The 10th National Gathering of Pharmacy Students (NoGAPS) was held in AIMST University from 13th to 16th August 2015.
The event kicked off with a welcoming party, where we got to know our group members from different universities. We were all required to come up with a cheer and also design our very own flag! After that, we played several games together as a team, which fostered our team spirit.
The next day started with the opening ceremony with speeches delivered by VIP guests, followed by a symposium titled “Dispensing Rights Separation” with experienced senior pharmacists as the speakers. It was interesting to know the different issues pertaining to dispensing rights separation, especially as it is a hotly debated topic in recent months. After that, we attended 2 workshops which we had chosen to attend during registration. We gained a lot of information from the esteemed presenters and facilitators!
Two public health campaigns were carried out simultaneously on the 3rd day. We were separated into two teams, one to Tesco Sungai Petani (Selatan) with the theme “Less Sugar, Sweeter Life” and the other to SK Sungai Layar to be in charge of “Carnival ABC (Active Burns Calories)”. We interacted with the public besides learning the importance of being community-oriented pharmacists. In the afternoon, poster presentations for public health campaigns conducted by different universities were then carried out at AIMST university itself before the 3rd workshop was conducted.
After two days of hard work, it is time for some fun and games with Interaction Night! Interaction Night reunited us with our group mates, as we bonded over tons of fun, laughter and generous doses of humour.
Day 4 a.k.a last day (sobs) came pretty quickly without us realising it. We started the day off with Pharmazing Race, the NoGAPS version of The Amazing Race. Despite the sweltering heat, we had fun discovering the campus with our group mates while playing unique games that test our physical and mental strength. The night then ended with Gala Night at Cinta Sayang Resort with the theme “Secret Garden”, where everybody dressed to the nines and we bade farewell to our group members and students from other universities.
In short, it was a valuable experience for all of us that attended this programme. Besides bridging the gap between pharmacy students from other universities, we were exposed to various issues pertaining to the profession itself, which enhanced our understanding on our profession. To those that are interested, do not hesitate to join NoGAPS in the future! It will definitely be an unforgettable experience in your university life.
By: Woon Lee Lee
