Advice, Uncategorized

Pharmacists can help with healthy New Year’s resolutions

It’s 2014 and, as with the beginning of any new year, people are drawn to focusing on personal health and fitness. Whether it’s a New Year’s resolution to lose weight and get fit or a desire to return to healthier habits after indulging a bit too much over the holidays, your pharmacist can assist you in getting back on track to living healthier.

Vitamins and supplements play a large role in improving and maintaining overall health. There are many products on the market and it can be difficult to choose which one is best for you. Pharmacists can answer any questions you have and guide you in the right direction. If the use of weight loss products is part of your strategy, pharmacists can also provide guidance and information.

Embarking on a focused health regime involves exercise just as much as it does nutrition. And for those of us just returning to gym (I count myself in this group), pulled muscles and other minor injuries can occur. A visit with your pharmacist can help you choose the right pain relief remedy and identify any possible contraindications that it might have with medications that you may already be on.

Caring for your health is important, no matter what time of the year it is, and it’s an endeavor you shouldn’t take on alone. Your pharmacist, as well as your physician and other health care professionals, are all invaluable resources available to you. Remember to consult with them as you plan out your activities.

– Jimi Galvão, Communications and Marketing, UBC Pharm Sci

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Happy New Year 2014!

In less than 24 hours, we will step into the new year in Vancouver. Looking back on 2013, the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences is proud of all that has been achieved from the multiple Pharmaceutical Sciences Building awards won to the innovative research that took place.

With the new year ahead we will be building on our growth as well as striving toward new goals. We look forward to welcoming new students to the Faculty after the application rounds for our programs at the beginning of 2014.

Have a very Happy New Years!

 

-Vivien Lee, Communications and Marketing, UBC PharmSci

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Advice, Uncategorized

Getting Your Motivation Back

Motivation is a curious thing, it has the ability to energize and propel you to success but it can also halt your progress when every last ounce of motivation seems to be drained out of you. How do you get your motivation back?

Rest up

Don’t confuse your lack of motivation with exhaustion. Always remember to take care of your health first! Even those who study or work in the health sector forget this in pursuit of their goals. Motivation and energy levels go hand in hand, and the former cannot reach its full potential without the latter. Did you know that your stress level increases by 14 percent with every hour of sleep lost? Take a stress test here.

Back to the beginning

Revisit your original goals and the passion behind those goals that initially ignited your motivation. You cannot gauge how far you have come without comparing it to where you started. Be proud of the steps you have taken because reflection should not only focus on critique but on appreciation as well. Motivation that comes from within is more powerful than motivation from external sources.

Look ahead

Pharmaceutical Sciences Building

After you have reflected on your starting point, refocus your mind on the target. Plant out incremental steps that lead to your target so the task is less overwhelming. Remember that the target consists of more than the tangibles obtained. Imagine how you would feel after accomplishing a goal and keep that feeling in mind as a motivator.

Regardless of any method to gain motivation, the most important part is to get started! Don’t dwell on the planning and motivation seeking stages and take the first steps because motivation works in a circular fashion. Motivation propels you towards your goal and working on your goal generates more motivation.

Whether you are studying for your pharmacy exams or working on research, stay motivated by re-energizing, self-reflecting, and re-aligning your goals.

-Vivien Lee, Communications and Marketing, UBC PharmSci

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History of UBC Pharmacy

Before we dive into the birth of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of British Columbia (UBC), we need to backtrack to late 19th to mid-20th century British Columbia (BC).

The first pharmacists in BC were trained as apprentices in private pharmacy schools until the mid-20th century. The apprentices wrote and passed 12 exams focused on their manufacturing and compounding abilities before being granted licensure. These exams were only offered twice a year and apprentices could rewrite each exam separately until they passed all 12. Unlike pharmacy students today, apprentices had to work long hours at the pharmacy in addition to studying for the exams which made it difficult to balance the workload.

UBC Point Grey Campus 1925
Source: http://digitalcollections.library.ubc.ca/cdm/ref/collection/arphotos/id/256

Pharmacy education then was focused on manufacturing and compounding rather than pharmacology, toxicology, and physiology. By the 1920s, pharmacy education was falling behind with new scientific developments and pharmacists were struggling to be recognized as professionals. For example in World War I, the Canadian Armed Forces refused to automatically give officer status to pharmacists but granted the status to physicians and nurses.

To improve pharmacy education, pharmacists looked to three areas for improvement. First, pharmacy should be taught in universities with access to medical and scientific faculties. Second, pharmacists needed to re-evaluate certain areas of study to progress from their manufacturing past. Third, pharmacists must learn to speak the modern language of medicine.

At the 1925 annual general meeting of the Pharmaceutical Association of BC, affiliation with UBC was announced. The plan was to adjust the pharmacy education curriculum to include biology and toxicology, with reduced emphasis on botany. However, the plan didn’t become reality until two decades later due to the financial constraints of the Great Depression and the redirection of government resources during World War II.

George Cunningham Building

In 1946 the Faculty of Pharmacy at UBC was officially created. From 1961 to 2012, the Faculty’s permanent home was in the George Cunningham Building until the new Pharmaceutical Sciences Building was opened in September 2012.

