Up to the Challenge: PY4 Students Reflect on the Clinical Skills Competition

Jessica and Sharon

In October 2017, PY4 students Jessica and Sharon won the LLUSP local level ASHP/CSHP Clinical Skills Competition where nine teams of PY3 and PY4 students competed. From there, the ladies competed at the CSHP Clinical Skills Competition during the Seminar meeting in Las Vegas. They ranked in the middle of 10 competing teams from various California pharmacy schools. Their next competition will take place at the national level in December during the ASHP Midyear meeting in Orlando. Here, Jessica and Sharon reflect on their experiences in the competition.

Participating in the Clinical Skills Competition (CSC) at CSHP Seminar was a challenging yet exciting experience for the both of us. Working up patient cases is something we have always done in our classes, but presenting our patient in front of a panel of twelve pharmacists and answering complex questions on the spot were things that pushed us out of our comfort zones.

The patient cases during competitions are similar to cases students may experience in their therapeutic classes. Competing teams are given one patient who has multiple problems. The patient can have five problems or even ten problems, and the team’s job is to focus on the primary issue and assess the patient accordingly. Student competitors need to utilize their resources and organize their treatment plan well. Last, but not least, the team must be able to present its case professionally and be prepared for questions about its recommendations. The judges may or may not agree with the recommendations, but as aspiring pharmacists, student competitors will need to be able to justify their reasoning.

We got involved in the Loma Linda local competition last year as third year students, but we did not advance to the state level. Still, the experience we had that year helped us to prepare for the local and state competition this year, and we hope the experience we had at CSHP Seminar will help us for the national competition at ASHP Midyear in Orlando. What we’ve noticed from participating two years in a row is the significant difference between our P3 and P4 years in our clinical knowledge and ability to apply it.

Even though past competitors informed us of how difficult this competition can be, we decided to enter the CSC both years for two reasons. First of all, we are interested in pursuing residencies, and we believe that this competition will prepare us to some extent for the challenges we may face in residency. Also, we wanted to face a challenge that would help us grow and become more well-rounded clinicians in the future. We’re learning how to respond to hard questions and how to handle uncomfortable situations. It is better to practice and make mistakes now than to make errors as a licensed pharmacist.

We encourage all students to participate in the CSC, although it is very tough to prepare for. You will need to be able to regurgitate what you already know and hope that your recommendations are appropriate. Most importantly, you will need to be able to present yourself professionally in front of the judges. Know how to use your resources, organize your thought process, and present your answers.

We have gained so much by participating in the CSC and hope that others will take the opportunity and turn it into something amazing. Good luck to future participants!

My first IPPE experience

David

Blog by David Sur

So, it just hit me that I’m done with my first year of pharmacy school! It has been some of the most fun I have ever had, though “fun” in the way that you run a Tough Mudder or “fun” in the way when you practice your music. It’s fun through accomplishment. All the stress and all the challenges have pushed me to become better and have helped me progress in understanding who I am and who I want to be.

One particular activity that really comes to mind in terms of my development as a pharmacist is my first-year IPPE (Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience) rotation, which is completed in a retail pharmacy setting. You know, the place where you think all the pharmacist does is put pills in a bottle (partly true)?

Key word: “partly”.

The genesis of my rotation was tough because everything was fresh like a raw kale salad: difficult to eat for the first time without dressing, but edible.  At first, I didn’t feel very comfortable starting out with such veterans as the current staff, nor did I know what my role in the pharmacy really was. Unlike many of my classmates who were licensed pharmacy technicians before coming to LLUSP, entering the pharmacy and having to do various duties without much prior experience made me feel like I was a newborn opening my eyes for the first time. Here is a sample scenario of my newbie experience:

On Day 1, I was tasked to check expiration dates on medications and rubber band the “Return-To-Stock (RTS)” medications. I had no idea what RTS meant, so when told to consolidate the “RTS” bottles, I was so confused.

Later that same day, I was also told to refill a prescription and once again, felt somewhat lost. “So I click this, press Alt. What was it again? Oh no, go back, go back. Wait, which insurance again?” Those were some of my thoughts as I tried to troubleshoot my way through the new process.

