After graduating from MPharm in 2010, Aysha Sana went on to have a very successful career in community pharmacy as a Locum Pharmacist. After some time though, Aysha decided that she wanted to move into hospital-based pharmacy. To give her the confidence and knowledge to make the move, she returned to The University of Manchester to study a Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy. Below, she explains the differences between studying as an undergraduate student and studying as a postgrad…
During my teenage years, I had memories of my parents driving under the signature University of Manchester bridge and I recall saying that this will be the University where I will undertake my studies further as it is one of the best universities in the world. Graduating at The University of Manchester (UoM) was always a dream, a dream which came true when I graduated in 2010, one of my proudest moments in life.
I remember my first day, waiting in line at The Coupland Building, emotions running high filled with nerves and excitement. I made a lot of memories with lifelong friends and supportive lecturers. It was an experience that developed my personality further. The MPharm degree wasn’t just focused on theory, as it exposed us to practices to ensure we matured and progressed as professionals.
Fast forward a few years and I’d completed my pre-registration year and decided to embark on a career in community pharmacy. I had a passion for travelling and therefore decided to locum to provide me with the flexibility and gain various different experiences in different pharmacies. After a couple of years as a locum, I decided to manage an independent pharmacy but wanted to challenge myself further and decided to change sectors and move towards hospital pharmacy.
One of the reasons why I chose pharmacy was because of the diversity it offered in terms of career options. In order to progress my career in hospital pharmacy, there was a need to access quality education and training, therefore I decided to undertake the Postgraduate Clinical Pharmacy Diploma at The University of Manchester to ensure I had the skills to progress further in my career including leadership and management.
I got told numerous times that the jump from undergraduate to postgraduate wasn’t a big one. However, it personally felt like a huge leap as I was going back into education after many years out of it. I was very keen and determined as I had been in pharmacy for nearly seven years, and understood the challenges associated with the alignment of an undergraduate degree and current practice.
During the undergraduate degree, I had no real exposure to the real world, and I believe this is relevant for most undergraduate students. Pre-registration was the first step to help ease the transition from university life to the ‘real world’ as it gave us the opportunity to put everything we had learnt in to practice. The profession was undergoing change and for me personally, I could focus on my learning needs during my postgraduate study and I saw this as an opportunity for me to promote and embed new ways of working. As a result, I was able to identify the gaps in my knowledge which needed filling to further enhance my knowledge and grow as an individual. As a result, I decided to select specific modules to achieve this.
When I started my Postgraduate Diploma, I noticed a subtle change in the way I was personally studying. During my undergraduate years, I stayed up late relying on high intakes of caffeine to complete assignments and projects within a few hours. However, organisation was key during my postgrad as I was working full-time and was a pre-registration tutor, with many deadlines pending. Therefore, there was a change in my attitude and I started setting myself realistic deadlines. I started to do most of my work during the daylight hours, over weekends and even taking annual leave to ensure they were completed in a timely manner. Study habits changed over time, one of the main reasons being; I wanted to enjoy a good night’s sleep!
During my undergraduate degree, the cohort was large and made up mainly of students of a similar age to me who had all just finished their A-levels. There was a lot of uncertainty in terms of career prospects but at the same time, we were all highly ambitious too. The main difference with postgraduate study was that the course size was smaller with each person coming from a unique background. This mixture bought forward a stimulating learning environment as most students had a very strong desire and passion to be here. As soon as I started the Postgraduate Diploma, I was promoted to a Specialist Clinical Pharmacist and during my second year, I was promoted to a Senior Clinical Pharmacist. Dedication and organisation were key, as time was precious and had to be split between work commitments, social and personal priorities and committing time to study.
The transition from community to hospital was overwhelming initially but not impossible, and the daunting fact that I hit the big 30 and was back at university studying alongside work. Commitment and motivation were key. I am proud of what the University of Manchester has offered as I am now a Senior Clinical Pharmacist. Being ambitious and setting realistic goals is the key to success. Further education should not be intimidating, after all, you have shown your academic determination during undergraduate level
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