PHARMACIES IN MALAYSIA

Everyone want a piece of pharmacy now. Pharmacy courses back in Malaysia have been blooming like crazy after mid 2008. A list of private institutions offering pharmacy course would illustrate my point.

1. International Medical University - Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons), 4 years local.
2. International Medical University - Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons), credit transfer 2 years to University of Otage, New Zealand.
3. International Medical University - Master of Pharmacy, 2 years local + 2 years at University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.
4. International Medical University - Master of Pharmacy, 2.5 years local + 1 year at University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.
5. UCSI - Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons), 4 years local.
6. AIMST - Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons), 4 years local.
7. University of Nottingham - Master of Pharmacy, 2 years local + 2 years at
University of Nottingham, UK.
8. Segi College - Master of Pharmacy, 2 years local + 2 years at University of
Sunderland, UK.
9. Monash University - Bachelor of Pharmacy, 4 years local.
10. Island College of Technology -Ijazah Sarjana Muda Farmasi (kerjasama USM) 4 years local.
11. Masterskill College - Bachelor of Pharmacy, 4+0 with La Trobe University, Australia.
12. Masterskill College - Diploma in Pharmacy, 3 years local.
13. CUCMS, Cyberjaya - Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons), 4 years local.
14. CUCMS, Cyberjaya - Diploma in Pharmacy, 2.5 years local.
15. HELP University College - Ijazah Sarjana Muda Farmasi (kerjasama USM) , 4 years local.
16. Taylor’s University College - Master of Pharmacy, 2 years local + 2 years at Cardiff University. Soon.
 
Six new pharmacy programs in just a year, I would be happy to be a high school leaver and a applicant now. I guess none of you get my point yet. This phenomenon would probably affect the quality of pharmacy education one going to receive in Malaysia, forget about more pharmacy schools indirectly would promote more competition among schools and thus, pharmacy schools will have to raise the quality of education they are going to provide, to buck up. That is going to happen only in an ideal world, not in the Boleh-land.

The increased in number of pharmacy schools would serve as a means for MORE students to take up pharmacy course, and it might not be a good thing to begin with. Pharmacy courses at private institutions are not cheap and as a result, not many parents could afford the fees without taking up government education loan, the PTPTN. The cheapest pharmacy course, add up to a total of at least RM 100,000 would burn a hole in many parents' pocket, and that is for total fees only, add in the miscellaneous expenses and that number is not a small amount for majority of Malaysians so to speak. 

I still remembered the look my friends gave me when they realized I didn’t apply for the PTPTN because my parents could actually afford the fees during my one semester in UCSI.

There are people out there who can't afford it even after taking up the RM 80,000 loan.

If an average of 800 students are applying to get in any pharmacy course each year but only 200 chosen one are taken in because they are the only one who met the minimum requirement; before mid 2008, those 200 students will have to compete among each other to get in the pharmacy course at the institution they want, this would ensure the fittest [smartest or the one with the best result or the one with the money] would be able to pursue the course, promoting a healthy competition while others would have to live with the fact that they could not get in pharmacy. They have to look elsewhere, they have to forget their dreams, they have to settle for less, they are forced to do so.

Post mid-2008, basically everyone with money would be able to study pharmacy as long as you have a combination of not-too-bad results. Before mid-2008, most private institutions are facing problem filling up the entire quota allocated for pharmacy course. They will have more difficulties filling them up in future. If an instituition is allowed to take in 100 students for each intake and they managed to fill in 70 places, the numbers will drop further with the fierce competition among new schools of pharmacy.

This is happening in UCSI for years or at least for two most recent years (at the time this is posted). This however, is not that bad part because those 70 students taken in would be still able to cover the operation cost of the pharmacy course and thus the institution would still survive, assuming the total cost of conducting a pharmacy program for each semester is equal to the amount of fees paid by 50 students, in simpler words, you get 50 students to pay the fees and one private institution would [still able to] keep the programme running.

What if the total student admitted become less than 50? How is that possible, you asked. Because we have more pharmacy courses, more choices and a larger total quota to accommodate a bigger number of students, the 200 students in the earlier scenario can now pick the school they wanted to attend instead of the school choosing the students, now the schools are the beggers. If 200 students are sufficient to sustain only five reputable schools out there, if the number of institutions are increased to seven, we would only have around 30 students each institution. What is going to happen next?

