The pharmacy department at CUH consists of approximately 300 members of staff across 25 different teams. To celebrate team pharmacy day at CUH we spoke to senior pharmacy assistant, Kevin Zamikula, to find out more about his role.
What is your name and your role in our hospitals?
My name is Kevin and I am a senior pharmacy assistant in oncology clinical trials.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
Every day is different and you never know what might happen next and I enjoy working in a good team.
Tell us a bit about your CUH journey.
I joined CUH in around 2005 as a healthcare assistant (HCA). At first I was working on the stroke and rehab unit then moved over to work on clinic 32 which is for diabetes and endocrine.
I moved from being a HCA to the pharmacy team because I had been a HCA for many many years and had reached as far as I could go. I saw the opportunity to try new things and have further progression in a job.
I also really liked the idea of working in research as there are always new ideas, new drugs and combinations being tried and it’s a pretty cool feeling knowing you have helped patients in some small way.
Why you like working at CUH?
I like working here because of the people I have known and that I still get to meet. The job opportunities there are here in the trust, ones I have managed to take from a HCA to a senior pharmacy assistant.
What does a usual day look like for you?
It's hard to say what a 'normal' day looks like as we never know what may happen or change and in my role there are so many different tasks we complete so no two days are the same.
A big part of my role is looking after the clinical research associates when they come in to review studies and dealing with their queries both on and off site.
I also help with the trials that are ongoing, help to get new trials ready to start in pharmacy. And I help deal with all the returned study medication and destruction of them.
Tell us about a case study/experience at CUH that really stands out to you.
One experience that stands out to me was just how friendly and helpful every one in pharmacy was when I first started working with them, and they still are now.
How do you feel your role benefits our patients?
In my role I am helping move treatment for cancers forward which will in the long run both help and improve quality of life and survival rates and benefit not only patients who are in the trials but also many more in the future.