January 2003 Why I Chose Pharmacy School at University of Iowa - 2nd Year I decided to pursue pharmacy as my career during my senior year at Ames High School.  I was taking an advanced composition writing class and one of the assignments for the class was w research paper on a controversial topic.  One controversial issue that was of interest to me at Ames High was the use of supplements, such as creatine and steroids, in athletics.  I played sports throughout high school, so naturally issues revolving around sports were interesting to me. As I began to do research on creatine and steroids I became fascinated with how these substances alter and effect such specific processes in the body.  I specifically researched how the body uses creatine supplements to replenish its natural ATP stores during intense physical exercise.  I also looked at the side effects and toxicity of creatine.  From this point I began to gain an understanding and an appreciation for the complexity of the responses the body has when it is introduced to different drugs. As a senior in high school I still did not know what the career of pharmacy entailed or even what career path I wanted to choose.  I visited with an academic advisor at Iowa State University in the health sciences field and told her I like biology and chemistry a lot and was also very good at them.  She described to me the professional of pharmacy and how it integrated biology, chemistry, and learning about how drugs work with the body.  Everything she said fit my interests perfectly. Since I had the opportunity to write the paper on supplements and visit with an advisor about pharmacy as a profession, the decision to choose pharmacy school was an easy decision to make.  Once I got my first look at how drugs can interact with the body have actually been continually amazed at how such small amounts of substances work and integrate into our own body processes to enhance or diminish natural responses.  I am currently in my second year of pharmacy school  and have not yet doubted my decision in choosing pharmacy.  Despite the challenging coursework the field of pharmacy is still of amazing interest to me and I continue to be fascinated by every new thing that I learn. Back   |  More Pharmacy News   January 2003 From : University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy          What Pharmacy practice is of greatest interest to me and why? As the cost of healthcare rises exponentially within our country, the need for an intermediary consultant between the patient and the physician grows stronger.  Several studies and pilot programs have demonstrated the advantages of the addition of a pharmacist in the care of both hospitalized and ambulatory patients in areas of cost, therapeutic efficacy, safety, and better disease state management.  With this in mind, I feel as thought the managed care pharmacy setting is an exciting and cutting-edge field where I would feel no only challenged, but greatly rewarded was well. As a managed care pharmacist, I feel on of my most challenging duties would be creating a personalized drug therapy regimen for my patient based on the their lifestyle, personal characteristics and capabilities, and willingness to participate.  To accomplish this, I would obtain an in depth history including drug interactions, contraindications, drug allergies, and any previous treatment regimen that the patient found hard to abide.  After assessing this information and consulting the patient's physician, a reasonable therapy schedule and appropriate medications would be selected and dispensed to the patient. At this point, patient monitoring and follow-up is imperative requiring the establishment of a pharmacist, patient, and physician triad to achieve the positive outcomes of disease state management and ultimately desired.  Unfortunately, this type of relationship is often hard to initiate and can only be obtained after convincing the physician of the pharmacist's true clinical abilities and professional stature.  Following the establishment of a sound relationship, the patient may begin to reap the rewards of having two healthcare professionals monitoring their progress and current disease status.  A strong relationship between the pharmacist and the patient must be developed as well.  Often times patients feel rushed and anxious at the doctor's office, so they do not completely reveal all of their health problems, other treating physicians, and other medical information.  A pharmacist dedicated to the managed care practice is allowed allot longer counseling sessions with their patients, building not only a medical connection, but a trusting and personal relationship.  This kind of patient-pharmacist bond will help to allow the individual characterization of he person's prescribed therapy. Pharmacotherapy within the managed care setting goes beyond the traditional distribution and dispensing duties of a pharmacist, reaching new heights of professionalism.  The integrated system formed enhances the pharmacist's role by encompassing the duties of disease management, prevention, patient safety, cost-benefit analysis, and improving communication within the patient-physician-pharmacist triad.  As a future pharmacist aware of the trials and tribulations before me to effectively employ managed care pharmacy, I plan to adequately prepare and speak out for the nationwide acceptance of the pharmaceutical venue.  Through this, I will be able to embrace my caring and helpful nature while helping my patients to improve their quality of life. Back   |  More Pharmacy News   February 2003 From : Drake University         Why I decided to pursue pharmacy school?  