Hi all!

For this post, I thought it would be fun to give you an inside look into what life as a pharmacy student is like. Obviously, it varies for everyone, and it even varies weekly for me, but I wanted to give you at least some insight! Since next week is Spring Break for us, this is actually what my week looked like 2 weeks ago!

Some things to know: I work every other weekend at Nationwide Children’s Hospital (so one of the major differences for my classmates is that some work during the week and hardly at all on weekends), and I am a P2 (different years will have varying class schedules).

The biggest thing I hope you take away—work-life balance is not only attainable but is very important!

Sunday: I had a fairly lazy morning consisting of a short run, long breakfast, light studying and church until I went to work from 2-10:30 pm at Children’s!

Monday:

Workout 7-7:40

Class: The focus this module is on infectious diseases!

8:30-9:30: we had a lecture on Community Acquired Pneumonia from a specialist at the Wexner Medical Center

10-11:20: We had a lecture on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of antibiotics

11:30-12:30: This is our professional hour! You can get lunch or engage in a student organization meeting—for me, I had a meeting.

12:30-1:30: Small Group Session where we applied what we had learned in our PK and PD sessions

1:30-2:30: We had a free hour to study/grab a snack/etc while the rest of our class did their own small group session

2:30-3:30: We had a lecture on Urinary Tract Infections

Home: My family got a new puppy on Sunday so I got to head home to Westerville to meet her and have dinner with my family! After, I went back to my Grandview apartment to do a little studying and watch the Bachelor with my roommates!

Tuesday: I have lab on Tuesdays, which means half a day of class!

Lab: 8:30-10:45 (usually it goes until 11:20 but I got out early)! We worked on a patient disease management encounter and SOAP note (Subjective, Objective, Assessment and Plan–it’s progress note detailing a patient encounter) for it as well as a review activity from one of our previous lab courses.

Home: I got home and went for a run outside (yay for sunshine and warm weather!) ate lunch and relaxed for a bit.

1-5:30pm: I worked updating my notes and started to study for our upcoming exam and workshops!

After studying I watched Netflix, ate dinner and then went to bible study to end the night!

Wednesday: This was definitely one of my busiest days! We have class and I take an elective!

5:40-6:40 am: Workout! A good workout is one of the best ways to start a long day!

6:45-8am: I got ready for class, ate breakfast and relaxed before heading to class!

Class:

8:30-10am: Our instructor had prepared a lecture to watch ahead of time so class was spent reviewing the high points and doing several patient cases on community acquire pneumonia and hospital acquired pneumonia.

10-11:20am: We had a small group session on Acute Otitis Media (ear infections) and Urinary Tract Infections where we went over patient cases and specific questions we may encounter both in practice and in the exam.

11:30-12:30pm: Professional hour again! I had an e-board meeting for Pharmacy Council today during this time.

12:30-3:45pm: We had the afternoon off due to small group sessions so I met up with a few of my good friends from class, chatted and did a little studying.

3:45pm-5pm: This is the timeslot for my leadership elective (it’s wonderful and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested).

6-7:45pm: I normally would have headed home but one of the organizations I am a part of, Student Society of Health Systems Pharmacists, had an event with dinner and networking with residents and pharmacists to gain insights into credentialing and privileging as well as the residency process.

Home: I finally headed home for the night where I polished off a pint of ice cream, did a little studying and watched a TV show with my roommates before heading to bed!

Thursday:

7-8am: I got up and got ready for class, had breakfast and did a little last-minute studying before my quiz in workshop.

Class: Today is my workshop today—this is essentially small group session for 3 hours in the morning for me!

8:30-9: This part of workshop is dedicated to iRAT/tRAT (individual and team quizzes) over content covered in class.

9-11:20: We worked on patient cases in our assigned teams and went through the answers we chose as a class—this was over the same material our iRAT/tRAT was on (Pneumonia—community, hospital and ventilator acquired).

