It's Official...

I'm a pharmacist! Since one of my last posts in May, I have passed both of the pharmacy boards and got licensed to practice pharmacy in the state of Alabama. Words truly cannot express how accomplished I felt the day I went to meet with the ALBOP (Alabama Board of Pharmacy) to get my license. The day I graduated with my Doctorate in Pharmacy was an amazing amazing day and was also a huge accomplishment, but it means nothing without being licensed to practice.

I went straight to work the next two days after I got my license and was left alone to manage the pharmacy. When the other pharmacist left for the first time, I felt a slight panic within, but I kept my cool. I survived and more importantly the pharmacy survived while under my watch.  :) When I came home from work the second day, I looked at Adam and said "I love my job already!"  I'm so excited to finally get started in my career...doing what I do to help others and actually make a little money while doing so!
 

What's Next??? Boards. Job. Vacay.

Now that I am done with school, the real studying begins!  Over the next few weeks, I will do the most important studying for the 2 most important tests I will ever take.  I will be taking the boards to become a pharmacist. One test is the national test and one is the Alabama law test. Sadly, going to school for 8 years and getting a doctorate is only half of the story.  My degree is pretty much useless without passing my tests. $700 later, I have applied to take the 2 tests. And $300 more later, I have applied to the ALBOP (Alabama Board of Pharmacy) to get my license to practice pharmacy...once I have passed my tests. Someone forgot to tell me about this $ part! I thought I was done with paying for school! I nearly died when I realized how much it was going to cost to get my license assuming I pass the tests the first time. But as the saying goes, it is what it is.

Once I pass boards, I will be a licensed pharmacist at the Wal-Mart in Pell City, Alabama.  I have interned with Wal-Mart for 3 years in my hometown and was fortunate to get a pharmacist job at a different store close to Clay County. I will continue to work between now and licensure as a Post-grad Intern then transition into the pharmacist position.  I look forward to starting work at my new store soon!

During the hiring process, I made sure there was one thing that needed to get cleared before things went any further...a one week vacation planned for the end of June!!! Adam and I are taking a little trip back down to the Caribbean to ~JAMAICA~ for our 1 year anniversary and my graduation trip (and hopefully celebratory trip for passing the boards)! We enjoyed our honeymoon so much and said we would "come back" next year. So, we are!  We are getting excited!

Life is changing so quickly these days. Pray for me as I am studying, starting my job, and adapting to life without school. I'm thrilled about starting this new season of life.

PHARMACY SCHOOL GRADUATION

I don't even know where to begin. The road to and through pharmacy school has been a long but worthwhile one. While I was sitting there on the coliseum floor waiting to officially graduate and get my hard-earned doctoral degree hood, I couldn't help but to reminisce about all the experiences I had encountered throughout life that helped me get to where I was at that moment. I thought about all the people in my life that have done nothing short of encourage me, listen to me gripe and whine, and love me through it all. I thought mostly of my parent's honesty, financial and loving support. I thought of Adam who was ever so patient with me while studying and stressing almost daily throughout pharmacy school and especially during our first year of marriage, my last year of pharmacy school. There were so many others who prayed for me and also encouraged me throughout it all that also crossed my mind. I couldn't have done it without each and every person and I am so thankful for those who helped make my journey a success!

So, after 8 long years...I am happy more than proud, honored, and excited to say I am finally done with school!!! I have earned a PharmD degree which is a Doctor of Pharmacy. (Yep! I'm a doctor!) Strange and exciting! I am a double Auburn Alum which I, of course, LOVE! War Eagle! Auburn has been my second home for nearly a 1/3 of my life and for the last 8 years. I have been in school for 21 of 26 years of my life so I think it would be an understatement to say it's going to be weird to not be a student in school! It's going to be a new way of life, a new chapter, a new season that I am very excited to begin! At this point, however, I think I should be honest and admit that I might probably will be going back to school to get my MBA. I know. I'm crazy! More school. But I love school (obviously) and I love to learn. More on that in the future. I hope to become a triple Auburn Alum one day. I think its safe to say Auburn will always have my heart! :)

Graduation day was a wonderful! I was surrounded with the people I love most to help me celebrate! And of course, we took plenty of pictures to capture it! Here are a few! Enjoy! And War Eagle!

