The Class of 2014

May signals an exciting time for the pharmacy program here at PCOM. This month, our inaugural pharmacy class finishes the didactic portion of their curriculum and will head off to start their rotations. I am so excited for them and so very proud. To celebrate their big accomplishment I wanted to share a few memories I have had with them over the last few years.

I still remember the very first time I stepped into PCOM. It was early fall and I was deep in the middle of my undergrad career. I had RSVP'd to an open house event and when I left my house that evening to go to the school I really had no idea what to expect. That night, as I toured the campus and listened to presentations from faculty, I began to feel like I had already made my pharmacy school choice. And though I learned a lot about how great the school was that night, the thing that really sold me was my interactions with the student ambassadors. All the students I met that night were part of the inaugural class and I have to say, it was really because of them that I chose to make this school my home. Their excitement and deep sense of community permeated the campus and I knew this was where I wanted to start my pharmacy career. 

When I was in my first year of pharmacy school I knew I wanted to get involved with improving and building up our program but not having any real leadership background I didn't know quite where to start. The class of 2014 showed my the way starting with their encouragement to become a student ambassador. That was the path that eventually lead to be able to start this blog. I can also remember that year when a member of their class came to our classroom to talk about his role on the faculty's Curriculum Committee. Up until that point, I didn't know that such a position was even available. With some his guidance I was able to step up into the position and it's enabled me to really make an impact in our program.

When I started in the lab last summer I was totally lost. I had never done research before and I needed a lot of help to learn all the proper techniques and procedures. Dr. Wang's other research assistant Mei stepped up and spent all summer training me to carry on with research after she left the lab to start her third year. It was because of her hard work, along with Dr. Wang's, that I feel so confident in my abilities now. 

In addition to big impacts the class has had on me, I still think a lot about the little things. The laughs, the advice and the encouragement they shared with me went a long way toward making my time at PCOM really special. I am going to miss my friends as they move forward in their rotations but I could not be any happier for them. 

Thank you all for all you've done for your school and for your fellow students.

And congratulations!!!!

Katie

Social Events

It goes without saying that pharmacy students know how to work hard, but sometimes we have to take time to let our hair down. That being said, we take our social events seriously, and work hard to make them a lot of fun. Today I wanted to share with you pictures from some of the events we've had over the past few weeks.

These first pictures are from our beautiful formal! There was a great turnout from our pharmacy, DO and biomedical programs. I had such a great time dressing up and hitting the dance floor with my classmates. We also had a tasty dinner and a great view of the aquarium's biggest attractions. A big thanks to the students who put the event together, because it was definitely a night to remember. I can't wait to see how we top it next year!

Some of our third year students enjoying a last night out before High Stakes exams began!

These gorgeous photos are courtesy of Abhishek Achar (shown above, left).

Next up are some photos from our Second Annual Easter Egg Hunt. You may think egg hunts are just for kids, but you haven't experienced how entertaining it is to chase down candy filled eggs with your friends and  professors. This year, students won prizes like gift cards, pharmacy t-shirts and gift baskets. There was perfect weather outside as Georgia begins to warm up for the spring.  All of the money raised from ticket sales went to a good cause as well.

She may or may not have laid that egg.

Much thanks to Jis Joseph for the pictures of the Egg Hunt!

Katie

Under the Sea

Hey guys!

This whole week has been a busy one for all of us here at PCOM. In addition to planning for the health fair I talked about in my last post, we have all been getting ready for formal. Every year the student council members from each program get together and plan a formal for all of the classes to enjoy. This year it will be in the Georgia Aquarium Ballroom! Our aquarium is one of my favorite places in the world and I am thrilled we're having the formal there. The ballroom opens up to two exhibits, the Ocean Voyager exhibit and the Beluga Whale habitat. The belugas are my favorite!

Here are some photos from one of my trips to the aquarium over the years:

We've also been busy planning for next year. Over the last few weeks we have had elections for many of our clubs and organizations. I've had many friends run for positions and it's always great to see my classmates getting involved. It's always been really great seeing so many of our first year students taking on leadership positions. As I move begin to wrap up this year, I'm glad to see that our newest class wants to be just as involved as I have been. I know they will do a great job with their new positions.

