PSA

UKFPO-PSA: Complete Guide to the Prescribing Safety Assessment

The UKFPO Prescribing Safety Assessment (UKFPO-PSA) is a 60-question computer-based exam, developed jointly by the British Pharmacological Society (BPS) and the Medical Schools Council (MSC), that all Foundation Year 1 (F1) doctors must pass to progress to F2. Most UK medical graduates sit and pass the PSA at medical school; international medical graduates and any UK graduates who haven't yet passed it sit it during their F1 year, with the assessment typically funded by the UKFPO rather than paid for by the candidate.

What is the UKFPO-PSA?

The UKFPO Prescribing Safety Assessment (UKFPO-PSA) is a computer-based exam developed jointly by the British Pharmacological Society (BPS) and the Medical Schools Council (MSC). It tests the skills, judgement, and supporting knowledge required to prescribe medicines safely in the NHS, based on prescribing competencies the GMC defines for new medical graduates.

Unlike the NCA, the PSA is not a pre-entry eligibility requirement for the Foundation Programme — it is a requirement to complete F1 and progress to F2. Most UK medical students sit and pass it during their final year at medical school; those who haven't, along with international medical graduates entering F1, sit it during the F1 year itself.

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FAQS

UKFPO-PSA FAQs

PSA stands for Prescribing Safety Assessment — a 60-question exam developed by the British Pharmacological Society and the Medical Schools Council.

No. Most candidates sit the PSA during F1, not before starting. It is a requirement to progress from F1 to F2, not a pre-entry eligibility requirement like the NCA.

The PSA is typically funded by UKFPO for Foundation doctors sitting it during F1.

The ARCP panel will typically consider an extension to F1 to allow the assessment to be completed, provided all other F1 requirements have been met.

Yes. The BNF and BNFc are available via Medicines Complete throughout the exam; UK candidates also have NICE BNF access. No personal notes are permitted in the BNF during the assessment.

The NCA is a pre-entry eligibility requirement sat before applying to the Foundation Programme; the PSA is sat during F1 itself, to progress to F2. They test different things at different points in the pathway and neither substitutes for the other.