11:30-12:30: Professional hour again! I had a student organization meeting today where we got lunch and had a panel of pharmacy technicians come in and talk about what makes a good pharmacist from their point of view, as well as the new technician licensure laws.

Home:

1-2pm: I got in my daily workout!

2-7:30pm: I did some studying—primarily organizing my notes for our upcoming exam on Monday, made a Target run and had dinner.

7:30-10pm: Time to relax! I watched TV and had a glass of wine with my roommate before calling it a night.

Friday:

Class:

8:30-10: We had a review session for our exam on Monday with several of our professors and practice questions

10-11:30: I went to the RPAC (one of OSU’s fantastic fitness facilities) for a long and relaxing workout

11:30-12:30: Professional Hour! But I don’t actually have a meeting today, so I got to get lunch with friends!

12:30-2:30: This is our lab lecture timeslot. This week we had a quiz and did an activity to prepare for our lab practical next week.

Home:

3-5:15: I baked banana bread, and got ready to go out with friends for the night

5:30-to the end of the night: One of my student organizations, SSHP, had an inter-professional social at Pint House with free appetizers, and after we headed to the IPC social itself (IPC hosts social events throughout the year for all the inter-professional schools)!

Saturday: Today was a pretty relaxed day. I woke up later, worked out, had a big breakfast and watched Netflix most of the morning and early afternoon. Later in the afternoon I started to study for our exam on Monday with my roommates, and a couple of classmates came over to join us! Overall it was a productive but relaxing day.

I hope this gives you a better look into what life is like as a P2! If you have any questions feel free to reach out!

Cassie

Overall health and wellness is of great importance especially in the life of a professional student. As Pharmacy students, we are faced with the day to day stressors and difficulties that come with pursuing a career as a health professional. In addition to daily class attendance and participation, we have many outside of class assignment, rotations, internships. OH MY! It can get overwhelming quickly and you have to make sure to find healthy and safe outlets to relieve some of the stress. Otherwise, things could go downhill very quickly!

So what are some healthy and safe ways to relieve the stress? Why I’m so glad you asked! Well my new found favorite thing to do is going to the gym! I know I know, I’m late to the game but guys trust me going to the gym is AWESOME! The Ohio State University boasts of many amazing fitness centers. My favorite and perhaps the largest being the Recreation and physical activity center (RPAC). This gym is more than just a gym. It is a place of reflection; Where the stress and sorrows of pharmacology and therapeutics combined with Pharmaco-kinetics just fade away in a pile of sweat.

All jokes aside, living a non-sedentary life is very important. As students, most of our time is spent sitting down in lecture halls. The benefits of being physically active outweigh just the simple stress relief, it promotes strong cardiovascular health as well as overall well-being.

Granted everyday may not be a successful gym day, and on those days, I find other outlets to de-stress such as listening to some music or even catching up on some of my Netflix shows. No matter what kind of day it is, just take it in stride. One day at a time. Find what works for you and do your best and just watch the rest will take care of itself! Remember that you are a powerful and fierce being and you have to take great care of yourself before you can take care of anyone else.

Hello everyone!

It’s hard to believe that we’ve reached the end of February. It seems like last week the semester was just starting. But, with the end of February brings the beginning of March which means one thing—midterms.

Now I don’t know about you, but midterms are probably one of my least favorite times of the year. We’re stuck somewhere between winter and spring and the joy of Spring Break is looming around the corner. When you add in the stress of exams, project deadlines, and due dates to the weather it’s just an odd time of the year. But, fret not, we can and we will get through it! Here are a few of my tips for getting through midterms.

1. Make a study plan
   • Your planner is your best friend. If you don’t have one, find one or utilize calendar apps. The most important thing you can do is to plan out a method of attack to help you tackle your to-do list. While the bulk of your plan may include study, project, or writing time don’t forget to give yourself some time off to recover. Which takes me to my second tip. . .

