From the 2nd to the 9th of April I attended the 75th British Pharmaceutical Students’ Association Annual Conference in Durham, along with other Durham students and students from many other institutions. This involved debating motions put forward, to give a stance for or against on behalf of all Pharmacy students in the country, having talks from leaders in all sectors of pharmacy and meeting students and professionals during social events.

At the start of the event it was difficult to know where to begin. There were so many rules and procedures to learn around the debating and so many new people to meet that it was quite overwhelming.  Over the course of the week I became more comfortable with procedure and got to know more people through nights out and team-building activities. Therefore, by the end of the week I really felt confident networking, getting involved in the debates.

This event has been extremely beneficial, both professionally and personally. I’ve met several great students who I hope to keep in touch with and maybe even work with in the future. I’ve also met some passionate and interesting people who have changed my viewpoint of the course and profession and it’d be great to see them again. I do hope to get some placements/experience from those I’ve met. I have got to know these people by having the confidence to speak to them about my own opinions and listening to theirs. Therefore, I would say my confidence has improved and my networking whilst at the conference went well. 

I also think my public speaking was good this week. Although I didn’t get involved as much as I could have, especially early on, I think when I did speak up I raised good points. I am particularly proud of one speech regarding a motion about ‘Banning homeopathic medicine sale and supply in pharmacies’.   I felt more confident in all the debates from that point onwards. A few people also came up to me, to tell me how I changed their stance almost single-handedly, and that is really flattering.  

All of the experience I’ve talked about is undoubtedly beneficial and it has taught me to go and take more opportunities instead of waiting for them to come to me. I also hope that it will look good on CVs and sound good in interviews to be able to explain about getting involved and different perceptions of the profession. I also think that it’s been good to represent all students in the country and carry or not carry motions that have a direct impact on their future, especially having suggested a motion I care passionately about, with another student, that was debated and then passed into the beliefs of the association. In particular my confidence, knowledge of pharmacy, interest in pharmacy, communication skills, networking, teamwork and public speaking have definitely all improved after this week and I intend to use these in future curricular and extra-curricular events.

To continue developing the skills I learned from the week I became a BPSA rep and have helped to promote the association to pharmacy students. With 4 of the BPSA exec being Durham University students I have made myself available to help them if they want me to.

Overall I really enjoyed the week and got a lot from it. I intend to go to the 76th BPSA Annual Conference in Keele and learn even more!