Spending time in unfamiliar spaces
By “Grace”
Hope you are enjoying the end of spring and looking forward to summer. Congratulations to everyone who graduated or finished the school year! I also want to congratulate all the final-year student pharmacists who matched for residency or have other plans for their future. I will now reflect on my last ever-APPEs (how crazy is that to say?).
Learning about industry pharmacy
In March, I left my usual health care system and had an industry rotation. If you have been following my articles for the past few months, you know that I have not had an industry rotation yet! I asked for this rotation because I wanted to experience something new, which is what final year is all about. My average day during this rotation consisted of team meetings, writing a blog for the company website, and working on projects relating to trials currently in process within the company. I am very thankful for this opportunity, as it was different from anything I had already experienced!
As I reflected on my experience, March was a month of learning about my future. I noticed I didn’t have a sense of fulfillment after the month ended because there was a lack of patient interaction. This month helped reassure my interest in direct patient care for the future.
Last, but not least … the emergency department
The emergency department … where do I even start? As someone who was already out of their comfort zone after an industry rotation, this month continued to push me in that arena. I went back to my usual health care system to have my very last APPE rotation in their Level 1 trauma emergency department.
During this month, I focused heavily on emergency medicine, acute disease states, topic discussions, and medications that were less familiar to me. This was probably one of my toughest rotations for a few reasons. I thought the month was tough because of the emotional and physical demands of working in the emergency department and being surrounded with unfamiliar emergency conditions and medications. I am so thankful for the wonderful group of emergency department pharmacists who taught me and fostered my growth while simultaneously keeping up with the demands of their job. I want to take a moment to applaud those who work in emergency medicine and critical care, as it is a very mentally and physically demanding field that is so important for patient care.
Like my perspective after completing my industry rotation, I now know that working in the emergency department may not be where I want to work in the future. However, I am proud of myself for two consecutive months of being in unfamiliar spaces. It takes different experiences from what you are usually exposed to experience new perspectives and learning opportunities. I know after these past two months, I will be able to call on these experiences for the betterment of my patients in the future.
Sage advice from a new practitioner
I was recently speaking to new practitioner Nira Kadakia, PharmD, BCACP, an assistant professor of teaching in pharmacy practice at the University of Findlay College of Pharmacy, and I asked a few “Preceptor Feedback”–type questions. I asked her to talk about a time when she experienced an APPE or any rotation that was less familiar to her and how she coped during that time. What did she learn? What tips does she have for student pharmacists who may find themselves in similar situations?
As an outpatient pharmacy intern during her second APPE rotation, Dr. Kadakia was in a specialized inpatient unit, with which she was totally unfamiliar. She struggled with working up patients and felt lost during rounds. “I asked my preceptor to watch me work up patients and provide suggestions of how I could improve efficiency. Incorporating her suggestions helped me improve my information-finding and stay on track during rounds,” Dr. Kadakia said.
As for advice, Dr. Kadakia suggested that “when facing unfamiliar tasks, it’s important to cut yourself a little slack. You are not going to know everything about everything, and that’s okay! Work with your preceptor and peers to identify processes that work for you. It may be beneficial to observe your preceptor or other pharmacists doing the same things you will be expected to do, and then find the methods that work for you.”