1. Make time for yourself
   • After a long day of studying nothing feels better than finally being able to take a break. Go out to dinner with your friends, play trivia, catch a movie with your bestie, or play with a dog. Whatever lets you hit the reset button in your brain make time for it. While it may be a little rough getting through it, your mental health is more important than any due date.

1. Hit the gym
   • Last week I went to one of my friend’s Circuit Cycle classes for the first time with a few of my friends. We spent a whole hour cross training spinning bikes and free weights and the only thing I could think about was what move I had to do next. I had absolutely no time to think about the things I had to complete on the weekend or the upcoming week and it was magical. I may not have been able to walk for the rest of the week but I felt so refreshed and powerful after. If the gym and group fitness isn’t your thing no problem. Take an hour to go outside for a run or stroll around your neighborhood. The main thing is that you’re taking time for yourself and moving.
     1. P.S. If you’re wondering who my instructor friend is it is no other than Victoria one of the other Ambassador Coordinators. Also, if you’re ever short on inspiration check out her fitness Instagram page @thefitpharmd

4. Eat well
   • I’m not going to lie—I have a tendency to go straight to Chipotle or Chick-fil-a when I’m stressed. But, try and limit your comfort food as much as you can. One of my favorite healthy and quick meals is a salad. If you’re in a bind on what to make here’s my favorite Balsamic Strawberry Chicken Salad. Marinate your chicken breast in balsamic vinegar for a few hours in the refrigerator (tastes better if you let is marinate overnight but any time is better than no time) and then grill and cut in small pieces. Place chicken over a bed of spring mix, goat cheese, quartered strawberries, and poppy seed dressing. Not only is it delicious but it’s a nice peppy reminder that we’re almost to spring!

4. Catch some zzzzzz
   • I can’t stress this one enough. Being able to sleep is imperative to being able to succeed. It’s actually been shown that those driving after not getting adequate sleep is equivalent to driving impaired. I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t want to go in to an exam when I’m not my best because I know that’s when I’m prone to making silly mistakes. It might be hard but try to bank at least 8 hours every night.

I hope my tips help get you to your final destination of Spring Break! I’m anxiously awaiting the end of all of my deadlines and exams so I can relax on my Bahamian cruise. You’ve got this and best of luck through midterms!!

Chelsea

IPPE (Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience) and APPE (Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience) are a huge part of pharmacy school.  They provide real world opportunities to learn, grow, and complement the academic material we learn in the classroom.

IPPE includes all curriculum pharmacy experiences from the first to third year of pharmacy school. These experiences can vary between students based on site, preceptor, and activity but I will share a little about my experiences.  During my first year I completed 50 hours at Target community pharmacy (right before they became CVS pharmacy).  At the time, I interned at Kroger pharmacy, so this was a chance to learn about a different community site, system, and workflow. My preceptor reviewed and categorized the entire OTC section, which I really appreciated because a lot of questions from customers or patients are about OTC medications.  I also completed a geriatric IPPE rotation which was very unique and memorable.  For this experience, four of my classmates and I visited an independent senior living community once per week throughout a semester.  We played card games, attended facility sponsored events, and completed medication reviews. The goal of this rotation was to improve our skills and comfortability interacting with the geriatric population.  As a second-year pharmacy student, I completed 40 hours of hospital pharmacy experience at OSU Ross Heart Hospital.  Paired with another student, I participated in multidisciplinary rounds, drug information questions, and clinical trial data reviews.  By the end, I had a better understanding of hospital pharmacy and how to communicate within a healthcare team.  I also completed 20 hours of medication reconciliation at OSU Ross Heart Hospital during the summer. I learned the importance of interviewing patients, calling pharmacies to obtain an accurate list of medication, and being detailed.  This process can be challenging when the patient is unable to confirm their medications, they use multiple pharmacies to fill their prescriptions, or they have complicated medication regimens.  At the beginning of my third year, I completed 20 hours of ambulatory care experience at OSU Total Health and Wellness Clinic.  I spent time shadowing my preceptor during patient appointments as well as counseling patients on topics such as diabetes, hypertension, and tobacco cessation.  Later in the semester I completed 40 hours with pharmacists at Riverside Methodist Hospital in various areas: cardiology, emergency medicine, hospice, palliative care, intensive care, and neurological critical care.   Collectively, these experiences have given me an idea of what to expect for APPE.

