June 24, 2010

Finley is getting declawed tomorrow morning and I am slightly stressing out.  While his claws are killer, I feel so bad for making him go through unnecessary pain.  He will stay overnight at the vet and come home with bandaged paws if they are still bleeding (they are just taking out the front claws).  I am glad I work tomorrow night so I am not home to think about the poor little guy recovering from the surgery.  Here are a few updated pics of the fella- he is growing fast.  Last week he was 4.4 lbs (up from 3.4 lbs 2 weeks prior).

Hi favorite game is settlers- we are only missing 1 piece to date though…

He thinks he is more important than mac…

just takin’ a nap

again- finley thinks he is more important than mac… always looking for attention!

Oshkosh, WI June 22, 2010

This weekend we were able to escape to Oshkosh (Jeff’s hometown) to celebrate his grandparent’s 60th wedding anniversary.  We arrived late Friday night and went to bed within a few hours of arriving.  Saturday morning the whole house (there were 8 of us sleeping there) was up early preparing for a day out on the pontoon.  We drove to Waupaca (to the Chain of Lakes) and loaded up the boat with more coolers than people and headed out for a fun-filled day on the boat.  The color of the water there was incredible.  It seriously felt like we were in the Caribbean- the water was green-ish blue and just beautiful.  The sun went away after about an hour into our trip, so most of the day was cloudy.  I still had a great time talking to Jeff”s aunt, uncle and grandparents while Jeff was fishing off the side of the boat.  After driving back home and getting ready for dinner we headed to Oshkosh Country Club for a celebratory dinner.  I ordered the best steak I have ever had (thanks for the suggestion Gail) and ate every last bite.

We each went around and said our favorite memory of his grandparents or something we admire about them.  Being the shy person that I am, I wasn’t very comfortable at speaking in front of everyone and waited for the majority of the group to say their words.  As each person spoke I became more and more emotional and finally when it was my turn I only got a few words out.  I couldn’t stop my emotions and the tears started to trickle.  After having some time to reflect on the evening I have 2 explainations: 1. I was trying to slam my cosmo AFAP (as fast as possible) to build some confidence for the speech which must have just enhanced my emotions instead. 2. As people spoke about what a wonderful couple Mavis and Floyd are and how they were everyone at the tables role models for what love should be- I realized how much I want to live a life like theirs.  This made me tear up even more, at which point I realized that I never had grandparents who modeled love for each other; and the tears continued.

Jeff has all 4 grandparents still alive and healthy.  I only have 1 who fortunately still lives alone but has had many health-related obstacles to overcome.  At the age of 1 I lost my 2nd grandparent, 17 I lost my 3rd and 22 I lost my step-grandma.  I’ve never had a “grandpa + grandma”- it’s just been either a grandpa or a grandma.  I was not priveledged to grow up with a set of grandparents and I think my emotions reflected that thought.  It was a rough night.

We spent sunday boating around Oshkosh and the sun was out which was great.  I got a chance to talk to Alyssa about her wedding plans which was a lot of fun- her wedding is 9/4 and I am very much looking forward to it!  We then packed our bags and drove the 4 hours back to Mpls just in time for our kickball game.

I love our weekend trips ot Oshkosh.  I am so forunate to have Jeff’s family in my life and be able to create so many memories with them.  We always have such a great time- whether it’s boating, card games or going out to dinner I always find myself having a blast.  We are going back for the 4th of July and I am already counting down the days.

Workin’ for $ June 15, 2010

I am scheduled to work at Shoreview Target tomorrow (not my home store, nor have I ever worked there) from 8:30-5…and I am actually really excited!  I have 6 shifts up there in the next 9 days– so it seems like a mini rotation but I actually get to make money.  I am sure that sounds absolutely absurd to anyone who actually has a job, but after paying over $100/day to “work” at my rotation sites, being paid that much is something I’ve been missing! I also just got a $1 raise, so I am even more anxious for a paycheck. Now I’ve just got to find my target name tag, iron my khakis, dig a red shirt out of my closet and slip on my new danskos!

Despite being excited- I will be putting in a lot more hours than I am used to…I work W, M, T, W, H, F, Su and then the next day I start my first rotation- my acute care (the most difficult) at Fairview U of M.  yikes.  Then its M-F unti I graduate of working for free, then comes the real cash. thank god.

New Shoes! June 14, 2010

I splurged and bought some new kicks today- introducing Dansko’s professional black cabrio’s! (the picture shows more of a brown color- but mine are black)  I did my research and finally settled on these bad boys.  They are the most expensive shoes I have ever bought (next to my Dr. Martens I bought in 7th grade) but hopefully worth it.  A lof of people highly recommend these shoes for people who stand on their feet all day so I decided to give them a try.  I already have been walking around the house in them and slapped on a fresh coat of beeswax for waterproofing.  I am working a shift at target on wednesday- so I get to try them out for an 8 hour standing shift!

