The Pharmacy Game Newsletter

Who are you?

I'm one of the GIMMICS® actors bringing even more reality to the game and the participants. I'm acting as a patient with a certain condition, coming to the pharmacy or asking questions prepared by the educational team. I also do plays in theatres and street theatre. In daily life I'm writing articles for UKrant, the newsletter of the University of Groningen, and I'm trying to make a name for myself as an author of children’s books.

How did you get involved with GIMMICS®?

I haven't got a clue anymore. I believe I saw a call on Facebook for GIMMICS® actors and I responded to it.

How many times have you participated in the game?

I'm taking part of GIMMICS® about eight years, twice a year. So approximately ten times, I believe.

What do you like the most about GIMMICS®?

The friendly people who always manage to assign me some disease or embarrassing condition. Those embarrassing conditions are the most fun ones, by the way, especially to see how the participants of the game are reacting if I timidly ask for a different hemorrhoids medicine. It is great to see the professional attitude of the students in these situations.

Would you like to share some interesting moment you remember while playing the game?

I can't decide on one particular moment. What always impresses me is the atmosphere. The first thing that pops in my mind is the hallway, where the game takes place. On the one side there are some lecture rooms, on the other side five offices from the nineties converted into pharmacies. Always fully equipped, even with details like a fire detector. Not a real one, but drawings of them or simply the word 'fire detector' on a sheet of paper. Empty medicine boxes, advertising signs, candy pots, leaflets, a children's corner. Among all those obviously fake things, there are five students playing the game in a dead serious manner, calling physicians and patients, and me coming in with my ritalin prescription. Immediately one of them is there to attend me. This is what I find so incredible about GIMMICS®. These students are authentically prepared for the real job.