APPE makes up the fourth year of pharmacy school with 9 monthly rotations.  Those 9 rotations include: 2 hospital, 2 community, 1 ambulatory care, 2 patient care, and 2 elective.  Faculty, preceptors, and previous students are available to help guide students through this process as it can be overwhelming given the many types of rotations available.  The scheduling of these monthly rotations is mostly done via a computer-generated match system based on individual student rank lists.  Rotations that do not use the match system require a separate application.  When ranking rotations, there are many things to consider such as: location, career goals, finances, etc.  I am currently anxiously awaiting my APPE schedule, however, based on the rotation sites that OSU has to offer, I know I will learn wherever I go. 

 – TaLeitha

Hi Everyone!

Did you know that PharmD students take elective courses? Usually, these are within the field of pharmacy (The College here offers a TON! Check out our course catalogue at pharmacy.osu.edu), but they don’t have to be! Electives can be taken within a specific focus area and can count towards programs called “Graduate Minors” or “Graduate Interdisciplinary Specializations.”

You can check out the full list here (https://gradsch.osu.edu/degree-options), but a few popular ones among College of Pharmacy students are Global Health, Obesity Sciences, and Aging Populations.

I’m personally interested in a future career in academia, so I’m pursuing the “College Teaching and Learning” Specialization. I have absolutely loved getting to take courses from several different colleges within our University and to diversify my PharmD education by completing a unique set of electives.

One of these courses was “Problem Solving in STEM Education” – a class offered by College of Education and Human Ecology. During this class, I learned a great deal about how to effectively teach problem solving skills in math and science. I was also provided the opportunity to collaborate with other graduate students from outside of the healthcare field. The perspectives of students from outside of my own program really encouraged me to consider pharmacy education in a different way. I know that down the road I will be a better educator within pharmacy academia as a result of branching out across campus and learning from those of different professional backgrounds from mine.

I would encourage every student to consider a Graduate Minor or a Graduate Interdisciplinary Specialization! The opportunity to meet other graduate and professional students and learn from their unique backgrounds and perspectives is invaluable. With such a wide range of options available, I am sure there is a program that can meet your needs!

If you have any additional questions about these programs, or want to hear more about my experiences in teaching & academia, send me an email at Williams.4020@osu.edu.

Happy Studying!

Victoria

Hi Everyone!

This week I wanted to talk module based curriculum! Why? Well, it’s slightly different than the traditional course work that most of us (if not all) experienced in undergrad, and it is how the PharmD program is taught at Ohio State!

When I say the traditional curriculum, I am referring to taking multiple classes and subjects at once, for the entirety of a semester. For example, you may take a medicinal chemistry class, a pharmaceutical calculations class, a pathophysiology class, a lab and have your introductory pharmacy practice experience (IPPE) all at the same time (courses varying by semester and year). And often, the subject matters in each class will vary widely from each other. This may mean multiple exams in multiples classes in a week, and a lot of balancing in regards to different course material and studying time. This is widely done, and was used by Ohio State for many years, as well as many other Colleges of Pharmacy.

However, in 2016 (for the class of 2020—that’s me!), the College began teaching a module based curriculum—something that I feel has been beneficial to my learning and pharmacy practice experience, despite having previously done my undergraduate studies on the traditional style.

