Welcoming Our Friends From Anhui Medical University

This August, Caiqiong Ge, Qing Tang, Taotao Ma, ZheYu Han and Yiming Su (pictured from left to right) enrolled at Northeast Ohio Medical University as part of an ongoing exchange program with the College of Pharmacy and Anhui Medical University in Hefei, China.

The four students from Anhui Medical University (pronounced ON-Qway) are here for the year to observe the pharmacy program and will receive a certificate of attendance after following first- and second-year College of Pharmacy students, each for one semester.

Members of the group have adopted American names: Georgia, Echo, Professor Carmen, Lucas and Iris (pictured left to right). They have already noticed several differences between China’s and America’s educational systems.

Since joining NEOMED, the group has learned about the importance placed on communication and the patient in American pharmacy practices. They also note a difference in hands-on pharmacy practice time: Professor Carmen shares that in China, students receive four to five years of pharmacy education and the last year is reserved for practice — but with very limited time set aside for it. In the U.S., students experience clinical settings as early as their second year of pharmacy school.

The cohort, along with Professor Carmen’s kindergartener son, Kevin, are excited to become more familiar with America’s pharmacy system and see as much of the country as they can during their 10-month stay.

Echo would like to visit Yellowstone National Park and Iris plans to visit relatives in New York, while the rest of the group is interested in places like Washington, D.C.