If you are unsure about the medication used to treat a condition such as an acute dystonic reaction. The best solution is to search “poisoning” under treatment summaries which would tell you that procyclidine or diazepam can be used in this scenario. You will be asked to make a drug dosage calculation; the question will contain all relevant numerical data as well as distracting data that you will not need. You will be given the units. You will be given a clinical scenario and a list of 6-10 drugs the patient is taking, you will need to identify drugs that are contra-indicated (e.g. in renal impairment), causing the clinical picture (e.g. hypokalaemia, confusion, hypotension), or contain a dosing error. Typically, you will be provided with 5 pieces of information and tasked with selecting the most important option to provide to the patient. Examples of the medicines that might be the focus of discussion include insulin, warfarin, salbutamol inhaler, methotrexate, or an oral hypoglycaemic medication. You have used the treatment summaries for the medical management of common conditions (e.g. Asthma)

Sometimes different dosages of the same medication are posed as different options in a question so if you are completely sure of the treatment for a condition, the best thing to do is search up the medication on the BNF and select the correct dosage under the indications/dosage section. Often relevant adverse drug reactions (ADRs) can be found in either the “side effect”, “interactions” or “cautions” section of the medication. The maximum dose of paracetamol is 1g QDS – common dosing errors will include 1g 4hrly or co-prescription of paracetamol and co-codamol. To apply for the PSA Temporary Pass /PSA Pass, please complete this application form and submit it together with the following documents: PSA Temporary Pass You will be given a clinical scenario where a drug (often new) has been prescribed. You will be asked to select the most appropriate monitoring actions.

Know which drugs are prescribed in MICROgrams (e.g. levothyroxine, digoxin) – these are often prescribed in MILLIgrams to catch you out.

This section comprises 40% of the available marks. You will be given a clinical scenario and asked to prescribe one drug/ fluid. From 1 February 2022, unvaccinated individuals will not be able to apply for passes and/or access PSA Terminals.If unsure of how to manage ADR, the answers can often be found in the respective treatment summaries of the BNF. For examples – medication overdoses (poisoning, emergency treatment), hypoglycaemia (hypoglycaemia), reversal of a high INR (oral anticoagulants). Mnemonics can be super helpful. There are a few things like enzyme inducers and inhibitors that you will need to rote learn and mnemonics can help with that. Get familiar with the BNF (both online and paper versions) and know where to find things as it isn’t always obvious or easy. For example, converting opioid doses is in the palliative care summary, HRT is in the sex hormones summary, and high INR management is in the oral anticoagulants summary. Know what to do in the event of a missed contraceptive pill (this varies depending on the type of pill being taken). Typically, the prescription review section involves reviewing 6-10 medications and identifying which medications should be stopped or could be a cause of a clinical problem such as impaired renal function.