Yongama Pongwana

During my internship year at Livingstone Hospital, I gained experience in both outpatient and inpatient pharmacy settings. During my outpatient pharmacy rotation, I was responsible for dispensing medicines for patients attending specialist clinics and the emergency department.

I was also tasked with processing of both acute and chronic prescriptions and conducted routine medicine expiry date checks. In the inpatient pharmacy department, i was tasked with dispensing medicines for hospitalized patients, making requisition, medicine compounding, disposal of schedule substances and conducted drug audits in hospital wards.

During second rotation of the UWC PaCe programme i was placed at Victoria hospital where i was responsible for following up hospitalized patients in the wards up until they are discharged. During this period each week i compiled a clinical-care plan, offered my recommendations and presented my cases to my supervisor.

I joined ward rounds with doctors, medical students and nurses where we discussed patient cases and reviewed the appropriateness of prescriptions for admitted patients. I was part of a team that compiled SAHPRA adverse drug reaction report and also compiled a Pharmacovigilance report about one of the cases reported to SAHPRA.

I had the opportunity to complete part of my undergraduate clinical hours at a public community clinic pharmacy (CHC). This opportunity came as part of the University of the Western Cape Patient Care Experience (PaCE) programme offered to final year pharmacy students.

I was responsible for picking and labeling medication to be dispensed to patients, packing medicines in storage and conducted patient medication counseling.

I was responsible for preparing repeat prescription services, which involved picking, labeling, dispensing medication for chronic patients and also counseled patients on rational medicine use.

Later on, I was given an opportunity to participate in cyclic stock count where I gained valuable experience and knowledge in inventory management and accurate record-keeping in a pharmacy setting.