Bye Bye DC

Posted by Amanda at Monday, March 26, 2012

I finished my last two weeks at the FDA and it was filled with presentations and lots of learning opportunities. I visited the federal bureau of prisons (BOP). I learned all about the roles a pharmacist has in the prison system. They can participate in clinic with prisoners, so the prisoners can makes appointments with the pharmacist to discuss medications and have their questions answered. There was a museum in the BOP headquarters and we got to see what a prison cell looks like and some of the contraband in the prisons. I also went to the United States Pharmacopoeia, the USP is the organization that creates the standards for our medications, food, and herbals. We saw the labs where they test medications to determine if they are within standards.

While I was the FDA, I attended a public hearing that discussed a new idea regarding the role of pharmacists in the future. The hearing was in regards to a new drug classification which would be in between prescription and over-the-counter drugs. It would allow pharmacists to help patients in making a decision on what medications to use. Some of the medications that were discussed were albuterol inhalers and epinephrine pens. This was an interesting topic and it was enlightening to hear the opinions of other health professionals.

Those were the more interesting topics that I learned about at the FDA. I loved my rotation there and I learned a lot about the government side of pharmacy which is something we don't get to see in school.