“I wanted a career that was not very invasive, but that was also specialised and valuable. Pharmacy fits that bill.” – Dharrshinee Selvakumar
The journey from drug development to everyday use in patient care can be a long, arduous, and costly one. As a result, it is important for the patient that those who prescribe, dispense, or administer the medicine are well equipped with the knowledge of rational use of those medicines. The profession of a hospital pharmacist is unique for Dharrshinee because it is a very progressive and changing field. Interdisciplinary knowledge and expertise are highly sought after in medicine management; research methodologies and concepts are quite advanced. The scope of practise tends to be broad, and the capacity to influence patient care is among the most notable in the pharmacy field.
Dharrshinee received her Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Otago, New Zealand where she was immersed early on in a diverse and inclusive culture, which nurtures leadership in health. She was quick to find a balance between pharmacy studies, research, and leisure. She received the University of Otago Scholarship in Pharmacy award in her third year and carved her way into the Bachelor of Pharmacy with Honours (BPharm(Hons)) programme in her 4th year which comprises the standard Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) programme with additional training in advanced research design, methodologies, techniques, and analysis resulting in a research dissertation offered to a small academically select group of undergraduate pharmacy students who have achieved a high GPA and have an interest in research careers.
After graduating with a First Class Honours in 2016 from Otago, she went back to Malaysia and completed her provisional training in a busy tertiary government hospital in Klang, Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Klang in 2018. She then started her career as a licensed pharmacist in a community clinic setting in Kuala Langat, Selangor for the next 3 years. Seeking a career progression, she then joined the pharmacy team at Beacon Hospital as a hospital pharmacist. She recalls her voyage here.
“Pharmacy is a career where you become a patient advocate, ensuring safe medicine use while taking into consideration their values and preferences.”
