This week, I learned a lot about Pharmacy education in Taiwan. Pharmacy students here require at least 4 years of undergraduate education before they are eligible to take their national exams for licensure. Students at China Medical University in Taichung have a 5-year undergraduate curriculum because they spent an additional year learning about Chinese medicinal herbs. I can see how this special training would give students a competitive edge in advising patients on herbal products and counseling them on drug-herb interactions.
My first week at Shuang Ho Hospital was spent with the neurology team and this was my first introduction to clinical pharmacy in Taiwan. Clinical pharmacists in Taiwan do not have a fixed specialty. Rather, they rotate between different specialties in order to have a broad exposure. My preceptor explained to me that physicians often asked questions about drugs that are outside of their discipline. For instance, she is very involved with hypertension management on the neurology service and she thinks that her previous experiences with the cardiology team really helped her.
Last Friday, I presented a journal club to >30 pharmacists in their routine morning meeting. I was told to present in English but had to repeat the gist in Chinese in order to stimulate discussion. Nonetheless, it was a good learning opportunity for me trying to explain darbepoetin therapy in anemia of chronic kidney disease and KDOQI guidelines in Chinese!! Thankfully, pharmacists here learn drug names in English and I didn't have to translate "darbepoetin"!!
This weekend, I visited Taroka National Park in Hualien County on the East coast of Taiwan. On top of some beautiful scenery, I met other pharmacy students who are doing their IPSF program in Taichung and Tainan. These students bring with them their unique pharmacy experiences from UK, Canada, and Poland!
My first week at Shuang Ho Hospital was spent with the neurology team and this was my first introduction to clinical pharmacy in Taiwan. Clinical pharmacists in Taiwan do not have a fixed specialty. Rather, they rotate between different specialties in order to have a broad exposure. My preceptor explained to me that physicians often asked questions about drugs that are outside of their discipline. For instance, she is very involved with hypertension management on the neurology service and she thinks that her previous experiences with the cardiology team really helped her.
Last Friday, I presented a journal club to >30 pharmacists in their routine morning meeting. I was told to present in English but had to repeat the gist in Chinese in order to stimulate discussion. Nonetheless, it was a good learning opportunity for me trying to explain darbepoetin therapy in anemia of chronic kidney disease and KDOQI guidelines in Chinese!! Thankfully, pharmacists here learn drug names in English and I didn't have to translate "darbepoetin"!!
This weekend, I visited Taroka National Park in Hualien County on the East coast of Taiwan. On top of some beautiful scenery, I met other pharmacy students who are doing their IPSF program in Taichung and Tainan. These students bring with them their unique pharmacy experiences from UK, Canada, and Poland!