Everyone.

My family.

Adam's family

My aunt and uncle.

My grandmother.

PLATFORM & PRAYERS

I have briefly mentioned "PLATFORM" before in a previous post, but I will now devote a whole post to it and for my begging of your prayers...

Below is a script of what I believe might be going on in your head.

"What in the world is a platform?"
A platform is a presentation/project required during the 4th year of pharmacy school...similar to a dissertation or publication in other doctoral programs. I will be completing this in the very near future, October 26th to be exact. It is a 35-40 minute presentation to faculty/preceptors and other P4 pharmacy students. During the 4th year, we each choose a topic and present a clinical question related to that topic. The presentation entails answering the clinical question by presenting background information on the topic and by presenting primary literature (i.e. studies and trials) to support our answer and/or recommendation. Once the presentation is over, the floor is open for those in the audience to ask questions.

"So, what is your topic and why'd you choose it?"
I chose Therapeutic Hypothermia and my clinical question is "Is Therapeutic Hypothermia Efficacious in Patients After Cardiac Arrest?" It's a pretty interesting concept if you would like to read about it HERE. I chose this topic because having always had an interest in the central nervous system and psychology, it really caught my attention and I thought it was fascinating when I saw it performed on a patient while on my last rotation.

"So, what's the big deal? Prayers?"
YES. PLEASE. I need lots of them. This is by far the most important presentation I've ever given. Over the next 3 years weeks, I will completely be consumed with this presentation and worry! Specifically, I would like to ask you to pray...

1) For God to continue to bless me with knowledge and the ability to learn.

2) For patience while I continue my research and put together the powerpoint presentation.

3) For motivation over the next 3 weeks.

4) For my worries to subside.

5) For me to do the best of my ability in all aspects of this project, beginning to end.

6) For feelings of calmness on presentation day.

7) For my nervous energy to be turned into positive, confident energy on presentation day.

8) For me to answer the questions accurately and with confidence.

9) For me to keep my composure and to use what knowledge I have to rationalize through the answers to those questions I don't immediately know the answer.

10) And lastly, for Adam...for his patience when dealing with me over the next few weeks. =)

Praying for these things may seem silly to some. Over the last few weeks, I've realized through the needs of some of the people at our church that I'm pretty blessed if a school project is my biggest "worry." Education is far from the most important thing in life, but school is something that consumes me now and has for almost 8 years. I have invested many years, a lot of money, and even made a few sacrifices along the way. I'm so close to finishing this chapter in my life and this presentation is one of the last steps! Thank you in advance for the prayers!

A Day In the Life...

A Day in the Life of a Pharmacist.

WARNING: This post may be painful for those in the profession to read.

While many topics have been covered here, and you have been provided with ample evidence of how drugstore workday life does indeed warp the mind, the question of why it took 2 hours for you to get 20 Vicodin has remained unanswered. I offer the following prescription scenario:

You come to the counter. I am on the phone with a drunk dude who wants the phone number to the grocery store next door. After I instruct him on the virtues of 411, you tell me your doctor was to phone in your prescription to me. Your doctor hasn't, and you're unwilling to wait until he does. Being in a generous mood, I call your doctors office and am put on hold for 5 minutes, then informed that your prescription was phoned in to my competitor on the other side of town. Phoning the competitor, I am immediately put on hold for 5 minutes before speaking to a clerk, who puts me back on hold to wait for the pharmacist. Your prescription is then transferred to me, and now I have to get the 2 phone calls that have been put on hold while this was being done. Now I return to the counter to ask if we've ever filled prescriptions for you before. For some reason, you think that "for you" means "for your cousin" and you answer my question with a "yes", whereupon I go the computer and see you are not on file.

The phone rings.

You have left to do something very important, such as browse through the monster truck magazines, and do not hear the three PA announcements requesting that you return to the pharmacy. You return eventually, expecting to pick up the finished prescription.....

The phone rings.

