At 4:00PM on Monday 30 November, the regulator finally provided some clarity for those provisionally registered and pre-registration resit candidates, and their employers, as they announced the dates for the assessment examinations.
After months of uncertainty the PDA welcome news of the dates of the registration assessment which the GPhC have announced will be held in two separate sittings on 17th & 18th March 2021 at Pearson Vue test centres across Great Britain, with candidates sitting the two examination “papers” which make up the assessment on the same day.
During the period since the decision was made by the GPhC to postpone the assessment prov-regs, pre-regs and many of the resit candidates have been working hard to support patients during the pandemic and will be playing their part through the winter and forthcoming Covid vaccination periods.
We recognise that for some, balancing work obligations and finding the motivation to study has been challenging in a climate of uncertainty. The PDA reiterate our call to employers to work with prov-regs, pre-regs and resit candidates to help to give them the best opportunity to prepare for the examination, to support their study leave and treat those who do not pass appropriately.
The PDA will continue to support all members who are preparing to sit the assessment by providing a revision support package which we will launch in January 2021, and prov reg members and resitters should look out for further information in your emails.
Jasraj Matharu, PDA Union Executive Member for Students, Pre-reg and Prov-Reg Members says
“News of the actual registration dates will enable candidates to plan their preparations for study and revision which will restore their motivation and give them a tangible goal to work towards.
Throughout this unprecedented period, the PDA have been continually supporting the cohort and the PDA Education programmes have been a welcome resource.
I would recommend any pre-reg, prov-reg or pharmacist to join the PDA for the support and representation they provide when we need it most”
Candidates will need to apply to sit the assessment through their myGPhC account when the application form opens in January 2021. The regulator will also provide a form in the coming weeks for candidates to apply for any reasonable adjustments using the information about the assessment which will be provided as previous requests will not be carried over.
The regulator has acknowledged the demands experienced by the cohort during the pandemic and have expressed the importance of only sitting the registration assessment if they are fit to do so, otherwise to apply for the next sitting which will be held in the summer of 2021. The PDA will continue to support our members up to and beyond their exam date, whether they pass, fail or are unable to sit the exam. We are very aware that the arrangements for provisionally-registered pharmacists end in July 2021 “at the latest”.
Initial responses to today’s announcement from PDA provisional pharmacist members are comparing the GPhC approach to that of the PSNI in Northern Ireland where although the exam was delayed from the original date, 98% of candidates passed the exam after sitting in a Covid-secure paper-exam environment in August. Among continuing concerns are that there have been no mock or test online exams and members particularly note that the move from the paper-exam process to online was driven by the concerns about candidates attending an exam location during the pandemic, yet these arrangements also require them to travel and attend an exam location (which have now been made Covid-secure).
The PDA will continue to listen to our members concerns and raise these on their behalf. If you are not a member of the PDA then you can join here
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