Safian Alli
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As a lead pharmacy technician, I was responsible for coordinating a work flow system every week once the pharmacy's schedule as published. During this time, I realized that a lot of older technicians are accustomed to doing things in a certain way and it made me realized the importance of continuing education. Personally, I believe that pharm techs should be required to complete CEs as it would help them to understand changes in the world of pharmacy.
Being able to understand and communicating are both personal characteristics that I think helped me to overcome ny coworkers resistance and promote effective teamwork.
Today's activity taught us how to correctly select foods that are nutritious as well as affordable. During this session, the presenter also helped us to identify ways to prepare these meals in a simplistic way to minimize time spent in the kitchen. As someone with a background in food science, I think it is important to understand the importance of a nutritious diet, as simple as it may seem, a lot of people/patients do not consume a healthy diet because it is often thought to be expensive or requires more time/work to prepare. One key thing from today's session is that planning a week's worth of meal (writing a schedule of meals) is as useful as meal prepping. This session fits under the subdomain of educator because it provides valuable insights and helped us to understand that a balance/healthy diet does not mean an expensive diet. It is important to understand what makes a diet healthy or sufficient so that we can advocate this for our patients because often times the lack of knowledge leads to an increase intake of supplements. Personally, moving to MA made me realized how difficult it is to constructively come up with a meal or two everyday. Although I would like to check out Hannafood, the grocery store that the dietician represented, it is quite a distance and given the time constraints of this program, it is unlikely that I will check it out but I think for those who wish to explore and try different stores, it is worth a shot. One thing I would to implement in my time here at MCPHS and possibly moving forward is the idea of meal prepping or at least have an idea or a schedule of meals for each week because it is not easy deciding what to make or what to eat everyday. It is important to realize how our diet contributes more than just food that we eat -it is the reason why many patients relay on certain medications and need supplemental material.
--personal well-being means to be okay, to feel relaxed or relieved, to not have your mind running around everywhere.
What do you do to take care of your well-being? List 2 things--I enjoy taking walks, it helps to relieve my mind from what is going on
--going to the mall and spoiling myself to starbucks!
What is one area of well-being that you would like to improve upon? Give 2 specific things that you can do to make that improvement.--one area of well-being that I need to improve on is
How does your own well-being impact others? How does it impact the work that you do?--my own well-being impacts the people around me because it is reflected in my attitude and behavior. If I not doing well (stress), then I tend to speak harsh or rude to those around me, this is why it is important that I take care of my well-being. It is also evident in the work that I do as I tend to perform poorly if my well-being is struggling.
During this course, I learnt about several important things that will help me as a future pharmacist. One of the most important things in the world of pharmacy is our ability to communicate amongst other healthcare professionals as well as our patients. The lecture on communication really seek to explain different forms of communication and how unspoken communication may influence our interactions with others. In addition to this, I thought that the lecture about root cause analysis was interesting as it was my first time being exposed to it. Although it was my first time learning about this, I have used this concept before. I also enjoyed the in-class presentations and enjoyed working alongside others, this allowed me to get to know some of my classmates. I also learnt a lot during these presentations and thought this was a great way to do some independent research about Worcester.
In addition to the in-class portion of this course, I also thought the idea of volunteering at the service site is interesting. Although I did not think mine was necessarily relevant or helpful to my profession in pharmacy, I think the idea of gaining experience outside of MCPHS is a great way of building more outside of the classroom.
I. Description: Describe something in your academic, personal, or professional life that has changed.
-My experience at CVS pharmacy has greatly influenced my desire to pursue a career in this field. As much as I fell in love with pharmacy as a career, I owe this experience to my previous pharmacy manager and store manager for allowing me the opportunity to explore this profession. Overall, my drive to pursue a career in pharmacy was influenced from my experience as a technician; during this time, I was given the opportunity to sit for the PTCB exam which allowed me a learning experience beyond the doors of CVS, sparking an interest in this field.
II. Feelings: What are your feelings regarding this change (anxious, optimistic, scared, etc)?
As much as I am driven to pursue a career in this field, it remains daunting. Pharmacy is not an easy career path and the more I get into it, the more my fear and anxiety grow but also the more I fall in love it. Personally, I believe that if something does not intimidate you then you are too comfortable doing it and as much as I am nervous and scared, I am looking forward to all the challenges this profession brings along.
