A pharmacy undergraduate, Miss Tiamiyu Omotayo, has shared her experiences on the mental, emotional and academic pressures associated with studying pharmacy.
Omotayo, a student of Lead City University, Ibadan, spoke in an interview on the challenges of balancing academic expectations, personal wellbeing and career aspirations in pharmacy school.
She called for greater understanding and support for students in demanding health science programmes.
According to Omotayo, her journey has been shaped by both inspiring academic experiences and moments of self-doubt, particularly around academic validation and performance.
She said practical exposure through internships helped her cope with the rigours of pharmacy education by bridging the gap between theory and real-life practice.
“I find the transition from theory to clinical practice very important. It helps one to appreciate what one has learned in class. The internships we did at the end of each semester helped us understand drugs, patient care, communication and how drugs work,” she explained.
Reflecting on her mental health challenges, the undergraduate said one of her biggest struggles was coping with unmet personal expectations regarding academic performance.
“The most challenging part of pharmacy school for me was not getting the academic validation I always wanted. The amount of work you have to put in to get the result you want is different for each person,” she said.
She explained that while her grades were good, they did not align with the standards she had set for herself from a young age, a situation that affected her emotionally.
“My grades are not bad, but it is not what I envisioned. Although it is still good, I am not in fourth class anymore; I will be in second class,” she added.
Omotayo said she managed stress by intentionally taking breaks, reflecting and reminding herself of her long-term goals.
“I just take breaks, take care of myself and remind myself of the end goal of everything,” she said.
Looking ahead, she said she was considering multiple career paths after graduation, including community or hospital pharmacy, as well as emerging fields such as bioinformatics.
On skills needed to succeed in pharmacy, she listed communication, comprehension, memory retention and resilience as essential.
“You have to have good communication skills, a retentive memory and be ready to learn. You cannot be in front of patients and not know the drug or its side effects,” she said.
She advised prospective pharmacy students to pursue the course out of passion rather than financial expectations.
“You cannot come into the pharmacy because of money. You will make a big mistake. Every field has the potential to make you money, but you have to like what you are doing or develop an interest along the way,” she said. Omotayo’s account underscores growing concerns about student mental health and the need for stronger academic counseling and support systems in pharmacy schools and other demanding programmes across Nigerian universities.
