Being a pharmacy student has trained me to make use of every effort to achieve excellence in my classes and other daily activities. Over the past years, I believe that I have developed and became a well-educated person considering my continuous involvement in school. I spent hours reviewing chemistry, one experience that made me decide to pursue a career as a pharmacist. In Pharmacy school, it can be extremely challenging and overwhelming; however there are few measures to take leading to a less demanding experience. I have considered some important things that I have learned along the way in my years as a pharmacy student. I trust that it is never too late putting up any of these simple steps to use, and certainly some can be useful to the other phases of one’s life. First, is to know your professor.
It is vital to remember that professors are there to help you even in discussing career options, time management, and learn about pharmacy related interest they have cited during the lecture. You can count on them for advice and support. Second, is to understand early on what study approach works best for you, and do not try to use systems that worked for your classmates thinking that you would get similar outcomes.
Third, learn time management, as it is essential to understand what classes require the most time and plan a scheme that would allow you to give that time where it is demanded. Fourth, do not allow failure to stop you. This is one of the most valuable steps you should learn since everybody will experience failure but it is just a matter of handling it that will make the difference. Last, Do not lose sight of why you want to be a pharmacist.
In the process, you could get overwhelmed or burnt-out and would feel you want to give up. Every stress and sleepless nights will be worth itwhen you come to apply that learning to use and when you come to see the influence that you hold on a patient’s health. Learning about handling medication errors and communication are one of the most important experiences to be considered: 1) pressure to be perfect, 2) feel comfortable to talk about mistakes, 3) accepting and disclosing responsibility for errors, 4) understanding that procedures can influence errors and their prevention, and 5) training in handling medication errors are inadequate and unreliable. It shows that pharmacy students encounter incomplete and inconsistent interaction to the function of communication in medication errors and in their prevention. The APPE rotations’ are like job interviews where everyone is observing what you do and how you work as a student. It is a bit weird thinking about it, but it is the reality and perhaps I would come up with something logical to achieve success in my APPE rotations, such as a) proper attire, b) time management is essential, c) equip yourself with a thorough knowledge of your topic and understand it, while expecting in depth questions may arise.
You will learn so much from APPE and will also have the opportunity to ask questions to gain insight and knowledge from your preceptor and from the healthcare team. Being a pharmacy student, I will be introduced to the concepts of what is necessary from a pharmacist relative to strong interpersonal skills, respect to patients’ needs and principles, concerns to patients, legal and ethical problems, knowledge of guiding principles and government involvements. A successful pharmacist is focused and has the ability to pay attention to details, must be trained to think critically and creatively and must have substantial knowledge of drugs and must work continually to keep abreast. Each prescription should be served filled with the proper drug and offer advice to patients regarding some information that they need to know.
A degree in pharmacy aims to assimilate scientific, clinical and professional expertise with communication skills that will provide competence to graduates in order to contribute successfully as a pharmacist.
