Rotation 1: Everything I expected and more! Do I really have to leave?

Posted by Krystal Sheerer at Friday, June 22, 2012

I just finished my community rotation at Village Pharmacy II, an independent pharmacy. My preceptor was Allan Knaak. I cannot believe how fast these five weeks went by. I left today with a tear in my eye. I loved every minute there. The pharmacists and staff are one of a kind!  Al is an amazing preceptor. He is very knowledgeable, knows his patients, and loves his career. Whether it is 8am or 9pm, Al is ready to go! He has been a great mentor and preceptor throughout this rotation.

One aspect I love about community pharmacy is no two days are alike. I love the direct patient interaction every day. I became the compounding and drug information expert. If there was a compound, I would make it. If there was a question that a patient or physician asked, I researched and answered it. I have not made compounds since P1 year, so it was nice being able to refresh my knowledge regarding compounding.  I also participated in doctor calls, was involved in the final check of prescriptions, and counseling of patients. Additionally, Al would assign me OTC cases to help prepare me for some questions that may come up in my career. The next day we would go over the case together. After I went over what I thought I would do, he would go over what his approach would be.

Two weeks into my rotation, a student from Midwestern started her rotation with Village Pharmacy II (Alyssa). This was an amazing experience being able to work with another P4 student. We were able to learn from each other. We had a few patients that came in with some questions which required research. Both of us would work up the patient and then come together and present our findings and decide how we would approach this situation. We are now working together to plan a health fair in September. I am excited to continue to work with her on this project as we had such a great time learning from each other.

I had the opportunity to investigate three drugs (ONFI, QNasl, and Tradjenta) and made recommendations as to whether the pharmacy should stock them or not. I created a brochure and poster entitled “What can YOU do to lower your blood pressure?” This gave me an opportunity to counsel some patients on nonpharmalogical things they can do to help reduce their blood pressure.  Alyssa and I then came up with an idea in which involved stickers(with space to record 8 blood pressure readings). We used stickers that we can place on business cards to give to patients when they measure their blood pressure in the store. We feel this will give the student a great opportunity to counsel patients on their blood pressure. Additionally, I was able to participate in a MTM. After my meeting I sent the patient a letter thanking them for meeting as well as summarizing our meeting. I am looking forward to coming back to see if the patient was able to meet the goals she set.

I also had the opportunity to go with Al to the preceptor symposium. I am thankful he invited me to go. Al and I were inspired by some of the guest speakers and decided to put together a proposal. At the symposium they encouraged preceptors to become innovative and think of unique experiences for pharmacy students. Over the last week of rotation, in addition to my normal day activities, I also worked on a proposal. The next student will fine tune the proposal and present it to the College.

I AM SO THANKFUL FOR THIS AMAZING EXPERIENCE! I would recommend this site to everyone! It is one of a kind and I am thankful I had the opportunity to be a part of the Village Pharmacy II pharmacy team!  In fact, I am looking forward to working something out so I can come back and help finish some projects I started and perhaps work on some others! Thank you Al for being a great mentor, pharmacist, and preceptor.