Hospital stint an eye-opener
FIVE third-year IMU pharmacy students, Karmelia Chan, Wong Jin-Ying, Lee Ming Zhao, Kok Yu Qian and Sellam Elangovan had the opportunity to undergo a pharmacy internship at Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur (PHKL) as part of their elective module in Semester 6.
During this internship, they were rotated individually to several departments including outpatient and inpatient pharmacy, clinical, total parenteral nutrition (TPN), cytotoxic drug reconstitution (CDR) and main store.
Chan, Wong and Lee said that there are several outpatient pharmacies catering to the variety of specialties at PHKL.
They were exposed to the process of receiving prescriptions from the specialist clinics. From there, they assisted in prescription screening followed by packing of medications.
They were able to familiarise themselves with brand names of medications and also had a glimpse of the implementation of e-prescriptions as part of an initiative to integrate IT into the healthcare system.
The highlight of the trio’s clinical rotation was being part of the ward rounds with other healthcare professionals.
In addition to bedside counselling, they observed staff training by pharmacists on new medical devices, which portrayed interprofessional learning (IPL) at the hospital. They also had the chance to observe the role of TPN pharmacists.
That observation taught them the indications for TPN, required calculations, and the suitable regimens available in the hospital by allowing them access to patient case notes.
This opens up their understanding to the full clinical picture, and how to modify and optimise the patient’s treatment plan based on the progress.
Their attachment in CDR exposed them to responsibilities such as in handling cytotoxic drugs, counselling patients on oral chemotherapy regimen and maintaining a clean room.
They observed that oral chemotherapy counselling emphasises the drug’s side effects, in contrast to other oral medications, especially for first-time patients.
This experience increased the awareness on practising good aseptic techniques, protective gowning procedures and principles of clean room design that they have focused on in the pharmacy degree syllabus.
Their rotation to the PHKL main store provided basic knowledge and overview of the organisation structure of the Pharmacy Department, in terms of stock procurement, distribution, and control.
IMU’s Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons) students have the option to transfer credits in their first two years’ curriculum to the pharmacy programme in the University of Otago, New Zealand or University of Tasmania, Australia.
These international partnerships are a clear testament of the alignment of IMU’s innovative education to global standards.
Students also could complete the entire four-year pharmacy degree in IMU.
The next commencement for the Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons) programme is in September.
Those inspired to embark on a diverse career involving the safe and effective use of medicines are encouraged to apply online for IMU’s pharmacy programme.
Those who have just completed their SPM without pre-university qualification can consider enrolling in the one-year IMU Foundation in Science – the preferred foundation and direct route for entry into any of the university’s degree programmes.
■ For more information, refer to www.imu. edu.my, e-mail to start@imu.edu.my or call IMU at 03-2731 7272.