Pharmacists are on the front lines meeting the need for therapeutic treatment of various health problems. Working in tandem with doctors, pharmaceutical companies, and the public alike, they ensure safe pharmacological practices. With such responsibility must come years of education to ensure that the necessary skills and knowledge to work in the field are sufficiently gained. Management and Science University (MSU) Class of 2009 alumnus Amirul Ashraf Hussain speaks from his workplace at the Boots pharmacy of The Boots Company PLC in Selsey, England.

 

 

“Here, I am responsible for a good many transactions including medical/healthcare advice, training, and serving NHS (National Health Service) contracts for essential, advanced, and locally commissioned services. I also make sure that the pharmacy is operating to the GPhC (General Pharmaceutical Council) standards,” he says.

 

Amirul’s apparent enthusiasm and dedication led to his team winning Best Healthcare Team of the Year 2019 in the whole of the south region of the United Kingdom. He won the Boots Company Quarterly Stars for Best Pharmacist (Customer Service) of the South-East Region in 2018.

 

“Once Covid-19 passes I will go on to postgraduate studies in Advanced Practitioner and complete my Independent Prescribing Qualification, with which I will be able to prescribe medications to patients and assess their diagnosis at the pharmaceutical level,” he continues.

 

Becoming a pharmacist was something that Amirul had decided on at a career fair just before he sat for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), which is equivalent to the UK’s General Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary (O) Level. Despite his average results in the SPM thereafter, he knew he could do better and was determined to go ahead with his pharmaceutical career plan. When the MSU School of Pharmacy (SPH) offered him a place on the Diploma in Pharmacy programme, Amirul grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

 

“It was my first time away from home in Kuching, Sarawak when I went up to MSU in 2006, but I held on to my dream of owning a business one day and having pharmacy as an option. On campus in Shah Alam, there was a feeling of togetherness among MSUrians, which made me realize that SPH was the right school for me,” reminisces Amirul.

 

5-Stars to MSU for inclusiveness, from QS World Universities Rating 2016

 

Five years on, Amirul Ashraf Hussain began higher studies in the UK and graduated from the University of Portsmouth in 2015 with a Second Class Upper. Upon completion of his pre-registration training, he had multiple job offers on the table but chose Boots; where he eventually became Lead Pharmacist at the seaside town of Selsey in West Sussex, England.

 

 

“Pharmacy gives you excellent career prospects all over the world, with many specialities to choose from. If you’re in high school and thinking about it, my advice would be to go ahead and do it. It really is a rewarding career, not only financially but also in being able to make an impact to community health. It is not easy, it can be stressful – for which I play golf now to de-stress – but your pursuit will be worth it.”

 

 

Paths to pharmacy

Pharmacists, through the themes

MSU Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons)

MSU Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Technology (Hons)

MSU Master of Pharmacy

 

 



Pharmacists are on the front lines meeting the need for therapeutic treatment of various health problems. Working in tandem with doctors, pharmaceutical companies, and the public alike, they ensure safe pharmacological practices. With such responsibility must come years of education to ensure that the necessary skills and knowledge to work in the field are sufficiently gained. Management and Science University (MSU) Class of 2009 alumnus Amirul Ashraf Hussain speaks from his workplace at the Boots pharmacy of The Boots Company PLC in Selsey, England.

 

 

“Here, I am responsible for a good many transactions including medical/healthcare advice, training, and serving NHS (National Health Service) contracts for essential, advanced, and locally commissioned services. I also make sure that the pharmacy is operating to the GPhC (General Pharmaceutical Council) standards,” he says.

 

Amirul’s apparent enthusiasm and dedication led to his team winning Best Healthcare Team of the Year 2019 in the whole of the south region of the United Kingdom. He won the Boots Company Quarterly Stars for Best Pharmacist (Customer Service) of the South-East Region in 2018.

 

“Once Covid-19 passes I will go on to postgraduate studies in Advanced Practitioner and complete my Independent Prescribing Qualification, with which I will be able to prescribe medications to patients and assess their diagnosis at the pharmaceutical level,” he continues.

 

Becoming a pharmacist was something that Amirul had decided on at a career fair just before he sat for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), which is equivalent to the UK’s General Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary (O) Level. Despite his average results in the SPM thereafter, he knew he could do better and was determined to go ahead with his pharmaceutical career plan. When the MSU School of Pharmacy (SPH) offered him a place on the Diploma in Pharmacy programme, Amirul grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

 

“It was my first time away from home in Kuching, Sarawak when I went up to MSU in 2006, but I held on to my dream of owning a business one day and having pharmacy as an option. On campus in Shah Alam, there was a feeling of togetherness among MSUrians, which made me realize that SPH was the right school for me,” reminisces Amirul.

 

5-Stars to MSU for inclusiveness, from QS World Universities Rating 2016

 

Five years on, Amirul Ashraf Hussain began higher studies in the UK and graduated from the University of Portsmouth in 2015 with a Second Class Upper. Upon completion of his pre-registration training, he had multiple job offers on the table but chose Boots; where he eventually became Lead Pharmacist at the seaside town of Selsey in West Sussex, England.

 

 

“Pharmacy gives you excellent career prospects all over the world, with many specialities to choose from. If you’re in high school and thinking about it, my advice would be to go ahead and do it. It really is a rewarding career, not only financially but also in being able to make an impact to community health. It is not easy, it can be stressful – for which I play golf now to de-stress – but your pursuit will be worth it.”

 

 

Paths to pharmacy

Pharmacists, through the themes

MSU Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons)

MSU Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Technology (Hons)

MSU Master of Pharmacy