ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED 2/5/2018
Hi fam, hope you’re all going well :) Test week is over and hopefully you’re getting back into the rhythm of everything again… Anyhow, every so often we’ll invite a guest to write a short blog post about our fellow medical and health science degrees in our #Insights blog posts. This issue’s highlight is on Pharmacy!
In your words, how would you describe your profession?
To be very honest, I can’t say that I know much about my profession yet. HAHAH
How is the year organised? (Do you have papers anymore?)
Part II students of the BPharm Programme (second years) have three papers over the whole year - PHARMACY 211, 212 and 213. None of these papers are year-long papers, with PHARMACY 211 and 212 taken in semester 1 and PHARMACY 213 taken in semester 2.
The two papers of the first semester are focused on building a good foundation of scientific and clinical knowledge required to progress further in the BPharm programme. A wide range of topics are taught, from Pharmaceutical chemistry in 211 to compounding and human interaction skills in PHARMACY 212 labs and workshops. We only have to take one paper in semester 2 as mentioned above.
What did you enjoy about it?
The School of Pharmacy is very welcoming and feels like one big family. The staff and students are all very caring towards us second years so that we settle in well and don’t feel out of place. I also like that we have a smaller cohort so it’s possible to get close to most people in your year level, and many in the years above!
In terms of the content, I really enjoyed the compounding labs (where you get to make ointments, oral liquids etc.) which were heaps of fun, as well as the workshops many of which are interactive. Learning about the chemistry behind drug design (such as the strategies they use to ensure drugs work efficiently) and the role of pharmacists in public health was also very interesting.
What sort of clinical experiences have you had so far?
We have ten days of placements during the second semester where we get to visit pharmacists in hospital, industrial and community settings.
What’s the one thing you did not expect from this degree?
Many people have misconceptions about the BPharm programme (I did too) and think that it would be very heavily focused on chemistry with little clinical skills and physiology. But I came to find that there is actually a significant emphasis on clinical skills, with a good balance between chemistry and physiology.
What’s your fondest memory so far about your degree?
Freshers camp and Pub Crawl! They’re great opportunities to meet new people and bond with other pharmacy students whilst having fun. The poverty simulation is where you get to role play and experience being a family member of a low income family which was also lots of fun (some people would deal drugs or steal other people’s furniture)
What’s one thing you’d tell your first year self?
To focus on myself and work at my own pace instead of comparing myself with other people. It destroys you!
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