STEERing the way in China
One stop for the group was the Nanjing Municipal TCM Hospital
Twenty-three NUS Pharmacy students, together with Associate Professor Chui Wai Keung, Assistant Professor Wee Hwee Lin and Dr Kang Lifeng from the NUS Department of Pharmacy, went on a two-week study trip under the NUS Study Trips for Engagement and EnRichment (STEER) programme to up-and-coming cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt from 20 December 2014 – 1 January 2015. The trip features a programme specially customised for Pharmacy students that is highly relevant to their learning needs.
The STEER programme introduces students to fast-evolving emerging markets in the region, allowing the students to gain a better understanding of the economic, political and socio-cultural aspects. This particular trip served as a useful platform for students to develop networks and engagements with universities, healthcare institutions and pharmaceutical companies, specifically entities dealing with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
Dr Kang shared that unlike Singapore, TCM is among mainstream practices in China. "We hope to expose our students to the real setting of TCM, in terms of education, manufacturing and practice. Equipped with the information, our students can better explore the issues related to TCM practice in Singapore, said Dr Kang.
From Wuhan where the group visited Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Tongji Hospital and WuXi AppTec, the group progressed to Nanjing and visited China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing Municipal TCM Hospital and GenScript.
At the universities, the students had a taste of the daily schedule of their Chinese counterparts through lectures, laboratory sessions and campus tours. Year 1 undergraduate Aaron Yap felt that the Chinese technical terms which they learnt during their trip would be useful if they attended pharmaceutical functions in China.
A visit to various hospitals' pharmacy departments proved to be an eye-opener. One hospital received 10,000 patients daily, but it was able to cope well with the volume through continuous improvements and judicious use of technology. After visiting the pharmaceutical companies, Year 3 undergraduate Kathryn Harsono said: "We get to see what we had learned in class.
Dr Kang believes that the trip was a good start, with more collaborative visits being considered. The Chinese universities had also indicated interest in sending their students to Singapore on exchange programmes, he added.
