Robert Gordon University is offering an exciting, and free, workshop to senior secondary school pupils across Scotland during the October holidays.

It is hoped that this specially-designed taster session will provide pupils with an opportunity to decide whether studying at the University's School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences is for them.

The first of the two workshops 'The Medicine Journey, Pharmacy Focus' will take place from 2pm-5pm on 14 October, giving pupils an insight into the hands on skills required to become a pharmacist. They will discover the process of getting an eye gel to the marketplace, from its manufacture to the point of administration to the patient. They will also have hands on experience of patient monitoring and the opportunity to practise the basic principles of medicines management, not to mention finding out about the varied career paths open to pharmacists.

Frances Notman, a lecturer in pharmacy who is coordinating the event, explained: "There's more to studying pharmacy than counting pills and becoming the person in the white coat handing over prescriptions. We hope to give the young people attending the workshop an insight into what a pharmacist actually does, and to give them the opportunity to find out more about the profession in a fun, hands-on activity session.

"Our undergraduate Masters degree course not only enables graduates to follow a number of specialist paths but also provides them with a good grounding in analytical science in preparation for work within industry."

Andrew Morrisson, Associate Head of the School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, said: "These workshops are a great way for school students to find out what studying at university is like.”

There is no charge for this event and places are allocated on a first come, first served basis. To reserve a place on 'The Medicine Journey', contact Wendy Greig on 01224 262540 or w.greig@rgu.ac.uk