What I want to share with you future P1s is that there is a gradual learning curve that you will eventually get over, with steady progression. You HAVE to overcome the curve and see the beauty in what you do, appreciate the work provided for you, FEEL the necessity of your duties and enjoy it. Optimism changes everything.

The best four ways that I believe a first-year pharmacy student can enhance development when they get into the pharmacy are:

1. Be friendly and genuine with the staff—this can make or break your experience.
2. Show your work ethic—do your work, and don’t complain. No one likes a whiner!
3. Get to know your patients—everyone will have an experience being on that side of the pharmacy counter. Treat your patients like you would a friend.
4. Stay curious—always wonder “Why?” It can be the catalyst for growth and change.

I want to be better, and daily strive to be better, because what we do every day is so far beyond the scope of ourselves.

My interactions with patients and coworkers have shaped my understanding of people and have humbled me to fully prepare myself academically. I find this to be critical in my development as a professional so that I can be competent and compassionate for the people I work with, as well as the people I work for. I want to be better, and daily strive to be better, because what we do every day is so far beyond the scope of ourselves.

Tags:

IPPE1, PY1, rotations, tips

Applying for Residency

Andy

It’s just like applying to pharmacy school all over again, except now it can really determine your job, your career, and your geographical location for the next year or two. It’s an exciting, scary, and nerve-wracking experience, but going through the process with good friends who are all in the same boat really helps getting through it easier. You have their support and advice when there are things about the process you are unsure of. They are also there for you when you travel to all the conferences and looking back, those were some of my favorite memories of pharmacy school.

The best advice I have for any student who is interested in a residency is to utilize your resources! There are so many resources and people to help you through the process here at Loma Linda. We are blessed with having wonderful faculty, many of whom have gone through the residency process at least once or twice and are now residency coordinators for some of our own programs. They have a wealth of knowledge about the application process and have tips and advice to help you along the way as well.

Going into the interviews, I prepared as much as I could but I also wanted to be relaxed and to be myself. So I was professional in my behavior but I also threw in a few jokes and laughs because that’s usually how I interact with most people. I figured if they like me, then they like me. If not, then I wasn’t meant to be there. What people say is true about matching with a residency program: it’s a one-year relationship. You have to like them and they have to like you, or else working there will be miserable. If they don’t think your true personality matches with their culture, then don’t feel bad they didn’t match with you. That was the mindset I went into every interview with. I just tried really hard to be myself, which isn’t hard to do at all!

Once you are done with interviews, you then have to sit down and make the hard decision of which programs to rank. People try to outsmart the system but I don’t think you can. Things happen for a reason so you have to match with your heart and be at peace with your decision. I changed my rank order quite a few times before I submitted my final list. In the end, I followed my heart and ranked based on what I felt was best for me at that time not knowing how any of the other programs ranked me. If things don’t work out, it is not the end of the world (believe it or not). Just have a Plan B and if you are serious about completing a residency, there is no harm in applying the following year. By then you will have much more experience to bring to the game.

I am very excited for the journey ahead of me. I don’t know where exactly it will take me, but I’m going into it expecting to get a lot out of the next year.

I honestly did not even think about The Match afterwards. Once I submitted my final list, I closed my laptop and went to bed. The night before the match results were revealed, I had no problems falling asleep and didn’t even set an alarm. I was actually woken up by a text message asking me if I had matched. That was when I checked and was relieved to find out that I had matched to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center! I took a deep breath, processed what had just happened, and went back to sleep. I am very excited for the journey ahead of me. I don’t know where exactly it will take me, but I’m going into it expecting to get a lot out of the next year.

I hope this has helped most of you get an idea of what to expect when it comes to applying for residency. I encourage everyone to go out there and talk to other people who went through the process as the experience is a little different from person to person. Overall, it was a fun, yet stressful experience and I tried to not let it psych me out too much. Applying for residency is also a very humbling process. Egos will be damaged, so do not take anything for granted. It takes a great amount of dedication throughout your pharmacy school career to get there. So remember, hard work pays off! 

