The Student Leadership Award
I was awarded the Pharmacy Student Leadership Award in recognition of the various activities I completed alongside my MPharm degree. All of the finalists did amazing work during their time at university and so I was honoured to receive the award. The award is a testament to all of the fantastic opportunities provided by the School of Pharmacy at QUB.
I felt privileged to attend the 25th Anniversary of the Northern Ireland Healthcare Awards. It was inspiring to see first-hand the incredible work being done by others within the profession to advance healthcare and meet the evolving needs of the patient population. I’m very grateful to the PDA for sponsoring the award and to all those involved in making the event possible.
Activities I completed during my MPharm
During my time at QUB, I worked with the Widening Participation Unit as an academic guide on the Pharmacy Pathway Opportunity Programme. As an academic guide, I provided sixth form students with advice and insights into university life. I was also selected to represent the School of Pharmacy at QUB at this year’s All-Ireland Interprofessional Healthcare Challenge and the team I worked with went on to win the competition. I assisted at events such as Science at Queen’s and a recent SistersIN event in the QUB KN Cheung SK Chin Intersim Centre. On top of all of this I also completed a summer internship within the Guy’s and St Thomas’ Trust London which provided me with valuable insights into the profession.
This year, I had the privilege of working on The Delirium Health Professionals Ireland (DelHPIre) Study, during which I assisted with the co-design of an interdisciplinary digital education resource on delirium. This resource will be used to educate undergraduate healthcare students across Ireland and I had the opportunity to present the resource at the recent All-Ireland Delirium Conference.
Why I chose pharmacy and my next steps
I completed work experience in a community pharmacy which had a strong influence on my decision to study pharmacy. Witnessing the rapport between patients and their pharmacist really emphasised the rewarding nature of the career. I was further drawn to the profession after witnessing how the work of a pharmacist could greatly improve patient experiences and outcomes. Furthermore, the diverse nature of the pharmacy degree and the extensive range of potential career choices upon graduation affirmed my desire to study pharmacy. I’m excited to enter a profession that is rapidly evolving, and I am especially interested to see how pharmacy education advances in the future.
I’m splitting my foundation training year between hospital and community pharmacy. I will complete 6 months in the Royal Victoria Hospital and 6 months in my local community pharmacy. Completing my final year research project, coupled with my enjoyment of the delirium project has inspired me to now consider undertaking further research within the field of pharmacy.
My 3 tips to first-year pharmacy students
- Start as you mean to go on. Being organised, advanced planning and working hard from the start of each academic year will help you to keep on top of the workload and reduce stress in the lead up to examinations.
- Seize every opportunity. Extra-curricular activities have greatly enhanced my university experience. I would encourage you to join university clubs/societies and keep an eye out in your emails for academic opportunities.
- Enjoy it. Whilst it may seem like hard work at the time, try to enjoy the course as much as possible. Before you know it, you’ll be in your last few weeks of final year and wish you could do it all over again!
I recently became a member of the PDA. PDA membership is free to both pharmacy students and trainees. The PDA can provide the relevant advice and support to students and trainees should issues of concern arise. The PDA also run an assessment revision programme and examination preparation events for foundation trainees. I look forward to engaging in these during my foundation training year.
By Olivia Donnelly, QUB pharmacy student and winner of the Student Leadership category in the 2024 Northern Ireland Healthcare Awards
Each year, the PDA sponsors the Student Leadership category of the Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish Healthcare Awards
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Learn more
- Northern Ireland Healthcare Awards Winners 2024 revealed
- Learn more about the benefits of FREE PDA student membership
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