......only to find out that I need to ask your address, phone number, date of birth, if you have any allergies and insurance coverage. You tell me you're allergic to codeine. Since the prescription is for Vicodin I ask you what exactly codeine did to you when you took it. You say it made your stomach hurt and I roll my eyes and write down "no known allergies" You tell me......

The phone rings.

.....you have insurance and spend the next 5 minutes looking for your card. You give up and expect me to be able to file your claim anyway. I call my competitor and am immediately put on hold. Upon reaching a human, I ask them what insurance they have on file for you. I get the information and file your claim, which is rejected because you changed jobs 6 months ago. A jerk barges his way to the counter to ask where the bread is.

The phone rings.

I inform you that the insurance the other pharmacy has on file for you isn't working. You produce a card in under 10 seconds that you seemed to be unable to find before. What you were really doing was hoping your old insurance would still work because it had a lower copay. Your new card prominently displays the logo of Nebraska Blue Cross, and although Nebraska Blue cross does in fact handle millions of prescription claims every day, for the group you belong to, the claim should go to a company called Caremark, whose logo is nowhere on the card.

The phone rings.

A lady comes to the counter wanting to know why the cherry flavored antacid works better than the lemon cream flavored antacid. What probably happened is that she had a milder case of heartburn when she took the cherry flavored brand, as they both use the exact same ingredient in the same strength. She will not be satisfied though until I confirm her belief that the cherry flavored brand is the superior product. I file your claim with Caremark, who rejects it because you had a 30 day supply of Vicodin filled 15 days ago at another pharmacy. You swear to me on your mother's'....

The phone rings.

.......life that you did not have a Vicodin prescription filled recently. I call Caremark and am immediately placed on hold. The most beautiful woman on the planet walks buy and notices not a thing. She has never talked to a pharmacist and never will. Upon reaching a human at Caremark, I am informed that the Vicodin prescription was indeed filled at another of my competitors. When I tell you this, you say you got hydrocodone there, not Vicodin. Another little part of me dies.

The phone rings.

It turns out that a few days after your doctor wrote your last prescription, he told you to take it more frequently, meaning that what Caremark thought was a 30-day supply is indeed a 15 day supply with the new instructions. I call your doctor's office to confirm this and am immediately placed on hold. I call Caremark to get an override and am immediately placed on hold. My laser printer has a paper jam. It's time for my pharmacy tech to go to lunch. Caremark issues the override and your claim goes though. Your insurance saves you 85 cents off the regular price of the prescription.

The phone rings.

At the cash register you sign....

The phone rings.

......the acknowledgement that you received a copy of my HIPAA policy and that I offered the required OBRA counseling for new prescriptions. You remark that you're glad that your last pharmacist told you you shouldn't take over the counter Tylenol along with the Vicodin, and that the acetaminophen you're taking instead seems to be working pretty well. I break the news to you that Tylenol is simply a brand name for acetaminophen and you don't believe me. You fumble around for 2 minutes looking for your checkbook and spend another 2 minutes making out a check for four dollars and sixty seven cents. You ask why the tablets look different than those you got at the other pharmacy. I explain that they are from a different manufacturer. Tomorrow you'll be back to tell me they don't work as well.

Now imagine this wasn't you at all, but the person who dropped off their prescription three people ahead...

-Author unknown

So in case you were ever wondering what takes so long to get your prescription filled...This is a sad and oh so painfully accurate scenerio of a day in the life of a pharmacist.

Day 1

I know. Bad Blogger Syndrome has struck again. It has been A WHILE since I last updated (except for the small previous post about the 1 YEAR ENGAGEMENT and THAT was pretty important if you ask me!) I finished my LAST DAY of official classes EVER on April 29th and had 2 weeks to "rest" before beginning rotations which started today. It was bittersweet leaving my last final ever and walking off Auburn's campus for the last time that Friday afternoon. Auburn has been my home since I left home 7 years ago. I'm ready for a change, but I'm not going to say I won't miss this place terribly!