Tags:

matchday, residency

Year 2 & Summer Recap

P3

The end of the 2014/2015 school year was a busy one – finishing up all of the exams, projects, and presentations was hard work! The hard work paid off and a three month break was ahead of me. I was excited to go home to Pennsylvania to spend time with my family and get a break from the busy schedule here at the School of Pharmacy.

My favorite aspect of the PY2 year is that we really dove head first into therapeutics classes where we focused on disease states and their drug management. I felt like I was starting to really learn the things I came to pharmacy school for. My most challenging time during the 2014/2015 school year was probably the spring quarter. During the spring quarter I took an elective called Medical Mission Prep (which I highly recommend to everyone!) and I had my hospital rotation. With the old scheduling scenario, the hardest quarter for most of us is the quarter that we have our rotation. It was an extremely busy quarter with little down time.

As I mentioned earlier, I went home to Harrisburg, PA for the summer. I worked 40 hours a week for a majority of the summer in the pharmacy of a northeastern grocery chain called Giant Food Stores. In June, I took a week off and spent it in Wenatchee, Washington with my girlfriend who just recently graduated from the dental hygiene program here at Loma Linda University. Wenatchee is her hometown and we spent the week hiking, biking, and spending time with her family. I also spent a day in Seattle were we visited Pikes Place on the oceanfront. Seattle was an interesting city and far different than the east coast cities I have been too. I don’t know too much about art but I could definitely tell that art is a distinctive aspect to the identity of Seattle.

In July, I went to Romania as a medical missionary with a group of 17 students from our school of pharmacy and a professor. The trip was over the span of week and we set up clinics in the town of Adjud and Jilava, Romania. As students we performed physical exams, aided physicians in the diagnostic process, and furnished medications that were donated by the LLUMC. During a typical day we would set up clinic at around 9am, see about 90 patients until 8pm, and then go into the village and provide food and clothes to those who expressed a need at the clinic. We also prayed and sang songs. The people were so grateful for our service! God moved in a mighty way while we cared for these patients. I highly recommend going on any sort of mission trip; this changed my outlook on life and I realized we are truly blessed by God to be living in America. To finish off the summer, my girlfriend came to visit my family and me for a week.

In terms of the PY3 year that awaits me, I am pretty excited about what God has in store for my future. I’m excited to learn and grow in the field of pharmacy. It would be nice to have more time to relax but I am ready to get this year under way. One year closer to the goal… GRADUATION!!!

Tags:

Pennsylvania, PY2, Romania, rotations, Seattle, Student Missions, Therapeutics Classes

Pharmacy = Magic

P2

My full name is Syndy Rielle Pasco Malit. My siblings and I use our mother’s maiden name as our middle name. Once I get married, my middle name will become Malit instead of Pasco and I will take up the last name of my husband. My dad always wanted a daughter named Cindy, short for Cinderella, I may be no princess but I sure am spoiled! Rielle is short for Gabrielle (my grandfather), so you pronounce it Re-El. I’ve never had an official nickname, but most people just call me whatever they first think of when they meet me: “Pikachu”, “Synderz”, “Syn”, “Hey”; as long as I know it’s me you’re referring to, I pretty much respond to anything.

When people as “Where are you from?” it’s always a fun question for me. I usually use it as an icebreaker because not many people get it right when they see me in person. One of my closest friends in pharm school, who I saw every day for six months, didn’t realize my ethnicity until I overheard her telling our other friend that she thought I was Japanese. Fun fact: I’m not Japanese. I’m lighter skinned than most other people in my race, and my eyes are rounder than usual. Depending on how I dress and style my hair, I can pass off as different races.
Hint 1: It’s the last ethnicity you would think of.
Hint 2: My national dress is made from pineapples.
Hint 3: If you can figure out what race my last name belongs to you pretty much have a solid idea.

