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# Information about the programme
Evaluation of a student coming from Netherlands

This is the information about the place of the Student Exchange Programme:

Alexandra Hospital www.alexhosp.com.sg

The Student Exchange Programme took place :
From 2006-07-26 to 2006-08-18

# evaluation form
 - Application Procedure -
How did you find out about the exchange program?
Internet and local magazine

How was the application procedure?
Too complicated Easy and clear

comments:

Did you get enough information about the Exchange conditions?
No yes

comments: More information about the work would be nice

What do you think of the IPSF Web Site?
Very unclear Very clear

comments: Difficult to find country information

 - Student Exchange Officer (SEO) -
How was the assistance provided by your SEO? Was it easy to get in contact with the SEO?
not filled in
comments:

Did you get an official invitation from the host SEO?
No
comments:

Did you get enough information about your exchange, visa requirements, vaccinations, etc?
Yes
comments:

Did someone pick you up when you arrived in the country?
Yes

Did the SEP committee organise touristy excursions during your stay?
Yes

Did the SEP committee organise museum visits during your stay?
No

Did the SEP committee organise university visits during your stay?
Yes

Did the SEP committee organise excursions to other pharmacies or pharmaceutical companies during your stay?
No

Did the SEP committee take you to local student activities during your stay?
Yes

Did those activities fulfil your expectations?
No Very much


 - Accomodation and board -
Was it easy to reach the place where you stayed?
No , very difficult Yes , no transport problems


Did you stay in a student residence, in a hotel or with a family during your traineeship?
Host family

Did you feel at home at the place where you stayed?
Not at all Very much


Did you have to pay for the accommodation?
Yes
comments:

Did you get free or student price meals?
Yes

What did you do during your traineeship?
I have worked in different pharmacy departments of Alexandra Hospital. I worked in Retail Pharmacy for 3 days, after that 5 days in Outpatient Pharmacy, 4 days in the Purchasing department, then 1 day in the Drug Information department and finally 5 days in Satellite Pharmacy. The tasks depended on the department, but for most time, packing medicines, checking receipts and advising patients and supplying medicines to them, were the major tasks.

Was your employer interested in teaching you?
Not at all Very interested

comments: depended on the department

Do you think the work you did was interesting?
Not at all Very interesting

comments: depended on the department

Do you think you learned enough during your traineeship?
Not at all Yes I do

comments: one can always learn more...

Did the work correspond to the information that you received before the traineeship?
Not at all Yes

comments: I did not receive information about the work

Did you experience any communication problems during your traineeship?
Not at all Yes , many

comments: some patient in hospital only spoke Mandarin or Malay

Which language did you use?
English

How many days a week did you work?
5 days a week

How many hours a day?
8 houres a day

Was this too much?
Not at all Yes far too much


Did you get the opportunity to visit the country?
Not at all Yes more than enough


Did you get a wage?
No

Did the wage correspond to the information you received before the traineeship?
Yes
comments:

 - Final Evaluation -
Were the traineeship and visit as you expected?
Not at all Yes I am very


Would you advise other students to apply for this association's SEP?
Not at all Yes definitely


Do you have any suggestions how this association's SEP could be improved?
We did not have much responsibility, which was, according to the pharmacists, due to a lack of time. Therefore, I think it is better to participate at least 6 weeks in SEP, but longer if possible. Four weeks is really too short. If participants get more responsibilities, work would be more interesting. Also, it is very important to keep in mind that one participates to learn, not only for working. A case study in the hospital would be good for learning. This was proposed by the hospital team, but at last, it was not worked out.

 - Preparation -
How did you prepare for your traineeship?
Did you arrange a travel and/or malpractice insurance before your exchange?
I arranged a travel assurance and health care insurance. Also, on advise of the Dutch health care services, I got vaccinations against Hepatitis A & B, because those might be necessary for working in a hospital.

 - Arrival and reception -
Write something about getting there , about meeting the local students and finding the working place and the place where you stayed.
Two local students from NUSPS were waiting for us at the airport. They were easy to find and they showed a great hospitality from the first moment we met them. They made us feel comfortable and took us to the accommodation address. They also showed how to get to the working place, and the first day of work, they accompanied us to the hospital. It was therefore really easy to become familiar with the transport system and the important bus lines.

 - The place -
What was your accommodation like?
We stayed with a host family in a flat. The host made a separate unit in their apartment with a separate entrance so we got our own place, with a lot of privacy. The apartment was not really big, but this was not necessary since we were most time working or exploring the island. All necessary equipment, bathroom, beds, wardrobes, washing machine etc. were available. The accommodation was cleaned weekly by a maid and we got our own keys for entering. The host was very kind, and they showed a great hospitality since they took us out for some diners and sightseeing.

 - The work -
Explain in detail what you did? What was the work like?
In Retail Pharmacy: putting prices and labels on products, giving advise to customers on OTC medicines, wheelchairs, food supplements, and health products. Also we were informed by other employees about the products, and we measured blood pressure from customers. In Outpatient Pharmacy: packing medicines and controlling receipts. In Purchasing: reading and examine Standard Operating Procedures for a lot of things in the hospital, writing letters, making schemes upon purchasing and selling medicines, assisting pharmacists with a lot of small things. Furthermore, during my attachment to the purchasing department, I worked 1 day in the pharmacy store, where I put medicines in the store and distributed medicines to the different parts of the hospital. In Drug Information: making schemes on medical errors, reading medicine information, doing a study on epilepsy. In Satellite Pharmacy: packing medicines, checking receipts, supplying drugs to the patients in the hospital and to the nurses in the wards, also assisting the pharmacists when they went to the patients in the wards to give them information about their medicines.

 - What did you learn? -
What did you learn?
The most important was the general overview of the Singaporean health care system, the system of pharmacy in Singaporean hospitals, and seeing the differences between the Singaporean and the Dutch (European) health care system. Also, I gained a lot of information about medicines, which I once learned in university but which I had forgotten. When you’re working, you’ll remember a lot of information which you’ll forget once you’re only studying theory.

 - Other visits or activities -
What else did you do during your stay? Which places did you visit?
Was it organised by the SEP committee or did you do it on your own?
Did you have to pay for these to the SEP committee? How much? Where there some other unexpected costs?
After work and during the weekends and free days, we visited the entire island. This was partly organized by the SEP committee, but also sometimes by our host or by ourselves. We visited all important (tourist) places, ethnic areas, a zoo, a bird park, a lot of bars, but also a lot of places of cultural interest, such as temples, mosques, etc. Our host took us to Malaysia for 1 day. We were also invited to some special events at the university, or for dinners and/or lunches with important people. It was not like “visiting Singapore” but we were part of the Singaporean community. According to the SEP committee, we saw during our free time 90% of Singapore. We did not have to pay for all these things, except for some entrance fees, transport, and food. The expenses, however, were low.

 - Recommendations/final conclusion -
Do you have any recommendations for other students? What is your final conclusion?
Since I’m back home, I’m thinking about returning to Singapore, for vacation, attachment, study or work, because it was a fantastic experience. The only thing I’ve to recommend is: participate in SEP! It was an unforgettabletime. The SEP committee, and especially the SEP officer has been doing a great job. From my arrival at the airport until the flight back home, I really felt like home. I think the SEP committee can be very proud of what they have done for us. They also found the perfect host. All people involved in this project showed a great hospitality and were very kind. After all, I felt really bad to leave Singapore, since it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. Although work could have been more interesting, I have never regretted for any moment to do this. We’ve seen a lot of things and had really great experiences. It was fantastic to be part of the Singaporean community, but the best of all things, is that besides working experience, I’ve made international contacts and new, overseas friends.