Today was Day 1 of a year of unpaid free work as I like to call it. However, I am actually pretty excited about it. We did lots of "orienting" today so tomorrow will be the first actual day I suppose. I can officially say I am a federal employee (except for the fact that I am not getting paid). My first rotation is at the VA in Columbus, Georgia, a community based outpatient clinic for veterans. I will be commuting from Auburn to Columbus each day. Now, let's do a little exercise.....I have to be there at 7:30 AM.....THAT MEANS 6:30 AM-Central time...AND THAT MEANS I will leave around 5:30ish...AND THAT MEANS I have to get up sometime before that! Okay, this may not sound that bad to some of you. However, if you know me, this is going to require a major life change. I will admit, I am somewhat of a morning person IF I EVER ACTUALLY GET UP! Don't get me wrong, I don't like to sleep late, but 5 AM is EARLY! Luckily tomorrow I do not have to be in Columbus until 8:15 AM so that gives a little extra time for some shut-eye.

Tomorrow (& most Tuesdays), I will be heading to the anticoag clinic (anticoagulation, basically meaning blood thinners...these are drugs such as Coumadin (Warfarin), Lovenox (enoxaparin), and Pradaxa (dabigatran) to name a few you may have heard of). At the anticoag clinic, I will evaluate the patients' labs and counsel them on their medications. At this particular rotation site, the pharmacist has the authority to adjust/change medications. Therefore, starting tomorrow I too will legally have the authority to do the same under the supervision of my precepting pharmacist of course.

Wednesdays-Fridays, I will see patients in the clinic. The patients will come in just like a check up at the doctors office. Again, I will evaluate any labs and make recommendations for any changes that need to be made. And Mondays, we will not see any patients and have somewhat of a "work day." (As if the other days aren't work days.)

This is all very new and exciting. During the first 3 years of pharmacy school, we mostly sat in classrooms. We did have the opportunity to visit patients but mainly on a weekly basis instead of day-to-day. I look forward to actually working in the field daily instead of being stuck in the classroom. It is still going to be hard work, but hopefully a little more tolerable. :)

Well, I suppose I need to go brush up on anticoagulation therapy for tomorrow. For the next 5 weeks or until next time, you can find me somewhere between Columbus and Auburn.

A Lot of Catching Up to Do: 4 of 4 (School)

School is to blame for my absence in the blogging world. But, Christmas break is finally here. I have actually been finished since November 30th, but have been busy spending time with Adam and my family.

Rotation Update:
Unfortunately, not much to update on my rotation selections. We still don't know our exact placements. However, I am certain everything is going to work out fine with the wedding and such. We were able to choose the block we wanted off. Thank you God!

Meet Group #40
This is a picture of my IP (Integrated Pharmacotherapy) group, Group #40. If you haven't noticed from previous posts, the HSOP (again, Harrison School of Pharmacy) loves some acronyms. I spent a minumum of 9 hours/week this semester with these awesome people. As mentioned in a previous post, my class doesn't have much "class time" together anymore. We are split up into small groups of about 7-8 people and teach each other. Sadly, next semester I will be assigned to a new IP group. I look forward to my Spring group, but Group #40 is going to be hard to top! I really couldn't have asked for a better group. Just look at how fun we were!
Pharmacy Students and Auburn Football
I've met some good friends throughout my time in pharmacy school. I can't believe that in 1 more semester I won't get to see my classmates almost everyday. Although, I don't think I will miss class one bit, I will miss the wonderful friends I have made. This is a picture of some of us at the last football game of the season against UGA! Despite having to study all the time, we still take some time to cheer on the Tigers...even when we probably shouldn't! :)
I'm so glad school is out. I think I may be enjoying my break a little too much just being lazy and watching some TV since I don't get to do much of that during the semester! Well, until January 5th (when we start classes back) you can find me working at the Wal-Mart Pharmacy in Troy, hunting with Adam in Clay County, or just around! :)

EXCITING UPDATES!!!!!!!!!

