Tan Oi Jin
Course: Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours), 2021
Nationality: Malaysian
Current role: Inpatient/Clinical Pharmacist, Singapore General Hospital
Why did you choose to study pharmacy?
Being an applied science enthusiast, my passion has always gravitated towards the field of healthcare due to its altruistic nature and upon further exploration, I realised that the role of a pharmacist can be rather diverse. Ranging from the community setting to the intense tertiary care and industrial/corporate environment, the multifaceted career opportunities are truly exciting because regardless of the hats we wear, the primary endpoint is ultimately the well-being of society. That’s why I chose to pursue my Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours) degree at Monash.
Did you participate in any student activities or opportunities?
As a pharmacy student, I was naturally inducted into the Monash University Pharmacy Society (MUPhaS) and had the chance to volunteer in several health campaigns. Apart from that, I joined the Monash First Aiders Bureau (MFAB) where I honed basic life-saving skills and the Monash University Volunteer Program (MUVP) where I tutored underprivileged yet gifted orphans.
Despite being thrust into the pandemic in the middle of my academic year, I had the great privilege to join and emerge triumphant in pharmacy-focused competitions such as the Malaysian Pharmacy Students’ Association (MyPSA) Inter-university Clinical Skills Event, National Pharmacy Research Presentation Competition, and Inter-University Debate Competition.
Did you go for any internships or work placements, and did the experience help you in terms of career preparation?
The student experiential placements were one of the core components of the pharmacy syllabus. By going through placement in a multitude of settings including community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, industrial pharmacy and primary healthcare clinic (klinik kesihatan), I acquired the clinical knowledge and soft skills that would be imperative to our practice as pharmacists. We had the golden opportunity to experience what it would be like to interact with patients and other healthcare providers to better equip ourselves for our future careers.
Stepping out from the usual classroom setting, our industrial placement also gave us a sneak peek into the pharmaceutical manufacturing process through in-campus, state-of-the-art facilities.
What did you enjoy most about your student life at Monash?
The close bond that we formed with our lecturers was definitely some of the greatest memories I had back in Monash. Not only did they impart valuable knowledge through their lectures, but they would also constantly offer advice on how to manoeuvre and thrive in this ever-changing field. They would often put in extra effort to ensure we got the best out of our learning journey and support us emotionally despite the countless challenges we faced.
Even after graduating from Monash and becoming a working pharmacist, I still keep in touch with these lecturers whom I consider my mentors. Frankly speaking, I aspire to be as selfless and amazing as they are.
What is your career goal? What’s the difference you’d like to make?
Ever since I can remember, I have had an insatiable appetite to learn, and I don’t want this enthusiasm to wither as I progress through my career. My interest has always been in the field of clinical pharmacy as well as pharmacy practice, and therefore, my goal would be to gain enough experience and knowledge to be considered a subject matter expert one day.
Perhaps if fate permits, I would also love to contribute back to my alma mater through research outputs as well as guide the next generation of pharmacists-in-training either as a preceptor or an academic mentor. Although the difference made may not be monumental as I am just one of many, I choose to believe that it would cause a ripple. Plucking from the poetic lines of Little Things by Julia Carney, it is the little drops of water that make the mighty oceans and the little minutes that make the mighty ages of eternity.