Pharmaceutical Sciences Building

Fun fact: The Faculty of Pharmacy changed its name to the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences to reflect a shift in focus towards research.

UBC Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences dispensary in the Biological Sciences building, 1950.

-Vivien Lee, Communications and Marketing, UBC PharmSci

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Advice

Five Interesting Pharmacy Career Paths

Are you contemplating a career in Pharmacy, but think that a degree in Pharmacy only has one path after graduation? Did it peak your interest when Julia talked about Pharmacy as a varied career with many different pathways? Do you have another passion that you want to integrate into your career? If so, read further and you may be surprised as to what Pharmacy could have in store for you! Here are a few different jobs you may be able to take on with a degree in Pharmacy.

1. Community Pharmacists – While this may seem like the job you are destined for with a pharmacy degree, there is more to it than meets the eye. The role of the community pharmacist is to help people manage their medication and diseases to enhance their quality of life. Through an increased scope of practice, pharmacists are now able to offer medication therapy management and other services to help support their patients in leading happy and healthy lives.

2. NASA Pharmacist – Do you have an interest in space? If the answer is yes, you could be like Tina Bayuse, who after an experiential rotation in a pharmacology lab at NASA became the organization’s first ever clinical pharmacist. From there she continued expanding the program providing medication to astronauts and their families, while helping prepare medical kits for space missions.

3. Researcher – With a passion for science and an excitement for problem solving, a researcher might be the role for you. As a researcher you will be on the front lines of pharmaceutical sciences. You will use your knowledge to look into the unknown of pharmaceuticals. This could include medication interaction, health economics, population health, toxicology and much more. Becoming a researcher requires a lot of training and discipline, but the end result is very rewarding because your discovery has the potential to positively affecting people’s lives.

4. Veterinary Pharmacist – If you have a passion for animals, with a couple of extra certifications, you’ll be able to serve as a veterinary pharmacist. In this role, you’ll be helping veterinarians figure out the right medication, dosage and delivery method for a variety of animals suffering from a range of health conditions. Since most veterinary programs offer two courses on pharmacology, the knowledge that pharmacists contribute is highly valued.

5. Medical Writer – Are you interested in the science of pharmacology and the art of writing? Becoming a medical writer might allow you to pursue both of those passions without much compromise. The career is quite varied and could include journalistic, technical or even creative writing depending on which position you are in. By applying your writing abilities to your medical knowledge you will help communicate scientific ideas in a variety of forms.

As you can see, a degree in Pharmacy does not only lead to one career path. Instead there are many different paths you are able to pursue, allowing you to combine your other passions into a job that is interests you!

– Ivan Yastrebov, Communications and Marketing, UBC PharmSci

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Four Study Tips to Succeed

Studying pharmacy does not have to be hard, just follow four tips!

Study Actively

Perhaps your current studying method is not working for you because you are not being active enough. Group facts into lists of five to seven points each as that is the amount of information the brain can clearly memorize at one time. When reviewing the material, explain them in your own words or discuss answers with a classmate. You are more likely to remember a conversation than memorize a stack of notes.

Learning style

Discover what type of learning style suits you best. Are you a visual, auditory or experiential learner? For example, if you’re a visual learner then draw diagrams and use colours to help yourself absorb the material better. Most people are a combination of learning styles, so blend them together! Reading text out loud covers visual, auditory and oral aspects of learning because multiple senses are absorbing the same information at once.

Eat well

You need to nourish your brain and by extension your body if you want it to perform at an optimal level. Stay hydrated and snack on high-energy food like fruit, granola bars, and vegetables. Having a treat is important too, as your favourite foods will boost your mood and motivate you to study.

Group Study

Having a hard time working through problems? Studying in a group is a great way to come up with solutions together and generate ideas about what could be on the exam. Building your pharmacy knowledge base takes time and dedication so be patient.

“Get enough sleep the night before an exam – a tired mind is a slow mind!” – Kathy Seto, Instructor

-Vivien Lee, Communications and Marketing, UBC PharmSci

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Welcome to the new UBC Pharm Sci blog

On behalf of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of British Columbia, it gives me great pleasure to officially welcome you to our new blog. Our goal with this blog is to further connect and engage with you (our students, alumni, donors, partners, pharmacists and other members of the health care community) on the topics of pharmacy education, research and practice. In doing so, we aim to nurture and cultivate a healthy dialogue and exchange of information.

And on the subject of health, everyone must be very aware of the fact that it’s that time of year again (and no, I’m not referring to holiday shopping). It’s flu season.

At the Faculty, we have been involved with two flu clinic programs for members of the UBC campus community. But there are plenty of other flu clinics and resources that you can access. I recommend visiting the following Public Health Agency of Canada sites for more information: Influenza and Flight Flu.

In addition to being vaccinated and washing your hands regularly, make sure that you get plenty of rest, exercise and receive proper nutrition. It’s easy to get run down over the Holiday Season, so remember to take the time to care for yourself.

–Jimi Galvão, Communications and Marketing, UBC PharmSci

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