PHARMACY
NHS Pre-Registration Pharmacist Scheme (PRPS)
Recruitment 2015
Applicant Guide2015
2016- 17
Training Cohort
Applying for Pre-Registration Pharmacist Scheme Training Cohort 2016-17
Please ensure you have read the PRPS Information Booklet for Prospective Trainees (2015)prior to applying for PRPS 2016-17.Thedocument is available on the PRPS website here:
Information available on the PRPS website which you will need to reviewprior to completing your Application Form (available via above link):
- Person Specification
- Prospective Trainee Information Booklet
- Job Description
IN THIS GUIDE:
- Opening and Closing Dates for Applications (Recruitment Timetable)
- Researching Available Placements
- Training Provider Information Statements
- Visitation Period
- Preference List
- Application Form
- Saving Information on the Application Form
- Submitting Your Application Form
- Application Form: Questions
- Supporting Documentation
a.Identification / Page 13
b. Immigration / Page 15
- Important Things to Remember
- Application Form Checklist
1. Opening and Closing Dates for Applications
Please familiarise yourself with the recruitment timetable and the key dates and deadlines. A full timetable with additional dates is available on the NES website. Please be aware that there are strict deadlines for accepting invitations to the Assessment Centre and for responding to offers of a pre-registration training post. Please plan around these dates as they are not negotiable, and are absolutely necessary for the national process to work.
NO EXCEPTIONS CAN BE ACCOMMODATED
PRPS Recruitment Timetable2015
Ongoing / Visitation and Placement period*mid-Apr 15 / Training Provider Information Statements available on NES website
1 May 15 / Application form opens
1 Jun 15 @ 12 midday / Application form closes
Ongoing / Applicants to check emails regularly for updates and information requests from NES Pharmacy Recruitment Team
10 Aug 15 / -Short-listing results released
-Invites to Assessment Centre released – 48 hour deadline
-Candidate Preference List available in portal
12 - 17 Aug 15 / Invites to Assessment Centre released in waves, according to short-listing score order, until deadline of 17 Aug
Ongoing / Candidates to prepare for Assessment Centre – refer to Assessment Centre Guidance and Person Specification
1 Sept, 2 Sept and 3 Sept 15 / PRPS Assessment Centre, Edinburgh Airport Hotel
4 Sept 15 @ 12 midday / Deadline for submitting Candidate Preference List
14 Sept 15 / Round One Matching results released. 48 hour response deadline on any offer made
17 Sept – 23 Sept 15 / Subsequent waves of offers released. 48 hour response deadline on any offer made
25 Sept 15 / Deadline for acceptance or rejection ofall offers
Week commencing 1 August 2016 / PRPS posts commence
*As an applicant, you are responsible for ensuring that you are on Training Provider preference lists prior to the deadline for Training Providers to submit their preferencelist. It will not be possible to secure a training post without being included on a preference list. The best way to do this is to review the information provided in this document regarding visitations along with the Training Provider Information Statements available via your online account in the ‘TP Information Statements’ tab.
Do not leave your application until the last minute! Completing an application form will take some time and includes uploading documents. If you have any queries regarding the application form or any technical issues you must contact us by 28 May 2015.
2. Researching Available PlacementsYou are responsible for ensuring that you are on Training Provider Preference Lists prior to the preferencing deadline. To do this, you must:
- Review the Training Provider Information Statements available via your online account
- Arrange a visit or work experience
- Complete and submit your Preference Listvia your online account, by the deadline
2.a Training Provider Information Statements (TPIS)
The Training Provider Information Statements (TPIS) include details of the organisation, their arrangements for pre-registration training and details of how to contact them. The TPIS can be accessed via the ‘TP Information Statements’ tab in your online account.
2.b Visitation Period(very important information)
Successful recruitment into the PRPS is dependent on matching with aTraining Provider - your preferences are checked against a list of preferred candidates provided by each Training Provider. It is therefore very important that Training Provider(s) get to know you prior to the selection process.
You should endeavour to make contact with all of your preferred Training Providers to discuss the opportunities for vocational or part-time employment with them, or, at the very least, to arrange to visit the pharmacy and discuss pre-registration training with them. This is to maximise your chances to get on to their preferred list of candidates.
This is a very competitive process and you should take some time to think about how to set yourself apart from other applicants.
2.cPreference List
If you are short-listed, you will be required to completea Preference List,ranking your choice of Training Provider(s), and to submit it by the preferencing deadline (4 September 2015 @ 12 midday). The Preference List will be available via your online account and will be activated following short-listing.
