Qatrunnada Surya Balqis, a student of the Faculty of Pharmacy (FF) of Universitas Indonesia (UI), won 2nd place in the Pharmacology/Clinical Pharmacy field at Olimpiade Farmasi Indonesia (OFI) XI 2024 (Indonesian Pharmacy Olympiad (OFI) 2024). The competition, organized by the Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Andalas, Padang together with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, was held from November 1 to 4, 2024, in Padang City, West Sumatra.
Pharmacology/Clinical Pharmacy is a competition field that contains clinical pharmacokinetics, pharmacology/pharmacotherapy of infectious and non-infectious diseases, traditional services or natural medicines, and several questions from the fields of pharmacology/pharmaceutical science and social pharmacy/administration. Qatrunnada said that participants were not limited to a particular theme or disease, so the things learned were very diverse. In this field, the first stage carried out is the prescription screening process as well as dispensing drugs to patients.
Furthermore, this competition is carried out through three rounds, namely the preliminary round, semifinals, and finals. In the preliminary round, participants were tested with 100 questions in CBT format which included multiple choice questions (MCQ) and True/False (T/F) questions. From this preliminary round, delegates with the highest scores advanced to the semifinal round, which consisted of T/F questions and case study essays. The final round consisted of three stages, namely problem-solving, case study quiz, and international journal presentation.
In addition to Qatrunnada, FFUI also sent other students, namely Gita Jilan Mahira who was a Finalist in the Pharmacology/Clinical Pharmacy Field; Devia Sophia Rahmawati Sabadiman who succeeded in becoming a Finalist in the Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Science Field; and Tahaani Nur Alifah who was included in the Finalist in the Social Pharmacy/Administration Field.
In the process, they underwent a series of intensive preparations under the guidance of their supervising lecturers. Each field of competition has very specific material, and delegates focus on practical topics, such as formulation of preparations in the field of pharmacy, data analysis using SPSS in the field of social pharmacy, and prescription screening and counseling in the field of pharmacology.
“In addition to academic guidance, we (the delegates) also often hold independent and group study sessions to discuss questions and share information related to our respective fields. We carry out all of these preparations with high enthusiasm, until we feel ready to face all stages of the competition,” said Qatrunnada.
She added that the process of participating in this competition provided a lot of learning, not only about the theory and practice of pharmacy, but also about the values of cooperation, discipline, and persistence in facing challenges. She is proud to be able to bring honor to her alma mater in this national competition. Her enthusiasm is even greater to be able to participate in other pharmacy competitions.
The Dean of FFUI, Prof. Dr. apt. Arry Yanuar, M.Si., said, “I am very proud of the enthusiasm for learning and fighting from the FFUI student delegates. FFUI is committed to continuing to produce a generation of quality pharmacy professionals, through various competitions and other academic activities, to support the progress of the quality of pharmacists in Indonesia.”