My family includes my father’s parents, my parents, my three siblings and I bring the total to eight. You know when you’re having a party when all you hear is laughing. Our favorite past time is eating food and watching crime shows. Even thought my sister is away to Japan teaching English, we talk to her every day. I really admire my mother because she works nights at the NICU, comes home and eats breakfast, sleeps maybe five hours and then does the house chores: laundry, cooking cleaning, you name it and she has it done.

I have three siblings; two sisters and one brother. My eldest sister, Krystl, is married and had her first kid earlier this year. He is the most adorable kid in the world (this is a very unbiased statement). My second sister, Xyryl, has been out in Japan for the past two years teaching English. My older brother, Zzyzx, started the MedTech program here at Loma Linda. We’re probably the best definitions of those kid personalities: the first is the wisest, the middle child is always picked on, and the youngest is spoiled. My brother’s the favorite because he’s the only son.

Let’s get to the exciting part; all of us have the coolest names (still an unbiased statement). Alright, alright, so I have to give some credit to my parents they have pretty awesome ideas. Krystl is probably the easiest to explain, just take out the ‘a’ in Krystal. Xyryl is like Cyril but her name is in relation to my cousin Xyriz. Now for my brother’s name, my dad was driving to Vegas, saw the road, bam! My name doesn’t really have much history. My dad wanted a daughter named Cindy, but he took out all the vowels.

As far as hobbies, I like to sleep; A LOT. But I also like reading manga and watching anime; anything that takes my mind off of the real world for just a few minutes. Sometimes I just need a breather from all the stress. My friends and I are also avid Disneyland goers; if I’m not in class or studying, I am there. I used to play the piano from elementary to tenth grade. I lost all my talent, please don’t ask me to play. I played for concerts, competitions, and recitals. I also played tennis in high school, probably the only physical activity I am willing to do.

I went to California State University San Bernardino and majored in Chemistry with an emphasis on Biochemistry. I stayed close to home and I had a full-ride scholarship; it was probably the most fun in school I ever had. (pharmacy school is becoming a contender to this statement!) I met life-long friends. I think it comes from the high level stress that bonds you more closely with your classmates. I was teaching a supplemental course for general chemistry and calculus, doing research for my Biochemistry professor, and studying for my four exit exams (you can’t get a BS in biochemistry without passing four out of five exit exams, you’ll just get a BA).

Because my college had a sister school in Korea, we had a lot of Korean students that transferred over. I met some of my best friends because of this and even took two years of Korean from their influence. One of my summers I signed up to teach English in Korea and experienced a different country all by myself. Best. Life. Experience.

During the end of my third year in undergrad I applied to LLUSP (it was my dream school) and by the beginning of my fourth year I scored an interview. Medicine is the most fascinating thing. For me, it’s the closest thing to tangible magic and miracles. It’s a beautiful thing; you take a drug and later that day your sufferings are lessened. So I wanted to learn why a small pill can change how you feel, what does it do in your body, why does it work? So the easy thing to do was sign up for pharmacy school and look for my answers.

I have been living here in Loma Linda since 1998 because of the job my mom has at the NICU for LLU Children’s Hospital. Sometimes I had to wait at the hospital until my dad came home from work; being in that environment caused me to admire the area. I wanted to be part of this staff, I wanted to be part of their education, and I wanted to be part of Loma Linda.

Tags:

anime, Biochemistry, California State University San Bernardino, Disneyland, family, Korea, manga, Philippines, piano

Out of the Classroom

Andy

What was the end of the school year like?
The end of last school year felt very surreal. The first three years came by and went so fast. All the upper classmen told me this before, but I didn’t believe them until just recently. It feels weird to be done with school because all my life, all I’ve known was school. I am going into my 4th year and I think it will be exciting yet challenging because now we get to test and see how much we have learned so far.

What was the hardest thing about this last school year?
For me, the hardest thing about the last school year was realizing that in one year, I will be out in the real world with a student loan to pay. I am excited to start my life though and see where my career will take me geographically. I also hope to work in the hospital setting.