It is essential to consider yourpreferencing options carefully:
- Which particular Training Providers would you like to work for?
- All candidates are able to list up to eight Training Providers.
- You should not include any Training Provider on your Preference List that you would not be prepared to work with.
- Successful candidates will be matched to aTraining Provider; the Training Provider will determine location/premises following the release of offers by NES.
Please see the PRPS Information Booklet for Prospective Trainees 2015for a detailed explanation of preferencing and matching, including several examples.
Please note that recording “no preference” on your Preference Listwill not be an option.You must specify at least one Training Provideron your Preference Listto be included in the matching process.
3. Application Form – Using the Online SystemIn order to apply for a 2016/17Pre-Registration Pharmacist Scheme (PRPS) training post you are required to:
- access the online recruitment system using the link provided below
- complete and submit an application form by the closing date (12 noon 1 June 2015) via the online system
- submit the requested supporting documentation by the closing date by scanning the documents and uploading them to the online system
Online Application System:
The link to the application form, within the online system, will be activated when the application process opens on 1 May 2015. You will be asked initially to create an account, which then enables you to enter the site and key in your application details.
If you have previously applied to the PRPS, you can use the same account details as before however you are required to complete a new application form (use the green ‘+’ on the home screen to add a new application for 2015 recruitment) and also ensure that you check the existing contact details and the E&D section.
Once you are logged into the online recruitment system, you will initially need to click on the ‘Create a new line’ button, which will appear on the ‘Applicant Home’ tab when the application form opens on 1 May 2015. You will then be navigated to a new page where you should press the ’Edit’ button.
Please proceed to edit each section of your application by clicking the icon to the left of each section heading.
You can navigate through the sections of your application form using either the menu on the left-hand side tool bar, or by returning to the main application page.
If you do not have immediate access to the internet, or are unable to complete an application form for any reason, or you have any other queries or concerns about the application form process, please contact us by 28 May 2015, at the very latest on
If you are a Mac user, the online recruitment system has been tested and is “Mac-friendly”. However, should you experience any difficulties in completing the application form, please contact
All users are asked to contact the first instance, if experiencing any technical difficulties.
3. a Saving Information on the Application Form
You can save as you go, enabling you to log in and out as often as you like whilst updating your application form. All updates are saved whenever you click on the ‘Save’ button. If you have made a mistake, just type over it. The online recruitment system auto-saves the data every time you move between form sections but does not auto-save at timed intervals. For security reasons, the online recruitment system will automatically log you out if you have not used your computer for over 20 minutes(a ‘count-down’ pop-up will appear on screen). Please ensure you save your application regularly.
3. b Submitting your Application Form
The application form must be completed in FULL. Many fields are mandatory – if you have not completed a mandatory field this will be listed in the ‘Required’ column on the main application page. Please take time and care in completing the application form. You must read the questions on the form carefully.
Once you are happy with the information you have typed into each section of the form these should be ‘signed’, and when your application form is fully completed press SUBMIT. Please note, once you have submitted your application, the page will refresh and a message will appear stating the date and time your confirmed your application. You will also receive an email confirmation from the online system. You will not be allowed to edit any information in your application form; therefore you are advised to check your application prior to submitting it.
You may wish to save a copy of your application form for reference at a later date.
Please ensure you press the SUBMIT button before the closing date, which is 12 noon on 1 June 2015
Once you have pressed submit, a pop up message will appear on the screen to confirm that you have successfully submitted your application. If you do not see a pop up message on the screen you have not submitted your application form. Please ensure you have completed all of the application form (refer to the ‘Required’ column on the main application page) and try to submit again. If you experience further problems submitting your application form please contact the Pharmacy Recruitment team on:
Remember: You have not applied for a PRPS post until each section of your application has been signed and submitted online and your supporting documents have been emailed to
4. Application Form: QuestionsTo help you complete the online application form, you should take the time to read and consider the Person Specification, Job Description and other relevant documents on the NES website:
If you have any queries about completing the application form please e-mail us by 28 May 2015at
Section 1: Applied before?
Please indicate whether you have applied for pre-registration training previously. If you have, it is important to take time to consider the most recent, relevant information and examples which will demonstrate that you meet the essential criteria. If you have previously applied and were successful at short-listing, this does not guarantee that you will be invited to the Assessment Centre again – you are competing against a new pool of candidates.
Section 2: Personal Details
- The NES Pharmacy Recruitment team will need to contact you during the recruitment process; please provide a valid contact email address and telephone number. Please note that the majority of correspondence will be issued via email.
