Participation in Students’ Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES): an assessment of the feelings of University of Jos Pharmacy students

Abstract

SIWES has been part of the training requirement of Pharmacy students at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Jos, for a long time now. At inception, it was done during vacations until about ten years ago when it was incorporated into the semester period. This work was done to find out the feelings and acceptance of students of Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Jos on the current regime of its conduct in the Faculty. A structured questionnaire was administered to a cross section of students of the Faculty after they return from the programme and had presented their reports in the faculty between 2013 and 2015. Their responses were analysed. Students generally rated the SIWES as having high positive impact on their general performance but are not comfortable with the six-month attachment in which it is currently run and prefer it done during vacations. Students view their participation in the SIWES as beneficial and important but suggested modifications to the mode of conduct to ease the pressure of loaded work in the first semesters of their third and fourth professional years.

Keywords: Industrial training, Pharmacy students, Assessment of feelings