American Pharmacists Month Blog
10/26/11
Participating in the SAM/APSA was eye an opening experience in that I was able to not only practice and promote the pharmacy profession, but also give back to the community. In the SAM/APSA health fair, I performed cholesterol screenings and counseling to the participants. Since this was my first health fair, I was very nervous because I did not know what to expect in terms of interactions with the participants. My biggest fear was not being able to address the questions my participants had. The first person I screened really helped ease me through the process in that all the counseling I performed was more like a conversation, with me asking questions about her daily lifestyle and diet and her responding with information about herself and some of the concerns she may have. After retrieving her cholesterol results, I then addressed some of the steps she can take to keep her cholesterol under control. I learned a lot through the health fair in that I was able to gain confidence in conveying what I know and also feel more comfortable counseling participants. I would also like to thank the project directors, preceptors, and translators that were present to help guide me throughout the process. It was very gratifying knowing that I’ve contributed in some way to educating and promoting health in our community.
Christina Xie
Pharm.D. Candidate 2015
10/25/11
As the overhead page alarm sounded, it seemed like everyone stopped to listen to the message. “Attention please. Code Blue. 7th floor. 7 North…” Within a few seconds the hospital was full of activity as the members of the Code Blue Team rushed to the patient’s room to respond to the code. I picked up the code box from the satellite pharmacy and ran to 7 North to join the pharmacist, who was already inside the patient’s room preparing the medications from the crash cart emergency tray. The room was full of other healthcare providers who all worked together to resuscitate the patient. Epinephrine, atropine, vasopressin, dopamine, amiodarone, insulin, 50% dextrose – these are some of the medications the pharmacist handed out within the first few minutes. As I assisted the pharmacist in drawing up into syringes the requested dosages of the drugs, I could see how the pharmacist intently listened to and observed what was taking place in order to make a positive intervention if needed. After forty minutes of coordinated team effort, the patient’s condition was stabilized and the patient was transported to an ICU room for further treatment and evaluation.
This event took place several days ago at a hospital where I work as a pharmacy intern. I think it exemplifies well how a team-based approach in healthcare benefits the patients. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of pharmacists’ role within the team. There is a vast multitude of life saving drugs available and pharmacists have the proper training and education to ensure that patients are receiving the most appropriate therapy for their condition. This is true in both the inpatient setting and in the community. As student pharmacists, we should realize the value of interdisciplinary approach to healthcare and the significance of the role pharmacist have in optimizing benefits of drug therapy.
Daniel Kudryashov
Pharm.D. Candidate 2015
10/23/11
We both became involved with smoking cessation as first years. This project stood out to us because of the personal interaction with the participants. It was amazing hearing the participants’ life stories as well as being part of their journey to quitting smoking. We had the chance to meet our friend Leonard over this past summer. He has been incredibly inspiring to us. As we learned from school, nicotine is the second most addictive substance in the world. To be able to help someone quit smoking, to know that somehow we were able to help someone live a better life through this program is truly remarkable. We feel encouraged and excited about our roles as pharmacy students each time we go into the clinic. Being a part of smoking cessation reminds us why we are in this profession, to make a different in someone’s life.
Joy Wang and Emily Choi
Pharm.D. Candidate 2014
10/6/11
A few weeks ago, I took part in a brown bag session at a senior citizen home in Cincinnati, OH. During a counseling session with one particular woman, I discovered that she had not been taking her medications over the past 2 weeks. We spent the next half hour discussing reasons for skipping her medications and it turned out that she did not understand what her medications were for. By the end of our session, she not only began to understand that it was crucial for her to take her cardiovascular and depression medications regularly but she was also motivated to start taking her medications daily. As pharmacists, we play a critical role in educating our patients and ensuring they are getting the most out of their medications.
Bonnie Hui-Callahan, Pharm.D.
10/2/11
If I told you I worked in a phone-based pharmacy clinic, it might immediately conjure an image of a cramped room with cubicles or desks, with each person barely able to hear his or her own thoughts over the din of scripted conversation. And you would be correct. The clinic is all of those things, but it also represents something more to the patients that we serve.
I work in an anticoagulation clinic, where we look at patients’ lab results and make changes to their blood thinner medication regimens. Due to the sheer volume of patients, and the fact that the lab results take time to come in, the patient is informed of the results and of any changes by phone. This leads to a lot of predictable, scripted phone calls, to be sure. And moreover, patients will call in all the time asking about whether or not it is OK to take this medication or that vitamin with their blood thinner, or when is their next lab date, or why haven’t they received a phone call about their test results. I would get phone calls about medications totally unrelated to blood thinners, or about their next appointment with their doctor. I used to be annoyed by those phone calls. I used to wonder why patients couldn’t keep track of their own medications or their own lab dates. Do they WANT to have another stroke or heart attack?
Then it dawned on me why patients called in so much. They didn’t call in because they didn’t care enough to keep track on their own. They called in because they cared enough about their own health to make sure that they were doing things correctly. Patients on six or eight or fifteen different medications face a dizzying amount of information, and for elderly patients especially it is difficult to keep track of their pill schedules. Doctors are not always available, but we always encourage our patients to call our clinic with any questions they have. So what do patients do when they have a question? They call the person that they know will pick up the phone. They call the person who will take the time to listen and answer questions and allay concerns.
So now I have a totally different outlook on my phone encounters with patients. It’s not an annoyance, or something that’s keeping me from the “real” work that I do. It’s more than just part of my job; it’s my obligation as a health professional and a student pharmacist to make sure that my patients are taking their medications correctly and are comfortable with what they are doing.
Andrew Warnock
Pharm.D. Candidate 2013
10/1/11
Jose came to CVS, where I was interning at the time, for a new prescription – metformin and a new glucometer. A young Hispanic male no older than 35, he had never been prescribed any maintenance medications before. He understood that the 30-day supply of medications he had in hand were for “sugar,” but did not know that why he had to come back next month for refills. What confused him the most was why he had to buy a machine that cost him $45.
His ignorance about his disease shocked me. No one took the time to tell him why he needed the prescription or that he needed to take life-long medications at all. The teacher and mentor within me compelled me to explain to him what it meant to have diabetes. In broken Spanish and excessive gesturing, I communicated to him that diabetes is a chronic disease that requires diligence. “If you don’t want to have amputated toes or if you don’t want to be blind when you’re older, you have to take your medications,” I told him. As I removed the packaging from his new glucometer, I showed him how to properly use a lancet and lancing device, how to insert the test trip in the meter, where to prick his finger so as not to induce too much pain, and how to interpret results read from the meter.
I taught him about the long-term complications of diabetes by sharing personal stories of friends and family members with diabetes – people who have had to get laser treatments for retinopathy, people who had their toes amputated because of infection, people visiting the dialysis clinic 3 times a week. In the end, Jose was grateful for my taking the time to explain diabetes to him. He understood why he should be taking his medications on a timely basis and that his compliance would save money and his life in the long run.
“You are in a profession where you don’t have to worry about making a living, so worry about making a difference.” I have this quote written on a Post-It inserted in my handy pocket survival guide as a constant reminder for why I’m in this profession. I’m here to care. I’m here at USC School of Pharmacy to make a difference in the lives of patients, my friends, and my family. Each day I’m in the pharmacy, I make it a point to teach someone something new to better manage their disease states or to empower them to take better care of themselves. Pharmacists are equipped with the knowledge to answer many clinical questions you have. When was the last time you spoke to your pharmacist?
Bonny Chan
Pharm.D. Candidate 2013