Pharmacy Foundation Training Year (FTY) – Scotland recruitment

About

Our Foundation Training Year gives trainee pharmacists the opportunity to develop knowledge, skills and experience in real-life hospital and community placements, under the guidance and supervision of a GPhC approved designated supervisor. 

Benefits

We provide Foundation trainees excellent benefits, including a salary of £31,892 in line with NHS Agenda for Change rates, 27 days annual leave and 8 public holidays. In addition to the superb lifestyle opportunities Scotland has to offer, with world-class outdoor activities and culturally vibrant cities, our Pharmacy Foundation training is of the highest quality and includes: 

• higher than UK average common registration assessment pass rates 

• quality assured training sites 

• all sectors of pharmacy practice covered 

• modular programme allowing work experience in up to three sectors of practice 

• NES core curriculum covering key clinical/professional topics 

• designated supervisors trained and supported by NES 

• access to NHS Scotland’s Turas online digital platform 

• electronic portfolio 

• access to NES Pharmacy CPD resources 

• full-length mock registration assessment with two supportive revision sessions on assessment questions and calculations 

• protected study time 

Learn more

You can learn more about Pharmacy Foundation training in Scotland by joining our information webinar, where you can hear from experts or watching the videos below which feature recent trainees talking about their experiences.

NES Oriel Webinar

We will be hosting an Oriel Recruitment Webinar on Thursday 29 May 2025 12:00-2:15pm. More information and how to register can be found here FTY Oriel Webinar

RPS Webinar

RPS are running several webinars in partnership with NES regarding the Oriel programme. These are opportunities where you'll be offered practical guidance on the application process including key milestones and how to preference.

For more information and details on how to book please click on RPS Oriel programme.

The first webinar which was held on Wednesday 4 June 2025 provided an overview of the entire application process including key milestones and practical guidance. The recording of this webinar is available to view below.

Testimonials

Hear first-hand accounts of training in Scotland from recent NES Foundation Pharmacy trainees and designated supervisors

Pharmacy Foundation trainee Cara

Pharmacy Foundation trainee Emma

Pharmacy Foundation trainee John

Pharmacy Foundation trainee Erin

Pharmacy Foundation trainee Kenneth talks about his experience of Community and Hospital placements

Pharmacy Foundation trainee Sara talks about her experiences on the modular programme

Hear from Foundation Pharmacy trainees and NES FTY support team

 

NES have undertaken evaluations of the FTY recruitment scheme to determine the fairness and effectiveness of the selection methods used. These final outcome reports, which provide data on training places, applicants and the outcomes of FTY recruitment in Scotland in 2023 and 2024 are available using the links below:

NES Foundation Training Year Recruitment – Outcome Report 2023

NES Foundation Training Year Recruitment - Outcome Report 2024

Contact us 

For any queries regarding the Foundation Training Year Recruitment process, please contact the Pharmacy Recruitment Team by going to the Service Desk here and submitting a support request. 

For general pharmacy queries relating to training premises approval or any queries not related to the recruitment process, please email the Pharmacy Team - nes.ftypharmacy@nhs.scot

Mailing list

If you want to keep in touch with updates on the Foundation Trainee Pharmacist recruitment process you can join our mailing list NHS Education for Scotland (list-manage.com)