N.G. Throughout my childhood I was fascinated by medicine and the health care field.  During my elementary and middle school education my academic strengths were in math and science, but I was particularly interested in the human body as it relates to health and medicine.  When I was in high school I enrolled in a four-year health careers program.  This program introduces students to various health care professions both through classroom and field experiences.  Students spend the first two years in the classroom learning basic health care terminology, history of medicine, and biomedical ethics.  During the last two years of the program students get hands-on experience through rotations in a hospital. During my last two years in the health careers program I rotated through various departments in the hospital, which included different types of nursing units (such as maternity, short stay, medical surgical, telemetry, post-op recovery for orthopedic patients), outpatient rehabilitation for patients recovering from heart surgery, as well as inpatient hospital pharmacy.  While rotating at the pharmacy I shadowed a hospital staff pharmacist and had the opportunity to observe pharmacist interactions with other healthcare professionals (nurses, physicians).  My experiences of shadowing a pharmacist helped me understand the variety of duties of a hospital staff pharmacist, which included making recommendations for drug therapy, preparing IV medications, compounding medications for individual patients, and monitoring patients for undesirable drug related effects.  After my rotation at an in-patient hospital pharmacy, I became more interested in the profession of pharmacy.  There was so much variety to pharmacy that had motivated me to further explore the profession of pharmacy and the career of a pharmacist. During my senior year in high school I volunteered at a local community pharmacy.  I was astonished by the differences in the pharmacist's role in the community pharmacy setting versus a hospital pharmacy setting.  Pharmacist duties were more directed toward the patient care by helping patients understand their disease and the medications they are taking to help treat these conditions.  I learned that pharmacists also have expertise in over the counter medications, and medical devices (such as blood glucose monitors, blood pressure monitors).  After my volunteer experience at the community pharmacy, I was convinced that the career of a pharmacist does not involve "counting pills", but rather is centered on patient education. After volunteering at various pharmacy settings, I was fascinated by pharmacist knowledge of diseases and medications (both prescription and over the counter).  However, I was most interested in services pharmacists provide to both health care professionals and patients.  I decided to research pharmacy curriculum to find out about classs' students must take in order to become experts in the field.  After reading descriptions of various classes I became more interested in pursuing a career in pharmacy.  The pathway of becoming a medication specialist was pharmacy school. In summary, a combination of factors including strong academic background in math and science as well as interest in health care, particularly the career of a pharmacist had motivated me to pursue a career in pharmacy.  My experiences of shadowing pharmacists in both community and hospital pharmacies have given me the opportunity to explore multiple practice settings and the role of the pharmacist in each practice setting.  Additionally, pharmacy school curriculum about medications interested me the most, which had further convinced me to go to pharmacy school.    Back   |  Pharmacy News   RPhLink.com  The Pharmaceutical Care Network!                01-19-2004 L. K. PharmD Candidate University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy Why I chose Pharmacy School?    I am proud to say that I am a fourth-year Pharmacy student at the University of Rhode Island.  That means that in only two more years Iwill be able to graduate with a Pharm D. (Doctor of Pharmacy degree) and enter into my life-long dream goal in the rofession of pharmacy as a provider of pharmaceutical care-health care services and health promotion and disease prevention activties to ensure that medications are used safetly, effectively and in a cost efficient manner to improve a patient's well being anduality of life.  The program is a very challenging one, in all regards, but I picked pharmacy school because I am sure that it will really prepare me for what's to come.   In this day and age of pharmaceuticals, as new options lead to new opportunities, there will be so many job offerings in all possible areas of healthcare. Demographics in this country ensure a bright future in any one of those areas:  ranging from community pharmacy to cutting-edge research.As a pharmacist, I will be responsible not only for the management of  medications in a global sense but also in a microscopic sense, as well.  A key point will be interaction one-on-one with my patients to recognize and prevent adverse medication reactions, which will both maximize therapeutic benefits and minimize - risks of drug-related problems.  I will teach patients how to read labels, store their medicines, and safetly dispose of their out-of-date, unused medications.    I love the fact that I will graduate, after six quality years at URI, and step into the realy world armed with the unique - knowledge of the power and potential of medications.  As part of the healthcare team, I will have five essential professional responsibilities bestowed upon me which include: drug delivery and medication safety, patient education and advocacy, - monitoring drug therapy, teaming with other health care providers, and research and studies.  