June 14, 2013 | Looking at a tube of lip balm on a store shelf, it’s impossible to know how many hours of precise measuring and mixing it took to arrive at a perfectly packaged product ready for consumption.
Tonya Presley, a high school student from Huntsville, can now explain what it takes to make this common item after she slipped into a lab coat and went behind the scenes in one of UAMS’ compounding labs to make lip balm and other household items such as cuticle cream and scented soap.
“The compounding lab was a really cool experience,” Presley said. “It was interesting to make simple things that I use all the time. I had no idea how many ingredients go in lip balm.”
Presley was one of 35 juniors and seniors who participated in the 7th annual UAMS College of Pharmacy summer Pharmacy Camp, where they were immersed in their first complex laboratory experience.
“The compounding lab is always one of the more popular activities we do at pharmacy camp,” said Eddie Dunn, Pharm. D., associate professor of pharmacy practice. “This is just one aspect we expose them to during the week. We strive to give them a taste of everything that they would experience as a pharmacy student. We hope this will encourage them to continue to pursue education in pharmacy and ultimately a pharmacy career.”
Leave a Reply