January/February 2004 - Ontario College of Pharmacists

Two Students’ Perspectives of
International
Pharmacy
Graduate
Program
A Search for Professional Identity
Sam Nasar, IPG student
Iremember when I first came to Canada as a foreigntrained
pharmacist. I felt totally lost due to the
difference in the pharmacy practice between Canada
and where I practiced before. I kept asking myself, “How am
I going to deal with these differences?” In trying to answer
that question, I found myself facing a more serious question,
“Am I currently even qualified to practice in Ontario?” After
some reflection I came to the conclusion that I was not yet
ready to practice based on my skill level at that time. That
conclusion terrified me. I had to do something about it, and
that’s how I got connected with the IPG program.
The process started when I applied for the
program. A thorough prior-learning assessment
was conducted so that I had an accurate idea
about my current skill level and to identify areas
for improvement. That was amazing for me. For
the first time since I came to Canada I had a
professional and objective assessment of my skills,
and furthermore, a list of what I really needed to work
on, and how to work on it! That was exactly what I needed.
My journey of developing and sharpening my skills
started when the program began. The therapeutics lectures
were comprehensive in dealing with the most important
topics, yet they were concise and to the point — exactly
what I needed to know as a pharmacist. The self-care
lectures are the core on which I base my thinking when it
comes to making recommendations to patients about overthe-counter
preparations. The communications lectures and
the language lectures — including a very useful pronunciation
and writing skills module — were indispensable in
making me able to communicate the information that
patients need to make informed decisions about their
therapy and health. The jurisprudence lectures set out the
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Pharmacy Connection January • February 2004