Are you a social media guru who follows us on all of our channels, or can you barely tell the difference between Facebook and Twitter? Either way we would love your feedback on our social media and blogging efforts! We would really appreciate it if you could take a couple of minutes out of your day to fill out the UBC Pharm Sci Digital Engagement survey. The results will help us to us create and share content tailored to your interests.
UBC Pharm Sci staff member setting up in Pharmacy Practice Lab
In preparing to apply to UBC Pharm Sci you may have already looked at the curriculum, explored the different involvement opportunities available and watched our Student Talks videos. But perhaps you’re still not sure what life would be like as a student here at the Faculty? Read on for second-year BSc(Pharm) student Joshua Quisias’ account of a typical day:
“A day in the life of a UBC Pharm Sci student usually starts with a 9:00 am lecture in the new Pharmaceutical Sciences building. Since our schedule is integrated, the topic could range from pathophysiology, to pharmacology, to therapeutics. Regardless of the topic, the material covered will be important for good pharmacy practice, effective patient care, and exams.
After 3 one hour-long lectures, class is over by noon. This is a good chance to take a break and grab some lunch from the Daily Dose, with my classmates. We usually take this chance to briefly discuss the lecture material and upcoming exams, but soon end up putting that on the backburner and talking about any events that are coming up. Recently, the discussions have focused around Mr. Pharmacist and the Pharmacy Gala, two of the most popular annual events for our faculty. Sure, being a pharmacy student is hard work, but no one said it couldn’t be fun too!
After lunch, we split up – half of us head to the practice lab where we practice skills that we’ll need when we’re out on rotation and are practicing pharmacists. Some of these skills include counselling, compounding, and learning how to do certain physical examinations. The other half heads up to a tutorial room, where we discuss patient cases or learn more about the aspects of pharmacy practice.
Once lab or tutorial is over, usually by 5:30 pm, it’s time to head back home, get some food, and hit the books. Preferred methods of studying are personal and dependent on the subject. For me, if the topic is memorization-heavy, such as frequently prescribed medications, I like to make flashcards otherwise is the material is concept-heavy, as pathophysiology is, I like to go over the learning objectives. Usually, this study time includes chatting with friends about some of the more difficult topics, as discussing material really helps me clear up my confusions with the material. Once I feel happy with the amount of studying I’ve done, or once I’m struggling to keep my eyes open, it’s time to go to bed and get some rest before the next day starts.”
– Joshua Quisias, 2nd year BSc(Pharm) Student
Thanks Joshua! We hope this helped give you some insight into the day-to-day life of a UBC Pharm Sci student. If you have any further questions, feel free to leave them in the comments or on Twitter or Facebook.
– Ivan Yastrebov, Communications & Marketing
Over the last three weeks, Ivan, Julia and I have shared different ways you can make the most of your time at UBC Pharm Sci. To conclude this series, we have asked several of our students and faculty members to share their responses to the following question:
What one piece of advice would you give students to maximize their learning and professional experience during their Pharmacy studies?
Here’s what they had to say:
“Explore all of your options and find your niche. Figure out which clubs and associations do what, and take opportunities to really discover what area you would find satisfaction in practicing in the future. Be honest with yourself about what you want and go after it. It’s much easier to make connections and refine the skills you will use in your career if you start specializing yourself early on. No one expects you to be good at everything, but make sure that future employers can see your goals and intentions through the experiences you chose in school.”
– Andrea Silver, Third year BSc(Pharm) student
“My one piece of advice to students is to leverage your student status as much as possible. Introduce yourself to influential people in the profession (and other health care stakeholders) and ask their opinions and advice. People are willing to give students a surprising amount of time in the spirit of supporting someone’s learning process. This also gives you practice building a network of people and you will be surprised how important your network of people will be in practice.”
– Barbara Gobis, Director, UBC Pharmacists Clinic
“An important piece of advice I would give current and new students is to learn from your mistakes and accept criticism in a healthy way. This may be a cliché, but this is a world-class program and is designed to help you learn and improve your skills. Although it may be hard to accept sometimes, learning from your mistakes leads to improvement and development – a very important trait to have as a future pharmacist.”
– Jason Alessio, Second year BSc(Pharm) student
“I strongly encourage each student to get involved while in the program. There are several clubs, sports teams, student societies, or professional pharmacy associations that students may join, as well as opportunities for students to take part in both clinical and laboratory research with leaders in the field! Getting involved not only provides you with the chance to build relationships with individuals in the Faculty and pharmacy community, but it also provides balance to your life and enriches your learning experience. As well, it allows you to discover your niche in pharmacy and decide where you would like to go with your career.”
– Renée Dagenais, Third year BSc(Pharm) student
I hope this series has equipped you with some ideas on how to enhance your learning, development and experience here at UBC Pharm Sci.
What would you recommend to future students? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
– Raul Scorza, Communications & Marketing Assistant
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