How do they, the institutions who provide you with education in exchange for your money could still survive? They can, by lowering the minimum requirement to increase the amount of students "qualified" to take up pharmacy. This hopefully would help to maintain their viable business model. Then, students, the not-so qualified one will struggle with their studies and they give up eventually or the institution decided to lower the standard/quality/difficulty of education provided, so more students can pass. Rumors are, most public exams back in Malaysia are easier to score compared to the past.

If they are not going to do so and make the students pass, do you think parents would continue to support their children taking up pharmacy at that institution? Of course, they are going after QUALITY of education especially when it is their children we are talking about here as you might have in mind. Well, parents always wanted the best for their children until you are one for yourself and it is your children.

Most parents would end up transferring their children to another school of pharmacy, the one many students are able to graduate or in other words not-so-tough pharmacy course. Do you agree with me? No?. Do you think that any parents would be still able to act rationally, live in an ideal world and choose to go for quality, not being emotionally involved in the whole decision making process, deal with the possibility that their children not able to graduate with a pharmacy degree one day, that their child is not smart enough to be a pharmacist? 

I have not even a slight doubt about my parents choice if one day they are forced to make the difficult decision and most of all, my own decision. By hook or by crook, I want or rather I need a pharmacy degree regardless of the quality, giving up is announcing to the world that pharmacy has defeated me and that I am not one of the creme de la creme. I am not going to let that happen.

In other words, quality would have to give way eventually. If you think that Malaysia education [solely pharmacy degree in this case] is inferior compared to a prestigious degree done elsewhere in a developed country, it would be worse in the future. 

Young, a student taking medicine in UWA agrees with me, Not Another One. - here.

The only good thing I can think of about producing so many future-to-be pharmacists would probably help to feed the momentum pushing for the separation of dispensing and prescribing. What about the doctors and the cookies jar?
 

The doctors would stand firm on their stance of Malaysia is never (going to be) ready for that to be implemented and the pharmacists will refute that that is the way it should be (long time ago). The catch is, many pharmacists at that time might not be as competent as pharmacist today and even Lim Kit Siang is standing with the doctors – opposing separation of dispensing and prescribing, doctors-prescribe-pharmacists-dispense-patients-suffer – here.

The crucial question is - do you still think this is a good thing right now?

WEIRD THING ABOUT STUDY HABIT

If there is one person who likes to observe how people study, it would definitely be me. It is weird and fascinating to observe how others take notes, understand and memorize certain material.

Weird case one,
I have seen people coming in the lecture hall without lecture notes but they will take out their book and start making notes during the lecture. I am not sure whether it is the same girl but I have seen that at least twice in different lecture. She is jotting down the main point of the slides which is available to everyone if you could just go and download it.


One of my teacher said these,

“When I talk, you listen; I will give you time to copy later.”
“If you are busy copying, you wouldn’t pay attention to what I am telling.”

The concept behind it is simple; you concentrate and jot down only extra points not available in the slides instead of racing against time to copy the exact sentence and fact. Worst of all, you are not paying attention to all those important information. Your aim is to copy before the slide changes.


It only has one advantage if you are making your own notes during lecture – it forces you to do active listening because you need to decide which are the important points but given that, I would rather just print those slides. You can do better active listening by concentrating and trying to make sense of what the lecturer wants if you have the notes in front of you.


Few weeks ago, one of my friends asked me a simple Q. Why is that [almost] everyone is more interested with the “fish” rather than how to catch the “fish” themselves. In simpler words, he is telling me that most people borrowed and copied top student’s notes, asking them what is coming out in exams rather than learning how to make their notes and prepare for exams in their own way.


Weird case two,
Just like pharmaceutics exams last semester, I thought everyone would pass the final exam because we are told exactly which topic is coming out in exams. Seriously, never in my whole life as a student I have been given such detailed breakdown of Qs including those of multiple choices and short answer Q before exam.

For essay Q, we are given the following
Four questions worth 8 marks each (32 marks in total)
Q1: Relates to lectures on Solubility & Distribution
Q2: Relates to lecture on Colouring & Flavouring lectures
Q3: Relates to lectures on Filtration & Clarification
Q4: Relates to X’s lectures (touches on all topics)

Sure, the main intention of lecturers telling us those is to make sure we study each and every topic covered during the semester because every topic is coming out.

To me, that information is to be abused if you are running out of time to cover each and every topic.