Every day in my profession will - allow me to play a mroe integral role, giving me the ability to make a real impact and truly positive difference on people's lives. ©2000 RPhLink.com The Pharmaceutical Care Network! RPhLink.com |Front page | In Pharmacy this week | RxNews1 | RxNews2 | Pharmacy Jobs |     The #1 Link for Pharmacy Students             As a Pharmacist, how will I make a difference in the profession? By Renee Riddix-Hilliard, Pharm.D. Candidate University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. As a pharmacy student, I have begun to pave my path of how I will make a difference in the profession of pharmacy as a pharmacist. First, I am and will continue to play as active role in increasing the number of students who pursue the profession in a capacity that has never been explored. To begin to fulfill this goal, I have founded a high school tutorial program, A Bridge to Academic Excellence, to which students from the University of Maryland schools of pharmacy, medicine, law, dentistry, and physical therapy participate. On many saturdays during the school year, we tutor approximately eighty high school students in mathematics. in order to inform and encourage students to become pharmacists, I have arranged for mentoring and internship committees to be created through our program. The pharmacy-mentoring program is comprised of a group of pharmacy students that invite the high school students to participate in some of their professional and social activities. The pharmacy internships we are developing involve volunteer or stipend paid work sites where the high school students can learn about pharmacy during the summer months. When I become a pharmacist, I have been asked and intend to remain on the board of the tutorial program as the project coordinator. my faculty advisor for the tutorial program is applying and seeking numerous grants and other funding to support and expand the program. With additional monies, the program can be enlarged to become a model for all pharmacy schools around the country. When the public observes the impact of A Bridge to Academic Excellence Tutorial Program on society, the image of pharmacists as educators who have a fountain of knowledge that they are willing to share will be enhanced. Secondly, as a pharmacy student, I have begun to be an information resource for the minority community and other pharmacists. At present, I give free, mini-lectures on disease state prevention, management, and medication counseling for my faculty preceptors at workshops for health professionals and my local church. As a pharmacist, I intend to expand these lectures to include all churches in Baltimore City and surrounding counties at no cost to the patient. These lectures will continue to make a difference in the knowledge base with which consumers are equipped. Furthermore, they will empower the patient to play an active role in his/her health care. Since I have a particular interest in the disadvantaged and minority communities who tend to avoid seeing a health care provider until a major illness/event occurs, I believe that I will be a valuable asset to these populations. In addition, I believe the response rate of patient's attending their local church as opposed to going to a facility, such as a doctor's office or clinic, is and will continue to be very high because the environment of the church communicates trust and integrity. I am convinced that my operating as a pharmacist in this capacity will improve the image of the pharmacist as an information resource that can be trusted. Moreover, there is sufficient evidence in the literature to support that a pharmacist's interventions have a positive impact on the health of the patient. If I could attract other colleagues within the profession, to help by volunteering one day a year, we could offer multiple disease state management seminars and counseling to patients on an individual basis in different communities. The more pharmacists I can recruit to join in this cause, the greater number of events we can have a various sites within a year. Also, as a pharmacist, I can be an information resource for the physician of the patients to which I give medication counseling. I can serve as the gap between the patient and the physician. For example, I was reviewing a patient's medications when she told me that she was cutting her extended release blood pressure tablet in half because she was experiencing side effects and the strength was twice the amount she normally gets so she thought the doctor made a mistake. When I informed her that she should not be cutting the tablets in half because of how they were made to work and that she should contact her doctor, she requested that I contact him for her because she felt he was too busy for her. After the session, I contacted the patient's physician to make him aware of what she said and had been doing. This small, but significant interaction may have saved the patient from having uncontrolled hypertension, increased her compliance, and facilitated future communications between the patient and the physician. When I become a pharmacist, I think that being a liaison for the patient and doctor in the community will make a difference in the profession of pharmacy. Thirdly, I am convinced that as a pharmacist, I can make a difference in the profession of pharmacy by implementing practical, non-invasive patient monitoring programs in retail pharmacy. Currently, I have begun an osteoarthritis research project that simply requires a questionnaire and a simple monitoring to gain evidence on the value of a little data collection, which