Ammash Almutairi

Why did you choose to study at the University of Birmingham?

I chose the University of Birmingham because of its strong academic reputation, international ranking and the quality of its pharmacy education. I was also attracted to Birmingham as a city. As an international student moving to the UK, I wanted to live somewhere lively and welcoming, with plenty of activities, places to explore and opportunities to meet people from different backgrounds. Birmingham offered the balance I was looking for between studying at a highly respected university and enjoying life in a diverse and vibrant city.

What made you choose your course, and what interested you most about the subject?

One of the main reasons I chose the course was the placement. We spend around three months gaining experience in hospital, GP and community pharmacy settings, which is a really valuable part of the course.

I wanted to see how pharmacists work across these different areas in the UK, especially because pharmacists here are taking on wider roles and are increasingly working as prescribers. I was interested in seeing how this changes their day-to-day work and their place within the healthcare team.

I also liked that the course is designed for international pharmacists. It does not spend too much time focusing only on UK laws and systems. Instead, it focuses more on clinical practice, which makes the learning useful for students who plan to return and work in different countries.

What do you enjoy most about your course?

One of the things I enjoy most is learning with pharmacists from different countries. We all work in the same profession, but our experiences can be very different. During discussions, we often talk about how the same situation would be handled in our own healthcare systems. Sometimes the approach is completely different, but the aim is always the same: to help the patient.

I also really enjoyed the placements, especially my time at Birmingham Children’s Hospital. It is a highly specialised hospital, and I had the chance to see pharmacists working with very complex paediatric cases. Their roles were advanced, and they were closely involved in clinical decisions, which was very interesting to observe.

I have also enjoyed the research project. We were given a wide range of topics to choose from, so I was able to work in an area that genuinely interested me.

How would you describe the teaching, learning environment and support from your lecturers?

The teaching environment has been very friendly and supportive. Our cohort had fewer than 20 students, so it was easy to get to know the lecturers and speak to them directly.

Even though the course is quite short, I was surprised by how quickly we built a good relationship with the teaching team. The lecturers were approachable, easy to contact and usually replied quickly when we needed help.

They also listened to our feedback. There were times when we made suggestions or asked for changes, and they genuinely considered what we said and made adjustments where they could. That made us feel that our opinions mattered.

I also appreciated that the lecturers understood that we all came from different countries and healthcare systems. They encouraged us to share our own experiences . This made the course feel much more relevant to international students.

The small cohort also helped us become close as a group. By the end of the course, we had made friendships with pharmacists from all over the world.

How has your course helped you develop the knowledge and skills you will need for your future career?

The course has helped me become more confident clinically and more comfortable in patient facing situations.

Through the course and placements, I was able to practise consultations, improve my communication and become more confident when discussing medicines and clinical issues.The placements also gave me the chance to compare pharmacy practice in the UK and Kuwait. I noticed that there are many similarities, but there are also different ways of organising services and using pharmacists’ skills. Seeing both the differences and similarities has given me ideas that I can take back to my own workplace.

What are your career goals after graduation, and how has your course prepared you to achieve them?

After finishing the course, I plan to continue doing research. Research is something I have always been interested in, but working on my MSc research project made me enjoy it even more and helped me realise that it is something I would like to continue in the future.

The course gave me the clinical knowledge and research skills I was looking for. I also had the chance to choose a research area that genuinely interested me, which made the whole experience more meaningful. With the support I received throughout the project, I became more confident in developing ideas, planning research and carrying it out. I now feel better prepared to become involved in future research projects and to make research a regular part of my professional career.