Students have their first immersion (pharmacy rotation) the summer after their PY1 year. They are placed in either a hospital (health system) or community pharmacy. For more information about our curriculum, click here.
Name: Ashlyn Norris
Year: PY2 (Class of 2019)
Where was your immersion located?
Morrisville, NC: Morrisville Pharmacy and Compounding
How did you prepare for your immersion experience?
There was not too much to do to prepare for the community rotation prior to my first day. Once I started I had to go through all of the trainings for the computer systems and medication review systems that the pharmacy used. I also had to familiarize myself with all of the OTC medications that were available and where to find them in the store as patients came in with questions or requesting certain medications.
What was a typical day like?
A typical day at the pharmacy as a Student Intern started off by checking the fax machine for prescriptions, refill request, D/C orders, hospital discharge summaries, etc. I would then enter and process the prescriptions and refill requests and give them to the technicians to fill. I would then update patients profiles with any medication changes and upload any labs or discharge papers. After all of the paper work was taken care of I would work on conducting Complete Medication Reviews for the pharmacy’s patients. This involved comparing the fill history for a patient to a new discharge summary or medication list from their provider. I would then call the patients and providers and go over any medication concerns or discrepancies that I found and update their profile with our conclusions. Throughout the day I would also answer the phone and speak to any patient that had questions.
What did you like about your rotation?
I had a lot of freedom to initiate projects as I saw fit in the pharmacy, which I really enjoyed. I was able to completely renovate the Pharmacy’s OTC selection and reorganize them based on their specific patients needs. The pharmacy served many diabetic patients so I was able to reorganize their diabetic supply area to make it easier to see what was there and what needed to be ordered, while also making it easier for technicians who may not be as familiar with the supplies able to find what they needed. I was also able to create a How to Store Insulin sheet to give to patients and caregivers on the proper storage technique for all of their different types of insulin.