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).
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