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

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