doesn't require a large amount of the pharmacist's time. Should the outcome of this project become evidence for the proposed idea, it may be published in a journal. Furthermore, I plan to design, implement and teach other practical disease state management projects to retail and/or consulting pharmacists. Lastly, I will make a difference in the profession of pharmacy by supporting and developing programs that supply medications and medical services to the elderly and financially impoverished. Despite the fact that I have not been able to actively begin working on this goal to date, I have found a resource from which to begin. There is a clinic located in Columbia, Maryland for which I have visited while I was completing a rotation with a pharmaceutical company. The site was in need of a pharmacist who would volunteer one-half day per week to dispense donated samples of medication to patients. Initially, as a pharmacist, I plan on becoming involved with this organization as a dispensing pharmacist. I believe I have to first meet the present need prior to doing anything else. From there, I intend to learn the business, enlarge the scope of its vision, and extend it to other clinic sites. In summary, when I become a pharmacist, I intend to make difference by creating and implementing ideas for disease state management, mentoring high school and pharmacy students, teaching pharmacists and other health care professionals about disease state management, uniting pharmacists to volunteer time to provide services to the disadvantaged, providing medication counseling, and facilitating communication between patients and their physicians. Although I am contemplating of where I will be employed as a pharmacists, whatever I choose must allow me to demonstrate that I am providing a necessary service that is beneficial to the patient as well as give me the opportunity to present ideas to expand and/or enhance what I do. The #1 Link for Pharmacy Students I Chose the Major of Pharmacy, because I want to be a Pharmacist. I chose the major of pharmacy, because I want to be a pharmacist. Ever since I was a child I have always had as great deal of respect for the pharmacist in my local drugstore. I wondered how he managed to do all he did. He managed to help the sick feel better, provide support and advice and even read the doctor's handwriting. The pharmacist is a person everyone needs and counts on. To succeed in the goals I have set I must be able to be an individual, but also develop relationships and work well with others. I am an involved person who likes helping those who needs it. Doing things for someone gives me a way to express myself. It makes me feel better that I made his/her life a little easier. Commitment and responsibility are also very much a part of who I am and need to be. I feel that once a commitment is made, it has to be followed through, while responsibility lets me be prudent in the actions that I take. These qualities are very important in the profession of pharmacy for people will rely on me to help them. The qualities that I will possess are of a well-rounded person. I am involved yet never falter with my schoolwork. Pharmacy school is a way for my education to be furthered, not only by learning, but also by doing and experiencing new ideas and knowledge. Pharmacy school entices a new freedom of my mind. My levels of experience are being brought to new heights, soaring with new adventures and expectations. College enables me to attain skills that will make me a successful individual throughout my entire life. I hope in the future I can be the one to help the sick get better either by giving them the medicine they need or researching for the medicine itself.                   Why I choose Pharmacy I choose pharmacy because when I was eleven years old my mom was sick. My mom was constantly exhausted and I mean some days she could only get out of bed for an hour. My mom's illness required my older sister and I to take care of her, my younger brother, and ourselves, while my dad worked long hours to support us. It was a hard time. My mom went to doctor after doctor and none of them knew what was going on with her. One doctor dismissed her symptoms and said "we are all tired," guessing her symptoms were in her head. Another doctor said she had mono and would be better in several weeks. Weeks went by and her status did not change. I felt hopeless the entire time and I thought that my mother would never get better. Finally, one afternoon my mom went to Thrift Drug to pick up my brother's prescription. While she was picking up the perscription the pharmacist recognized that she was having some health issues over the past several months. He asked some open ended questions and my mom told him her story, telling him how she would fight to make it through the day. The pharmacist inquired if she had a low temperature and if she had her thyroid tested. My mom did have a low temperature but never heard of her thyroid gland. The pharmacist recommended her to see her doctor and request a thyroid test. I stood there watching my mom have this conversation and I finally felt that my mother was going to become better. The next day she saw her doctor and the doctor doubted she had hypothyroidism because she was not overweight. Fortunately, my mother was persistent and the doctor appeased my mom to satisfy her. The tests came back positive and my mom was put on Synthroid. She was back to her normal self in a week. This is why I am in pharmacy school. This man made a difference in my life and my family's lives. The people who I am closest to in this world. I want to make a difference in somebody else's life, the same way this person did in my life.