In the past two weeks, we had the pleasure to get to know about the different organizations in the College of Pharmacy, coupled with lots of free lunches (thank you upperclassmen who coordinate them for us :D). Here are the list of organizations I would like to join:

1. Kappa Psi: Kappa Psi is a pharmaceutical fraternity that is the oldest and largest in the nation. I like its emphasis on the fellowship, sobriety, and leadership. Leadership is an area I want to improve on, and I get to do it with Big Brothers!

2. Hope Clinic: Hope Clinic is a student-run organization that provides care for the homeless population in Duluth Downtown. During the orientation this Saturday, we pharmacy students learned to take blood pressure using a stethoscope, met medical students who share the same goal of getting an early exposure to patient interaction and interprofessional care. We also had a chance to sit down at lunch and talk to the patients who visit the center, which was wonderful because we got to know them and hear their stories.

3. MPSA: MPSA is an “umbrella” organization that encompasses a wide range of national organizations that provide leadership and networking opportunities. Last Thursday, a group of upperclassmen representatives came and gave us a “mini” talk on each organization, speed-dating style. 😀 Here are some of them:

-NCPA (National Community Pharmacists Association) : Independent and community pharmacy organization to learn about business plan and opportunities to provide cheaper medication to underserved population.

-ASCP (American Society of Consultant Pharmacists) : After our field trip to the senior center at Hibbing, I came to appreciate the fact that the elders have close relationships with their pharmacists. I would like to explore more about working in the nursing home and hospice care.

-IPSF (International Pharmaceutical Student Federation) : This is an international organization where we have opportunities to travel to places like Switzerland and Netherlands to attend classes and learn about the worldwide health care system. We could shadow pharmacists in the region to see how different their daily life is from the pharmacists in the US. This is a good opportunity to become a well-rounded pharmacist who are knowledgable of different options and perspectives in the health care system.

4. MPSO: Multicultural organization because I want to get to know my classmates from different backgrounds.

My choices have no common theme and are kind of all over the places. BUT that’s the perk of being a PD1: we have unlimited options and we are free to explore many different areas of becoming the pharmacist.  As I progress into the year, I hope to familiarize myself with more meetings, conferences, and community experiences, and come to something that I genuinely like and feel connected to. But for now, I am SO excited for all the possibilities that is the life of a to-be-pharmacist.!

PD1 Duluth on Flannel Friday

Over my first 5 days of my Emergency Medicine rotation I have seen quite a few things.

Some of the more gory things I have watched an ED physician do include:
– relocating a dislocated kneecap,
– realignment of shattered wrist bones under sedation

Some of the more scary things I have seen:
– Cardiac arrest
– Intubation
– Anaphylaxis

…..Seeing anaphylaxis in real life was scary.  Knowing that something like a simple bee sting, peanut butter, or seafood can cause a reaction like the one I saw today is alarming.  Knowing that some medications can cause this reaction makes me even more determined to identify and avoid patient drug allergies.

As a pharmacy student, I have been taught the importance of asking about drug allergies, but never has it seemed so important as it did to me when I saw anaphylaxis occurring in real life, in front of me.

So what IS anaphylaxis, and how can it be treated before getting emergency medical care?

Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening allergic reaction in which the body goes into a state of shock, making it hard to breath.  If severe enough, the patient has to be intubated and put on a respirator to breath.  People with known allergies may carry around an Epi-Pen, for those times when they accidentally come into contact with an allergen.

These Epi-Pens deliver a dose of medication that help to open up the airway so the patient can breath better, giving them ample time to get to a hospital for further care.  They are to be injected into the thigh of a person undergoing an allergic reaction, even though the person’s clothing!  If you know somebody with a history of an allergic reaction, encourage them to get an Epi-Pen, and learn how to help them use it if in case they are unable to.

And to all my future Pharmers out there, make sure you ask for drug allergies!  I wouldn’t want to be responsible for causing an anaphylactic reaction, especially after seeing one in real life.

My last year of classes has begun! It has gone incredibly fast, but I am so excited to finish coursework and get out into practice.

What does a 2^nd/3rd year pharmacy student do during their summer break?

This summer (being possibly my last summer ever!?) was quite amazing. I started my summer off with my IPPE (Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience) a three week rotation at United Hospital in Saint Paul. I had the most amazing experience shadowing a different pharmacist in nearly every area of practice every day, conducting a huge research project as part of my safety project, working on various other projects,  and one of the coolest experiences of my life was watching an open heart/aortic valve replacement literally right in front of me (geeking out)!!! I was lucky enough to have one of our Duluth counterparts Kauchee on rotation with me which made it extra enjoyable! A special thanks to Dr. Mandt and the entire Pharmacy Dept. at United hospital!

My project and presentation!

Kauchee and I with our preceptor.

Only about a week after my rotation we were back at United Hospital…. For the birth of our baby girl!

