My SEPerience in Taiwan :)

To be frank, I really do not know where to start when sharing my SEP experience! For starters, I really do not regret choosing Taiwan as my first-choice destination because this 4-week experience was one of the best memories that I ever had in my life. Chia-Nan University (CNU) was my host university and I was placed at KUO General Hospital, Tainan for my internship. Tainan is the oldest city in Taiwan whereby you can seek out traces of Taiwan history here. Unlike other cities, Tainan is less hectic and I really enjoyed it because I could stay away from the hustle and bustle of the busy town. It was my very first time trying out cycling, taking a train and finally taking a public bus to my internship place on a daily basis. It was not troublesome at all because public transport is really convenient in Taiwan. This experience was amazing because I’ve never cycled in town back in Malaysia.

My 4-week internship experience was fruitful, and I learned a lot from the pharmacists there. I rotated between several departments within this time period. I was also given the opportunity to perform hands-on practical skills such as preparing paediatric medications. The pharmacists there are very professional and well trained, and they even have classes for internships and Post-Graduate Year (PGY) pharmacists regularly. What I felt was really special about this hospital is the existence of the Traditional and Complementary Medicine (TCM) department which we could never find in Malaysia’s hospitals. I had learned to differentiate different types of herbs, their preparations, uses and the common regimens for various symptoms and diseases. Through this experience, I realised that a pharmacist really plays an important role on medication safety of patients in all aspects and thus, inspired me to be a better pharmacist in the future.

All work no play makes Jack a dull boy. SEP would be meaningless without travelling! CNU students were absolutely the greatest hosts. They often brought us around famous sites of Tainan and Kaohshiung. They also introduced us to some local food. A big thumps up was given to the food there especially the Mango Snow Ice in Kaohshiung. Enjoying a bowl of snow ice during the scorching hot summer is one of the best indulgences I’ve ever had. The scenery in Taiwan was also mesmerising, but nothing could beat the warmth and friendliness from the people there. Despite of the different culture and accent that we had, we could still communicate and express ourselves well. By exchanging opinions and knowledge, I had a better understanding about other countries and it was really an eye-opening experience for me.

Tainan, Taiwan – my first solo travelling experience and I loved it! I wish I could extend my internship and stay in Taiwan!

Written by :

Lim Pei Gin, Participant

Edited by:

Pang Jie Yi, Editorial Unit Pharmaline