Pharmacy bodies, students intensify their calls for clarity on assessment glitches

Pharmacy bodies and students have further intensified their calls urging the GPhC to resolve all registration assessment booking chaos immediately to ease mounting pressure on the exam candidates.

In separate statements, the PDA and the BPSA have demanded urgent action by the pharmacy regulator to retain the credibility of online registration assessment.

The exam candidates have experienced problems with their arrangements after they encountered issues including delayed communications, limited spaces to sit remotely, among others.

Last week, chaos around the communication and booking system from Pearson Vue has resulted in some candidates expected to travel miles to a test center and others being left without a place to sit for the assessment.

“In response to the current issues, the PDA believe the GPhC, and their supplier Pearson Vue, should either create more capacity and/or offer more remote sittings,” the association said.

Collette Bradford, PDA Director of Organising & Engagement, added: “The PDA calls for the GPhC to acknowledge the challenges that these candidates have faced, the contribution that many of them have made to the response to the pandemic and patient care, and the resilience that they have demonstrated in the face of uncertainty and unprecedented circumstances associated with their unique journey to registration.

“The PDA support our members and believe it is fair and reasonable that this March 2021 assessment, the first ever online attempt, should not count towards a candidate’s three attempts to pass the entire assessment in one sitting.”

BPSA seeks for clarification on time slots

Meanwhile, the British Pharmaceutical Students' Association (BPSA) has urged GPhC to clarify whether candidates who had booked their registration exam slot in the afternoon will still be able to sit the exam.

Some trainees have reported that starting time of their assessment ranges from 8am to 3pm.

“Urgent clarification needs to be provided regarding the varying assessment time slots, as well as assurance to candidates who have booked slots that should not have been available and those who are awaiting to book, that they will still be able to sit the registration assessment in March without any further delay,” the organisation said in a statement last week.

Commenting on the rising concerns over March 17, 18 assessment, the GPhC assured that all technical glitches are being resolved for the smooth conduction of the exams.

GPhC said in a tweet: “Candidates: we are making good progress in identifying solutions to the capacity issues identified. We will be in touch with candidates who have so far been unable to secure a place as soon as we possibly can.”

“We’re also working with @PearsonVUE  to book remote sittings for candidates with reasonable adjustments and who are overseas- we’ll send these candidates an update tomorrow.”