I would say I didn’t even skim through Toxicology & Posology lectures notes, not even once after that particular lecture because I ran out of time and I am going to get only seven marks if I managed to answer each and every Q correctly. If I were to do that to Colouring & Flavouring topic, immediately I lose 8 marks just for that long essay Q and 5 marks elsewhere.

Three lectures given by Dr. Benson are the most valuable because the total marks for her topics are more than 40. That is nearly half of the exam paper. Nevertheless, I don’t know any other person abuse that piece of information like I do.


Sure, at the end of the day, someone would argue that string of As doesn’t matter because knowledge is what that counts. It is true but most of the people who said that are trying to justify the fact that they couldn’t score in exams.

Exams are the most common method of evaluating and applying your knowledge. If not, why are we still having exams all over the world?

Amount of knowledge is important after you completed your degree. When you are still trying to get a degree, exams and As are what that counts. When society still place so much emphasize on academic excellence, go with the system and beat the system. There is no point trying to fight it.


Weirder situation I have seen to be exposed later. At the end of the day, it depends on how you study. Sure, there is no best way to study but definitely there are better ways to be more efficient.

LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIP

If you have to choose between getting involved in a long distance relationship or a shot at your field of interest and future that you always wanted, what is your pick? You are only allowed to have one.

I have been dispensing advice to A about her pathways after her STPM. To me, the only thing stopping her from going with her inner voice is her long distance relationship, basically stuck with a boy. Indeed, having a serious relationship with someone who is constantly at the other corner of the earth could be tough. No one said it is easy, but no one said it is going to be that hard either.

She seems to be so interested with how many ex(s) I ever had because I certainly do have a lot of theories about boy girl relationships. I did tell her right from the beginning that I am not a person who believe in long distance relationship, not anymore. I have seen probably few rare successful cases but they are certainly not without any hardships. Most of them do not have a choice. I believe no one would choose to involve in a long distance relationship.

If the only thing I could do is to recall the last time I hugged her, kiss her, held her in my arms, calling her each day, counting the days before I could meet her again, I would rather just stay single. Why should I go through all those trouble? Sure, I don’t love her enough if I am not willing to sacrifice [for relationship] but I would be rationale not to let it develop into love at the first place. I would choose to end it.

It is even worse if she and I were to argue on the phone every few days. Long distance relationship is already tiring without those arguments. I certainly don’t need more spices in my daily life. Of course, she did asked for my honest opinions and she couldn’t understand the fact that people are not hanging on to love the way she does.

If I like coffee a lot and someone tells me whole bunch of reason not to and all the harms it is going to cost me, of course I would selectively screen what is going to stay in my mind. To certain extent, my perception is shaped base on my actions. This is why smoking cessation is not that effective. One analogy - cognitive dissonance, different application. If she have not had that belief and behaved the way she had, probably her long distance relationship would have ended long time ago.

I even share with her a story, a story about X who chooses to end the relationship before he further his study overseas. I was at a moment impressed with the boy because the decision is not an easy one. I did tell her that a boy who chooses not to fight the battle in other words might be doing “damage control” to the relationship. We are not shooting The Last Samurai here, and therefore, no prizes are given to those who chose to fight til the very last drop of your blood. Why should you anyway?

Love is beautiful only when everything is right. You add distances, arguments, loneliness and love could be in fact ugly. No one could be sure that one day the boy and the girl would be together after the boy completed his study but at least they would not have to deal with the painful process in between, is that not tempting? Well, if you somehow believed that real love needs sacrificing, sure your real love can afford to wait four years too right? Waiting is also a form of sacrificing.

What if one day one of you just suddenly decided to give up and stop sacrificing anymore? Even there was once real love between both of you; long distance has just killed it. That is why X might get back together with that girl because he chose to preserve the love when it is still beautiful, pure and without any scar.

To me, hanging on to a relationship is not love anymore. There might be love in it but the love is not a pretty one. At the end of the day, hanging on to a relationship is not a direct measure of how much you love somebody.

It is hard to give up now but it is harder to give up later because you have sacrificed more. Your expectation towards love would be raised and you will certainly experience more disappointment because he/she can no longer hit your level of expectation anymore.

To me, some people just enjoy the “pain” in the relationship. They think highly of themselves because they are sacrificing for a noble thing call love. They enjoy the pain rather than love. 伤口，是爱最刻骨铭心的笔记(Wounds, are the most heartfelt notes of love). You do not sacrifice for someone you do not love, the more you sacrifice, it has to be because you love that special one more.