What did you do this summer?
This summer I went on a few vacation trips with my girlfriend and family. It was nice to relax and not have to think about school. I went to San Diego, Colorado and also to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I love to travel, so there are many places I would like to go. I would like to go on road trips to more national parks around the country. I also want to visit Europe since I have never been there. I also want to take a trip to the Caribbean, Alaska, and Australia. When I was younger, I went to Chichen Itza, Mexico to see the Mayan ruins.

What were some of your favorite things about this last school year?
Looking back on last school year I enjoy seeing how everyone has changed. Also, I enjoyed all of our events that the school put on to bring all the students out of the classroom to interact with each other. Loma Linda’s also taught me to be compassionate to others and those in need, and to practice pharmacy sincerely and put myself out there to help others.

Tags:

Summer, travel

Have Fun!

P3

I think everyone kind of experiences the same type of “end of the school year.” You’re so excited that summer is almost here, but you’re still stressed and exhausted from pushing yourself to do well in the last quarter at school. The only thing really getting your thought of summer plans. But when the final quarter is over, you are just appreciative that you’re one year closer to the end goal and that you have a couple of months to relax and enjoy your family, etc.
…Or that could just be me ^^;;

The most memorable hard thing this past year was end of the quarter presentations. You have to make sure you read the patient profile, deduce what it is that they have had and what they currently have, and then go about deciding the best course of action. Probably the most important part of the whole thing is being able to explain what it is that you chose and why. Overall, however, no matter how nerve wrecking it is, the entire thing is a great experience in the end.

Summer has been pretty great. I got to hang out with my family while they were here in California, and I started working *Super Yay!!* at Inland Compounding Pharmacy! I also got some baking practice, Lego building, and wooden structure building in.

Midway through Summer I dyed my hair blue, and it’s been more than great~! I don’t know why I hadn’t tried it earlier. xp

I also opened up an Etsy store as a hobby type of thing. I do key chains, and necklace and bracelet pendants. I have some lapel pins in the works and I’m hoping to expand to earrings in the next couple of months.

If I had time to travel my first choice has always been Japan, but in the past couple of years I’ve been entertaining the idea of Italy and Greece. I’m a huge fan of mythology and architecture, and it would be incredible to see the places that I’ve read and heard stories about. Normally when my family travels, we go the Island/Asian route, so I’ve been to Saipan, the Philippines, Japan, and Taiwan.

The first and best piece of advice I have ever been given while at Loma Linda, and from a professor no less, is to make sure to schedule time for fun. It gives you something to look for and keeps you from getting burnt out during the quarter. The second most important thing is it is never too early to prepare for a class. Preparation can be studying class material for as little as 30 minutes a day. And one of the last things I’ve learned at Loma Linda is to take some time to reflect on your life and connect with God. Take this time to realign your life with your life’s goals, purpose, and meaning.

Tags:

baking, Etsy, fun, God, Inland Compounding Pharmacy, presentations, schedule, study, Summer, travel

Very Exciting and Very Scary

Millina

This past June marked the end of the didactics portion of pharmacy school for me. I thought it would feel like a weight lifted off my shoulders, but I am honestly going to miss going to class every day. Soon after our last class one of my friends, Nadine Shokralla, sent us this text: “We officially have learned everything we need to know to be licensed pharmacists and are no longer able to say I haven’t learned that yet.” And let’s just say that was one of the scariest moments of my life. To know that we are done with three-quarters of pharmacy school and all we have left is one year of rotations is terrifying. Then comes May, which is what everyone of us is looking forward to. My classmates and I will be walking on the lawn in front of chapel to receive our PharmDs and then onto taking our boards and becoming licensed pharmacists. Do you see how that can be both very exciting and very scary?

