ePortfolio

Shaun Perches

80017308

11/20/2021

Tier 2

Fill Santa’s Sleigh

               Taking advantage of any opportunity that gives you the chance to give back to the community is always a blessing . The pharmacy program has taught us the importance of developing leadership skills as well as establishing a connection with the community . Being a leader and assisting the less fortunate is a passion that I have learned and adopted being in the UTEP School of pharmacy. The roles we play in helping each other creates a strong sense of togetherness and stability. I was given the opportunity by one of my classmates to help out with an event called “ Fill Santa’s Sleigh Sara McKnights Living Center” by spreading the word in our pharmacy building and putting up fliers throughout our establishment. I tried my best to inform as many people as possible by putting fliers in the most common area. As of today , hundreds of dollars’ worth of donations have been made with the number only growing daily . It shows the passion and love my fellow students have for each other by lending a helping hand and contributing to this great cause. As a community ,we must understand that the only way we can better our city is by helping each other out as much as possible especially during these hard times. Many families are still dealing with the after effects of covid and being able to lend a helping hand is what the holidays are all about.  I would personally like to thank my Cohort for always creating such thoughtful events that help out those in needs . I would also like to say how much I have learned about leadership helping out with this particular tier during the holidays. It has inspired me to create a similar event in the near future. GO MINERS !!!!!!!

Shaun Perches

80017308

Tier 1

P2 Pharmacy Student

APhA Residency Roundtable Guest Speakers

               The world of the pharmaceutical industry is one that has many different doors and options leading to various careers. Having individuals speak to us about their experiences in pharmacy residencies in different fields and gives us an insight as to what the future holds. Dr. Sias and several P4 students took the time out of their busy schedules to educate us on the what a day to day basis hands on experience deals with when doing a residency. This of course is a golden opportunity to continue our education and develop a sense of direction in where we want to head towards with our future. The activity and presentation contributed and had aspects of the IDEAL motto we follow at school . It was very innovative to help younger pharmacist paint a picture as to what lies ahead. The different patients and cases that were explained to us helps us understand how our skills will be applied in the future. It was dealt a huge deal with engagement because working with the community is a huge piece of the puzzle that we deal with giving back to our city and being part of something bigger.  Sitting with my fellow colleagues and listening to scenarios that deal with patient care helped us understand that the skills we are learning today will surely be applied later on in our professional life. This surely created a passion for advocating with a more face to face patient experience that many individuals think pharmacist don’t do . It was a very passionate and meaningful event because you could clearly see that the speakers had a very special place in their heart for patient care. As pharmacist there is so much more that we can do besides working in a community setting. We can work in different environments with a deeper connection to our patients creating a close relationship with our city and its citizens which is always the ultimate goal .

Shaun Patrick Perches

El Pasoans Fighting Hunger

Reflection Paper

El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank

          The UTEP pharmacy students were blessed to be given the opportunity to volunteer at the El Paso Fighting Hunger Food Bank. Covid-19 has increased the need for volunteers at locations like these immensely. The El Paso community is known for being their for each other in times of need and being given the chance to participate and volunteer at this food bank was an absolute privilege and honor .

          Covid-19 has caused many family members to lose their jobs and in doing so, the need to feed their families has become an extreme priority. Sometimes we take for granted the little things in life such as food on the table and being able to volunteer at the food bank provided us with a better understanding that everyone needs a little help sometimes.

          The UTEP School of Pharmacy students volunteered on a Saturday morning to fill and make at least 250 boxes full of food . The tasks were divided throughout the students. Some of us folded the boxes needed to make these care packages full of food while other took part in the assembly line which put the food in the boxes. Others helped clean the warehouse by throwing the trash and other helped organize the filled boxes on pallets for later distribution

          No matter the task that we participated in , it was truly a pleasure and honor to be able to help out the community. It is very important to realize that coming together in these times of needs to help out one another is what makes a community strong. We sometimes need a helping hand and volunteering for this event was a great reminder that we always need to be there for one another. The El Paso community has always been close. We are a melting pot of different cultures and this has always been one of greatest strengths. Helping out and making sure there is food available for those in need was truly an amazing feeling. I can’t wait to volunteer at another event like this. It was an honor .GO MINERS !!!!!!!

