Internship is a part of our study life. By doing an internship, we can get real-life experience and hands-on practice of the knowledge that we gathered in the classroom by reading books. It is much more important for health science-related students because any inappropriate attempt may cause huge casualties.
Two types of bachelor's degrees in pharmacy are available in our country. One is the four-year-long BPharm course, and the other is the five-year-long BPharm (Professional) course. I am a student of the Pharmacy department at Comilla University. Our course is five years long. Those who have been pursuing their BPharm (Professional) degree must undergo a hospital internship of 600 hours. According to our syllabus, this hospital internship is a mandatory 3-credit coursework that we have to complete in the eighth semester.
There are many hospitals in Cumilla. Among them, I, together with my group, decided to complete my internship at Cumilla Trauma Centre, one of the renowned tertiary-level private hospitals in our city. Our group consists of six members, four boys and two girls.
On the very first day, we met with the hospital manager, H.M. Taizur Rob Miah sir, who was also our internship supervisor. We are very lucky that he was a very friendly person. From the first day till the last, he provided us with many valuable lessons about management, leadership, work-life balance, etc. Literally, we became fans of his personality.
With the help of our supervisor, we visited each and every department of this hospital. I was astonished by their high-quality software for hospital management. But handwritten prescriptions are one backward thing in this hospital. Because, traditionally Bangladeshi doctors' handwriting isn’t up to the mark. Even some doctors’ writing is worse. As a result, the pharmacy technician and receptionist may face problems.
We practiced sample collection using modern vacuum tubes for different types of pathological tests. It was a new experience for us. I noticed that this method is very convenient and much easier than the traditional sample collection process. In my opinion, anyone with three to four days of training can become a skilled sample collector.
I was astonished to see two giant machines: MRI and CT scan. Paramedical work is considered a low-level job here in Bangladesh. But those skilled in operating such types of machinery can earn a handsome amount of money. We visited the ECG, ETT, Echocardiography, BMD, and mammography rooms as well.
We didn’t get enough opportunities to spend time with many doctors. But during our internship, we met one doctor named Dr. Nazmul Haque Siam, who was very friendly with us. Our age gap was also little. He talked with us for a long time and provided us with a clear overview of the Bangladeshi medical sector. His duty was in emergency. As that hospital was specialized in orthopedics, most of the patients came there due to road accidents or other accidents. We learned about the basic treatment of these types of patients.
We discussed the irrational use of antibiotics as well. It was a great memory of my internship. I also saw some renowned doctors who were very busy. Patients had to wait a long time to get an appointment with them. I noticed the bad practice of promotional activity by many pharmaceutical companies, which is not a good sign for the Bangladeshi healthcare sector.
In my university life, I had never been an attentive student. But during my internship, for the first time, I felt attracted to pharmacology and human physiology-anatomy. I think if pharmacy students visit hospitals seriously in their first or second year, they will become much more curious about their studies.
With the help of a USA-based non-governmental organization, Smile Train, Cumilla Trauma Centre helps children with clefts from poor families by covering surgery and medication costs. One day, a group of foreign representatives came to visit this hospital. They arranged a program with the guardians of these babies. We attended that program. It was the first time I had seen so many children with clefts. As I could speak in English, at the end of that program, I had a little conversation with them, and we took some photos.
Our university was closed at that time because of the clash between the vice-chancellor and the teachers’ association. But because of the internship, we didn’t feel like victims. All of my batchmates were in Cumilla city, and they were doing internships in different hospitals near each other. One day, after completing our tasks, we visited Gomati Hospital, where another group of our batchmates had been doing their internship. Another friend, who was doing internship at CD Path Hospital, also joined us. Together, we spent some good time.
We visited the pathology lab. It was full of different types of machinery. Our supervisor shared one business strategy of medical device companies. Sometimes, they are willing to provide free machines to renowned hospitals. It seems they are losing money, but they get their profit by selling reagents!
Visiting the operation theater and ICU helped me explore something new. Entering the room with blue-colored clothes made me feel like a real healthcare practitioner. I completed my hospital internship with great curiosity. But there is a problem with our curriculum. Still, our pharmacy education is pharmaceutical industry-based. We don’t get enough knowledge to deal with patients. As a result, I wasn’t able to interact with them during ward visits. Moreover, the duration of our internship was very short.
According to the syllabus, it was 600 hours. But in reality, most of us got only half or one month. It is because hospital pharmacy is not well established in our country. Only a few famous private hospitals appoint graduate pharmacists. Most doctors, hospital authorities, and even we pharmacists don’t know about the role of a hospital pharmacist. So, we were not able to complete our internship effectively.
I am hopeful that one day Bangladesh will recruit graduate pharmacists in government hospitals, our syllabus will be rearranged, and pharmacists will get their proper place and respect. They will be able to show their skills. I suggest increasing the time duration of the hospital internship. I strongly believe one year of hospital internship will make a pharmacy student skilled in dealing with patients as well as medication.
Finally, I want to express my gratitude to the authority of Cumilla Trauma Center and our supervisor Taizur sir for giving us this opportunity. I will never forget this small but very interesting journey.
This article is taken from the Galen Gazette, August 2024, Issue No. 04. The author, Md. Jahid Hassan, is a eighth-semester pharmacy student at Comilla University.
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