RxLink® The Pharmacy The Fox Cities Trust   March 18th, 2007  From: Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences   A.D. Pharm D. Candidate - Class of 2008    Before choosing a major in college, I was well aware of the many functions that I could fulfill by graduating with a degree in Pharmacy.  However to my surprise, pharmacy involves more than just research, institution, and community practice; there is much more.  From working at independent, grocery, small retail stores, and at a hospital I am starting to incorperate my experiences into a future occupation. In my future career as a pharmacist, I plan to use point-of-care testing to benefit patients through making interventions. Though my self-care class at school, I have seen that more point-of-care testing devises are becoming available and accurate. I think being a pharmacist in the community setting in the future will entail educating the public on how to use these devices and thus this role will become the norm for the retail pharmacist. It will be imperative that community pharmacists become experts on educating people about these devices. I envision myself being able to help people in these retail stores by making important interventions early on and sending them to the appropriate authority. I think it is imperative to get involved with a community residency where this could be one of the aspects taught to me during my training. A community residency could show me how one would go about getting involved in this type of service and would provide an understanding of the in intricate details of how I would go about providing this type of service. This past summer, as a part of my hospital internship, I was able to work at a free clinic in Detroit where I worked mainly in the anticoagulation clinic area.  Here, I was able to give INR test, advise patients about their diet, change doses, and even get reimbursed for our services. It was amazing to actually sit with the patients and discuss their medications and get a good  grasp on how they ore feeling. You could tell that they appreciated the one-on-one contact about their vital medications. You could also see that they appreciated how their health actually improved from your help. I would love to offer an anticoagulation service at a community pharmacy level either at one satellite store or many stores. For the costumer , this would make the trip much more economical since the patient could get tested, get a new prescription, and even get the prescription filled at the same place and time to save money. As a point-of-care testing improves its accuracy in many different fields, people with diabetes could also benefit through the offering of A1C testing. The community setting is integral to patients since many patients develop a professional relationship with their pharmacist. From being involved as National Community Pharmacist Association (NCPA) liaison for Butler University, I have seen how many community pharmacies become well known for a service that is unique to their pharmacy. One day I hope to introduce this type of service in my community. What better way to improve a pharmacist's reputation by being part of the whole intricate process of treating the patient from start (testing) to finish (appropriate counseling detailed for the individual.) I believe that I possess the skills and strong desire in becoming a future leader in an independent community pharmacy. A. D. Rho Chi Historian, Alpha Phi Chapter, NCPA Liason, Pharm. D. Candidate - Class of 2008. RPhLink.com  The Pharmaceutical Care Network!