Hey Buckeyes!
Today I’m here to talk about one of my favorite experiences throughout pharmacy school… my internship! I am currently an intern at Giant Eagle Pharmacy and have been an intern there since my first year in pharmacy school. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work for such a great company these past few years, and if you can’t tell already I absolutely love it.
There are many, many reasons why I love this internship but I believe the experience I’ve gotten over these past 3 years has helped me grow tremendously as a future pharmacist. To start, I am able to interact with various healthcare professionals daily whether it is other pharmacists, physicians, nurses, or dentists. These interactions have enabled me to build upon my communication skills and learn how to interact with other professionals more efficiently.
The part that I love most about my job however is my patients! One of the top reasons why I wanted to be a pharmacist was to help other people better their lives. In my internship, I am able to build relationships with my patients which makes what I do that much more meaningful. Having these foundations has allowed me to become more comfortable with my patients, which definitely helps when counseling them. There’s no better feeling than seeing your patient after an intervention and knowing you’ve helped to make a difference in their lives.
Along with counseling skills, I am also able to give immunizations at my job! Trust me I was nervous at first, but now it’s one of my favorite job “duties”. I am able to give immunizations regularly at work, but Giant Eagle also has many vaccination clinics where I am able to volunteer and get even more experience. I have given over 400 vaccinations in the last 2 years as an intern! Like I said, the experience at my internship is priceless.
Before starting my internship at Giant Eagle, I had no idea what an “MTM” or medication therapy management was. Luckily, Giant Eagle has a special training program for interns to learn all about them and how to perform them! MTM’s allow me interact with my patients for at least 15 minutes and review all of their medications and questions they may have about their medications. These sessions truly allow me to use the knowledge I have learned in the classroom and apply it to real life situations!
Last but not least, the relationships I have built with my pharmacists and technicians over the years are something that I will always cherish. My co-workers are absolutely amazing and they are part of the reason why my job is so wonderful! My pharmacists have been a key player in my education throughout pharmacy school. They are always quizzing me, teaching me and pushing me outside of my comfort zone to become the best that I can be. I look up to them as healthcare professionals as they have shown me how to be a successful community pharmacist.
Overall, my internship at Giant Eagle has allowed me to grow my passion for not only community pharmacy, but pharmacy as an overall profession. I am grateful for the wonderful experiences I have had while working at my internship and I believe they’ve truly helped me feel more confident as a student pharmacist. If you have any questions about internships or pharmacy school, please feel free to reach out to me at Johnson.4816@osu.edu. Until then… Go Bucks!
