PTPT application process
04 Sep 2018Figured I'd compile some tips on how to get through the pre-registration trainee pharmacy technician application process.
First thing to consider is why you want to do the PTPT course. Before I applied I spoke with a lot of pharmacy technicians about their careers, and more than you'd think recommended doing something else. I'm very keen on aseptics so I'm likely to try climb the ladder in that. Alternatively, I can make use of my experience in genomic medicine and aseptics to pursue other options. Being a qualified pharmacy technician opens up the possibility of funding university study with locum work. It's good to have a goal in mind, but to keep your options open.
Selection criteria
Figuring this out is really important as you can filter through positions quickly when they start opening. For each hospital that meets your personal criteria you should look up the hospital's CQC rating, trust values and any particular reasons why doing the PTPT course there would be good.
My personal criteria was:
- Ideally single hospital site but if not then travel between sites is very easy
- Economically viable
- Not in the middle of nowhere
- Near a climbing gym
- Has an aseptic unit
A lot of feedback that I got after interviews was that while I had done very well at interview they did not feel that I gave strong answers to why I wanted to work for their hospital in particular. Royal Salford mentioned their outstanding CQC rating when giving this sort of feedback to me, so in interviews I had after that one I would talk about CQC ratings, trust values and any larger news that was occurring with the hospital. Royal Liverpool, for example, was in the process of building a completely new hospital. I could then talk about working in a pre-fab unit while the aseptic unit I was meant to be working in was refurbished.
Application
You want to try and write a lot in the supporting information section of any NHS job. Try and write to the person specification. I had a template that covered most bases and would rework this slightly for each hospital and the person specification they provided. My supporting information was 1372 words long, though from moving jobs fairly frequently I have a fair bit to write about - don't get too hung up about writing reams!
You get points for each of the criteria you meet in the person specification. Whoever is doing the interview will then invite the people with the most points to interview. Try and make their job easy by hitting all the things they are looking for in a clear and concise manner. It'll help your chances of getting invited to interview.
Interview
Interviews are a really mixed bag. Hospitals in the north west all use the BKSB functional skills test. If you are going for more than one hospital that uses the BKSB ask for a certificate proving the level you got and let other hospitals know you've done it so you don't end up sitting it repeatedly. Hospitals down south do their own tests which vary in difficulty. The level you get isn't the be all and end all - one of my coworkers got a lower level in maths and got the position over me.
One of the positions I didn't get was because I didn't speak enough about the details of the PTPT role. After that feedback I used to literally list out the main points. 2 year fixed term contract; band 4 annex U; have to pass first year to progress to the second; study for two qualifications, an NVQ level 3 and a BTEC level 3, day release at college to attend lectures for the BTEC portion; a brief overview of what I would study for the BTEC; what sort of rotations I would do in the hospital.
Sometimes you'll get a bit of a curve ball. At Countess of Chester they gave me three boxes of medication and asked me to give them information about them. We both acknowledged that working in aseptics I could only really read off the boxes so I did that and tried to give some basic information. Almost all the interview formats were the same. The panel usually consisted of 2 or 3 people. When you receive an invitation to interview it's worth making a note of which area the people on the panel are from so that you can talk about their areas. The only outlier was Western Sussex, they had 4 rooms with 2 people in each and each applicant went between the rooms and answered some questions. It's probably the worst format of interview I've encountered.
I ended up applying to the following trusts (sometimes more than once) before finding success at Royal Surrey: Greater Manchester Mental Health, Liverpool Womens, Countess of Chester, Wirral, Royal Liverpool, Western Sussex, Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, Manchester, Cambridge, Tameside and Glossop, Stockport, and Royal Salford. There were definitely points that I thought about giving up but persisting paid off. Try and not get discouraged if you aren't successful - the more interviews you do the better you will get at them.
It's worth checking your trust's leave policy. At Manchester Foundation Trust I was able to apply for special leave when attending interviews for NHS positions. Make sure to arrange this with your line manager so you don't end up using all your annual leave to go to interviews! Have a look on your trust's intranet for a special leave form or something similar to fill out.
Good luck! If you have any questions feel free to stick them in the comments below.