Students in the Curie and Cornforth chemistry interest groups visited UQ’s Pharmacy Centre today
Students in the Curie and Cornforth chemistry interest groups in NYSF's Session B in Brisbane visited UQ’s Pharmacy Centre today to learn more about the career opportunities available at the intersections of science and healthcare. PACE is a multi story building located on the campus of the PA Hospital and Translational Research Institute, with an active medical centre and pharmacy on premises alongside teaching rooms, a library and an impressive collection of antique pharmaceutical equipment on display.
Curie and Cornforth groups at UQ's Pharmacy Centre of Excellence (PACE)
The location of PACE, across the river from the main UQ St Lucia campus, is no accident. The precinct is known for its integrated research and healthcare properties which are designed to bring research and practice closer, to ensure the latest evidence is applied in a healthcare setting.
PACE is the primary teaching location for students studying Pharmacy at The University of Queensland. PACE aims to create a new and unique health and medical precinct, with particular focus on pharmacy and pharmaceutical science. PACE has state-of-the-art teaching facilities such as interactive dispensing and counseling spaces and cutting-edge teaching laboratories.
To start the tour, students met PhD student Amelia Cossart who talked about the decisions that had brought her here. Amelia knew she wanted to do something with science and healthcare, but medicine wasn’t an option straight up. Her mother suggested that she look at Pharmacy rather than a general science or health degree with the practicality of a 95.6% employment rate sealing the decision.
Curie and Cornforth groups at UQ's Pharmacy Centre of Excellence (PACE) hear from Amelia Cossart, PhD candidate.
Studying Pharmacy brings a number of career opportunities - not just as a pharmacist. Amelia introduced us to the different types of pharmacy jobs such as the one we all know, the community pharmacist, and some we didn’t such as Government Policy Adviser, research pharmacist with the Australian Defence Force, or a drug training representative in a pharmaceutical company.
Curie and Cornforth groups at UQ's Pharmacy Centre of Excellence (PACE)
Amelia selected pharmacy because of the unique combination of chemistry, medicine and social science. Students were treated to a tour of the teaching facilities which contained a mock pharmacy and dispensary to observe behaviour and body language of the patient and pharmacist during the dispensing process.
The mock pharmacy was like something out of a crime show with tinted one way glass separating the teaching room and the mock pharmacy so students can observe without the patient and pharmacist seeing the audience. The body language and answers can be observed which is an important part of dispensing drugs to patients, in particular as the role of pharmacists is growing to diagnose minor conditions like skin rashes and dispense pain relief.
After the tour, the groups headed into a teaching lab to make their own compound.
This unique combination of people skills and chemistry makes pharmacy a unique and varied career with the added benefit of helping people reduce the impact of incurable diseases and improve their quality of life.
Carla Paterson, NYSF 2018 Session B Brisbane Communications
NYSF 2018 Session B is supported through funding from the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science as part of the National Innovation and Science Agenda (NISA) – Inspiring a nation of scientists.”