Hanis Sofia binti Naiyer Afzal (second from left) during her convocation day at Kuala Lumpur Conventional Centre in December 2021
Studying and graduating amidst a pandemic was never easy, but I am glad to have completed my undergraduate programme [Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons)] at IMU and graduated in December 2021. I remember that the lecturers always reminded me about the importance of soft skills in addition to the academic knowledge and skills. The IMU BPharm (Hons) programme has always provided the opportunities for its students to develop the required skills necessary for the employability of its graduate not only for the present but also in the future.
Hanis Sofia (Front row, third from left) with her cohort mates
Work-readiness is something that the programme has always emphasised. With that being said, the programme ensures the graduates have the required skills and capabilities to navigate through the working environment. From lectures, problem-based leaning, pharmacy skills development sessions, industrial engagement sessions, laboratory work, placements, objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) to community service, I have always been able to gain new knowledge and skills which I am currently confident in applying at my workplace now.
I am now a provisionally registered pharmacist (PRP) in the government sector and prior to this, I also had a chance to work in a local retail pharmacy. Based on these two experiences, I can see that the programme had helped me greatly with my work-readiness and having developed effective communication skills which is very important for a pharmacist. In addition, the acquaintance that I had during the course had helped to gain confidence, multi-task, maintain an appropriate balance between work and life and not to forget understanding the importance of lifelong learning.
When it comes to how much the IMU BPharm (Hons) programmes means to me, it would be an understatement to describe it by mere words. One need to undergo the curriculum to feel the experience, because if it had not provided me with all the opportunities to develop the necessary skills, I would not have achieved this competence and work-readiness.
Written by Hanis Sofia binti Naiyer Afzal