III. Evaluation: What is your evaluation (positive or negative) of how you handled this change? Why do you feel this way?
Overall, I think I handled this change (of moving to MA) in a positive way. I think that my roommate has helped me a lot as well, my roommate is also from NJ and we have grown and learnt a lot together. We are both first year pharmacy students and we have been able to work together and really just comfort each other.
IV. Analysis: What did you learn from how you dealt with this change? Would it have been more beneficial to be a different character? Why or why not?
Dealing with this change has taught me that not all unknown situations result in negative outcomes. I think one of the main reasons why we are afraid of change is because of the unknown and often times, we are sacrificing a lot for an unknown outcome but I think it is important to keep an open-mind and allow things to fall into place. I do not regret and wish to change anything in my life, only the fact that I delayed the process of attending pharmacy school but no, I do not think another character would have been more beneficial because I am happy with who I am and where I am.
V. Conclusion/Action: From this experience, how would you handle a similar situation? What actions do you plan to take when faced with such an event in the future?
In the future, it is important to remember that the struggles and anxiety are all temporary and to keep my head up high because irrespective of what it is, I have made it this far. Honestly, despite the unknown, I take great pride about being a pharmacy student, I wear my white coat with confidence because it symbolizes hard work and dedication. When faced with such experiences in the future, I just need to remind myself to go for it and do not look back.
I. Description – How did you study prior to starting at MCPHS? What changes have you made since learning about evidence-based learning strategies?
Prior to MCPHS, I studied by reading my lecture slides, I do not think these were the most effective study methods. Learning about evidence-based learning strategies has taught me effective study techniques and helped me to realize that studying a little bit every day is more effective than the way I used to prior to this.
II. Feelings – What are your feelings regarding your study habits (anxious, optimistic, scared, etc)?
Regarding my study habits, I get very anxious -especially if I feel unprepared or that I do not have enough time. I also do not expect high grades because I get disappointed if I do not get what I expect so I tend to keep my expectations low.
III. Evaluation – What is your evaluation (positive or negative) of how you are doing in pharmacy school?
Besides biochem, I think I am doing okay in pharmacy school. Quite honestly, I am scared about my grades in biochem but I genuinely do not have an interest in the course so I think it's reflected in my grades, and partially US healthcare.
IV. Analysis – Why do you think so? What data do you have that supports your evaluation?
My grades support my evaluation in these courses. For example, I think that exam 2 was significantly easier than exam 1 in biochem but I still got the same grade and I am realy concerned about passing the course.
V. Conclusion/action – What do you think you will keep doing? What do you think you need to change?
Moving forward, I will continue to study the way that I have been studying because overall it is working out for me. I will start investing more time in biochem for exam 3 and the final exam -I will also start studying and paying more attention to US healthcare because I did significantly worse on the second exam compared to the first exam.
Description - What were the 3-5 critical factors that you selected? What career was ranked as the best match for you?
The 5 critical factors that I selected were interacting with patients, job security, professional prestige, income and applying clinical knowledge. Independent community was ranked as the best match, I agree with this because at some point I would like to have my own pharmacy. Upon graduating, I would like my first job to be in a retail setting because I enjoy the fast-paced, patient interaction and the salary that is involved.
Feelings – What are your feelings regarding your best match (surprise, relief, excitement, etc)?
I am satisfied with my best match because that is my interest (or at least right now). Although I am not surprised with the best match, I am surprised by the second match, academia -clinical practice. This surprises me because at one point I wanted to go into education and although it wouldn't be my first choice right now, I would still consider this career option next to independent community.
Evaluation – Make a judgement. Do you think your best match is a good fit for you?
I think the best match is a good fit for me because it offers me a chance to explore and practice my love for pharmacy while allowing me to do things (family time) that are also valuable to me. Overall, I think both my first and second matches are within areas that I wouldn't mind practicing. Based on the critical factors, I am surprised that my best match is ambulatory care pharmacy because I have never heard of that area in pharmacy but it makes sense to me.
Analysis - Why or why not? Consider the critical factors you selected and the pros and cons of your best matched career path.
