The Pharmacy Game Newsletter

Short introduction to who you are.

Hi, I am Katelyn Lopes Barreto. I currently am in my 2nd year of the Pharmacy Master in Leiden.

If you could choose between conventional education and the Pharmacy Game, what would be your preference and why?

I think I would prefer the Pharmacy Game over conventional game, but you do need conventional education to have a theoretical base knowledge that you need during the game. So I feel like the Pharmacy Game complements conventional education. It is a fun way to put your theoretical knowledge into practice. I would not see it as a replacement of the regular public- and hospital pharmacy internships we have at Leiden (comparing the Game to the internships, I would choose the internships), but it is a nice addition.

What was most helpful during the Pharmacy Game?

Most cases and prescribed drugs were related to curriculum theme at the time. During oncology, most prescriptions contained anti-cancer drugs and patient/doctor related questions were also focused on oncology. Most of them were study material, so it was a good exercise and you learned a lot about them during the Game. This way studying for the exam was easier later on.

Which skills did you improve during the game?

- Pharmaceutical expertise
- Collaborating / Team-Work
- Communication (with patients, other health professionals and colleagues) 
- Working under pressure

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

Each pharmacy really developed their own identity. For example, our pharmacy was called the Leidsche Hortus, so we created a fitting logo, decorated our pharmacy with plants and posted weekly plant medicine facts. Additionally, some pharmacies were rivals, while some created alliances. The interaction and competition between the pharmacies was a fun aspect.

The highlight however was our “Childrens’ Pharmacy”, which was organised by my fellow students of the Leidsche Hortus and I. We wanted to inspire and teach kids about pharmacy. We created a magistral preparation activity, in which the kids made their own cough syrup (without an API of course). After they finished their cough syrup, they were super proud and excited. It was a great succes!