The Portal Post

The latest information for clinical learners and professionals from the team at the British Pharmacological Society.

What To Do If You Fail The PSA First Time Around

So you didn’t pass the Prescribing Safety Assessment exam on your first sitting. What do you do now?  Firstly, don’t panic! You’re not alone, PSA resits are really common, and there are lots of ways you can maximise your chance of success next time around. Let’s go through 4 easy
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How To Prepare for the PSA

Here are our 5 top tips to help you get prepared for your Prescribing Safety Assessment exam.   1. Understand the exam format and what’s expected of you First thing’s first – get really familiar with the structure of the exam and understand what’s expected of you in each of
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Best PSA Study Resources For 2023

Revising for the Prescribing Safety Assessment exam? We take a look at all the revision and practice materials out there, and recommend the best study resources for 2023.    1. PSA Prep (free) These new eLearning sessions have been written by Professor Simon Maxwell, Medical Director of the PSA in
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Preparing for the PSA Mock Exams

Are you getting ready to take your mock exams for the Prescribing Safety Assessment in November?  Although they might not be the real thing, mock exams can be super helpful
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Why did the UK introduce the PSA Exam?

Prescribing is arguably the greatest challenge for any doctor. They must choose the right medicine, the right dose, the right route, the right frequency and the right duration. They need
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Mastering The Time Pressures Of The PSA

We know from previous Prescribing Safety Assessment candidates that the time pressures are seen as the biggest challenge of the PSA exam.  But there’s a good reason why you’re expected
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How To Find The Best PSA Practice Papers

Once you’ve been registered for the Prescribing Safety Assessment by your organisation, you will be able to login to your PSA platform account and take advantage of the four 30-item
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What’s In The PSA Exam?

A Quick Guide To Prescribing Safety Assessment Questions The Prescribing Safety Assessment is designed to test the prescribing competencies expected of a Foundation Year 1 doctor (as outlined in Outcomes
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PSA Sections Explained

There are 8 sections of the Prescribing Safety Assessment, each testing a different area of prescribing competency. Some sections are weighted more heavily than others, and some have a different
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How To Pass the PSA

Whether it’s the time pressure, the calculations, or identifying the key points in a clinical scenario, the Prescribing Safety Assessment (PSA) exam presents a lot of challenges for candidates. So
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