Month: November 2017

Top 5 Under-rated Resources at Ohio State

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Hi everyone!

This week I wanted to take the opportunity to go over resources that are available to you as an Ohio State student! Being a pharmacy student at Ohio State means that you get the small close-knit community of the College but also all of the resources of large institution! Here are my top five underrated resources offered by Ohio State!

5. Dtix: Dtix provides students with discounted (and sometimes free!) tickets and restaurant gift cards to places around Columbus. Some examples include gift cards to Cameron Mitchell Restaurants and Jenis, Blue Jackets and Columbus Crew tickets, BalletMet tickets, concert tickets, passes to Cedar Point and more! It’s a great way to get out, have fun and explore Columbus, while still being budget friendly.

4. Inter-professional Networking: Ohio State has just about every professional school you can imagine; from Pharmacy, to Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, a graduate program in Social Work, and many more. These are your future colleagues, and learning with and from them during school, and the unique role each plays in patient care is a wonderful benefit. In addition to our curriculum which incorporates several inter-professional experiences and collaborative events each semester, Interprofessional Council (IPC) hosts events and socials for students to get to know one another and have fun outside of the classroom.

3. The Wexner Medical Center and Nationwide Children’s Hospital (and more): Ohio State is attached to a large, comprehensive research medical center and has close ties to one of the top 10 Children’s Hospitals in the country. As a student, you’ll have access to these medical centers, and the opportunity to hear from experts at them, and learn from them hands-on in the classroom and on rotations (that are quite literally right across the street). This is a resource that very few other schools have the privilege of, it provides you with exposure to a variety of areas of pharmacy and unique learning opportunities to help you succeed in the future.  Additionally, Columbus has the OhioHealth and Mount Carmel networks of hospitals, which also provide unique rotational experiences, content experts and a plethora of internships.

2. RPAC/Rec Sports:  The RPAC is a state of the art facility that includes a large weight area, several cardio areas, a track, basketball and racquetball courts, and provides a full schedule of free group fitness classes. There are several other gyms on campus (the ARC for example has rock climbing), as well as soccer fields and tennis courts, that are also great resources for students. In addition, Ohio State offers many intramural sports for students looking to get involved that way. One of my favorite ways to meet classmates and other professional students has been through intramurals—even if sports aren’t your thing, it is always fun to have classmates come to the games and cheer us on (my roommate has been known to bring Capri-Suns as post game snacks for our soccer team).

 1. Buckeye Football Tickets:  As a student you get discounted football tickets! While football may not be everyone’s favorite past time, at Ohio State it is so much more than just a sport. Buckeye football brings together people of all ages and provides a sense of community and pride unlike anything you will ever experience. Everyone should have the privilege of experiencing the comradery, excitement, and school spirit that is a football Saturday in Columbus; from Tailgates to the Skull session (the band performs and team walks through) to the game itself, and Ohio State affords students that opportunity.

All the best,

Cassie Rush

Why I chose OSU.

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Hey there!

We’d like to welcome you to our family here at the College of Pharmacy. We truly are a family and we are very excited that you will be joining us in the upcoming months here, in Columbus Ohio.
I’d like to share with you some of the reasons why I chose to pursue my professional education here at The Ohio State University and my experience at OSU thus far. Being a native of Cincinnati Ohio, I wanted to be close to my family yet still experience a new environment; This is a sentiment which may be shared by some of you. Whether OSU is somewhat close to home or far from home, there is definitely a place for you here.
There are many reasons why I decided to come to OSU for my pharmacy education such as its ranking amongst the top 10 pharmacy schools in the US as well as its proximity to my family. Over the past 3 years, I have not only grown in my clinical knowledge, but I have also grown professionally through my involvement in different professional organizations. There are over 20 student organizations here at the college of pharmacy which offer different ways of preparing students for a career as a pharmacist through mentorship, professional development as well as community health service opportunities.
Over the past 2 years, I have seen many improvements at the college including an increase in the number of women in executive position in college leadership as well as an increase in the number of African American and other diverse members of the college faculty and staff. Last year, a student-led initiative resulted in the creation of “SPADE” (Student Pharmacist Association for Diversity and Equity). Each year, SPADE hosts an annual diversity week. During this week, programs are held to highlight matters relating to diversity in patient care and professionalism.
Overall, my experiences at The Ohio State College of Pharmacy have been nothing short of extraordinary. Clinically, I have been challenged and well taught in preparation for pharmacy practice and patient care. I have built friendships and relationships that I foresee lasting a lifetime. Pharmacy is a small world and OSU is a great place to begin.

Here’s to great new beginnings!

Best regards,
Nana Entsuah
Class of 2019
Diversity Ambassador Coordinator

Spicing Up the Mortar and Pestle

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Hello!

 

Since I’m a bit new here to the blog I want to introduce myself. My name is Chelsea Bargo and I am one of the new Ambassador Coordinators for the 2017-2018 school year. I am currently in my third year but my journey in Columbus started about 10 years ago. I graduated high school from a small country school about 30 miles east of Columbus. I then found myself attending Auburn University for my undergraduate studies before eventually making my way back to Columbus and Ohio State. I hope that I have the opportunity to meet you at an interview day and tell you more about my journey and why I chose to come to Ohio State for pharmacy school. But for now, I want to tell you a little bit more about one of the largest events at the college, the Chili Cook-off.

