For this article, we have a kind contribution by An from Pharmacy (2016) in NUS based on the contributor's first year experience in Pharmacy so far. So here it goes!
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Hmm, I am someone that finds joy in helping others, and I think being in a course in the healthcare sector is quite rewarding.
What were your favourite subjects/modules back in Junior College/Polytechnic? Were you good at them?
Biology and Chemistry. But I would say the Sciences in general. I was good in Biology but okay in Chemistry. And I think that being in Pharmacy, you might want to have an interest in both. However I’ll like to caution that someone would have to like Chemistry more than Biology because I think there will be very little Biology components after the first year. If they really like Biology more so than Chemistry, they should perhaps consider majoring in Life Science instead.
What are the Chemistry and the Biology aspects with regards to Pharmacy so far after you have completed your first year?
I like to say that people should take up Pharmacy only if they love Chemistry because all the things we learn about drugs such as Physical Pharmacy and Principles of Drug Action really fall under the category of Chemistry. As for the Biology aspect, we have medicine modules such as Anatomy and Physiology to learn about the human body so as to be equipped with some knowledge in the healthcare workforce. So I would say that in the first year, the ratio of Chemistry to Biology is roughly 1:1 but throughout the 4 years, in general, I do not think that we will be doing much Biology anymore. For example, in my next coming semester, Year 2 Semester 1, I have zero Biology modules.
What inspired you to study Pharmacy?
I feel that being a pharmacist, I can help others, and also it is a professional degree rather than just a general one. I am also interested in how drugs can affect the body and I guess it is what keeps me going.
Was Pharmacy your first choice? What were your other choices?
Yes, Pharmacy was my first choice. My other choices include Science because I like Biology and Life Science, haha!
What are the challenges in studying Pharmacy?
I feel that Pharmacy is quite a competitive course and the modules are quite demanding.There is no room to pursue a minor and the workload is heavy. On top of that, a pharmacy student also cannot go for exchange during the semester unless he/she does not mind delaying graduation, though he/she can still go for summer exchange.The core modules are pre-allocated, with some room for electives. Basically, most of the Pharmacy curriculum is planned.
What about the nature of the classes? Is it very content-heavy?
The content of the course is mostly delivered through lectures and laboratory sessions along with some tutorials. The content is heavy. As for the laboratory sessions, we got to make some pharmacy preparations like capsules and elixirswhich are quite fun! However for practical skills I don’t think (caution: personal opinion) it is as important as Medicine/Dentistry.
Given how content heavy Pharmacy is as you have described, what is a typical day in Pharmacy like?
It consist of mostly lectures (including 8 am slots) and lab on some days. The duration of classes in the first semester was from 8 am to 6 pm with breaks in between. But as year 2 begins for me, there are still some 8 am lectures and sometimes we start later but we still end at 6 pm. On top of lectures and labs, there will also be chances to work in a community pharmacy and hospital throughout the 4 years.
What are the career options or prospects for a Pharmacy graduate?
After graduation, we can undergo preregistration to become a registered pharmacist. We can also venture in academia or into the industry. There are like 3 broad tracks: becoming a clinical pharmacists, going into research and academia or go into industry but I am not entirely qualified to give advice regarding this aspect.
What should a prospective Pharmacy student expect or know before they decide to start their journey in Pharmacy?
I would tell them to be prepared for a content-heavy course and have an interest or else it would be really dry.I would also tell them to enjoy their holidays haha, because there is this thing called Preceptorship – like a compulsory internship of sorts where they work at community pharmacies and hospitals – that will occur during Year 2 and 3 summer breaks.
Time management is important for those in pharmacy, but there is still time to pick up some co-curricular activities to make our university days more fulfilling and interesting.
If you have any questions regarding An's sharing, feel free to ask your questions at the Contact Us tab and we'll contact An to answer those questions for you! :)
anything i can read up on or some topics to prepare for year 1? i'm starting school next august for pharmacy and i have always sucked in bio (which is why im a phy-chem student). in army currently but am super willing to use my free time whenever to learn so i wont struggle as much. thank you!
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