Charlotte Thomas

In the summer of 2024 I completed a week of work experience in the Pharmacy department at Whipps Cross University Hospital London. During my work experience I was able to shadow and observe professionals at work understanding the different tasks and roles involved within pharmacy. This involved assisting with the following:

• Managed stock effectively, preventing shortages of key medications.
• Collaborated with hospital staff to maintain patient care continuity and minimise risks.
• Assessed patients' medical histories to check medication suitability.
• Stored medication according to specific temperature instructions.
• Labelled medication with dose and administration guidance.
• Educated patients about correct medication dosage and storage.
• Adhered to strict data confidentiality practices to safeguard patient information.
• Provided patients with pamphlets and verbal instructions about taking, handling and storing medications.
• Received prescriptions and checked against medical histories, safeguarding patient health and safety.
• Advised patients on pharmaceutical products and potential side effects for medications.
• Maintained accurate and detailed records of all medications processed through pharmacy.
• Advised patients on potential side effects or interactions with other drugs; increased awareness.
• Maintained a clean and organised pharmacy, enhancing efficiency within the workplace.
• Collaborated with healthcare professionals to provide optimal patient care.
• Minimised errors in prescription handling through meticulous attention to detail.

In August 2023, I had the opportunity to work at the 'Marilles Foundation' and 'Save The Med' in Mallorca with a team of marine biologists who help to improve the quality of the marine environment of the Balearic Islands. As a part of this role I worked with the team to

• Track migratory patterns of various fish species for scientific exploration purposes.
• Collected water samples, contributing to environmental impact assessments.
• Tested water quality regularly for maintaining a safe environment for marine life.
• During this time I taught a group of Spanish teenagers the importance of marine protected areas and how they can help to improve the ecosystems of marine species
• We spent time at sea collecting and categorising plastic found in the ocean before uploading the data into the computer for analysis to help to understand the impact of plastic pollution to marine life