After that the rest of summer was spent working at the hospital (with Dustin/fellow blogger!) before ending summer with a family vacation back to Colorado and California (of course Disneyland!).

Yeah, that’s Mcqueen.

Go Broncos!

We got back just in time to start this next semester. Third year should be full of fun activities, professional meetings, and classes!

Until next time!

Today will be my third day in the ER.  You are probably wondering why I am posting this at 11:30 am….well my hours are a bit different than other rotations.  Since the Emergency Room sees the most traffic during the evening hours, most of my days start at 1pm and end at 9:30 pm.  I welcome this change of pace from other rotations, where getting up early is common.  I also appreciate the fact that I am there during the most eventful times, so I have the most opportunities to learn!

Day 1 and 2 were very eventful, and I got to see a number of different critical patients being cared for.  A number of patients required intubation, so I have gotten very familiar with Rapid Sequence Intubation (RSI), and the role of the Pharmacist in these situations.

During a RSI At Mercy Hospital, the pharmacist is in charge of the medications needed to sedate and paralyze the patient for intubation.  All of these medications are dosed based on weight, so the pharmacist has to be sure to know the dosing and be able to calculate things quickly.  There are a few options for sedation and paralyzation that should be selected according to the patient’s reason for needing intubation, lab values, and other medical conditions.  The pharmacist will help the physician to select the most appropriate medication, draw up the correct dose, and pass it along to the ER nurses for administration.

The pharmacists in this situation also ensure that the medications are given in the correct order:  so the patient is sedated BEFORE they are paralyzed for intubation.  Once the patient is paralyzed, they cannot communicate in any way that they are still awake and feeling pain or discomfort, so it is important to make sure the patient is sedated before administering paralytics.

Mercy Hospital is a Level II trauma center, and received this designation in 2010.  This means they have 24 hour care for patients, among other things.  Here is a link to their webpage with a video describing what needed to be done to gain this Level II status:

http://www.allinahealth.org/ahs/news.nsf/newspage/LevelTwoACS

Im excited to continue learning about the roles of Pharmacists in Critical Care!

Thanks for reading!

– Heather

Today, the day after Labor Day, is the infamous “back-to-school” day for many.

For ME, it is the first of such days in about 20 YEARS that I will NOT be spending in a classroom, reading through syllabi and getting nervous about the requirements needed to pass each class.  WOOOHOOO!!!!

Today I start a new rotation, an elective rotation in the Emergency Room at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids, MN.  What do Emergency Room Pharmacists do?  Well I am about to find out!!

I became interested in this area of pharmacy last year, while doing my Institutional IPPE at Mercy Hospital Inpatient Pharmacy.  I spent half a day with Kim, an ER Pharmacist, and saw how all sorts of patients are treated upon arrival in the ER, including two heart attack patients, a stroke victim, and a dislocated shoulder.  Kim’s ability to anticipate and provide medications to these patients in an emergency situation inspired me to want to learn more.  I am happy to say she will be my preceptor for the next five weeks!

Stay tuned for updates on Pharmacy in the Emergency Room!

On Saturday, a couple of my classmates and I went to the Minnesota State Fair in Minneapolis. The drive from Duluth is about two and a half hours, and it went by quickly as we listened to Taylor Swift on the radio and anticipated on what fried pickles would taste like !

What do I want? Dilemma...

When we arrived, we parked our cars about 30 minutes away from the state fair and took the shuttle bus operated by the state. It was a convenient service as it reduced the traffic and time spent on looking for a parking spot.

Sunny day

First thing I noticed was an array of food vendors with different colors, fonts, signs. A crowd of people were eating, walking, and enjoying the sun. We bought tickets to go on a ride and play arcade games.  My friend Daniel could not stop screaming on a rollercoster that was designed for kids around age 10-12. This was definitely not the Daniel I saw in class, initiating class discussions and helping me understand Library Resources. 🙂 We could throw darts, balls, and rings. My friend Wilson wanted to win a Minion as a prize. Through his fervent throwing of the rings, I found out that he really likes the Despicable Me.

Fried pickles with chocolate 🙂

Fried pickles had an interesting texture to them. The outer coat is crunchy, and the inner part, a regular pickle, is juicy. With the addition of chocolate, it is sour and sweet. Next time, I want to try them with the Ranch sauce!

Alpaca, my new favorite animal.

Bacon ice cream. Yum. We shared root bear ice cream, battered potatoes, a turkey leg, fried fruits and olives, and lots of cookies. They were all very delicious. At the end of the day, we were full of the vitamin D from the sun as well.

Wilson, Jay, SyHui, Daniel, me, James, and Peter

Coming from Chicago, I always wondered what Minnesota would be like in terms of food and demographics. I would come again next year to re-experience the scene.  All in all, I am rejuvenated enough to delve into the classes starting on September 9th!