First 2 weeks of PY2

The first two weeks of PY2 have been a stressful test of the year to come. There have been lots of lecture, lots of organization responsibilities, and our first exam is already tomorrow!

But in the midst of all the work, there has been a lot of good times with great friends.

On the last day of summer was PY1 Orientation, where I was one of the many representing CAPS and all of its wonder. It was so nice seeing the new class, and introducing them to all of the organizations at the School.

That night was also the first Dose of Franklin! It was so much fun seeing everyone again after all summer apart; at the same time, it felt like there was never a break! It seems just like yesterday was my very first Dose.

Classes have been great so far; our therapy course right now is dermatology (which is what our test is tomorrow). It's exciting to go to work and waiting for someone to ask the pharmacist how to help treat their poison ivy symptoms (nerdy, I know). Next up! Diabetes. 

Phi Delta Chi rush has also been going on, and there are so many great potential pledges! I can't wait for bids to go out and the pinning ceremony this Friday! 

Until next time...

End-of-semester Wrap-Up/H-IPPE Orientation

I can't believe I never posted since March, but this semester was one of the toughest I have experienced. Last week was finals week, and there were 5 finals, 5 days in a row. Four of them were cumulative. It was the most intense week of my life, but I survived.

Final Report Card: 
Pharmaceutics 2 - A
Pharmacodynamics - A
Pharmaceutical Care Lab - A
Introduction to Therapy 1 - B
Biochemistry - B

Overall, I am very pleased! I finally figured out my study groove, and any B's I had were a painful 88%. I worked harder than I ever have before and it paid off! I am excited for next year when we are exposed to more medicinal chemistry and therapy.

My school positions for next year: 
APhA-ASP President/Liaison-Elect
Recruitment Ambassadors Program Secretary-Elect
Pre-Pharmacy Club Secretary

Another project I'll be working on this summer is writing a proposal to start a dual degree program with Masters in Public Health!

Today was also a big day! My Hospital Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (H-IPPE) orientation was today. We took a tour of the vast UNC Hospitals and became familiar with the expectations of the month. I feel so lucky to be rotating at UNC Hospitals. I hope that my classmates have the same great experience wherever they are in North Carolina. The class is spread out into various regions of the state, from Wilmington to Asheville. I will definitely update every day to account for my experience! Here is a list of things I will be exposed to:

-Investigational Drugs
-Transitions of Care (inpatient --> outpatient)
-Oncology Pharmacy
-Pediatric Pharmacy
-OR Satellite pharmacy
-Round with Resident (very excited about this!)
-Emergency Department (twice!)
-Drug Information and Medication Safety
-Special Formulations
-Decentral Pharmacist (twice!)
-Inpatient Pharmacist (twice!)
-Controlled Substances
-Sterile Products
-Administration
-Outpatient Pharmacy
-Pharmacy Support Services

We also have 2 projects. One New Drug presentation, and a special formulations assignment where we analyze a drug that is specially made in the pharmacies and if it's more feasible to buy it commercially.

Tomorrow is Investigational Drugs! Cheers to the month :)

Orientation Day #2/First Dose of Franklin

Second day of Orientation was on Friday and was much shorter (9AM-12:30PM). Met a lot more great fellow classmates :) I think my favorite part was listening to the presentation about "Getting Involved" from 2 school leaders. It both inspired and intimidated me; I'm not sure if I could ever follow in the footsteps of those guys!

Afterwards, I treated Errol to lunch for dropping me off/picking me up from both days of Orientation. Thank goodness for his GPS on his handy-dandy Droid because we can just type in what we're craving and it will lead us there. I was craving some pad thai noodles, so we were led to Thai Palace on Raleigh St.

It was very delicious! I had my usual (always try out the noodles every Thai restaurant I go to) with thai iced tea and Errol had some curry with rice noodles. Not the biggest fan of curry, so I didn't try his plate, but mine was so good! The portions weren't large; we finished both of our meals (which is very rare for me) and the prices were very reasonable.

That night was the first Dose of Franklin at The Library on Franklin St. The "Doses" are sponsored by Student Senate as a social/fundraiser ($3 cover before 11PM went to Senate). Beforehand, a fellow PY1, Errol, and I joined in on some pre-gaming with PY2's. Had some delicious shots and was introduced to the games, "Boom" and "Last Word".

The Library was a lot of fun! It was packed with fellow students and it seemed like I could approach anyone and just introduce myself. Had some Rx Shooters, Washington Apples, Apple Sauce, and another one I don't remember. But all were yummy! Met a lot of new people and hung out with ones I met at Orientation.

Overall, great day!

Orientation Day #1

I survived my 40-hour work schedule last week with only minor injuries to my sleep cycle. Woo!

Then, at the end of the week we had visitors from Michael (Errol's roommate for 3 years) and his girlfriend. They were visiting his grandparents in Burlington and stayed with us for 3 nights.

We spent those days exploring restaurants like Allen and Sons (best BBQ around, apparently). Carolina BBQ is supposedly a very serious discussion between Western and Eastern Carolina. East vs. West, tomato-based sauce vs. vinegar-based sauce, etc. etc. There are even historical books about Carolina BBQ! It's very important up here.

Then my roommate of 3 years, Stu,  joined us on Sunday on his way back from his summer internship in Rochester, NY. It was such a great reunion, even though he just stayed for a few hours! We went to Top of the Hill, which I like to compare to The Swamp in Gainesville. What's cool about Top of the Hill is that they brew their own beer! I don't like beer, but it was a cool site.

Literally at the same time Mike and Lauren left Tuesday morning, we received our final visitor! An adorable 9-month-old, pug-retriever named: Codeine.

It was my first experience taking care of a dog, and I must say it was a great one! It was just for 24 hours but I already miss him now that he's gone. He was potty-trained, didn't bite, didn't lick, and stayed where he was supposed to be (aka out of the bedroom). He was so great!

Having all of the visitors was perfect timing because I'm very impatient and it was good to have all of the wonderful distractions while waiting for Orientation.

Speeeeaking of Orientation (Day 1)...

It was a great day! Albeit long (10AM-5PM), it was a great first interaction with the PY1 class and older student organization leaders. At the end, there was an organization fair where I got to indulge in what all 14 groups had to offer. I'm so excited to get involved; I'm very, very ready!

Day 2 tomorrow will be shorter (9AM-2PM), but I'm just as excited!

Cheers!