The USPHS JRCOSTEP experience

Kristina Lynn P. Catague is a third-year PharmD candidate at the University of Texas at Tyler Ben and Maytee Fisch College of Pharmacy.
One thing about being a student pharmacist is that you are constantly seeking opportunities. There are many ways you can discover and gain experience in different fields thanks to search engines and electronic applications. This was how I found mine.

I personally had the opportunity to apply and be selected for the Junior Commissioned Officer Student Training and Extern Program (JRCOSTEP), which is a highly competitive pharmacy externship program under the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps. USPHS is one of the 8 uniformed services in the United States, and it’s focused on promoting the health and welfare of the public, especially those who are underserved. In this externship, student pharmacists can experience different areas of pharmacy while being supervised by a commissioned officer. As a JRCOSTEP extern, there are no commitments to join the USPHS after graduation, unlike some programs such as the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps with the U.S. armed forces.

Gaining valuable knowledge in multiple areas

I was assigned to the Phoenix Indian Medical Center as an O–1 officer or Ensign, which is an officer rank assigned to COSTEP externs with more than 1 year remaining of professional education. My site was at the HIV clinic, which is the largest HIV clinic in all the Indian Health Service facilities. I was assigned several projects, such as establishing media and local connections and spreading awareness about HIV PrEP medications. However, my main assignment was conducting chart reviews for both cis and trans women living with HIV and determining their next scheduled Pap smears, pelvic exams, and mammograms. Since mpox was also starting to become more prominent during this time, I was able to assist in the creation of patient-friendly informational posters and handouts and witness the dispensing of tecovirimat to the first mpox patient in Maricopa County.

There are many pharmacy-led clinics at Phoenix Indian Medical Center, so there were multiple opportunities to experience how pharmacists worked in different specialties. I was able to observe how pharmacists played a role in tobacco cessation, which was the inspiration for initiating our APhA–ASP Chapter-specific operation, Tobacco Cessation. The pharmacists in the tobacco cessation clinic worked intensively with patients and constantly checked on their progress and adherence. Seeing that pharmacists could positively impact smoking cessation patient outcomes, I wanted to share awareness to fellow student pharmacists that we could play an active role early on in our career.

I also observed a pharmacist in the anticoagulation clinic. Since I had just learned about warfarin bridging therapy in my cardiology coursework, I was able to apply that knowledge from school into real practice.

An experience like no other

Besides the invaluable learning opportunities and experiences that I had, I also met many amazing and enthusiastic individuals who were willing to be a resource for the development of my career. The commissioned corps officers assisted other externs and me with our living and work conditions in Phoenix and connected us with the right individuals to maximize our experience as ensigns in USPHS. They were also able to share with us the importance of understanding the cultural and spiritual aspects of the American Indians and Alaska Natives while providing medical care. It was such an amazing experience!

I encourage highly motivated student pharmacists to seek these experiences and apply this summer. For more information, visit www.usphs.gov.