In module based learning, you focus on one class at a time, and the lab and IPPE compliment what you are learning in class. For example, as a P1, one of the major themes of the year was community based pharmacy. This meant that at the beginning of the year in class we learned about patient counseling, pharmacy law and more, in lab we learned how to take prescriptions over the phone, check prescriptions that would be filled in a community pharmacy, and that our IPPEs were focused on the community setting. P2 and P3 years are where you learn about the majority of your therapeutics. In module based, you walk through one disease state at a time. At the beginning of this year (I am a P2), we started with Cardiology, and learned the medicinal chemistry, therapeutics, pharmacology, and more regarding disease states involving the heart. Having such an all-encompassing view of the disease state made all of the content relevant and easier to tie together and understand.

Hopefully this gives you a little more insight into what exactly module based learning is and how beneficial it can be to your learning and understanding of content! I have personally found it to be incredibly helpful and find that it relieves a lot of stress as you are only studying for one or two classes at a time and can truly devote your understanding to it, rather than trying to juggle multiple different classes at once and getting less out of each.

Please feel free to reach out to me if you have further questions about the curriculum or anything related to the College of Pharmacy!

Cassie

Hi all! I hope all is well since my last blog post. If you’re reading this from anywhere in the Midwest or east coast I hope the snow hasn’t dampened your spirit too much. But hey, at least you have a great excuse to drink as much coffee, tea, or hot chocolate as you want! I wanted to let you all know about a unique intern opportunity we have here at Ohio State. We have one of four active Medication Therapy Management Telehealth centers for SinfoniaRx, a Tabula Rasa HealthCare company. As an intern at the Medication Management Program you have the opportunity to impact the lives of people across the entire country. One of the nice things with this position is that as you progress through the PharmD program you get more responsibilities and can counsel on more disease states including hypertension, osteoporosis, COPD and asthma, diabetes, and chronic heart failure to name a few. This is one of the only jobs where you can learn about a drug or disease state in class and start counseling on it the exact same day. I also really enjoy getting to work with a variety of students who are at different levels in their schooling. MMP employs over 100 students as both technicians and interns! While students are a large driving force of the MMP there are also full-time and part-time technicians and pharmacists who work there. My team has some great undergraduate technicians who are eager to learn more about different disease states and medications. My pharmacist lets me to spend time with those individuals to help explain what is happening with the drug or the condition which in turn helps me learn it better. You honestly do get paid to learn in this job.

As I mentioned earlier we have the opportunity to contact thousands of patients across the country with this job. One of my favorite success stories I have as an intern at the MMP is an encounter I had while checking on a member’s diabetes. I knew they take insulin and I wanted to check in to see if they were having any issues with their blood sugars dropping too low. As I continued chatting with them I learned that they were in fact having episodes of low sugars and that they were using insulin because they thought it was going to help their sugars go back up. In that moment, I was then able to properly counsel them on what would be best to get their sugars back up. I then proceeded to tell them what their insulin was actually doing in their body and how it was helping the diabetes. At the end, they were so grateful because no one had taken the time to explain how everything worked and why they were using insulin. I can honestly say that interning here has helped elevate my counseling and patient interviewing skills. Once here, if you are still interested be sure to look out for an information session at the college during one of our hiring periods! You can also reach out to our Career Services Office here at the college. If you would like any more information about SinfoniaRx and the national impact it has feel free to check out the website at https://sinfoniarx.com.

Good luck this semester and here’s to hoping the groundhog doesn’t see his shadow in a few weeks!

Chelsea

Happy New Year! Winter break went by entirely too fast, but I am ready for spring semester.  I am a third-year pharmacy student getting ready for APPE rotations beginning this summer, so this is my last semester of classes (bittersweet)! Although spring semester officially begins today, I have spent the last few days preparing to jump right back into the swing of things.  Here is a daily breakdown of my schedule for this week:

Monday: No classes on Mondays! However, that does not completely mean I have the day off.  I am spending this day to finish preparing for the new semester by filling in my planner with exam, meeting, and other important days; reviewing class syllabi; and planning service events for the next few months.

