Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 91: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to the difficulties facing graduate pharmacists in securing pre-registration employment here; her plans to tackle this issue, particularly in view of the Governments decision to substantially increase the number of college places in pharmacy over the past number of years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16912/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) has statutory responsibility for overseeing pharmacy education and training. Pharmacy graduates are obliged under national and EU law to undertake one year of post graduation practical training, of which a minimum of 6 months must be in the community or hospital sectors. This period of "pre-registration" training is supervised by a practising tutor pharmacist. The one year's pre-registration training must be completed prior to the PSI's "Registration" examinations in November, i.e. November 2009 for this year's pharmacy graduates.

I understand that certain difficulties have been experienced by pharmacy graduates this year in securing pre-registration training placements in the case of the community pharmacy sector. I understand that the primary reason for this is because of the withdrawal of such places by a large number of tutors\pharmacies operating in that sector.

The public hospital sector has traditionally provided up to 28 such training placements, each of one year's duration. I understand that a number of hospitals have notified pharmacy graduates that they will not be offering training placements in 2008/09. My Department has raised this issue with the HSE and is awaiting a response.