Stepping into an unknown space

Katie Bohannan is a final-year PharmD candidate at the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Pharmacy.

In fall 2020, amid struggling through my online second year of pharmacy school, I found comfort in healthcare student accounts I followed on YouTube and Instagram. Their stories were relatable, their tips and resources made school and life a little easier, and watching them achieve their goals inspired me. Soon I wanted to share my own experiences in pharmacy school with others in the hope that I could provide some help, humor, and comfort to their day. As @pharm.fit.go on Instagram and YouTube, I share the ups, downs, and all-arounds of school, mental and physical health, new adventures, and balancing it all on my journey to a PharmD degree.

Confidence builder

At first, I was hesitant and afraid of rejection. But the more creative and genuine I made my account the more support I received. I had many encounters with impostor syndrome, and sometimes I wanted to scrap the whole page due to the fear of being considered unprofessional. However, when I reached out to my mentors with these concerns, I found the tight-knit pharmacy community to be incredibly supportive, kind, and welcoming of new ideas.

Through @pharm.fit.go, I’ve built confidence, communication skills, and numerous new friendships. These friendships have blossomed through Zoom calls, sharing Apple Watch activity, and in-person meetings. I even met two pharmacists from different areas of pharmacy who have become valuable mentors throughout school. I never expected graduated pharmacists to have an interest in my page, so connecting with pharmacists in the social media community was a wonderful, unexpected bonus!

Mental health dialogue

Something that keeps me coming back to the online pharmacy community is seeing other students in various health care fields being vulnerable about their mental health and expressing the importance of making time for yourself. On my account, I often discuss how my mental health has waxed and waned throughout school, and what I do to care for it so other students who are struggling may not feel as alone. I always strive to be transparent to provide a realistic representation of ways we can care for ourselves while thriving in our many years of schooling.

A focus on sharing advice

Over time I have further embraced @pharm.fit.go, allowing it to grow with me as my life moves through new chapters. When I spent my days on Zoom calls, the account was an outlet for exercise and fitness, whereas now I focus on sharing advice through humor, music, and lifestyle posts. Recently, I even expanded to Youtube to share detailed recaps of my APPE rotations, and I am constructing a website that will be up by the end of the year to make my posts more accessible.

I am grateful I stepped outside my comfort zone and made this account two years ago, because I now have the chance to embrace more people than I could have ever imagined. Having the courage to change and step into an unknown space gave me the opportunity to be here connecting with you, and that is something I will never take for granted.