Tag: student pharmacist

Thoughts on COVID-19

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Hey y’all! I hope everyone is doing the best to stay safe in this pandemic that we find ourselves in. 2020 has not been kind to us. I am writing this blog post to put into words how I feel about the Coronavirus.

The panic that has ensued in our beloved country is partially reasonable, however, we have become fearful of things that could have been avoided if the media would not blow things out of proportion. Here is what we (rather I) DO know about the virus:

  1. “Coronavirus” is not a new term for us. We, as a society, have seen many strains of this virus through the years. HOWEVER, this is a new, seemingly more deadly, strain of the virus.
  2. Everyone can get infected, but the virus seems to be most deadly for individuals >60 years old or with decreased immune system function (i.e. smokers, cancer patients, HIV/AIDS patients, etc.) If you know any of these people, volunteer your time to go to the store and get them what they need so that they can avoid exposure as much as possible.
  3. The most important things that you can do to avoid getting COVID-19 is wash your hands (if nothing else, make sure you wash your hands before eating ANYTHING), avoid crowded areas, and cover your mouth when you cough/sneeze (by using your elbow, a tissue, or the inside of your shirt).
  4. Healthcare workers and emergency personnel are not immune but have to continue to work to keep everyone safe. Keep that in mind.
  5. Stockpiling excess supplies does not do you any good and takes them away from others who may desperately need them. By the way, if you buy up all of the hand sanitizer/soap, how are people going to wash their hands and prevent the spread? Only keep what you will need.
  6. Cancelling classes, requiring work from home, and cancelling large events may seem like a drastic measure, but the goal is to stop the spread of the virus so that the country can get a better handle on the situation and prevent healthcare system over-saturation.
  7. Most of the information about the life-cycle of the virus is still unknown to the general public. This is an unknown strain, but that doesn’t mean that we cannot do anything about it.

Here are the websites from the CDC and WHO about COVID-19, strategies to prevent transmission, and updates on confirmed cases: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus

Stay Safe and Stay Golden,

Emily

You Will Prevail.

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I don’t know about y’all, but I have been having a rough time maintaining my motivation this semester. I’ve been feeling an increasing amount of stress, and it’s been harder to manage than it normally is.

I’m writing this blog post because I’m sure that I’m not the only one who feels like this sometimes.

I want you to know that you’re not alone in this.

It is OKAY to admit that you get overwhelmed sometimes.

It is OKAY to admit that you are exhausted sometimes.

It is OKAY to be unmotivated sometimes.

It is OKAY to want to give up sometimes.

We all go through times when we feel that we can’t handle any more stress or work put on us. There is nothing wrong with you.

When you go through these times, think about why you put yourself into the situation that you are in. For example, when Pharmacy School gets overwhelming, I try to remember the reasons that I’m here. My passion is helping people. I’ve been on this path since I was 12 years old. This is what I have always wanted. I LOVE my profession. Those are the reasons that I’m in this profession. That is why I’m in school. If I keep these motivations in the forefront of my mind, it’s easier to get back to work and focus on what I need to do.

What is it that gets you up in the morning? What is it that motivates you? Try to bring that to the forefront of your mind.

And when in doubt…

Breathe.

You’ve got this!

Stay Golden,

Emily

Preparing for Rotations

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Hey guys! I’m writing today to list out how to best prepare to be on your A-Game when you start APPE rotations. Note: This is just what has helped me feel prepared as I go into rotations in May. Other things may work better for different people.

1. First things first, during the first 3 years of pharmacy school, study hard and study well. It is beneficial to work hard to get short-term memory into long-term memory so that you remember all the important stuff for all of the years ahead of you in your career. One of the ways that I do this is to make Quick Disease Fact Sheets after each disease state (or set of disease states) tackled in pharmacy school. I have discussed these before and the link to that blog post is here. You can also do the same thing with specific medications or classes of medications to make sure you remember the BIG, IMPORTANT points.

2. Second, it is important to continue studying, even when you begin rotations. What has been beneficial to me is to buy an RxPrep book (several years old) that was relatively cheap on Amazon. I am going through these topics nightly so that I’m well versed in what I need to know. We do not receive our RxPrep book for the current year until around September/October, so having the older model around before that comes will prove worthwhile.

3. Stay organized. It is very important to remain organized as APPEs are approaching. You should know which rotation is coming up when so you know where to focus your energy in the week or so leading up to that rotation. For example, if your first rotation is a cardiology rotation, it would be a good idea to brush up on the cardiology disease states before heading into that rotation.

4. Be prepared to be wrong or to not know an answer. It is important to be okay with not knowing everything. As pharmacy students, a lot of us are worried about being seen as ignorant. However, the preceptors on rotations understand that it is impossible for us to know everything about the world of pharmacy. A lot of that comes with being in the career field itself. A lot of the time, they aren’t testing our knowledge, but are testing our ability to admit when we don’t know something and our ability to look it up in a reputable source. This is not to say that they don’t expect us to know something… I mean, if they ask you what the brand/generic name or indication is of something… you NEED TO KNOW that.

5. And last but not least, the most important way to prepare for APPE rotations is to just trust yourself and breathe. It will all be okay. You’ve got this. WE’VE GOT THIS. I’m right there with you. If you ever need anything, feel free to reach out.

