: Ingredient
Required
Ingredient A Ingredient B Ingredient C Ingredient D Ingredient E Ingredient F Ingredient G
50mg/100ml 0.25% w/v 100g/Litre 1ppm w/v 3.2% v/v 60g 700 KCals (50KCals/g)
Quantity to be used
Total Volume of TPN required: 3,500ml continued overleaf
3 ISSUE 2
Pharmaceutical Calculations (continued) 4
9
The recommended dose of Drug A is 15mg/kg/day in divided doses. On admission, Mrs X says she is on three 250mg capsules twice daily. Her weight is 72kg.
How many tablets should be supplied? a. 255 b. 305 c. 355 d. 405 e. 455
Comment on her current dose.
5
Drug H is to be given as 500mg in 1L of sodium chloride 0.9% over 12 hours. Calculate the drip rate if the drug is administered using: a. Solution set (1ml = 20drops) b. Burette set (1ml = 60 drops)
6
Drug J is available as 125mg and 50mg capsules. Mr N weighs 82 kg and has been prescribed 12mg per kg daily in 2-3 divided doses. How would you label the bottles of capsules?
7
You are asked to send 100ml of a solution of concentrate X, which when diluted with water 1 in 10 produces a 1 in 1000 solution. You have a 500ml bottle of a 20% concentrate.
A patient is prescribed prednisolone 75mg OD with instructions to reduce the dose by 10mg every 7 days until at 5mg and then to continue taking 5mg tablets for a further 14 days and then stop.
10
A baby girl on your neonatal unit has been admitted with meningococcal meningitis. The recommended treatment is Benzylpenicillin at a dose of 180mg/kg/day given in 4 divided doses. It’s intended to use single vials of 600mg reconstituted to a final volume of 2ml for each set of daily doses, reconstituted in your CIVAS unit and four syringes are to be prepared and sent to the ward each day. You contact the nursing staff and are informed that the girl weighs 6kg. What volume should each syringe contain? a. 0.8ml b. 0.9ml c. 1.0ml d. 1.1ml e. 1.2ml
Which of the following is the correct formula? a. 2.5ml concentrate, water to 100ml b. 5.0ml concentrate, water to 100ml c. 7.5ml concentrate, water to 100ml d. 12.5ml concentrate, water to 100ml e. 22.5ml concentrate, water to 100ml
8
Which of the following is the correct recommended dosage for a 18month old child that weighs 14kg of salbutamol oral solution? a. 3ml qds b. 3.5ml qds c. 4ml qds d. 4.5ml qds e. 5ml qds
www.npa.co.uk
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National Pharmacy Association Tel: 01727 800402 Fax: 01727 795918 Email: prereg.training@npa.co.uk Mallinson House 38-42 St Peter’s Street St Albans Herts AL1 3NP