Meet third-year JCU Pharmacy student Ashya Lal from Darwin. She has always wanted to be a health professional and has just returned from a two-week placement on Thursday Island.
Ashya is the first to admit she was worried that she wouldn’t enjoy the experience.
“I was going to the tip of Queensland as the only pharmacy student, and I just thought it would be a depressing two weeks. However, I enjoyed it more than I expected. I was very lucky to be working with amazing people who would go out of their way to organise different things for me just so I could experience my rural placement to the fullest,” Ashya said
Ashya says she got the opportunity to acquire some excellent hands-on practical experience while on placement.
“I was able to dispense medications, talk to customers, prepare and pack medications for 8 surrounding islands. I was also able to travel to Bamaga with one of the pharmacists and assist in medication reviews with the General Practitioner at Injinoo clinic.”
Ashya was able to experience things she didn’t think were possible for pharmacists.
“It is not just about putting a label on a box; there is so much more to it. In a rural place, there is so much more opportunity to build, grow and expand on community health and understanding. After this rural placement, I have a different perspective of pharmacy and I am curious to learn more about it.”
Working in a rural community, Ashya says a large factor in her enjoying the placement was how supportive her colleagues were and how they enabled her to take on tasks and gain practical experience.
“The community on Thursday Island are very friendly and welcoming. It is a small island, so everyone knows each other and seeing an unfamiliar face is rare. Every morning, on my way to the pharmacy I would always receive a ‘good morning’ or a friendly smile without fail from the locals.”
Her piece of advice for students embarking on their rural placement on Thursday Island is to be prepared if you arrive on a public holiday.
“Bring food. I arrived on Easter Monday and all the shops were closed. Luckily, I brought crackers with me which I had for breakfast, lunch and dinner.”
After her initial fears of venturing out to such a remote part of the world, Ashya couldn’t recommend the placement enough, saying it was a great way to apply the knowledge she has gained over the last three years of studying pharmacy at JCU
“I would 100% recommended it to others. It was such a good opportunity, and I’m glad that I didn’t miss out on the experience.”