So…it’s been a while! But, to be fair, my last rotation ended on October 31, and I haven’t been on rotations since. I get back to it on January 2 at a psychiatric ambulatory care site, which I’m looking forward to. So what exactly have I been doing since then…?
- I started a job with Fry’s pharmacy! I did the bulk of my training in November, which included a week of computer work, and then 80 hours of in-pharmacy training. Now, I’m working 12 hours a week until rotations begin again, and then most likely 8 hours/week after that. This is my first real experience with community pharmacy as an employee, which is crazy since I’m a fourth year student. But, it’s better late than never. My favorite part of the job is counseling patients. It’s amazing how much I remember (and don’t remember) about certain medications. This also gives me a reason to go back into lexicomp and pull up specific counseling points for different drugs, especially the ones that keep coming up. For example…
Antibiotics in General (most of them)…
- Each dose should be taken with food to increase absorption and decrease GI upset (which is the main side effect)
- Take entire prescription (even if you feel better)
- Talk to your doctor if your condition worsens or dose not improve upon completing the prescription
- Can decrease the effectiveness of birth control (Use back up form of contraception to be safe)
- The pharmacist at my training store also emphasized having yogurt included in the patient’s diet while on antibiotics (but not within 2 hours of the medication). This is to help with digestion.
- For tetracyclines specifically – no dairy, vitamins, antacids 1 hour before and 2 hours after the medication.
Steroids in General…
o Take with food
o Can increase blood glucose (so careful in patients with diabetes)
o Can cause water retention, but this goes away after the course of treatment
o Can make people moody
o Can cause early morning insomnia
o If patient becomes puffy, then PCP needs to be called
Beta Blockers…
o Can cause dizziness
o Can cause coldness of the hands and feet
o Can cause water retention
Ace Inhibitors…
o Can cause dizziness
o Take with food
o Can cause the dry cough
o Need to get potassium checks
Pain Medications in General…
o Can cause dizziness and drowsiness
o NO alcohol due to additive effects
o Can cause constipation (so offer ideas on some OTC products to help with this, encourage increased fiber in diet)
o For combination products, watch the Tylenol intake
I also had to do ProAir a few times…
o Go over how to use an inhaler (prime it – 4 test sprays into the air before the first time of use or if it hasn’t been used in over 2 weeks). When using the inhaler, exhale first, and then inhale deeply while pushing down the inhaler and hold your breath for 10 seconds. Wait 60 seconds between puffs.
o If also using this with another inhaler, use your proair (albuterol) first, so it opens up your lungs. This will make the other inhaler more effective.
I’m sure I’ll be asked to counsel on a lot of other meds, but that will come with time. I also sent in my immunization certification from APhA to the state board of pharmacy. I think this will make it official for me to start giving immunizations at Fry’s! My least favorite part of community pharmacy has to be all the insurance claims – this is the part that makes me shy away from the community setting. It becomes more about who owes who money rather than patient care at times. Other than that, it’s the perfect part-time job for now J.
- I’ve been busy preparing for residency applications. Everyone now a days is encouraging students to apply to about 12 programs, since it’s become so competitive, so that’s exactly how many I’m applying to! At this point, I’ve got my letter of recommendation writers lined up, my CV updated, and a table with specifics for each program/when things are due. Now, all I have to do is actually apply! I was hoping to get everything done by the 17th, but we’ll see how that goes. I made my finalized list after attending Midyear – which really pushed me towards some programs, and made me eliminate others. I would highly recommend anyone fourth year student who wants to do a residency to go. It’s worth it! And it was in New Orleans this year, which was a blast.
- In addition to absolutely loving pharmacy, I love to dance! My sister, myself, and four of our friends founded UofA Om Shanti, which is University of Arizona’s Bollywood Dance Team in 2008. Since then, we’ve competed in competitions in LA, Berkeley, and New York…plus do tons of local performances. Just last month we won first place in New York, which qualifies us for the BIG competition called “Bollywood America,” which is coming up in a few months. I’ve also been busy with this since my break began on October 31st.
I should have more rotations-related posts about what I’m learning once I start again in January. Until then, I’ll have summaries on what I read in all the pharmacy journals I need to catch up on!
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