REGION REGION REGION:
I'm pleased, or should I say BEYOND EXCITED, to say that I will now be able to sleep at night knowing Adam and I will not be separated during the first year of our marriage! Yep! That's right! I was placed in the Birmingham region for rotations. I am going to miss The Plains so much after being here for 7 years, but I am ready to start a new chapter of this thing called life. I'll always be a Tiger Fan wherever I go and plan to come back as much as possible. With all that said, the good news is we no longer have to worry and wonder if the decision to get married right now was the best thing to do. I can rest assured knowing it was the right thing and everything is going to be just fine!

If you know me then you know it doesn't take me long to find something else to worry about...and that thing is the honeymoon. Now that I officially know my region, the next step is to pick the actual rotation sites within the region. The rotations are broken up into 5 week blocks in which I will go to different sites i.e. rotations. The concern is not which sites I am assigned rather it is the block that will serve as my "off block." During the 4th year, each student gets 1 block off. I am hoping and praying I get the June/July block off so that Adam and I can go on our honeymoon at the time of our wedding. Otherwise, I guess we will just get married and I will return to work on Monday. :( I know a honeymoon seems a little insignificant in comparison to bigger things out there, but please pray I am able to get the second block off so I can fully enjoy the week of my wedding and hopefully the hOnEyMoOn!

Wedding Updates:
I met with Jill today. We had a very productive meeting. She had multiple design plans & layouts for the reception which was so exciting to see it on paper and to imagine how beautiful it will be the day of the wedding. I officially have a BAND for the reception and a caterer that is going to prepare some AMAZING food!!! I can't decide if I'm more excited about the wedding or the wedding food. Kidding, sort of! :) I'm definitely more excited about marrying the man of my dreams, but the food is running a close race.

In other news:
The shower for Zack and Samantha turned out great. We all got to catch up and everyone had a wonderful time.

Leigh and Matthew found out Baby Allen is a GIRL and The Robertsons are getting ready because Baby Reese is on her way!

ONE LAST THING:
Auburn football in T - two days! WAR EAGLE!

Summer In July...Now it's August

July...Where do I start? Well, since my last post I have helped host a baby shower for our friends that are expecting their first child in September, said some temporary "good-byes" to some of our other friends, did a little wedding planning, and enjoyed the last bit of my LAST summer break ever!

A group of us girls hosted a couples baby shower for our friends, Adam and Elena. They are expecting sweet baby Reese to enter the world in just a few short weeks. I can't believe she is almost here! And YES, I said "couples" baby shower. We thought the men should get in on some of the baby action. We had a lot of fun catching up with everyone. Jared and Elizabeth Harris even made it from Rome, Georgia with their sweet little girl (Sarah) who you will see in the photos. She has one big personality and will be the star of any show wherever she goes! Also, notice the pictures of the boys (in particular, the one where they are lounged post shower...I think just the thought of a baby wore them out.) Below are some pictures from the shower. Click on the photo to enlarge it.
Just a few days later, Adam and I went to eat at Niffers in Auburn as a "going away" dinner for Wesley and Kathryn. They just moved to Panama City, Florida for Wesley to attend CRNA school. They will only be there for about two 1/2 years, but we sure will miss them being here in Alabama! I think I know where the next 2 annual beach trips will be. :) To Wesley and Kathryn: We love you and wish you all the best!
WEDDING UPDATES: Limited. Jill (the wedding planner) and I had our "music" meeting in July. We accomplished a few things like booking the string quartet for the ceremony and working on the design plan for the reception. Adam and I finally went to register. I admit, prior to the registering experience, I cringed at the thought of it, but have since changed my mind and decided it's not THAT bad. We have registered at Dillards, Ware Jewelers, and Bed, Bath, & Beyond so far. The list with links to our registries is on our wedding website HERE. Check the website periodically for updates. I will be using it for all wedding-related information.

And now, it's August. I started back to school on Monday and made it through the first week. I'm actually glad to be back on The Plains. The pharmacy curriculum is very different this year. It will take some adjusting, but I think I will enjoy this year much more than the first 2 years of pharmacy school. In the coming weeks, the P3s will be finding out their regional placement for rotations next year. Region selection of rotations is assigned randomly in a lottery-type fashion. Because of this, I ask you to pray for Adam and me. Pray I am assigned to a region where we will not have to spend our first year of marriage separated, specifically Birmingham or Auburn-Montgomery. I know everything will work out, but worrying about it is causing me stress. Adam keeps telling me not to worry. So, I'm going to try to take his advice and not think about it. I'll update when I find out where I am assigned.

