The Department of Pharmacy organized another successful round table discussion in its continued seminar series on “How to Prepare Competent, Future-Ready Pharmacy Graduates” on 21 March, 2019 at GDLN center, Brac University. This time our focal point of discussion was “Importance of Future Readiness in Employability”. Distinguished industry guests, faculty members, alumni and students all participated in this highly engaging session. The prominent members of the pharmaceutical industry who participated in the discussion included:
The round table discussion was inaugurated by the welcome speech of Professor Dr. Eva Rahman Kabir, Chairperson, Department of Pharmacy. She also read out the message of the Vice-Chanchellor, Professor Vincent Chang that he had asked to convey to the participants – ‘I express my gratitude to all of our guests. And I wish this roundtable a productive, fruitful discussion."
In the beginning Dr. Riad Mamun Prodhani has acknowledged the contribution of pharmacists in the current success of the pharmaical industry in Bangladesh and mentioned that he would like to see the continuation of this success through the efforts of the upcoming graduates.
All the honorable discussants agreed that the fresh graduates should be self-motivated and also be able to define their own success. They shared that employers are hiring based on the right attitude and mindset of the graduates. Additionally, the speakers emphasized on professionalism, networking, agility, and personal integrity of fresh graduates.
It also came out in the discussion that pharmacists are involved in decisions about medicines and health care, they are closely connected to private and public life. So they have to bear in mind the ethics and responsibilities that characterize Pharmacy as a professional practice. The industry experts expect graduates to have strong communication skills which is facilitated by the knowledge they gain. This is a prerequisite for high-quality decision making and teamwork as well.
Students who participated in the discussion were highly engaged throughout the session and asked a number of questions to the expert panel which led to an interactive session.