Shaun Patrick Perches

Tier #3 Reflection Paper

Covid Clinic

Covid Clinic

          I was blessed to be given the opportunity to participate and volunteer at the UTEP Covid-19 Clinic this semester as an immunizer. The responsibility that I was given was surely not taken lightly. This was my first semester being a certified immunizer and being able to use my knew certification to provide a great service to El Paso was absolutely amazing. Covid-19 affected many individuals and families in many different ways. Some lost their jobs, some lost theirs homes and sadly, many lots their lives. It’s been a difficult time not only for the city of El Paso but the entire world. Mask mandates and city regulations were put into place to help bring down the number of infected people and this had its effect on many in different ways. People’s mental health suffered, many businesses unfortunately closed and the entire city came to a halt.

          Luckily UTEP was able to acquire the Covid-19 vaccine and the process of distributing the vaccine in El Paso , Texas began. The Covid-19 Clinic at UTEP was extremely well organized and was led by faculty, staff, and pharmacy students. This is where my skills and abilities came into play. Following all health guidelines and procedures I was able to not only once but a total of 6 times at the clinic. Wearing my gown, gloves and face shield I administered the vaccine to students , faculty and staff

          The look of gratitude many gave me made it all worth the while. It wasn’t only a vaccine that I was administering but hope that hopefully in time , things will be able to go back to normal. The El Paso community has always given me so much and being able to give back during such an important time really made me feel like I was contributing to something bigger. I estimate that in my 6 volunteer sessions perhaps vaccinated about 300 people. These 300 people will now feel safer being around others and returning to a normal life. I was I could’ve volunteered more and helped others because it felt amazing doing so .  I love the El Paso Community and helping the city reach high numbers of people being vaccinated was a great pleasure.

Shaun Patrick Perches

80017308

            Engaging in the community can come about in many ways ranging from organizing fundraisers, neighborhood watch, and in our case participating in the virtual second annual IDEAL Pharmacy Council 5k Run. During this pandemic we must find ways to stay connected, stay healthy and stay engaged with our community. The I.D.E.A.L council found an innovative way to engage the SOP students which was hosting a virtual 5k run in support. Following all Covid-19 safety guidelines we first picked up our race packages and race shirt. Since the race was virtual, we had the freedom of choosing when and where we ran and our time was recorded by using a running app on our phone. After completing with 5k we were asked to take a screenshot of our time and also take a photo. During the race I felt extremely proud knowing that I was participating in an event that many of my fellow SOP students were doing so as well. This gave me a sense of unity knowing that even though weren’t running together, we were still trying to achieve the same goal. I think completing this 5k contributed to my professional identity and characteristics because I set a goal of running and finishing my 5k in under 30 minutes and I accomplished it by finishing in 28:38secs.

Browns revised taxonomy model pillars of competence, connection and character all play a key role in being able to be explain how participating in this event and others like it. It is important to be aware of our personal roles in these events and apply these experiences in developing further solutions. In our case, staying safe by making this event virtual sets a great example to other organizations who want to get their students involved but in a safe way. Making a connection when participating in any community event is essential in building relationships and networking. We shared our 5k race experience on social media and many individuals replied by asking when the next race was going to be so they could sign up. It was great seeing how we influenced a few people by sharing our experience. I will surely be signing up for more events. Leading by example is a great way to build character and it is our responsibility to the community to create and participate in events such as the UTEP SOP IDEAL virtual 5k race.

            It’s an amazing feeling to be part of a program that engages its student as much as possible during the hard times of a pandemic. We must stay vigilant and continue to try and be there for one another by sharing moments such as these to remind ourselves that we are here for each other and our community. The future may seem a bit unclear for the time being but if we continue to come together as we did for this event, we can surely handle anything that future has instore for us . Go Miners !!!!