Hi Everyone!

Hope you?re having a great Lunar New Year and recess week!

This is a message from NUSPS International Relations Committee.

During the period from June to September, we will be having some exchange students coming to Singapore for their work attachment and we are sourcing for possible accommodation plans for them. As of now, we have students from Poland, Canada, India, Hungary and Germany.

Will you be interested in opening your home to accommodate our foreign friends?

The students will be staying in Singapore for approximately 1 – 3 months.

They would be willing to pay for accommodation at approximately $250 per month.

It will be a good experience to host someone from another country, get to know them, the practice of pharmacy in their home country and most importantly, make a new friend!

If you are interested in hosting an overseas friend or have any other related queries, do contact us at nuspsirc@gmail.com

Do include details such as your 1) Name 2) Email 3) Home Address 4) Contact Number 5) Period of availability 5) Rent that you intend to charge

Thanks!

Fabian Aw
Pharmacy Year1

Hey everyone,
 
I’m really glad that everyone is so enthusiastic about going to APPS BUT i just got an email from them that THERE IS A QUOTA OF 35 PPLE PER COUNTRY.=x so those who HAVENT REGISTERED AT THE WEBSITE PLEASE DO SO IMMEDIATELY,it doesn’t count to register with me!!!!I’m sorry for the bad news!I know it’s a great opportunity (AND IT’S KOREA I KNOW).maybe those who can’t make it can just all go for a mass pharmacy overseas outing together then!
 
Anyway that aside, HURRY REGISTER AT apps2010.org and send me ur full name matric no hp no email add passport no and nationality NOW!
 
Warmest Regards,
Valerie

PS: don’t stop registering although the quota is almost reached,i’m trying to ask for more slots now!hopefully they’ll open more!

Hi everyone,

Please read through the following information if you are interested in going for IPSF/APPS.

For IPSF/APPS Registration
Note that the two programmes have very different sign-up methods, so don’t confuse them

To sign up for APPS
1. Register yourself on the APPS website on your own. You may register starting from the 1st of February.
2. Email Valerie (vp@nusps.org) your full name, matric number, handphone number, email address, your passport number AND your nationality. Please do not forget any of the above criteria as they are needed for verification purposes.
3. She will send your CP confirmation letter to APPS directly on your behalf. For people who have registered with her thus far, she has already completed your CP letters–however you have to email her again when you have registered manually on the website (see point 1)

To sign up for IPSF
1. Email Valerie that you’re interested in IPSF. Include your full name, matriculation number, handphone number and email address. If you are not Singaporean, please also indicate your nationality.
2. Please do not register at the website until you’ve received a CP confirmation letter from Valerie. She will try to send your letter to your indicated email address within a week or two of your email to her. If you have not received the CP letter after 2 weeks from when you first registered with her, do check back with her by emailing her.
3. Once you have received your CP confirmation letter, you can register yourself on the IPSF website. Do also double-check that the details of your CP letter are correct, and let Valerie know if there are any issues with it.

Regarding cost and payment of IPSF/APPS
1. Air-tickets for APPS (Korea) will cost about $900+/-. Flight is by Korea Airlines. For IPSF (Slovenia), cost of tickets are about $2000.
For APPS, mass-booking is a viable option due to the large signup rate so far. For IPSF, it’s unlikely mass-booking will occur unless there are about 40 people going.
2. For payment, please remember to include your interbank transfer fee together with the symposium fee when you are paying. Otherwise, you will have to pay it when you’re there.

Other details
There won’t be interviews conducted for both APPS/IPSF.

If you register by the 1st registration period (ends on 31st march for both) there shouldn’t be any reason for you not to be able to go. However please do not register too near the deadline because you still have to settle payment and other details BEFORE the deadline.

Some of you have been asking about the number of people who signed up for each event. For APPS there is about 30 people, with more each day. For IPSF, there are fewer–only about 10 so far.

Do not worry about the number of people going–everyone should be able to go for it, as mentioned.

For any other details or queries, do contact Valerie (vp@nusps.org), VP and CP of IPSF.

The newly opened Skin Pharmacy at City Square mall in Kitchener Road has been brought to attention due to its provision of products that are specially formulated to cater to individual customers? needs. What makes this pharmacy stand out from other existing pharmacies is that the pharmacists do not only dispense medication but are also involved in the blending and concoction of skin and hair care products specially tailored for individual customers.

The pharmacists are able to create an individualized formula for customers, from pharmacy stocks containing mostly ingredients that are not commercially available; including amino acids, essential oils and whitening agents. This formula is devised in accordance to individual customer?s skin type and needs, before mixing the product on the spot. Fragrance and colour can then be included to improve the presentation and appeal of the product. There are also machines available to perform skin analysis of the customers. In my opinion, these machines will definitely be of benefit especially to customers who are not fully aware of their skin types and conditions. Therefore these skin analyses can help to ascertain individual skin conditions; aiding in the identification of effective treatment methods to deal with existing skin problems.

The Skin Pharmacy is managed by a local husband-and-wife team who are both Australian-trained pharmacists and is believed to the first boutique pharmacy in Singapore. Besides offering custom-made products and its own skin and hair care line, it also functions as a regular pharmacy containing medicines for treatment of dermatological ailments such as fungal growth and hair loss.

Their main focus on establishing a boutique pharmacy was mainly driven by their knowledge that compounding work in a retail setting is not so common in Singapore, especially with technological advancements resulting in pharmacists taking on more patient-centered roles of solely recommending or dispensing medication instead of blending and making products. This is especially evident in retail pharmacies such as Guardian and Watsons; whereby pharmacists are mostly involved in dispensing over-the-counter medications.

Prices start from about $30 for a 230g tub of moisturizing cream which then ranges for customized products depending on the nature and amount of ingredients required by the customers. Service charges are also included as the pharmacists will provide professional advice on the compatibility and stability of the ingredients to ensure the best welfare of the customers.

Personally, I find that these personalized services are quite worthwhile especially since the effectiveness of skin-care or hair-care products may vary among individuals depending on their skin types. Therefore, by seeking professional pharmacist opinions, customers can feel more reassured rather than simply purchasing off-the-counter medications and products which may contain ingredients that may evoke allergic reactions among certain individuals.

Review by Chong Hui Ping (Year 1)