The professor of the School of Pharmacy and Nutrition and expert of the Clinical Microbiology Service of the Clínica Universidad de NavarraGabriel Reina, has participated in an online meeting in Correo Farmaceutico.com, where he has answered live to all the questions sent to him about the next exam for Internal Pharmaceutical Resident (spanish pharmacy residency program ).

Among his answers, which can be seen published on the website of the specialized newspaper, there was advice on how to prepare for the test, on how to act if the student is blank or which subjects are the most important when it comes to approaching the exam successfully: "There are very important subjects -such as Pharmacology, Physiopathology or Pharmacokinetics- that are usually very profitable and we must master them, so we will normally have invested a lot of time in studying them during the previous months. Therefore, for the last phase, I would continue to do tests on these subjects, but I would focus more on others that we could do worse," said the expert, who each year gives a talk on this subject at the academic center.

Regarding the plus that the preparation for this exam means for student , Professor Reina pointed out that "it isa demanding experience, but it provides many values and knowledge. Studying the exam gives you a capacity to integrate knowledge that we normally do not develop during the degree program, when we study the subjects independently". In this sense, and after the pertinent question, he also recommended preparation in a specialized center: "The topic of attend to a preparation center I do see it convenient. There are people capable of taking place preparing for the exam without going to an academy, but the notes and the classes given in the academies make the first contact with the notes much easier. Subsequently, once the classes are over, it is time to get organized and study in order.

"Whether we get place or not in the end," he added, "depends mainly on our ability to study and organize ourselves over the months, although the preparation center makes this task easier for us."

I am very afraid of drawing a blank during the exam, of getting 'stuck' on a question that I can't answer, and of starting to get overwhelmed by the time. I know it's important to stay calm, but I'm afraid that at that point I'll be overtaken by status. what's your advice?
12:20 24/1/2018
The time factor in the exam is fundamental to not get overwhelmed at the end, if one is seeing that one is going to lack time.
Therefore, it is best to quickly discern whether or not the question deserves to spend a lot of time, if it is a known subject , if we can quickly discard some answer, etc., so as not to get stuck in that subject of "resistant" questions. The exam consists of 225 questions and skipping a question can be a wise decision in order not to waste time for fill in the best way to take the exam.

What recommendations do you give students to avoid nerves on test day? Thank you
12:16 24/1/2018
On the day of the exam it is clear that we play all the work of the previous months, but we must go catching security in the previous mock exams: knowing the time we invest in the first round of the exam, determine how and when to risk in certain questions, and know if we can fill in well the exam in the established time, to control well the time factor during the exam. In other words, I think that nervousness can be combated by being confident, knowing how to invest the time of the exam and resting well the day before. It is normal that we feel nervous in the moments before the exam and during the first minutes, but once concentrated and as the questions progress, we will get into the rhythm of the exam thanks to the security we will have acquired during the simulations.

What areas/subjects/subjects do you recommend studying in more depth at the time of a final general review?
12:08 24/1/2018
There are very important subjects such as Pharmacology, Pathophysiology or Pharmacokinetics that are usually very profitable and we must master them, so we will usually have invested a great deal of time in studying them during the previous months. Therefore, for the last phase, I would continue to test these subjects, but I would focus more on other subjects that we can handle a little worse.

Which is more important: reviewing your summaries by doing quick spins or doing more subject test?
12:04 24/1/2018
For the final phase, as I indicated above, I think that doing review tests can be more productive if we are already tired of the continuous study during the months of preparation. And, in some specific subjects that we carry worse, review them.

There are those who choose residency program destination because of the prestige of the hospital (even if that means going away), those who do it because of proximity to home and those who do it because they have heard it from someone or because it has been recommended to them. What do you think?
12:02 24/1/2018
As I was saying before, on the one hand, I think it is good to consider in which specialization program I see myself working at ease and developing professionally in 10-15 years. And then would come the place to do the residency program. In this regard, I think it is good to first consider which facets of specialization program one wants to develop especially. There are centers where the main focus is on the care aspect, there are others where the resident can also be integrated in teams of research or can collaborate in teaching tasks. Therefore, each one must first reflect on what aspects of specialization program are most attractive to him/her: attendance teaching , research or a balance between them. 

With this in mind, I think that once we have data to guide us on how we have done in the exam, it is good to make a list of the different centers we are considering and get first-hand information on all these aspects. It is advisable to visit or call the corresponding services, so that we can talk to second or third year residents who can tell us about their experiences. Therefore, I would choose a center more guided by the characteristics of the center that we have been able to get to know, even if that means changing the city of residency program, which can also be very enriching.

