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European Pharmaceutical Students' Association The European Pharmaceutical Students’ Association (EPSA) represents over 120,000 pharmacy students in 32 European countries and was founded in 1978 as a sub-committee of the International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation (IPSF). In 1982 EPSA became an independent organisation.
Their aim is ‘to develop the interest and opinions of European Pharmacy Students and to encourage contact and co-operation between them’.
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RB Competition Winner goes to EPSA Autimn Assembly 2009 in Genoa, Italy |
Matthew Crum, a 4th year student from the University of Sunderland, came runner up in the Reckitt Benckiser Student of the Year Award in 2009. As runner up, he won financial support to a European event- he chose the EPSA 6th Autumn Assembly held in Genoa, Italy. He reports back to tell us his experience:
"I decided to attend this event as I had never been to Italy before and the programme was industry specific – an area of pharmacy I would like to pursue as a career.
My first experience of Italian public transport that I will never forget is thinking I was on a train from Milan (where I had flown into) to Genoa. In fact the train was heading in the opposite direction, towards Geneva. By taking this small detour from the north boarder of Italy back to Milan and then Genoa I had the opportunity to see Italy.
The first symposium day EPSA had organised was a joint workshop with the Drug Information Association (DIA), at the DIA 3rd Annual Clinical Forum in Nice, France. The day was entitled ‘Personal Career Development – New to the Job or Ready for a Change?’, the morning was split into five presentations with each presenter taking us through different careers in the pharmaceutical industry; from newly starting out, the first 100 days of being a manger to where the pharmaceutical industry may be heading in the future. After the morning session we were able to visit the stands in the exhibition halls and chat to the exhibitors and other delegates.
Back in Genoa, the workshops, seminars, presentations continued the theme of different careers in pharmacy; these were run in parallel with the General Assemblies.
One of my other favourite highlights from attending this event was the opportunity of being able to participate in ‘Risky Business: The Pharmaceutical Industry Board game’. The aim of the board game was participants would take the role of pharmaceutical executives, making decisions throughout the game on corporate strategies and R&D pipeline decisions. The target audience of this board game are managers in a range of fields including research development, licensing, regulatory and marketing. Being able to participate in a training package like this as an undergraduate will be greatly beneficial to my future career and starting a career in the Pharmaceutical Industry.
The Italians know how to party! The evening entertainment changed each day from beginning in the Radisson with the Opening Ceremony, to a Yoga party and International Night to ending back in the Radisson for the Gala Dinner. The International Night allowed participants to sample food and drink from all over Europe and the Gala Dinner was a chance to say to goodbye to many newly made friends before departing the next day.
I returned back to the UK, with an increased drive to work in the Pharmaceutical Industry, excellent advice and tips to achieve this and a large number of new and hopefully long lasting friendships from passionate pharmacy students across Europe (along with a number of future holiday destinations!)
Thanks to Reckitt Benckiser for their continued support in sponsoring the ‘Reckitt Benckiser Student of the Year Award' and to Nick Henderson from Henderson Group One who does the organisation work."
For your chance to win a similar experience, click here to enter the RB Student of the Year Award 2010 |
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Why you should take part:
- Attend discussions on an European level about pharmacy with other students
- Get more experience about the situation in pharmacy in Europe
- More knowledge about other countries
- Improve your Skill Set
- Meet other people and have a lot of fun
- Get active on an European level; get active in EPSA
Events to attend:
- EPSA Annual Congress
- EPSA Summer University
- EPSA Autumn Assembly
- And many more…
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EPSA runs working committees, known as WorComs. There are eight different Working Committees each having a member from each country. Discussions occur about the topic, implementing campaigns, and work on statements. WorComs also aim to bring awareness of the topic on a local level. WorCom disscussion takes place in form of an e-group and the topics you can discuss are:
- Pharmacy Education:One of the main roles of the EPSA Pharmacy Education Working Committee is discussing pharmacy education and gathering information related to educational topics throughout Europe. In discussions we compare curriculum, students' needs, opinions and experiences and try to define possible problems and suggest solutions.
- Public Health: The aim of the Public Health Working Committee is to increase students’ knowledge about the hot topics in European public health, preparing them for their future activity of preventing diseases and promoting health. We also aim at encouraging students’ involvement in Public Health campaigns, such as those dedicated to the responsible usage of antibiotics or the promotion of HIV testing.
- Pharmacy Awareness: The Pharmacy Awareness WorCom aims to increase the public's and student's awareness alike regarding the important role the pharmacist has in today's world. We discuss topics such as pharmacovigilance, the misuse of antibiotics, maternal health, and children's pharmacology amongst others. We also conduct research on matters that are not given their due importance in order to help the pharmacist be a better professional, such as producing posters regarding herbal medicines.
- Professional Development:This theme involves several issues but all of them relate to the profession of pharmacy and how to become an outstanding pharmacist. Professional Development means taking responsibility of our education after graduating as a pharmacist. We are discussing topics related to practising in other countries and lifelong learning in order to help students to learn and achieve the necessary skills to succeed in their future jobs.
- Humanitarian: EPSA finds it important that pharmacists, and therefore pharmacy students, get involved in the humanitarian field. An important part of Humanitarian affairs are about medicine distribution and education to health, so pharmacists are essential in this work. In this Working Committee we discuss what measures can be done by pharmacists and students in the humanitarian field. We are working in collaboration with Pharmaciens Sans Frontières – Comité International and with some others Humanitarian NGO's.
- Pharmaceutical Sciences:Research and Development (R&D) is what takes pharmaceutical sciences further every day, and is therefore an inevitable topic for pharmacists. Here we bring together young pharmacists, interested or involved in scientific work. This is good way of sharing ideas and information about congresses, projects, and publications. Scientific work will be published as a part of the project called Scientific Supplement.
- Mobility: The Mobility Working Committee is aimed to take care of EPSA’s exchange projects, individual and group ones. It is the link for connecting the associations and the students on different level by helping the team exchanges to occur and giving some useful tips how to make all the necessary preparations for such an activity. Through group brainstorming every year the new exchange topic is being considered into details thus when the students’ associations want to do such an exchange and apply for grants it would be easier to fill in the application form, as well better to organize everything, from accommodation, educational part, social part to field works and visits to pharmaceutical facilities.
All BPSA members can take part in EPSA WorComs. If you are interested in taking part in any of these events and meeting pharmacy students from all over the Europe, feel free to contact the BPSA Vice president via the ‘contact us’ page or visit the official EPSA website (www.epsa-online.org ). |
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