Why it’s time to consider pharmacy as a career option? UniKL RCMP’s Dr Yasser tells you

Is it true that pharmacists only count pills behind the counter?

That has always been an enduring misconception which needs to change, at once. The role of pharmacists goes beyond the counter as they also provide advice to patients and other health professionals on how to use or take medication, the correct dose of a drug, and potential side effects.

The reality of a pharmacist is totally the opposite of a layman’s notion, hence, Universiti Kuala Lumpur Royal College of Medicine Perak (UniKL RCMP) pharmacy’s pundit and lecturer, Dr. Ahmad Yasser Hamdi Nor Azlan emerged to clear the fallacy.

As healthcare demands are constantly growing and evolving, so does the pharmacy field, which in fact goes deeper into pharmaceutical technology, nanotechnology, pharmaceutical chemistry, nanotechnology in medicine, and clinical, he told.

As the demand for skilled talent in pharmacy increases, Dr. Ahmad Yasser urges future graduands to be extraordinary.

“Is there still demand for talent and skills in this industry? The answer is definitely, yes. As the list of pharmacy branches goes on, the same goes for the career opportunities it can offer.

“Pharmacies are misunderstood to be limited to jobs in chemist shops, medical stores or dispensaries. In fact, there are pharmacists at hospitals who assist patients and specialists in terms of medication measurements.

“There are also industrial and community pharmacists – whom you can see working at famous drug stores. While people see doctors are life saviours, pharmacists are as important by ensuring proper medications are prescribed or by creating new medications that might save a life,” said the 28-year-old academician.

With the onset of Covid-19, pharmacists will always be in demand. This is especially when the vaccination programme is one of the new research actively being developed, Dr. Ahmad Yasser mentioned in his remarks.

Keeping abreast with the current developments in the pharmacy industry is undeniably another challenge to cope with, particularly for a young lecturer such as Dr. Ahmad Yasser.

Dr. Ahmad Yasser (middle, behind) posed with his mentees at the lobby of UniKL RCMP, Ipoh.

“Reading journals apart from joining associations outside of the campus would help to keep me posted with the latest developments, because every day, there will indeed be a new journal published.

“By being a member of ‘Controlled Release Society Malaysia” ensures the members keep up with the industry through international and local conferences. At the UniKL RCMP level, there are plans to send lecturers for industry-specific training, and we can also train industry players in some cases,” he further noted, who had his bachelor’s degree scroll from UniKL RCMP.

However, staying informed about the latest developments is not the only way to help educate the students, but he brings creative pedagogy to the classes by capitalising on social media platforms.

This includes distributing assignments to students through TikTok and Instagram, which is deemed able to alter the teaching approach rather more interesting, he shared, while adding that new facilities are eventually being established to instil an integral component of the learning conditions.

An affectionate person in his own way, Dr. Ahmad Yasser’s career as a lecturer at his alma mater started a year and a half ago, after completing his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

He also was the first batch to attend the Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours) in 2013, told him.