THIS week, Mahak Jahangir from Bendigo UFS View Street Pharmacy in Victoria shares an intern’s perspective of pharmacy practice.

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IF YOU asked me years ago where I’d be today, I’m not sure I would have said here.

Back then, I was a student who wasn’t fond of maths and couldn’t imagine working with blood.

I loved science, but I wasn’t sure how to turn that into a career, so pharmacy seemed like a good middle ground – blood-free healthcare!

Now, I’m a pharmacy intern, living a new kind of “on the edge” life, balancing my family, my studies and my professional growth.

When choosing my placement, I knew I couldn’t just pick anywhere – a lot depended on it.

I wanted a fast-paced environment because, as a mum, multitasking comes naturally, and I knew I could apply those skills in my professional life.

That’s why I chose the UFS pharmacy in Bendigo city – it’s one of Bendigo’s busiest pharmacies, is open after hours, and offers great flexibility with the hours and roster, which was crucial for me.

Being an intern in one of the busiest pharmacies is both exciting and exhausting.

Every day brings something new, and while there are moments of self-doubt, there are also moments that make it all worth it.

One night, a 65-year-old patient came in asking for melatonin.

I explained that, according to new guidelines, I could offer it to her as an OTC product, which she was happy to hear.

However, she was hesitant to use it, asking, “How is melatonin made? Since it’s a natural hormone, how do manufacturers extract it? If it’s from animals, I don’t want it”.

I did some quick research online but didn’t find much, so I suggested she contact the manufacturer.

We had a good laugh afterwards, imagining if it was extracted from human brains.

It reminded me of how patients often have questions we never expect, and what keeps me going – what makes the hard times worthwhile – is helping people.

There’s something truly powerful about knowing you’ve made a difference, whether it’s reassuring a worried parent about their child’s medicine or helping an elderly patient understand their new prescription, and it’s those small, everyday interactions that remind me why I chose this path.

Every phase of my life has taught me something valuable – motherhood taught me patience and empathy, while pharmacy taught me precision and critical thinking, and creating a balance between it all showed me that I am capable of far more than I believed.

At the end of the day, pharmacy isn’t just about science or medicine – it’s about people, and that’s what makes it all worthwhile.

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