Good luck to them all!

Katie

Health Fair

This week at PCOM we are starting to gear up for our school's first official health fair. It will be at Rhodes Jordan Park in Lawrenceville, Georgia and will be staffed by our student volunteers. Our students have volunteered at many other health fairs but it's exciting to be planning one of our own. We've been working with the rest of the school to have students from all of our programs chip in so it will be a great tool to bring us all together as a school and help our community.

Some of the activities we have planned will focus on diabetes self-care, blood pressure monitoring, healthy eating, smoking cessation and immunizations. 

It will be a great opportunity for our students to fine tune their communication skills and to apply the information they've learned in classes all while improving the quality of life for people in our community. 

Here is a picture from a community event we did last year at a local elementary school.

I went with small group of students to the school and we were able to do a interactive presentation to classes of third graders on what being a pharmacist meant. They were so excited and it was so much fun!

Katie

Spring Break

Hey guys,

It's spring break A.K.A. "study break" here at PCOM and that means everyone's been taking a break to relax and recharge. I've had a great few days off and I wanted to take a few minutes to talk about some of the fun things we're doing for a break this year.

Georgia State Parks

Georgia is full of great parks and outdoors attractions if you love exploring nature. This month my good friend Will Brown and his girlfriend Courtney took these great photos of Tallulah Gorge. The next weekend I went camping and hiking there and it was a great cheap (and therefore student friendly) get away that we'll be repeating more this school year and summer.

Will and Courtney enjoying the views.

If you consider yourself more of a beach person than a mountain person we have a cure for that too. Savannah and Tybee Island are not too far away for a weekend getaway. Savannah is famous for it's St. Patrick's day celebrations but can be a lot of fun all year long. This spring break I decided to instead to go Pensacola, Florida. It's about a five hour drive from campus and is the beach is absolutely breathtaking. 

Here is a view of the sunrise from our hotel room:

And finally if you are most interested in city life, downtown Atlanta is only a half an hour away. This month there have been countless activities going on from concerts to arts and crafts shows to anime conventions. There is really something fun for everyone. 

And now it's time for me to get back to the grind and study for my Infectious Disease test. Hope you all have a great week!

Katie

Opportunities in Pharmacy Today

One of the things I love most about pharmacy is how diverse pharmacists' option are when it comes to pursuing their passions. There are so many different areas of pharmacy that pharmacists can head into. I wanted to tell you about some of the jobs that most people never hear about before they start school but are great opportunities for an aspiring PharmD to consider. 

Clinical Pharmacy: 

Clinical Pharmacists work in hospitals all across the nation. They work hand in hand with physicians, nurses, PAs and other healthcare professionals to care for patients. These pharmacists go on daily rounds in the hospital and evaluate patient's medication therapy. Often these patients need constant dose adjustments and medication changes and these pharmacists make sure the patient's medication needs are correctly being met. In many hospitals they are directly responsible for dosing and monitoring certain medications that can be dangerous to the patient if not done correctly. 

Managed Care Pharmacy:

Managed care is a great area for someone who loves pharmacy but also has a good mind for business. Managed care pharmacists review patient data, preform drug utilization reviews (reviews of appropriateness of medications and drug therapy), preform and review medication cost analysis studies, and often design patient care offerings for insurance companies.

Academia:

If education is your passion there are a lot of amazing opportunities in pharmacy. At PCOM our Pharmacy Practice professors work both at our school, teaching classes, and also at separate sites doing direct patient care. The students then often go to their sites on rotations and the teachers act as preceptors to the sites. It's a great opportunity to help shape a whole new generation of pharmacists. 

There are so many great opportunities for pharmacists in Georgia today. The head of the Georgia DEA and Georgia Poison Control are both pharmacists and there are countless places where pharmacists may find interesting, exciting work. If you have more questions just start doing research! You'll be amazed how many areas of pharmacy are open to you.

Katie

VIP Day

I wanted to update my last post with some pictures from GPhA VIP day at the Georgia Capitol.

These beautiful photos are all courtesy of my friend and fellow P2 Jis Joseph. Thank you Jis!

Can't wait for next year!

Katie