Winter Vacation

So, you would think that 1st year pharmacy students would probably have an entire month separated from pharmacy right? Well, I personally have spent this break with a heightened sensitivity to anything remotely related to all the knowledge I stuffed into my head this past quarter.

We all still had general nervousness about recieving our first grades in pharm school. That translated to checking student portal every day to see whether our grades were posted and emailing each other the good or bad news. And it did not help that Schaffer, our PChem professor, did not post grades until 2 weeks into winter break. P2 students keep reminding us that grades do not really matter anymore. But since a lot of us have residencies on the back of our minds, we all strive to get at least a 3.5.

Another example is that I have a greater awareness to every single new prescription drug commercials that comes on. Whenever I hear about controlled release Ambien CR, see dancing nicorette gum pieces, or hear the selling point about the "only asthma medication that fights the inflammation and allergic reaction" (Advair diskus which has the generic name of Salmeterol/ Fluticasone). You know you are a nerd when you say in your head "I know why that is!" when you see the ad about why "only Pepcid Complete acts to fight heartburn immediately and throughout the night."

Also, starting interning in a retail pharmacy (Walgreens) really drills all those random facts from Clinical Pharmacy 111 into your head. The training site is actually different than the site where I would be working (all results of a centralized human resources department). My first week working was spent at the computer watching all the orientation videos and taking the online technician drill quizzes. This was an overview of HIPAA (Health Information Portability and Protection Act or something of that nature), DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) required paperwork to fill out for dispensing and keeping inventory of scheduled drugs. What I didn't expect were quizzes of what looked like information taken straight out of our pharmaceutical calculations quizzes: all the abbreviations used for prescription signia, factor analysis, etc. And obviously there were tests about matching brand and generic equivalent drugs.

I finished orienting myself with using their website "Storenet" which contains all the information about stock options, which you can't really take advantage of until after a year of employment. There were also retirement plans and other benefits listed, but that only is applicable after you become a full-time pharmacists. It was kind of cool how they gave out free drugs during Hurricane Katrina. Another area that caught my attention was the specialty pharmacy programs, diabetes, HIV, and infectious disease immunizations. I had no idea that Walgreens even provides home care, specifically only infusions in the east bay. Their Medicare Part D assistance program provides plans customized for each senior's health situation. The aspect that was particularly of interest to me was the scholarship information. Walgreens provides a few grand, that increases with each year that you are enrolled in pharmacy school, if you work as a registered pharmacist for the number of years that you recieve scholarship money. It is tempting but also a large commitment. My classmates and I were all thinking about this option, but it seems too early to make any decisions at this point.

I was bored during the last few days because I finished all the computer-based orientation and there wasn't really anyone watching over us, so I decided to read some other information on Charles Walgreens. He was Swedish and his last name was originally "Wahlgren." I just didn't realize that this multi-million dollar CEO was also a pharmacist who believed very much in promoting his profession. It's amazing how he built the retail pharmacy as we now know it today. He took out loans to increase the number of stores in Chicago in the 2o's, when Walgreens was originally known for their soda fountains and famous "malted milks." Back then, only 4% of their profits came from pharmacy. Now the restaurant services have been torn down, and over 50% of Walgreen's profits come from pharmacy. Walgreens tore down the shelves that blocked the view customers have inside the pharmacy because he caught a pharmacist drinking in the back on the job with female cosmeticians on his lap. Ouch.

Most pharmacies back then displayed glass bottles of powders, liquids, dyes, sweeteers. They were compounded and mixed in the pharmacy while now most of the compounding is standardized in manufacturing. Apparently, Walgreens still upholds its compounding traditions by still offering flavoring or alternate dosage form preps, but is much less likely to be conducted.