Love during high school is about sweet memories, innocent and stainless and it should stay that way. How many actually does make it to the red carpet in the end (from high school to getting married)? So, majority of us do not even had real love, so it is okay to give up because it is not real love. When you are in a high school, your world practically consists of your classmates and probably those of tuition classes. When you are in Uni you are dealing with a bigger world, in other word – more choices. Are you sure you already had the best deal out there?

Relationship is hard to let go because of a thing called habit. We are so used to sharing everything in our life with someone else. We are so used to being emotionally attached to someone. Everywhere we go; it just triggers our memory of him/her. Sometimes we are too afraid of changes. When you are so emotionally attached to someone, you are giving them the absolute right to break your heart any time.

First love is also the hardest to let go. Why? We have never done that before. How could we possibly good at something that is new to us – letting go and successfully detach ourselves emotionally. It would feels like it is the end of the world and when the reality is better than our dream; we don’t want it to change. We try to stay in it as long as possible. You know it is love when your reality is better than your dreams.


I still believe that 18 is an ideal age for first love. It smashes all the unrealistic expectations you have about love. It will help you in your future relationships. I am only against it when it is affecting possibly one of the most crucial moment of your life – deciding a pathway and possibly a career that you have to deal with for the rest of your life, a decision with consequences you have to live with up to 40 years?

More often than not, harsh reality triumph over noble love. If you chose relationship over what you want to do and your dream, you would probably end up blaming the special one in the future. When you sacrificed your choice of education you wanted, you expect a happy and successful relationship in return. No one could guarantee you that.

In this case, you are betting on the future. Imagine waking up one day and you realize you have let go a great future and there is no turning back. You will start blaming your mr/mrs right and there won’t be a happy marriage. The path not taken is always greener. If you are afraid that by letting go the relationship you might be making the worst decision ever, you might have already made the worst decision by choosing relationship over your study. Remember, the path not taken is always greener.

If you believe you have found real love/the right one and the love between both of you would never fades, love can wait again in this case. It never fades and therefore it would exist forever and ever, til the world ends. Didn’t he/she promise that his/her heart would never change? You too told me yesterday that boys are always the same, which I would agree with you although not at that moment because she is blaming me for walking away on her when she needs me. If all boys are the same and you would never change, and his love would never changes, thus all relationships would be almost similar. If all boys are the same, why are you afraid that you wouldn’t find a similar/better boy?

Make the correct decision. It is pain to grow but you will have to just grow through the pain. I believe most if not all love couldn’t stand the cruel testing by time and distance. It is your real love against my belief.

Yes, I am realistic and a little too rationale.

Enough said and I am sure I made my stand clear.

我羡慕理想的爱情，却总是要面对现实的爱情。 (I envy and want the ideal love, but I have to face the reality side of love)

taken from - 大学生恋爱，到底能够维持多久？ available here.

PHARMACY IN UK | EDUCATION

Community pharmacists no longer in shortage, says MAC

Wed, 17/06/2009 - 17:25

Community pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are no longer on the shortage occupation list, the UK Borders Agency Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has confirmed. Only pharmacists working in the NHS or hospitals will now be on the shortage occupation list, which allows non-EU pharmacists and preregistration trainees to obtain UK work visas.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society believes that it, along with community pharmacy employers, should have been consulted about the decision and says it is not unclear how the change to the list will affect the Society’s existing international members or international members in future.

Wendy Harris, deputy registrar and director of regulation, said: “A decision was made rather quickly to take community pharmacists and pharmacy technicians off the shortage occupation list without any consultation with the Society. We are now trying to ascertain exactly what this will mean.

“But there is a worry that this will affect overseas assessment programmes for qualified pharmacists from abroad who wish to work here, along with the 15 per cent of UK pharmacy students who are from overseas and choose to get their degree in Great Britain.”

The MAC is reviewing medical occupations again in autumn 2009, and the Society says it can submit evidence in relation to pharmacists and argue for the reinstatement of other pharmacists, including community pharmacists and preregistration trainees, before the list is reviewed again in September 2009.



Hmm.. this would impact those who wish to practice in uk after 2+2 or even direct entry. Clinical pharmacy is still okay I think. Imagine spending thousands for education and couldn't earn it back..