As part of the Pharmaceutical Chemistry programme, students have the opportunity to acquire on the job training through industrial attachment. The required 8 weeks attachment will allow students to gain valuable industrial experience and build their professional network for their careers. For Seow Xin Yi, it was a great experience and she extended this industrial attachment, completing it in 6 months under Cosmetic Regulatory Affairs (RA) Department in Johnson & Johnson Malaysia. 
“My 6 months of internship was truly a great experience. From the first day itself, I was tasked with document preparations and registration of cosmetic products for Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia. Subsequently, I was briefed about how to perform licenses renewal and new product registrations for Malaysia and Brunei. Apart from that, I am also involved in the preparation of documents for registration of medical devices in Malaysia. 
Being a team player, I have provided administrative support to the RA team by organising and maintaining the RA documents in Registration Database for all the five countries. Though I am an intern, I was given the opportunity to participate in the Thailand weekly meeting and Brunei monthly meeting, which allowed me to practise and improve my communication skills. 
As time progressed and with better understanding of the responsibilities of RA personnel, I was given the trust to crosscheck the information submitted to health authorities. Stepping into the ‘real world’ has broadened my knowledge on how the pharmaceutical industry work. Working in RA department may not have been the most popular choice, however, I have also acquired a different set of skills, such as review of advertising materials, labelling and specification sheets for compliance with applicable regulations and policies in Malaysia and abroad. I am glad to have the opportunity to learn to communicate effectively, especially when required to communicate with the senior managements and health authorities in Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore and Thailand on the preparation of documents, submissions and other issues.
Throughout the 6 months of internship, I understand that the responsibility of a RA personnel is to ensure the compliance of a company’s business with the regulations and finding appropriate solutions for any regulation-related issues. I would like to say working as a RA is interesting and challenging, as we need to think creatively, to solve all sort of different issues.
I can say that IMU Pharmaceutical Chemistry programme is a foundation and guidance for us. This course has indeed prepared me well with the required skills for workplace, be it in terms of knowledge, professional attitude or soft skills.”
