Xperience Pharmacy 2009

The recently concluded Xperience Pharmacy 2009 was an exciting and enriching 4-day camp! After a quick session of icebreaking games, the JC student participants were ushered to the lecture theatre for the opening address by Prof Chan, our head of department.

The camp got into full swing after that, starting with Sherman?s two-part lecture on Acne and Antibiotics. Through the lecture, the JC students ate their lunch gained a preview of the things we learn as Pharmacy students. Next up were the dispensing and dosage form practicals, where the students got to don lab coats and make their own capsules, mixtures, creams and injections. It proved to be a fun and enriching experience for the students. Even seniors had something to learn from the practicals; taking on a supervisory role led us to reflect on our time and bench workspace management skills!

The highlight of the day was the night game, Pharmapoly, for which OGs had to go around playing in various station games to earn revenue and gain market share to achieve the aim of becoming the largest Retail Pharmacy chain in Singapore. The games allowed the campers to learn about Pharmacy in a fun and engaging way. For instance, in ?Dispense a Prescription Through Webcam?, participants had to relay a message regarding a prescription of a drug from one person to another, and the last person in the chain had to pick out the correct medication from a huge pile of medications based on the message received.

The second day started off with a series of talks by pharmacists from various sectors. This gave the campers valuable insights about the diverse roles that pharmacists play in the healthcare industry. The next feature of the day was Sherman?s second lecture, this time on Nose Allergy and Antidepressants, before the students embarked on another practical session.
The final event of the day was the night game, Famashi Case Files Episode 2. It was arguably the most memorable part of the camp! Campers played detective, wandering about the Faculty of Science to gather clues from various stations to solve the mystery behind the death of Ms Poh Li Xin. Kudos to our seniors, who performed impeccably in their portrayal of the story?s characters. Mian Yi, for one, could consider a second career path in acting!

After gathering enough clues, the campers had to piece together the events behind Ms Poh?s death, and re-enact the scenes in a short skit. Lots of laughter ensued as each OG portrayed the events in their own unique (and hilarious) ways.
All good things must come to an end though, and after a night of supper and games it was time to wrap up the camp?s events with the awards presentation, where Johnson and Johnson?s were crowned the winning OG. They won for themselves a box that looked suspiciously like it was full of raisin buns, but in fact it contained an assortment of tasty food items.
Xperience Pharmacy 2009 has definitely left the JC students and seniors alike with not just an insight into the Pharmacy course and profession, but also many memories of the fun times and funny moments that we had over the course of the three days and two nights. Many thanks to the camp?s committee for organizing the camp. Indeed, it was a great XPERIENCE for us all!