Research as a Pharmacy Student

Hello Everyone!

I hope everyone is doing well. During the interview day panels, one topic that was frequently brought up was research opportunities. There are many ways to find a research project that is suitable for you. The career services at the college is a great resource, especially as a starting point. Internships are also a great resource.

Currently, I am an intern at Nationwide Children’s Outpatient Pharmacy. Through my internship, multiple research projects are offered with pharmacists in various clinics throughout the hospital. The research projects usually start at the beginning of summer, so that students have sufficient time to complete projects. However, if the research project isn’t completed during the summer, the timeline can be extended.

Along with a fellow P3, I’m currently working on a Quality Improvement Project focused on increasing pneumococcal vaccination rates in Cystic Fibrosis patients seen at Nationwide Children. Although I had no research experience, I felt comfortable with the level of difficulty of the project—including designing a workflow map, a key driver, an algorithm, data collection, etc. It is important that you constantly communicate/ meet with your preceptor to help guide you throughout the different parts of the project.

A lot of the faculty members within the college have projects available as well—another great resource. If there is a project you are interested in working on with a faculty member, there are receptive to opening that opportunity to students—send them an e-mail expressing interest in-order to open that line of communication.

There are various types of research projects, in addition to traditional research. These projects are also provide great opportunities to present at conferences such as OPA (a local conference) and Mid-year (a nation-wide conference). Hope this was helpful in providing information about getting involved with research. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me at Nageye.1@osu.edu

Organization Spotlight- SNPhA

Coming in as P1, it may seem a bit overwhelming to find which organization (s) to join. This week’s post will highlight another student organization: Student National Pharmacists Association (SNPhA).

 

What is SNPhA?

SNPhA is the student affiliate of the National Pharmaceutical Association (NPhA), a pharmacy association that is dedicated to representing the views and ideas of minority pharmacists on critical issues affecting healthcare and pharmacy; as well as advancing the standards of pharmaceutical care among all practitioners.

 

SNPhA’s Mission

SNPhA is an educational service association of pharmacy students who are concerned about pharmacy, health care related issues, and the poor minority representation in pharmacy. The purpose of SNPhA is to plan, organize, coordinate, and execute programs geared toward the improvement of the health, educational, and social environment of the community.

 

SNPhA OSU Chapter:

SNPhA provides a unique opportunity for future pharmacists to make a lasting impact in the community. With 8 relevant health initiatives and a team of dedicated student pharmacists who all share a passion to serve and educate underrepresented communities, SNPhA continuously impacts the lives of over 100,000 patients on a national level each year. Becoming a part of the SNPhA family provides students with ample opportunities for networking, scholarships and collaboration with student pharmacists from all over the nation who share the same drive to make a difference in the lives of those who may not have adequate healthcare access otherwise. Membership includes biweekly general body meetings with some of the most dedicated and enthusiastic healthcare providers, discounted rates to regional and national meetings, leadership development, opportunities for scholarships and many more. Not only will you grow within this organization and find your passion to serve, but you will also find that in SNPhA, we are family.

 

Member Opportunities
– Community service involvement
– Leadership development
– Rotation at the SNPhA National Office
– Networking opportunities
– Advancement into the NPhA organization
– Career opportunities/guidance
– More than $130,000 in scholarships/awards
– SNPhA Scholarship
– Walmart-SNPhA Scholarship
– NPhA Foundation-Kroger Co. Scholarship
– Walgreens-SNPhA Scholarship
– Rite Aid-NPhA Scholarship
– Target-SNPhA Scholarship

P1 PharmD Curriculum and Study Tips

Hi everyone!

What I really appreciate about how the PharmD program at OSU teaches students is its employment of a module-based curriculum. This is a little different from how coursework was traditionally set up in undergrad, where you took multiple courses at once throughout the whole semester.  What you’re probably used to is simultaneously taking 4-5 courses a semester—which most likely differs in subject matter and having to take multiple exams in one week.

However, the module-based curriculum consists of coursework set up in blocks—where for a certain period of time, you will only focus on one class at a time consisting of weekly or bi-weekly exams. In P1 (first year), your first week starts off with a transition course that’ll be your stepping stone into integrating the professional PharmD curriculum. The next few weeks will be a course on pharmacy administration, the U.S healthcare system, and pharmacy law along with the corresponding lab and IPPE (part-time professional pharmacy experience based on coursework). The subject matter for each block of coursework varies, but essentially the same model is employed.

A normal week for a P1 student will consist of a morning portion of class starting at 8:30-11:20am and an afternoon portion from 12:30pm-3:30pm (later or earlier) every day of the week. Mondays and Wednesdays are reserved for lab and/or workshop; you are assigned a morning or afternoon lab. Wednesdays are especially unique because that is the when workshop takes place—a smaller class size to help reinforce content learned throughout the week. If you are assigned a Monday morning lab, then your afternoon can be reserved for your IPPE—which consists of geriatric and community pharmacy experiences. Having a schedule designed as such, could mean a half-day of class or no class on Mondays. Although this seems like free-time, it is wise to schedule this time to study course-work—as it can be easy to fall behind on lectures if you don’t keep up.

Keep in mind, the gaps in your schedule do not necessarily mean that you have this time to do nothing, it’s the time you should be using to study. Setting up a study schedule is really crucial to your success in the PharmD program throughout your time here—especially with the amount of content presented in a single lecture. This fast-pace nature of content presentation is a one of the key differences between coursework in undergrad and a professional program. This might sound like an exaggeration but trying to survive without a calendar or planner will be a tough. It is central to keeping track of deadlines and most importantly, making time to study. Find somewhere that works for you, sometimes all it takes to get started and to actually have a successful study session is the environment—some of my usual spots include the Health Sciences Library, Biological Sciences/ Pharmacy Library, or Starbucks near campus. It is also helpful to create a study group—everyone exhibits varying strengths in their knowledge base, which is helpful in learning content in a different manner. Also, don’t hesitate to make friends in the classes ahead of you (P2, P3) and ask for study tips for different professors.

Most importantly; with all that studying, don’t forget to take a break. Eat a snack, watch a YouTube video, whatever it takes for your mind to rest before you have to start studying again. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Lastly, remember to have fun! Go Bucks!

Commuting to Parks Hall

Hi everyone!

 

As an ambassador, a question that we often receive is about commuting to campus. For those students who commute, it can be a challenge to know how to get to campus or where to park on campus. For students living at University Village, a shuttle is accessible using their residence ID. The shuttle runs Monday-Friday 7am- 7pm during the daytime schedule, 7pm-10pm during the evening schedule—every 30 minutes, and Saturday-Sunday  10am-5pm.

 

For students that commuting from elsewhere, there are parking permits available. A popular selection is the Student C-Central Campus surface lot parking permit for graduate-level students. This is an annual permit, eligible from Aug 1- July 31st, currently priced at $363.96—with a monthly proration of $30.33. Most students with the C-lot pass park at the stadium, with off-peak access to other spaces. The stadium Is about a 8-10 minute walk to Parks Hall.

 

Another permit option is the CXC- Buckeye Lot Surface Parking permit. Similar to the Central Campus permit, the buckeye lot permit is an annual pass from Aug 1- July 31st currently priced at $128.28—with a monthly proration of $10.69. In addition, the buckeye lot also offers off-peak access to other spaces. The buckeye lot Is further, but campus buses are available from the lot to Parks Hall. There are more options available, but these are the most common among pharmacy students.