Kate Edis
MPharm 2015
Position and company: Informatics Pharmacist with EMIS Health
After passing her pre-registration year in Boots and qualifying as a pharmacist in 2016, Kate spent five years working in community pharmacy.
Kate explained: “I would say it had its challenges, not least working throughout a pandemic, but it was also very rewarding, taught me a lot and I met many brilliant people over the years.”
Kate moved to London in 2020 and in October 2021 she started a new role as an Informatics Pharmacist with EMIS Health.
She said: “This is not a role I imagined I would end up in when studying, but I love it. The role is much more behind the scenes but still an integral part of community pharmacy and contributes to the wider NHS.
“My main responsibility is to ensure that the content within the database for the Patient Medication Record (PMR) system is accurate. I am part of the team that inputs and validates medicine data into the database – we use various sources such as the Drug Tariff, NHS dm+d browser, manufacturers, wholesalers, etc.
“As one of the pharmacists, I also look at clinical information from various sources including the BNF, MHRA, SPCs, and PILs to keep warnings and other information up to date. We also answer queries from pharmacies about the data and any issues with using the pharmacy system that the usual team can’t answer.
“The role is quite varied and can be quite technical - but I am enjoying learning new skills such as using SQL programming.”
Asked about her best memories from her time at the University of Sunderland, Kate said: “I really loved the 50th SPSA Pharmacy ball, being our final year, it was really special and everyone had a brilliant time. We also got to see our parody of an Uptown Funk music video made with the fourth-year students, lecturers, and the university as a backdrop! It was fun being part of it and hilarious watching it on a big screen with everyone!”
While Kate was at the University of Sunderland, she was awarded the Hope Winch Scholarship prize for most proficient level 3 – and she also received the prize for the most proficient level 2 student.
“After working so hard throughout the degree it was extra special to receive the acknowledgment,” said Kate.
She added: “My favourite parts of the course were having the opportunity to apply our knowledge to practical situations such as the Inter-Professional Learning sessions, the simulated wards, and clinical skills classes.”