Jessica Shared Her Journey From UG to PG

(Adopted from UoN Blog: The Pharmacist and Pharmaceutical Scientist)

I graduated from the MPharm (Hons) programme in 2014 and am a fully-registered pharmacist in UK and Malaysia. After graduation, I started my pre-registration training at Wexham Park Hospital (now part of Frimley NHS Trust). Looking back, it was the well-taught pharmacology and clinical pharmacy modules in the MPharm programme that prepared me for my pre-registration year and the GPhC Pharmacist Registration Examination. It also eased my transition from university to the working world.

After my training, I returned to Malaysia and worked with a large community pharmacy chain first as a junior pharmacist-on-duty, and then pharmacist-in-charge of a pharmacy outlet. Once again the clinical pharmacy module in the MPharm programme helped me to make quick decisions on whether to refer the patient or recommend a medication. For patients with multiple medicines, I put my training to good use by conducting a full medication review for them, complete with a pharmacy intervention programme and in some cases, a referral letter to the doctor.

After 3.5 years as a community pharmacist in Malaysia, I returned to UNM where I am currently doing a full-time research PhD. Thankfully, I received a tuition fee waiver from the School of Pharmacy. The good thing about the MPharm 2+2 course at Nottingham is the emphasis placed on the science behind drug discovery, medicines formulation and delivery of medicines into the body. I remember that there was a lot of lab practical classes and reports to write up in Years 1 and 2, and these were not easy tasks. Fast forward 9 years and I must say that it is because of that foundation that I, and many of my peers before me, are able to return to do a PhD after years working in non-lab settings such as hospital or community pharmacy. Currently, my PhD project revolves around developing a nanosensor for early detection of ovarian cancer and my learning journey continues…