There is already a lot in store for August and September. I am looking forward to Zack and Samantha's wedding shower in 2 weeks, finding out the sex of Leigh and Matthew's little one, the fall weather, more wedding planning, and of course AUBURN FOOTBALL!!! War Eagle!

Past Few Weeks

The past few weeks have been very busy like always, but I managed to squeeze in a little bit of free time to enjoy a day at the zoo for my nephew's birthday, Hargreave's Day (which is pretty much like a field day for the pharmacy school), and time in Clay County to go on my first turkey hunt.

A few weekends ago, my family and my sister-in-law's side of the family met at the Montgomery Zoo to celebrate Mark's 3rd birthday. It was a perfect day. The weather was cool and the park wasn't too busy. Mark blew out his candles around lunch, we ate cake, then enjoyed the park the rest of the afternoon. I can't believe he's already 3....Weeeell, not really. Actually, his birthday is April 30th. Rachel decided we should celebrate his birthday a month early since little JB might decide to make his debut around that time and rain on Mark's parade. :) He didn't know the difference and HE LOVED IT!

On April 7th, the HSOP held it's annual Hargreave's Day instead of classes (YEA!). Hargreave's is a much anticipated day when all the classes and faculty meet at Kiesal Park in Auburn to compete against each other in different field events in hopes of earning bragging rights for an entire year.
The field events are tug-of-war, wiffle ball, kickball, ultimate frisbee, volleyball, and the Beat Bama Food Drive also contributes points (whichever class raises the most pounds of food). Well, let's just say it can get very intense...the P3s were up to defend their 2 year title. But unfortunately for them, my class, the P2s won this year! We were so excited!

AND ON APRIL 10th, I WENT ON MY FIRST TURKEY HUNT AND ACTUALLY GOT ONE! As you know, hunting is something Adam and I enjoy doing together. I've deer hunted since high school, but since I met Adam I have always told him I wanted to go turkey hunting. After 4 turkey seasons together, he finally took me this year. It was so exciting. Adam called in the turkey, I made the shot, and his dad videoed it all. He actually called in 3 gobblers which made it even more exciting. I'm glad he was the one to take me on my first turkey hunt. He was such a good teacher! :) Turkey season is almost over, so now we are looking forward to the summer...going to the river and a little time for some fishing. He should feel very lucky I enjoy outdoor activities. Ha! He has my parents and two brothers to thank for that...

School is FINALLY winding down...just 5 more exams, 3 quizzes, and 2 papers to go. There are 20 more days until I am done with this semester, my P2 year, and summer will finally be here! These last 20 days cannot go by fast enough...

WOW...

WOW! Is this what P2 year is all about? I have just begun my 2nd year of pharmacy school. I knew it was going to be hard, but words cannot even begin explain just how hard. I am so busy this year that I feel like I no longer have time for my favorite things, like friends, family, running/exercising, or even time for myself just to watch a little TV. It is gameday Saturday and I am at home studying. I missed the Auburn game last weekend (in part due to the flu) and will miss another today. It makes me kind of sad I cannot spend time with my friends and family to enjoy Auburn football especially since I was a Tiger Paw while doing my undergrad. For 4 consecutive years, I spent every gameday Saturday tailgating and cheering on the Tigers from the sidelines! I know in the end missing a football game or two will not matter and the sacrifices I have to make for school will be so worth it!!! If these 4 years of pharmacy school go by half as fast as undergrad did, I will be wondering where the time went while I was at the HSOP. I still enjoy being a student on the Plains. I could not be happier at any other university and will definitely miss it after spending 8 years here. May 2012 seems so far away, but I know it will be here before I know it. I constantly remind myself if I keep working hard I will be so proud of my accomplishments when it's all over. Well, I guess I need to get back to the books! Until next time, I'll be around... STUDYING.