The #1 Link for Pharmacy Students                   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. Spring Break 02   Future Pharmacists .... RPhLink.com offers Pharmacists and Pharmacy Techs a wide range of Pharmacy Business opportunities. Pharmacists and Techs are Linking to the site to get current Pharmacy Business News and Great Job Opportunities.. for Pharmacy Grads and Interns. Allergan presents ACULAR PF, the only preservative-free topical NSAID Pharmacy Student from University of Iowa School of Pharmacy Alternative Medicine in Pharmacy My background in alternative medicine will make a difference in the field of pharmacy. As the annual sales and demands for herbal and alternative medical treatments continue to sky rocket, it becomes essential for health care professionals to have a knowledge base of these different modalities to adequately meet the public's health care needs. I am unique to the pharmacy profession, because I already have 9 years of experience with alternative regimes including: herbal remedies, homeopathy, vitamins and special dietary needs. I gained my knowledge from working at Campbell's Nutrition Center, a reputable nutrition store in Des Moines, Iowa. In addition, I have also taken a Complimentary and Alternative Medicine course through the University of Iowa. My pharmacy education in combination with the knowledge base I have acquired at Campbell's will make me a distinct entity to both patients and their providers. I will be able to prevent drug-drug/herb and drug/herb-disease interactions and improve communication by serving as a liaison between these two separate, yet utilized modalities.       WHY I CHOOSE PHARMACY ?   As a young boy, growing up I have always wondered what I will like to do as a profession, a lawyer, doctor, nurse engineer or may be a priest. This question has been with me for a very long time but not any more. I have found what I want to do as a profession, I want to be a pharmacist. What made me choose this profession over all other profession? The more I think about it, the question I have is not " why " any more but " why not. "   For many years in a row now, pharmacists have been voted the most trusted professional in America over all other professions which includes medical doctors, nurses, priests etc. by Gallup pool. Why is this important at all for me to mention? Does it make any difference if they are no 1 or not? Actually, it does, because for the same reasons the public have liked and trusted the profession, are the same reasons I have beloved the profession myself. That is, accessibility and knowledge.   Accessibility of pharmacists to the public have been one of the main reason people value their profession. Pharmacists see more patients than any other health professional. They are out there to help patients with their medications and health.The public can count on them when in need of a health advise. Community pharmacist not only serve not as a drug expert for the people and the health care providers, they also serve as most people's first line health care provider.   For instance, in the middle of a day a woman noticed that her son has not be feeling well, so she called a nearby pharmacy. She complained to the pharmacist that her son might have a cold. What can she give him? The pharmacist asked her a few questions and finally recommended an over the counter medication to her. The pharmacist advice her to the doctor or go to emergency hospital if the symptoms gets worse. In a few days after taking the medications, the child's symptoms resided, and he is up and running again. Just like that a patient is help, no questions asked. These are my kind of people. While, not all people would have called the pharmacy for this advise, but it is good for many families to know that pharmacists are well knowledgeable enough to make a difference in their health when needed.   Pharmacists are well trained professional with strong background in pharmacology, medicinal chemistry and pathophysiology and therapeutics. With the new six years of college degree, pharmacists have evolved from only drug experts to health care providers that can help start drug therapy and manage many disease state both in the hospitals and communities in a cost effective manner.   Pharmacists are also well paid professional with a good descent salary that makes it quite a self-fulfilling field.   I am happy that the profession I chosen is a profession I admire and revere, the same profession everybody respects and value. So in the end when I graduate from school to become a pharmacist, I am going to go out there to help my patients and make a difference, knowing that the public respect and understand the values that pharmacists provide.