 

For the past 20 years the college has been adding a little more spice to the mortar and pestle by hosting a competitive event for a good cause. Each organization within the college is encouraged to make a team and show off their culinary creativity by crafting a batch of chili and theme. What’s even better is that there are teams outside the college who come together to support the Chili Cook-off. I even ran in to an old high school friend that I hadn’t seen in years while he was helping his girlfriend, a nurse practitioner student, man her booth. This year some of the standout teams and themes were Phi Delta Chi’s Stranger Beans, SNPhA’s Chili with a Chance of Meatballs, the College of Pharmacy Residents’ Spice Jam, Kappa Psi’s The Chilionaires, Kappa Psi Pledges’ Beano 911, and a friend of mine’s Chili Joel to name a few. As always, the chilis this year were fantastic and featured some out of the box ingredients like ale, bleu cheese, exotic latin spices, pork, meatballs, and coffee. I unfortunately was unable to make myself try the approximately 30 chilis at this year’s cook-off but each one of them I did get to was absolutely delicious.

 

A panel of judges made up of students, professors, deans, and faculty was miraculously able to make it around to each chili to help decide which chilis were better than the rest.  Plus, each year there is always a people’s choice award for the crowd’s favorite chili. Here’s a list of this year’s winners:

  • Healthiest Chili—CPNP
  • Charitable Pharmacy Award—Spice Jam
  • College of Pharmacy Dean’s Choice—P1 Class of 2021
  • Spicy Chili Award—P1 Class of 2021
  • Mild Chili Award—Devin’s Grand Slam Chili
  • Vegetarian Chili Award—CPNP
  • Students’ Choice Award—P1 Class of 2021
  • Rusty Bucket Award—Devin’s Grand Slam Chili
  • Alumni Award—Bean There, Done That!
  • Nursing Award—Spice Jam
  • Best Table Award—Brenny’s Best Chili
  • Most Philanthropic Award—Bean There, Done That!
  • People’s Choice Award—The Chilionaires

Congrats to all the winners!!

 

The most important thing about this event is not all of the fun and creativity that goes in to creating a chili but in how much money is raised for a charity here in Central Ohio. This year, the beneficiary of the event was The Charitable Pharmacy of Central Ohio, a cause that is very near and dear to many people within the college. The Charitable Pharmacy is a gem located on Livingston Avenue that serves the underserved here in Franklin County and linking them to life saving medications and pharmacy services. As a student, I have had the great pleasure to volunteer at Charitable and serve my community through filling prescriptions. While the final donation tally is still being totaled we do know that the silent auction brought in $1,000. What is even more impressive is that The Charitable Pharmacy is able to turn that in to over $7,000 worth of prescription medications!

 

Unfortunately, the Chili Cook-Off is only one night each year but it is always a memorable one. I love that our college and the community comes together for a night of fun and charity. If you’re ever in town during the fall semester look to see if it’s the same weekend of the Chili Cook-Off! I promise you won’t be disappointed!

 

Until next time,

Chelsea

Student Government – IPC

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Over the past few years I have become involved in several student organizations but my involvement in Inter-Professional Council (IPC) has encouraged me to seek different leadership opportunities. Unlike many of the other student organizations, all pharmacy students are a part of IPC because it is the student government representing the six professional colleges on campus: Dentistry, Law, Medicine, Optometry, Pharmacy and Veterinary Medicine.  Each college elects 5 Senators, 1 Justice, and 1 Alternate to serve as IPC representatives.  I was nominated and elected in the spring of my P1 year but actually entered office in the fall of my P2 year.  As a Senator, I attend monthly IPC and biweekly university committee meetings at which I represent the College of Pharmacy and Inter-Professional Council respectively.  Through these meetings and responsibilities I have the opportunity to voice any concerns regarding IPC constituents as well as discuss changes occurring on a university level.

IPC hosts many events throughout the academic year such as Health Professionals Summit and Professional Development Fund.  The Health Professionals Summit is an annual event which invites speakers to present on specific topics influencing healthcare and the Professional Development Fund offers financial reimbursement for students to attend professional conferences or activities.  This year I am serving as IPC Service Committee Chair and organize our annual charity sports events.  In October we held our 10th Annual Charity Soccer Tournament and raised funds to support hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico through UNICEF. Excitingly, one of the pharmacy student teams walked away with the trophy this year, GO PHARMACY!!!! IPC also hosts several social events to encourage all inter-professional students to interact and have fun with activities such as laser tag or bowling.  Thanks to IPC, I have been able to meet and work with other professional students.

I never imagined I would be so involved in student government, however, IPC has been such a unique and great experience.  Through my positions in IPC, I continue to build skills and relationships every day.

Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any specific questions about student government or IPC.

-TaLeitha

varner.73@osu.edu