8 essential skills for pharmacy students in the 4.0 era

While many hot professions are being “threatened” by the explosion of the 4.0 industrial revolution, the healthcare sector is still “healthy” and has the potential to develop strongly. In Vietnam, the pharmaceutical industry is increasingly attracting and receiving large investments from domestic and foreign companies. Therefore, job opportunities in this field of study have become more attractive and open than ever. To become a “dedicated and visionary” pharmacist and go further in their career, what skills do pharmacy students need to equip themselves with?

What skills do Pharmacy students need in the 4.0 era?

Professional skills

No one can deny the importance of mastering professional knowledge because Pharmacy is a very specific field. This is the first skill for you to get a ticket to the desired career position.

When working in the pharmaceutical industry, no matter what position you take on, the results are directly or indirectly related to human health. Therefore, future pharmacists must have a solid grasp of the basic scientific knowledge of the profession. Only then will you easily catch the eye of employers and have the opportunity to take on important positions such as: Drug quality testing, pharmaceutical formulation, pharmaceutical marketing, etc.

Future pharmacists need to master professional skills.

Self-study skills

Billionaire Bill Gates once said: “School only gives us the key to knowledge, learning in life is a lifelong job”. Therefore, self-study skills are not only knowledge in books but also experiences from reality. Having good self-study skills will help improve understanding, broaden vision and continuously update knowledge.

Compared to other majors, Pharmacy has a longer training period and a heavier amount of knowledge. Pharmaceutical knowledge in the world is constantly updated. If you do not grasp it in time, you will become "outdated" and behind the times. Therefore, to keep up with the latest knowledge, you must always learn by yourself, actively seek out, and improve your professional qualifications.

Time management skills

Most people who hold important positions and earn high incomes in businesses have very good time management skills. Because they do not have to “swim” in a pile of deadlines, do not feel “headaches” with a large amount of work. Above all, when you have time management skills, you will not affect the overall work progress and the time of others; at the same time, limit others from affecting your time.

Nguyen Phuong Anh, a former student of Pharmacy at Dai Nam University, shared: “Ever since I was a student, I always arranged my time according to the priority level for each subject. Currently, when I go to work, I still keep that habit. Although I am busy, I always complete well and am not shocked by a series of deadlines, meetings, periodic reports, etc.”

Communication and reception skills

The ability to communicate information is the foundation for all activities in life and work. While still in school, students can exchange knowledge with each other to reinforce lessons. Communicating knowledge to others will help you remember it longer. In addition, receiving and listening to other people's suggestions will help you realize your shortcomings and improve yourself.

If Pharmacy students have this skill, it will be very convenient for them when they go to work. You will easily convey your opinions, create sympathy and build good relationships with leaders, colleagues, customers, etc.

Communication and reception skills are very important for Pharmacy students.

Communication skills

Communication skills determine 85% of success in work, especially for Pharmacy 4.0 students. This is also the "golden key" to help you open the door to good relationships in life.

For example, if you are a pharmacy pharmacist, a clinical pharmacist in a hospital,... the most important thing is to build trust. If you have good communication skills, you will easily exploit patient information more easily. From there, grasp their health problems as well as their psychology. Through communication, patients feel comfortable, close and trustful, helping the treatment to be effective.

If you are a pharmaceutical representative, communication skills are a "powerful assistant" to help you get a large number of customers. Or if you are a Pharmaceutical Marketing staff who has to work a lot with bosses, colleagues, partners, ... then communication skills will help your relationships expand. From there, it helps you to be confident, express yourself in the best way and help your work go smoothly.

Work management skills

According to MSc. Dang Khanh Long - Lecturer of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Dai Nam University: "Work management is a difficult skill that requires pharmacy students to practice seriously if they want to reach high positions in society. Because only when you can master your own daily work can you manage well the high-level work of the enterprise".

Accordingly, students majoring in Pharmacy at Dai Nam University are required to practice management skills according to the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Action) process. This helps students form scientific management habits while still in school. This is a big plus for students majoring in Pharmacy at Dai Nam University when applying for jobs at businesses.

IT and technology skills

In the era of technology 4.0, the skills that Pharmacy students cannot lack are office computer skills and sensitivity to new technology. You need to be proficient in basic office computer tools such as Word, Excel, Powerpoint, ... This will help students easily find good documents and help pharmacists handle work quickly.

Self-image building skills

The necessary skill of Pharmacy 4.0 students is to build their own image or also known as "building a personal brand". The Pharmacy industry is always "hot" and shows no signs of cooling down, so the competition is not small. To stand out and attract the attention of employers among thousands of people, you need to be different.

Currently, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Zalo, Youtube, Instagram… are all social networking platforms with a large number of potential customers. Therefore, your presence with quality content on social networks will help people see your value.

Pharmacy 4.0 students need to build personal brands.

At Dai Nam University, Pharmacy students are not only equipped with professional knowledge but also promote soft skills training. Right from the first year, students are introduced to time management skills, teamwork skills, communication skills... in the Soft Skills department. In particular, with the "practice, real-life" training method, students often have practical experience at pharmacy systems, pharmaceutical manufacturing companies, drug testing institutes, medicinal material institutes... Therefore, Pharmacy students at Dai Nam University have full knowledge and skills to meet the "tough" requirements of employers in the 4.0 era.

DNU Pharmacy students 'witness' the medicinal herb garden of Phuc Hung Pharmaceutical Company.

The Faculty of Pharmacy organizes career guidance and job introduction for students.

MSc. Vu Van Tuan – Lecturer of Faculty of Pharmacy