Hevin Younes did her foundation training with Cohens Chemist and has been qualified for nine months. She is now a Relief Pharmacist at the same pharmacy where she did her training. In this trainee story, she shares with us her experience of moving from university to her foundation placement, and tips on how to prepare for the assessment.

Key word: adapt

Like many in my cohort, the pandemic was one of the most challenging aspects I faced during university. As a student, the key word was how to ‘adapt’ to the new circumstances and keep up to date with any changes that may have affected my studies. Having to adapt and be flexible taught me how to be more responsible and is something I carry with me to this day.

Key word: communication

Then, moving on to the foundation training, I didn’t find the transition from being a student to a trainee pharmacist easy. At the start, finding the right resources to prepare for the registration assessment was difficult and, because I was thinking about it every day, it impacted my wellbeing and became very stressful. I learnt that ‘communication’ was the key word for that year. I received a lot of support from my supervisor and another trainee pharmacist with whom I was working alongside, which was great as we planned our revision together and shared knowledge. For me, the teamwork, the positive environment and working with nice people had a good impact on my learning, feeling comfortable and functioning well.