Do you recommend doing a lot of drills in the remaining days to be able to get to the exam with the dynamics caught or is it better to just review?
11:49 24/1/2018
This depends on how physically and mentally fit we are in this final phase of preparation.
In general, during all the months of preparation, I always think it is convenient to make "active breaks" by performing drills, combined with the study of the subjects. In this final phase, in general, I would tend more to do general mock tests or of subjects that we have a little worse, because it is usually a lighter task. We should already know the dynamics of the exam well, but it can be useful to practice answering questions where we do not have 100% certainty, to know how to discard certain answers and to develop the intuition I was talking about before.

Do you recommend risking on those questions where there is doubt about the answer?
11:41 24/1/2018
In an exam subject test we can never answer only the questions that we are 100% sure or, in the case of the School, half of the questions plus one thinking that we are going to approve, because often imperceptible mistakes are made or we make a mistake passing some answers to the template, for example. I do believe that you have to take risks, because statistically it is profitable and when you have a good preparation you must also acquire this ability to answer questions in which you are not absolutely certain. Of course, when one finds oneself between two possible correct answers, one must answer. In addition, considering that time is limited, we must think well what we answer but also be guided by a certain intuition that we will develop during these months, and not spend too much time on each question.

I hope to sit for the exam next year Would you recommend me to sign up for any academy or preparation center?
11:33 24/1/2018
First of all congratulations for considering taking the exam next year. Preparing for the spanish pharmacy residency program exam is a demanding experience, but one that brings a lot of value and knowledge. Studying for the exam gives you an ability to integrate knowledge that we usually do not develop during the degree program, when we study subjects independently.

The topic of attend to a preparation center I do see it convenient. There are people capable of taking place preparing the exam without going to an academy, but the notes and the classes given in the academies make the first contact with the notes much easier. Subsequently, once the classes are over, it is time to get organized and study in order.

To obtain place or not in the end, I believe that it depends fundamentally on our ability to study and organize ourselves throughout the months, although the preparation center facilitates this task.

What advice will you give me on what criteria to follow when choosing specialization program?
11:25 24/1/2018
I always encourage my advisees and students who are interested in spanish pharmacy residency program to go researching what the different specialties consist of throughout the degree program, particularly in the mentored internships to explore Hospital Pharmacy, and during the summer months to take advantage of doing internships in laboratories or services of other specialties.

The months of preparation help us to know more in depth what some of the specialties consist of and the contact with teachers of the academies also financial aid to know what are the competences of each specialization program. In this way, I think that everyone can make a good composition of what is done in each specialization program and then there is the criterion of whether to choose what I like, or choose what supposedly has more output. In this sense, I believe that motivation is a fundamental aspect for professional life and I would bet on doing the specialization program with which one feels more identified and thinks that it will allow him/her to better develop his/her professional degree program .

How many months of preparation without necessary to prepare for the exam ? Could it be compatible with a work, even if it was to average workshop ?
11:20 24/1/2018
The issue of months of preparation is a bit dependent on each person, but the important thing is to arrive on February 10 in optimal conditions to face the exam with guarantees. I always raise the preparation of the exam as an ascent, so, that the day of the exam we get to culminate our cima, that is to say, that we have not spent all our strength a few months before.

In this way, I believe that starting in the summer is an optimal plan, so that one can follow the preparation course at the academy and then organize one's study during the fall, at a pace that allows one to grow in preparation for the exam, without falling apart before time.

As for combining it with a work, I clearly think that it is not the right thing to do if you want to take the exam with guarantees. I think that you have to dedicate 100% of your time to study the spanish pharmacy residency program . Another status is that of people who do not pass the exam on their first attempt and go to retake the exam a second or third time. In these cases, I do think that working for a few months, for example from February to June, can help to consolidate knowledge, and to resume studying with a fresh mind in the summer months.

Good afternoon, How do you recommend me to do the review in the week before the exam?
11:00 24/1/2018
Good morning everyone, the week before the exam should be a week in which just as we have done during all the months of preparation we have a good balance of work and rest, since the day of the exam it is convenient to be fundamentally fresh and rested. It is not the time to study new subject , but it is the time to review some of the topics we have studied and that we feel we are not studying well. And, above all, I think it is a good time to ask exam questions, particularly related to those subjects.