4:00pm – 8:00pm Riverside Methodist Hospital medication reconciliation work shift

Tuesday:

8:00am – 11:20am Lecture 1 (Pharmacology and Therapeutics)

11:30am – 12:30pm Professional Hour (lunch break) – APhA general body meeting

12:40pm – 4:30pm Lecture 2 and 3 (Law and Management)

5:30pm – 6:30pm IPC Service committee meeting to plan a new event introducing high school students to all the professional degree programs offered at OSU.

8:00pm – 10:00pm Study/Review

Wednesday:

8:30am – 11:20am Workshop (Pharmacology and Therapeutics)

11:30am – 12:30pm Professional Hour – Phi Delta Chi pharmacy fraternity meeting

12:30pm – 2:30pm Study/Review

3:00pm – 5:00pm Council of Academic Affairs meeting to review University proposal changes

5:45pm – 6:35pm Cardio Kickboxing group fitness class at the RPAC

8:00pm – 10:00pm Study/Review

Thursday:

8:00am – 11:20am Lecture 1 (Pharmacology and Therapeutics)

11:30am – 12:30pm Professional Hour (lunch break) – CPFI general body meeting

12:40pm – 4:30 Lecture 2 and 3 (Management and IPPE)

5:20pm – 6:20pm Circuit Cycle group fitness at the RPAC

8:00pm – 10:00pm Study/Review

Friday: No classes on Friday!

8:00am – 1:00pm IPPE (Community Pharmacy- Walgreens)

4:00pm – 6:00pm Study/Review

7:30pm – 9:00pm IPC Senator social

Saturday:

2:30pm – 11:00pm Riverside Methodist Hospital work shift

Sunday:

1:30pm – 2:30pm Basic Life Support- CPR training

4:00pm – 6:00pm Phi Delta Chi pharmacy fraternity event

My first week back this semester is filled with classes, meetings, internship work shifts, etc. My schedule can be overwhelming, but I still have free time to relax, workout, enjoy a good movie (or a few) and spend time with friends for a healthy life balance.

Best,

TaLeitha

Varner.73@osu.edu

It’s early December, and you know what that means…. Finals Week!! All across campus, students are preparing for exams before enjoying a well-deserved break. As lectures wind down, finals week activities are ramping up! The University and the College of Pharmacy are hosting a variety of events to ensure students finish the semester strong. Here’s a glimpse at a few:

1. Extended library hours: all across campus libraries are opening earlier and closing later!
   1. Did you know we have our own pharmacy library in addition to the health sciences library shared with our other Colleges?
2. Reading Day: Reading Day takes place between the last day of lecture and the first day of finals week. It’s scheduled time by the University for students to study, prepare, and recharge before the final push to the end of the year. From sun-up to sun-down, there are a variety of things taking place this day to aid in student studying like…
   1. Free Breakfast at the Ohio Union – eggs and bacon! YUM!
   2. Special Group Fitness Classes at the campus rec center, the RPAC
   3. Therapy dogs in libraries across campus
   4. Mindfulness sessions with Counseling and Consultation Services
   5. Rejuvenation sessions with folks from Aveda Hair Salon and Spa
3. End-of-The-Year Celebrations
   1. Healthy Potluck by the College of Pharmacy Wellness Ambassadors
   2. Yoga with the Student National Pharmacists Association (SNPhA)
   3. Annual College of Pharmacy canned food drive
   4. Cookie decorating social with the American society of Consulting Pharmacists (ASCP)
   5. And more!

As you can see, Finals Week is pretty busy for pharmacy students here at OSU, but it’s not all about the books! This is actually one of my favorite weeks of the year because we have no lecture to attend, only a handful of exams to study for, and there are opportunities to take fun study breaks in a variety of ways!

Best of luck to everyone studying for exams! Enjoy a safe and happy holiday season!

-Victoria