School has been a very big part of my life, it is going to be very weird for me to not have to go to class or study for a test after graduation. Don’t get me wrong, I am very excited to graduate and be done, but I am going to miss going to school at 7:15 AM every day, sitting with my friend Christie Bolous in the student lounge studying or talking until our class starts at 9:00 AM. I am going to miss running around during lunchtime from one meeting to the other. I am going to miss being president of NCPA. I am going to miss all the amazing administrative staff and all the events that they plan for us. I am going to miss all the outreach events that we did with all the different organizations on campus. I am going to miss school. Pharmacy school is not just about studying and getting good grades like I first thought during my first quarter back in Fall of 2012; there is so much more to learn and do. It was during my time here at Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy that I developed my leadership skills. It was during my time here that I made long lasting friendships that I would not trade for anything else. It was during my time here that I discovered more about myself and about what I would like to do with my future. I am going to miss school and everything else that comes with it.

The hardest thing about being a third year is that you finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. This is the year that marks the end of lectures, quizzes, midterms and finals. This is the year when it all ends because our fourth year is all about building our clinical experiences. That feeling sets in right about the end of fall quarter and all I was left with is senioritis and that is not good at all! I started putting some work off until the latest I could possibly can which really drives me crazy. I work best under pressure, but I would rather not have to stress out all the time. It took a lot of motivation and a lot of determination to fight senioritis and the battle was still going on until my last final when I could enjoy a day off before I started working a few hours later.

My plans for the summer consisted of work and going to Camp Conrad Chinnock (aka: Diabetes Camp) as a medical volunteer for two weeks. Over at camp I learned how to work in a team that consisted of an EMT, a medical student, and me, to take care of two of the boy’s cabins. Diabetes camp is an amazing experience that I would not trade for anything else. Everyone expects us to say that we made a difference in those campers’ lives, but the truth is that they made a difference in my life. For them to let me provide care and trust that I am giving them the correct insulin dose means that they trusted me, and that is huge. They trusted me, listened to my recommendations, believed in me, and taught me a lot. Getting to know them and their problems, not just the medical aspect but also the social, makes me understand a lot. It cleared things up and made me feel that I am not alone and I am not the only going through problems. Going through everything with them makes me realize that others have it much worse, and all of a sudden none of that matters because these campers are changing me from the inside out.

Tags:

diabetes camp, friendship, leadership, rotations, Volunteer

Life After LLU

Alumni

If I had to sum up graduation weekend in one word, I would say that it was bittersweet. I enjoyed all the perks that come with graduating: family visiting from afar, the various parties and celebrations, the feeling of accomplishment that you get when your name gets called as you walk across the stage to pick up your diploma. At the same time, it was sentimental knowing that after that weekend, all my friends would be scattered in different areas, as some of us pursued residencies or job opportunities.

For my summer, the month of June was very busy. I went to four different graduation ceremonies (all on different days), went on a family trip to Portland, Oregon and spent a few days at the happiest place on earth—Disneyland. ☺

Prior to starting college, I went on a few cross-country road trips with my friends and family and we stopped at various places in the U.S. such as Zion national park, Mount Rushmore, and Yosemite National Park. Internationally, some places I have traveled to include various islands in the Philippines, Honduras, Romania and Spain. Some places on my travel-planning “bucket list” include Thailand, England, Paris and Italy.

For the rest of my summer, my plans involve a lot of studying for the boards, which are the same plans that the rest of my classmates probably have. I also started my PGY1 residency in ambulatory care pharmacy at WeCare Pharmacy, which focuses on managing and educating patients who have diabetes or hyperlipidemia. I am very excited for the residency as it involves an area of pharmacy that I am interested.

At the end of last school year I scheduled my community pharmacy rotation for my last APPE block, which worked out well because it wasn’t too intensive of a rotation. After Block 6, all the 4th year students had reconnections, a time in which we come together as a class for one last time. I loved seeing all my classmates and faculty again, and it reminded me of one of the reasons I loved going to pharmacy school at LLU—because of the wonderful people there. I genuinely miss all my amazing classmates, and I hope that they are all doing well in whatever endeavor their lives post-pharmacy school has taken them.

In my opinion, the last school year of pharmacy school is a year of a lot of self-discovery. Through rotations and the networking events that the Experiential department, you can really learn a lot about what areas of pharmacy you like or don’t like, and you learn a lot about yourself with regards to your own strengths and weaknesses. That was one of my favorite things about the last school year, the process of self-discovery.

