05/09/2022
💡 WHAT FACTORS SHOULD YOU CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING BETWEEN ORIEL PLACEMENTS? ⚠️
After preferencing your Oriel placements, you may be stuck between two or ten. Here are some of the factors I considered when deciding between my top-ranked Oriel placements:
1) Multiple sectors – Does your placement offer a variety of different opportunities in different environments? A compulsory 2-week placement is set during your pre-reg year in either a hospital or community pharmacy, the opposite to whichever your placement is, but does your provider offer day placements in different industries? Some hospitals offer experience in hospices, mental health specialist hospitals and prison pharmacies. Use the Oriel description for each placement to see what's available.
2) Study time – How much study time do you want/need? Every provider is different, with some placements offering an hour each day, and some offering an hour a week. You need to think about what would suit your learning needs and how you learn best. Learning by doing i.e. time spent on the wards, may benefit you more than private time revising the BNF.
3) Specialities – If applying for a hospital placement, are there any specialities that you think you may be especially interested in? Did you like the respiratory and cardiology modules at university? The Royal Brompton Hospital Trust in London is an international leader in cardiology and respiratory disease, with an outstanding reputation. Apply with caution - you run the risk of specialising too early and missing out on other opportunities that you may have thrived in.
4) Additional benefits – What other benefits does the placement offer? Some placements offer HCAS (high cost area supplement), which can be a nice top up to your salary by living in a high-cost living area such as London. Boots offer 50% off RPS memberships and medical insurance.
These are a handful of the factors that you should consider when deciding between your highest-ranked Oriel placements. Many more tips are available in my book ‘The Art of Acing Oriel’!
Available to purchase on Amazon: Search ‘The Art of Acing Oriel’
Link here - https://amzn.eu/d/7cWB5kE
