University Centre Grimsby Students Create Innovative Video Game to Recruit Hospital Pharmacists

Friday 28th June

Students from the University Centre Grimsby’s BA Game Design course have successfully designed an engaging video game, “Pharmacy Rush,” to assist in recruiting the next generation of hospital pharmacists. This collaborative project with Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust (NLaG) aims to showcase the dynamic environment of hospital pharmacy and inspire potential candidates.

“Pharmacy Rush” challenges players to manage medications for four virtual patients prescribed by a virtual doctor, all against the clock, simulating the fast-paced hospital setting. This initiative stemmed from the innovative thinking of Rachel Craven, Pharmacy Business, Service and Performance Manager at NLaG, who sought a unique way to attract talent to their pharmacy team.

Upon presenting her concept to the BA Games Design students, they then dedicated a year to bring Rachel’s vision to life, working pro bono to develop the final product. The game not only provides an enjoyable and addictive experience but also educates players on the hospital pharmacy workflow and the integral role pharmacists play in patient care. Accessible on computers, mobile phones, and tablets, “Pharmacy Rush” is ideal for career events at local schools and colleges.

No Caption

Rachel Craven expressed her excitement, stating, “Pharmacists are in short supply, which appears to be a national issue, compounded by our geographical location. As a hospital pharmacy service, we’re focusing on our future supply pipeline and growing local talent. We regularly attend local careers events to talk about our hospital pharmacy careers, as we have a variety of different roles which are quite different to how a community pharmacy operates. Engaging students at careers events can be challenging when competing against other career stands.

“I was trying to think of ways we could promote a career in pharmacy, which were outside the box, and came up with the idea of a video game. I approached The Grimsby Institute and they were delighted to help us with this. The game they’ve designed is absolutely fantastic and I can’t wait for people to play it.”

Simon Priestley, Chief Pharmacist at NLaG, added, “What these students have created has exceeded our expectations. It’s been a really positive collaboration. Hospital pharmacy is not always understood and this will help us promote a range of careers. We do a lot of work going into schools and attending careers fairs, and this will help us attract more people for these roles.”

Fin Rohrbasser, a second-year BA Game Design student and project manager for the game, shared his experience: “We had to arrange everything into specific roles, so I ended up being project manager. We created a plan and assigned tasks to the team. I am very happy with the finished product, as I’ve never been involved in something like this before.”

Harmony Wolfe, a third-year BA Game Design student and the game’s art director, explained her creative process: “We all had input from the beginning. I was heavily influenced by the artwork for a video game called Overcooked and KENJI, which sells products inspired by Asian-inspired culture. I have never worked on something on this scale before. I’m going to study a master’s degree in indie game development, so this is great experience.”

Maxwell Stringer, Programme Leader for the course, praised the students’ dedication: “Rachel approached me regarding making an educational game related to pharmacy, in the hope of helping recruitment to that sector within the NHS. Seeing an opportunity here for our university students to create a live industry brief and have a real impact within the community and NHS, this was a no-brainer, and so we accepted the challenge and brief. Over the space of a year, my students tirelessly developed Pharmacy Rush, while also still working on achieving their degree. This was a huge collaborative effort for the students involved, and we have now created something that they can all be very proud of.”

The University Centre is proud of the remarkable efforts and achievements of its students in creating “Pharmacy Rush,” demonstrating the impact of academic and industry collaboration in addressing real-world challenges.