Charles Sturt University (CSU) Bachelor of Pharmacy graduate, Mr Christopher Loupos, will enter the workforce this year with a prestigious internship at St George Hospital.
All pharmacy graduates must complete a year-long internship before gaining full registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, and internships at major hospitals are particularly sought-after.
Orange Pharmacy Program Leader, Dr Heather Robinson, said Mr Loupos was, “one of those students from metropolitan Sydney who came to Charles Sturt University in Orange and really participated in everything”.
“He is a high achiever academically but also a great people person, and he has always shown great interest and curiosity in the profession.”
Dr Robinson said the CSU pharmacy students who had gone before Mr Loupos had forged a reputation current students strived to live up to.
“We are very proud of the reputation our students have in the pharmacy profession,” she said.
“They are considered well prepared for their intern year and, consequently, they readily find intern positions in both community and hospital settings.”
Mr Loupos said he made a conscious effort to engage with the broader profession during his studies to enhance his prospects of securing the internship he wanted.
“I was really lucky to land an intern year at St George Hospital; it is very competitive,” he said.
“I knew this type of position would be difficult to secure, so I actively pursued extracurricular activities through my studies at Charles Sturt University.”
Mr Loupos served as Pharmacy Students Association Vice President, and as a student observer on the board of the Society of Hospital Pharmacists Australia (NSW).
His success is even more noteworthy considering he had not studied science or mathematics before deciding on a Bachelor of Pharmacy.
“I had considered healthcare of some sort but since I hadn’t done science or maths at school I didn't think it was possible,” he said.
“After reading about the pharmacy course on the CSU website, I completed science and maths bridging courses through the University’s Study Link program, which brought me up to speed and gave me the confidence to take on the full course.”
Mr Loupos said he enjoyed living in Orange for the four years of his degree.
“It was a bit of a change, but Orange has some great restaurants and coffee shops and I enjoyed living there a lot more than I had thought I might.”
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