- Please ensure you provide a postal address from which you will be able to collect mail until July 2016 if possible. You must notify us of any changes to your name or address. Training Providers may issue important pre-employment correspondence to successful candidates via the postal service.
- Information is requested on immigration status to ensure that all applicants are eligible to work in the UK prior to commencement of the training programme. This information will not be used in the recruitment and selection process, it will be retained separately by the Pharmacy Recruitment team and will be referred to only when matching takes place. Applicants who require a visa to work full time in the UK are advised to contact the Pharmacy Recruitment team, providing details of your current immigration status, so that specific advice regarding eligibility to apply/how your application will progress, can be provided.
Sections 3 to 10
Your answers to these questions will be taken into account by the short-listing panel when determining whether or not you will be invited to the Assessment Centre, please provide clear and full answers.
Applicants may be marked negatively at short-listing if word count is significantly under or over the word limit.If you have exceeded the word limit, the word count display (located underneath the answer box for each question) will turn red once you press the 'Save' button.
Remember to pay attention to the grammar, presentation and content of your answers as all of these will be assessed at short-listing.
Please use your own words and draw from your own experiences. Please complete all questions to the best of your knowledge.
Please be aware that if any part of the application form is not fully completed your application may not be put forward for short-listing.
Candidates should be aware that plagiarism will not be tolerated. Where there is any concern surrounding the authenticity of an answer the panel reserves the right to investigate this matterfurther.
Section 3: Qualifications
Please refer to criteria listed within the Person Specification; the relevant factor for this section is Qualifications.
You are required to demonstrate that you will have a Masters degree in Pharmacy (or equivalent) on commencement of appointment.
If you are a non-EEA national who will not have obtained a primary pharmacy qualification in the UK by the date ofappointment, or an EEA national who has obtained a Primary Pharmacy qualification outwith the EEA, please state ifyou have obtained the OSPAP Qualification. OSPAP students are required to provide evidence of their qualification, or evidence of any future OSPAP exam dates.
N.B. General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) guidelines state:
Persons educated and trained in Great Britain must complete an MPharm degree; complete a 52 week programme of pre-registration training; pass the GPhC registration assessment; and apply for registration as a pharmacist within 8 calendar years of commencement on an accredited MPharm degree or within 2 years of passing a registration assessment, whichever is sooner.
If you do not meet the above criteria, please contact the GPhC directly for further advice:
Section 4: Employment
Please refer to criteria listed within the Person Specification; the relevant factor for this section is Experience.
You should provide details of relevant pharmacy experience in this section. This section relates to paid employment primarily, however, voluntary placements that have been arranged BY THE CANDIDATE can be referred to as well. NOT, though, placements arranged by your School of Pharmacy as part of the undergraduate programme.
Details of any future-dated periods of work experience should not be included on your application form and will not be scored at short-listing.
Please make sure the dates and duration of posts are accurate, that you give the proper job titles and the employer’sfull name and address.
Section 5: Organisational Skills
Please refer to criteria listed within the Person Specification; the relevant factor for this section is Attitudes and Attributes.
Answer the question at the top of the section.It is imperative that you provide a relevant example which demonstrates, rather than implies,your competence in organisational skills. Ensure that you explain how the example you provide is this relevant to pre-registration training.The word limit for this section is 100 words.
Section 6: Dealing Effectively with Demanding Situations
Please refer to criteria listed within the Person Specification; the relevant factor for this section is Attitudes and Attributes.
Answer the question at the top of the section. It is imperative that you provide a relevant example which demonstrates, rather than implies, your competence in dealing effectively with demanding situations. Ensure that you explain how the example you provide is this relevant to pre-registration training.The word limit for this section is 100 words.
Section 7: Working with Others
Please refer to criteria listed within the Person Specification; the relevant factor for this section is Attitudes and Attributes.
Answer the question at the top of the section. It is imperative that you provide a relevant example which demonstrates, rather than implies, your competence in working with others. Ensure that you explain how the example you provide is this relevant to pre-registration training. The word limit for this section is 100 words.
The purpose of the ‘Working with Others’ section is to demonstrate your skills and experience of working with others in a team; your answer should not focus on leadership skills.
Section 8: Professionalism
Please refer to criteria listed within the Person Specification; the relevant factor for this section is Attitudes and Attributes.
Answer the question at the top of the section. It is imperative that you provide a relevant example which demonstrates, rather than implies, your competence in professionalism. Ensure that you explain how the example you provide is this relevant to pre-registration training.The word limit for this section is 100 words.