I learned some important things while at Loma Linda:
When working with patients, it’s important to consider “wholeness” and get a cohesive look at the person as a whole.

When pharmacy school or life in general gets hard, don’t forget to take care of yourself physically and mentally.

Wherever you go in life, whatever you do, wherever life takes you, do it with 100% commitment and compassion.

Tags:

graduation, residency, travel, WeCare Pharmacy, wholeness

After Graduation

Alumni

The end of this last school year really felt a bit like a blur. It felt like I went from having all the time in the world until graduating, to suddenly having no time at all. The end of the year was fairly busy with lots of little odds and ends to finish up, taking care of getting all my paperwork sent in for boards, and trying to guiltily study for boards.

Graduation weekend felt surreal. Unlike graduating from college where there was so much overt celebration, graduation from pharmacy school seemed a little un-exuberant. It was like “Oh, we are here now?” Nothing really seemed to set in or feel different up until the very end when we marched across the stage.

I really enjoyed getting to travel and see many different parts of the USA during this year. I was able to drive all the way around the country from California to North Carolina to Idaho back down to California. It was a wonderful experience and I was able to share each leg of that journey with a different family member, which lead to many special memories.

While I enjoyed traveling, it was hard having my APPE rotation sites all over the place. Because they were so far apart I had to continuously pack and unpack and move around. I was essentially living out of my car for the year. One of the biggest challenges with moving was the fact that just as I was settling into a new location it was time to pack up and move again.

Overall I believe the diversity of experience due to visiting other places is a major benefit to upcoming pharmacists, not only for exposure to different healthcare systems but also different patient populations and cultures. In addition the opportunities for networking in the pharmacy world increase dramatically when you are able to meet people from all over the country, not just your area. It did get a little lonely during the traveling months just because as soon as I started to make friends I would have to pack and move, however the friends that I made are ones that I still keep in contact with now.

I would absolutely repeat my fourth year rotation schedule over again if had to sit down and plan out a schedule like that again. For those that have the ability to, I would encourage them to pick at least one of their rotations in a location away from the “APPE Bubble.” The rotation doesn’t have to be all the way across the country, however even spending time in a different part of California would be a benefit. I would recommend a mix maybe two to three rotations away and then three to four rotations near school; that way you have the benefit of travel and experience, but you can still stay connected with everyone and school life throughout the year.

I have traveled a lot in my life, but two of the adventures that I had during pharmacy school were two medical mission trips, one to Nicaragua and one to Peru. These were very eye opening trips, which really showed the dire need for healthcare in other parts of the world. One of the amazing things with these trips was seeing how content everyone was despite their situations. Right now I would love to either travel to Africa or Antarctica because those are the two continents I have yet to visit.

My summer, as short as it was, was filled with lots of time with friends and trying to get everything ready for residency. I was able to continue to explore and hike around So-Cal, visit with a lot of my friends and attend their weddings.

I am currently a PGY 1 resident in Salisbury, North Carolina doing a Primary Care Pharmacy Residency program. I just finished up my orientation month and am now beginning my acute care rotation. I am looking forward to getting to explore the states along the east coast this next year and making new friends!

Summer this year went by really quickly between my graduation, my brother’s graduation, my little cousin’s graduation, and moving across the country for residency. I thankfully was allowed a week off by my residency program to spend helping out at diabetes camp again. Camp has been one of the most life-changing experiences that I had in pharmacy school and I was very grateful to be able to go back this summer.

I learned some important things during my time at Loma Linda:
1 – Take advantage of the wealth of diverse opportunities that are present because you never know how they will change your life.

2 – Enjoy life. School is still a time that allows you to go out and explore and travel, so make the most of it while you can!

3 – Mentor and help those around you. You never know whom you may work with later or how you can help influence someone else’s life!

There is nothing I would change about my pharmacy school experience. I loved all the different opportunities that I had available to me, and how they were able to really help shape my future and goals.

Tags:

diabetes camp, graduation, North Carolina, rotations, Student Missions, travel