Rotation zero: Cub Pharmacy IPPE

I was able to spend 3 weeks with Jason Varin at Cub Pharmacy in Chanhassen,MN.  The amount of time I actually spent in the Pharmacy was about 10 days…each day being 6-7 hours.  Some people have commented that I am not getting what I paid for/I am cheating the system but I completely disagree.  We are expected to put in 8 hour days (40 hr week) at each site- however my preceptor at this site was a little more flexible.  While I did not meet my hour requirement, I am convinced that I got more out of the time that I spent with Jason than I would had I been at any other site and fulfilled my hour requirements.

My first week of rotations actually started on a Tuesday, which I spent all day at the MPhA office (Minnesota Pharmacist’s Association).  We did some calling around to pharmacists in MN to see if they wanted to join MPhA.  (p.s. I never want to have a job which requires me to call people and ask for money- definitely not my thing).  Then later that evening we went to Pharmacy Night (hosted by MPhA) that just happened to be in Roseville.  It was a great evening with delicious food, excellent speakers and good company.  Our “lecture” was on T2DM which was a great refresher for my first day of rotations.  Then on Wednesday, instead of reporting to Cub (my preceptor wasn’t working that day), I attended the MPhA meeting at HCMC.  I was able to go on a tour (lead by one of their residents- who also happens to be my fraternity brother Craig) and see their facility.  The entire pharmacy operation was simply amazing.  One part of their pharmacy that really stuck out to me was the HIV pharmacy.  It was a very small private pharmacy that wasn’t even labeled as such.  This allowed HIV+ patients to simply walk up to a unmarked door and pick up their prescriptions.  There was a little waiting area and counseling area in the room.  The pharmacy was staffed by 2 technicians and 1 pharmacist.  The pharmacist said he worked M-F, 8-5 and loved his job- I could totally see why.  Great hours- small staff (easy to manage) and patients who truely need help.  He also had plenty of time to counsel his patients- which is something I find to be very valuable.

Anyway- enough rambling about HCMC.  The next day- and all of the days following was spent in Cub.  In Jason’s store- there is only one employee- the pharmacist.  No techs.  This was a new concept to me, but I did enjoy being able to run the pharmacy the way you want it.  I was on rotation with one of my classmates (Katie K.) and we chose to do a project to promote Zostavax.  It was pretty simple/easy to throw together but I did learn some things about the vaccine.  My days were spent talking directly to my pharmacist about topics ranging from drug information to self preservation.  He is truly an amazing pharmacist and preceptor.  He gave some great advice to me that I will definitely take with me.

Advice: get plenty of sleep- it will keep you healthy and sane.  invest in shoes- your feet will love you (*bought new dansko’s today).  get to know your patients-it keeps your job interesting and the business steady. keep updated on pharmacy information- new drugs come out daily and guidelines change…the pharmacists job is to provide optimal care for their patients.

Other things I learned: i really appreciate low volume pharmacies.  the patients knew the 2 staff pharmacists by name and were confused as to why there were extra people (Katie and I) behind the counter.  target’s technology sucks- supervalu/cub is far ahead of target in their computer system which makes the job of a pharmacist 10x easier.  i will apply to supervalu/cub pharmacy next year for a job.  mtm has it’s place in retail pharmacy.  i was able to sit in on 3 mtm appointments with supervalu pharmacists and it was inspiring to see the patient’s reactions to the program.  all of the patients had never had an mtm appointment before and they were simply amazed at the service.  i was amazed at how many simple questions the patients had- that really could only be answered by a pharmacist.  GO PHARMACY!

I think that is all for now.  I really took a lot from my rotation with Jason…even if I didn’t completely meet my hour requirements.  To be able to have your preceptors attention 99% of the time is something very rare.  And to only fill 100 prescriptions in the 2.5 weeks I was at the store is pretty remarkable (p.s. I actually volunteered to help out in filling so we could talk some more about various therapies).

Hello blog world!

I have decided to start a blog to keep track of my life events.  I am embarking on a year of rotations (a.k.a. free labor) before I am officially a pharmacist which allows me a lot of time to contemplate my career choices.  My 9 rotations (1 down, 8 to go) will give me a wide variety of experiences and hopefully allow me to narrow my focus within pharmacy.  Warning: I will probably blog about Finley just as much as I do about pharmacy.  I am sorry- I have become a cat person.  oops.