Scholarship / Networking has been one skill I adopt daily in my career. Chevening scholarship essay [3]

networking skills for chevening scholarship

As a clinical pharmacists, I am opportune to interact daily with people from all works of life in providing health care services and work with many other health care service providers who perform specialized functions aimed at patient care. Networking has been one skill i adopt daily in my career.

Upon graduation, i got internship placement in National Agency for Food Administration and Control (NAFDAC) through the recommendations i got from the networks I made while in school.I worked in three different directorates charged with different functions and got to meet people from different aspects of pharmacy and other specialties.Earlier this year through NAFDAC social media which am a member, I learnt of an immunization seminar training for pharmacist conducted by WHO in collaboration with West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (WAPCP). There I met and interacted with colleagues both locally and internationally and from diverse specialties who taught us on the best new practices on immunization. Different pharmaceutical companies were also present; I wasted no time in exchanging contacts and storming ideas together with them.

Severally at work, I have been able to contact these companies to source for vaccines and drugs especially the orphan drugs needed by my patients. I have also used my influence as having worked in NAFDAC to help direct them here on procedures in procuring dangerous drugs and using my contacts to make the process faster . The contacts I made in the seminar also encouraged me in starting my fellowship program with the West African Postgraduate College as most of them were currently fellows or members. They urged me to start the program as it will widen my network and career.

Joining the college has afforded me the opportunity of meeting, learning and networking with other students from West Africa. Our lecturers too have done a lot in opening our minds not only to the challenges of pharmacy in our immediate environs but Africa as a whole and we all work together to ameliorate these common traits.

Networking to me isn't just about meeting new people but cultivating a relationship with them that will influence me and others, As a Chevening Scholar, I hope to use my networking skills to meet and interact with people from diverse and same interest group that will propel my career. it will also provide me with a platform for sharing ideas, experiences and skills that will benefit the chevening community both scholars and alumina especially people of same interest to help push pharmacy out of the shadows it has been in the health sector.

Scholarship / Being in a leadership position in Nigeria and to fight diseases [3]

leaders and influencers in your country

Growing up in Nigeria and striving to meet up with the rest of the world in health care has pushed me to always want to create a positive change in my country. Last year, I volunteered to work with Delta State Action Committee on HIV/AIDs during my one year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). As the group leader, I was charged with the responsibilities of organizing my team members to carry out HIV testing and counselling, education of patients and referrals to the nearest hospitals for confirmed ones. I had to assign different duties like picking of location, applying for work materials and logistics needed to get the work done and at the end of the exercise I make my reports and send it down to the state office. The most challenging aspect was to get people to come out as a lot of people are afraid to know their status. To achieve our aim, I started a door to door sensitization campaign to enlighten them on the benefits of knowing their status; this encouraged them to come out to get checked. My team and I through sheer hard work and dedication was able to get the job done at the end of the year.

My leadership and influencing skills can be clearly seen also when I was posted to work in a rural govt hospital, I was in charge of the pharmacy as the only pharmacists and worked with pharmacy technicians assigned to me. i plan the day to day running of the pharmacy, requisition of drugs from the central medical store and managing of my inventories to avoid drugs expiration. I assign duties to my team while overseeing the work done.

In my current job as a senior staff, I am faced daily with challenging situations both from my patients and colleagues and I always try to find solutions to them using my past experiences to positively influence intern pharmacists and technician who are under my charge. For instance, when I first resumed working here, I met a system with so many variances at the end of the stock take. I traced the problem to non posting out of drugs in the electronic medical records (EMR) after it has been physically dispensed. I introduced immediate posting out of medication before dispensing and we noticed positive change at the next stock take.

Scholarship / My networking skills has helped me get to this height in my career. Chevening scholarship [2]

networking skills essay for chevening

Networking is all about connecting with people, exchanging information and ideas to grow, develop yourself and impact positively the people around you. As a licensed pharmacist working in Lagoon hospital; one of the best hospitals in Nigeria, my networking skills has helped me get to this height in my career.

When I finished from the university, getting an internship placement was a difficult one owing to the number of pharmacists graduating each year. I kept contacts with my lecturers in school who helped me with ideas, information, referral letters and even contacts of my senior colleagues to guide me. This helped me immensely and I was able to secure an internship placement barely three months after graduation at National Agency for Food and Drug Administrative and Control (NAFDAC); one of the prestigious sought after places for internship. I realized then the importance of networking to my career.

During my internship, the work provided me the opportunity to grow my network by working and interacting with the share holders of my profession through inspections, workshops and training we conducted. It was during one of this exercise that I met a colleague that offered me a part time job in a community pharmacy to aid my knowledge about drugs.

On completion of my internship, I embarked on the compulsory one year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Delta State. Although I was posted to the remote part of the State, it didn't deter my passion for service. I interacted well with my Local Government Inspector (LGI) who recommended and encouraged me to volunteer for the Delta State Action Committee on HIV/AIDS. A decision that changed and propelled my career by expanded my network as I got to work with different healthcare professionals in the committee.

While my NYSC was coming to an end and in my pursuit to get a job before it ends, I put a call to all my contacts that are in position to help, one of my senior colleague and friend working then in Lagoon hospital asked for my CV and helped me to submit it to the HR with recommendations. I got that job before the end of my service and was asked to resume immediately I finish.

Networking to me isn't just about meeting new people but cultivating a relationship with them that will influence others, the networks I have created and maintained over the years have made practicing easier, interesting and educating. I believe chevening scholarship will provide me with a learning platform to interact with intelligent scholars who will inspire and guide me to realize my full potentials. Finally, I hope to use my skills, knowledge and experience to inspire and assist others in my career and push pharmacy out of the shadows it has been in the health sector.