And as always…

Stay Golden,

Emily

It’s Not the Stress That Kills Us, It’s Our Reaction to It.

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To be 100% honest with you guys, this semester hasn’t really been too stressful for me. I’ve been able to do a lot of things that I never would have thought I could during pharmacy school.

However, this week hit me like a ton of bricks. I’m sure a lot of you know exactly where I’m coming from… everything is going well and all of the projects and exams are spaced out and life is good and then all of a sudden it’s like your world was flipped on it’s head.

I know that sounds kinda dramatic, but that’s how I feel. How do you go from one or maybe two things a week to everything being due all at once?

This week I have a pharmacotherapy exam, an NDU (New Drug Utilization) presentation, a Business Plan Proposal, and a SOAP note due. On top of that, I have to read 100 pages for one of my classes and do other little homework assignments along the way.

But the thing is that, I know everything will be okay. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and for the first time in my life, I’m handling the stress in a productive way. I’m staying positive, taking deep breaths when I feel overwhelmed, and remembering how blessed I am to be able to have this mess of a life and be in pharmacy school so that I can graduate and do what I love.

One of the biggest things that has helped me deal with my stress is to take time and grow my relationship with God. I try to do a section out of my devotional every night no matter what is going on. This helps me reel in all of the negative feelings and remember all that I have to be thankful for.

We all get a little overwhelmed sometimes, but it will be okay. Everything will work out the way it should, and God’s got this!

Feel free to reach out if you’re feeling overwhelmed, or if you just want to talk. I’m here!

You’re not alone in this crazy thing we call life.

Stay strong and Stay Golden,

Emily

A Day in the Life of a Student Pharmacist (Pharmacy Student)

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Generally, it’s expected that pharmacy students will never have it ‘easy.’ Some of us even work in a pharmacy or otherwise during what little free time we have. But for me, it’s stressful enough to just study and go to class all the time.

Here’s a glimpse into what a day in my life currently consists of:

Hit snooze on the alarm for the 3rd time. It’s 6:30 AM; you always set your alarms for 5:00 AM with high hopes that you’ll wake up and do something productive, but you never do.

A feeling of fatigue comes over you as you open your eyes and blink at the alarm on your bedside table a few times. Wow. Is that really the time? You feel as if you have only slept for 2 hours (even if it has been more). You rub your eyes and beg your body to get out of bed because you can’t afford to miss a class.

When you finally get the energy to get up and sluggishly walk into the kitchen to fix your coffee, you try to recall why you’re feeling so tired. You were up late every day this weekend studying for your exams. This is going to be rough. You try to shake the feeling that it’s going to be a long day when you hear your coffee finish brewing.

You finish fixing your coffee, and you start getting ready for the day. Again, you think that today is going to be a long day. It’s Tuesday. You have a Physiology exam at 7:45 and then you are stuck in that same class for 2 hours. Then after that, you have a brief lunch break and then it’s off to Case Recitation. It’s hard to imagine a world where your day doesn’t start at 7:45 AM and end at 4:00 PM, but it seems to be nowhere in sight.

After finishing off your cup of coffee, you try to make sense of the mess that is your hair. You run a brush through it and hope it will look decent enough. If you have time, you fix your makeup, and you’re on your way.

You make it to your exam with a few minutes to spare, but then you realize that you didn’t eat breakfast. You start digging around in your bag in hopes that you packed something that will hold you over. You pull out something totally unhealthy and nibble on it until your professor comes in to begin the exam.

After your exam is over, you walk down the hall and set your stuff out to begin studying for whatever exam is next on the agenda before class starts. It is a neverending cycle. Study for one exam, take it, study for another.

Finally, it’s time to start class. You pack up your things and head back into the room, where someone has taken the seat you’ve been sitting in since the beginning of the year. Go figure. You plant yourself in a seat closer to the back of the room and prepare yourself for the longest 2 hours of your life.

After class, you heat up your lunch and eat it with your friends. Lunch goes by so fast (as it always does) and it’s time to start the last class of the day. You try to pay attention, but all you can think about is the nap you so desperately need but cannot afford to take after class.

You get out of class and head back to your apartment. There, one of two things happens. You either start studying again, or you lay down in hopes of taking a quick nap and it turns into a 2-hour nap which you instantly regret.

After your nap, you try to study some more, but you get distracted by the hunger in your belly. Time to go get dinner. You meet some friends for dinner, but you have to rush off because you have to actually be productive and study.

You tell yourself you’re going to get to bed early, but it rarely happens. You either find yourself studying into the wee hours of the night, or you find that this is the only free time you have, so you have to use it to relax and spend some time on yourself.

Finally, you shower, pack up your bag for the next day, and pick out your outfit. You brush your teeth. You lay down in bed.

And finally, you set your alarm for 5:30 again…knowing it’s already 12AM or 2AM… knowing you won’t wake up that early, but still hoping you can get an early start.

You shut your eyes and dream of the days when you are an active pharmacist… happy, healthy, free.

You’re always trying to thrive, but honestly, it’s okay as long as you just survive.

Try to Stay Golden,

Emily