Pharmacy Student - dispensing assistant/trainee Review

Having had to the opportunity to work in other pharmacies/for other pharmacy businesses I am able to compare my experiences in those settings to this placement with Lloydspharmacy. In therefore with great conviction and the knowledge of other opportunities available to be that I can safely say working for Lloyds was the most enjoyable placement/work experience I have ever had in pharmacy. I genuinely enjoyed going to work every day and learnt a wide range of new skills as well as having the opportunity to experience a vast amount of different circumstances to test me and develop my skills and knowledge. Feeling challenged and learning new things was central to me enjoying my placement. My aim of the placement was to learn and as I felt I was achieving that I enjoyed my role more.

The staff at the Lloyds store I worked in were exceptional. I really cannot praise them highly enough. The welcomed me from the first day and asked what I wanted to experience and took that on board. On the first day with my manager I wrote a list of things I would like to see and by the end of my placement the team had worked to ensure I had ticked everything off on that list and more! The store had a really close-knit friendly atmosphere that I was included in and always made to feel involved. The staff gave me key roles and did not make me feel like a student and give me roles they just didn't want themselves. Finally on my last day I took in gifts and a card to thank the staff for all their hard work helping me and was surprised and overwhelmed to receive my own gift from the team thanking me for my efforts-this made me feel very valued and appreciated.

My manager was a great support during my placement, she answered all my questions as well as possible and when was unable to do so instantly made the effort to find the answers for me as fast as possible. She helped me when I had any queries and said she didn't mind as "I was there to learn", this was refreshing to hear as a fear of many students is that their manager or supervisor will not care about helping them. The pharmacist at my store was the weak link in the team and was not as helpful however with the rest of the staff and the manager being so fantastic I barely noticed as I always had the support I felt I needed.

The store I worked in dealt with an incredible volume of prescriptions which at times could become too much however I work best in high pressure and high intensity situations and feel that I would not have learnt as much in a quieter store, so although the intensity of work was high it was enjoyable and resulted in me having a large role in the store because there was plenty of work to go round, I was never without something to do! Furthermore being busy meant I saw a greater range and volume of prescriptions including obscure items and other rarities which I feel developed my knowledge further.

I felt I was given a lot of responsibility on my placement which increased as time went on and my colleagues assessed my competence. I enjoyed this responsibility as I don't like to feel like my every move is watched but the work I did, such as dispensing was always checked to ensure it was correct.

The skills I learnt at Lloyds will be skills for life and I will take a lot of what I learnt onto my future career as a pharmacist. The store I was based in was very efficient and well run managing to cope with a phenomenal volume of work (prescriptions and customers) and I saw how crucial the organisation was to the smooth running of the business. Furthermore the staff dynamic and positive atmosphere made the company a pleasure to work for and these things I will try and replicate in my future career. The specific pharmacy skills I was able to develop have enabled me to produce nearly 20 continuing professional development records for my student portfolio and will use these records as part of my continuing university studies and will draw upon the knowledge and skills I highlight in these records in any future pharmacy jobs I hold.

The staff at lloyds had a great team spirit and worked together to ensure the best possible care was provided for patients and that the business functioned as efficiently as possible. The positive atmosphere made work much more enjoyable and it is a credit to Lloyds that they such happy staff, it reflects very well on the company.

I feel the organisation although good could have been better. I rang my store to inform them I was coming and to visit them in the Easter prior to be starting my placement in the summer. The store had only found out that week that I was coming when I had known for a couple of months. I feel the store could have and should have had more comprehensive information and warning from the graduate recruitment team about my role and arrival. Secondly, myself and my manager received conflicting information about how I would be paid, this is an important detail for any student and I feel this could have easily been confirmed by the recruitment team. Overall I feel the information sent to my store 'from above' as it were could have been more comprehensive and complete to avoid unnecessary queries like when I would be paid, which upset and frustrated my manager. By simply providing a clear letter/information sheet detailing everything any store needs to know about having a placement student I feel the manager would have less queries to deal with as would graduate recruitment.

I got a very comprehensive training file, and plenty of training time which enabled me to produce several comprehensive CPD records for my further studies and training.

I am hopeful to get offered a placement for next year which is a fantastic opportunity that I would jump at and a good system to tie students in for future years as many student worry they won't be able to find work experience easily so re-offers are a simple but very effective idea in my opinion and I hope I find myself in the position to accept an offer from Lloyds for next year.

There was not really any social scene amongst fellow placement students to speak of however this did not effect my placement in any way. I was at Lloyds to learn first and foremost and I feel I did this so my placement was a great success.

I lived at home during my placement which reduced living costs significantly and my only expense was petrol to drive to and from work which sadly although expensive could not be helped. I did not really go out socialising during my placement as my friends were not based near me but this did not influence my placement experience or my enjoyment of my time at Lloyds.

I did not really go out socialising during my placement as my friends were not based near me but this did not influence my placement experience or my enjoyment of my time at Lloyds.

There were not many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work but this did not influence my thoughts or enjoyment on my time with Lloydspharmacy.