Honestly I think that my best matched career path coordinates very well to the critical factors that I selected. This career path allows me to interact with patients and build a relationship with them while applying clinical knowledge to help better their lives. Independent/retail pharmacy also offers job security and I am satisfied with the income in this field.
Conclusion/action – Summarize either your best match OR another career profile you are interested in. What steps do you need to take to pursue this career?
Personally, a critical thing for me is to be able to work right after graduating and I think my best match allows me the opportunity to do so. My next steps would be to focus and complete this program on time. I am looking forward to having my own pharmacy at some point.
240326091715_Screen_Shot_2024_03_26_at_10.16.11_AM.png (.16) 0.23mb I. Description – What past experiences have influenced your career goals?
My interest in pharmacy has been highly influenced through my work experience at CVS pharmacy. During my time there, I realized what pharmacy is and developed a strong interest in pursuing a career in this field. Working alongside my previous pharmacy manager has also really influenced my passion for pharmacy because she gave me every opportunity to further my interest in this field.
II. Feelings – What are your feelings regarding your career goals (anxious, optimistic, etc)?
I am excited to pursue this career and cannot wait to be a practicing pharmacist after my time here at MCPHS. As much as I am excited and satisfied with my choice to pursue pharmacy, it can be daunting and nerve-racking sometimes. The path of reaching this goal can be very tedious and tiring but it is important for me to remember why I chose this field and to remember that it will be over.
III. Evaluation – What is your evaluation (positive or negative) of your experiences and why do you feel this way?
My overall experience in this field has been very positive. While some days are more challenging than others, the positive experiences outweigh the negative ones. Pharmacy as a whole can be a challenging profession, but like any other, you have to be passionate and be open to learning things through the trials and tribulations of the journey.
IV. Analysis – What did you learn from your experiences and how does it apply to your current career goals? Have your career goals change after your participation in the MCPHS Curriculum?
Personally, my work experience has been the biggest help so far. As much as it is tiring and time consuming to go to CVS every week, it is worth every hour that I spend there because I am able to apply what I learn at MCPHS at work and I am able to see the importance of the in class coursework. So far my career goals have not changed because I am quite interested in retail pharmacy.
V. Conclusion/action – What actions do you plan to take to achieve your career goals? Do you plan to pursue any post-graduation education or additional training?
Upon graduation, I do not plan to pursue any post-graduation education or additional training. I am hoping that I will be able to earn a job as a retail/community pharmacist and hopefully one day, open my own pharmacy.
I. Description: Describe the most memorable scenario from the book.
In my opinion, the most most memorable scenario from the book is the case with the pregnant patient and how the birthing experience is different in different countries. For example, in the US we are used to birthing process to be sanitary in hospitals, meanwhile in other countries (like in the book), people do not know what these sanitary practices are give birth in conditions very different from ours.
II. Feeling: What feelings did you notice in yourself as you read that memorable scenario?
As I read that scenario, I kept thinking about how lucky we are to have such a "glamorous" birthing experience. I understand the scenario because growing up in Guyana, women did not (and still do not) have the luxurious experience that women in the US have -this essentially makes me feel empathic towards women in those countries, at the same time, I feel proud of these women.
III. Evaluation: What did you learn from the other members of your interprofessional team? What this a positive or negative experience? Why?
Overall this was a positive experience, one big take away message that I got from this event is the ways in which different healthcare professions merge for the betterment of patient outcomes. I learned how different professions can help to either decrease or increase the prescribing cascade and how it affects the overall health of a patient.
IV. Analysis: There are many advantages for patients when a culturally sensitive team provides their care. What is one advantage for the team?
One major advantage of having a culturally sensitive team when providing care to patients is that it allows the patient to feel understood and will contribute greatly to the health and wellness of the patient. A culturally sensitive team provides the patient the comfort to voice their concerns and ultimately leads to more positive effects in healthcare.
V. Conclusion: What steps will you take to ensure you will interact with patients in a culturally sensitive manner?
I will implement cultural humility and cultural sensitivity because I really think it is important for patients to feel comfortable with you as their provider. I will take the time to listen to my patients and make them feel heard and understood despite my workload because patients rely on us for their health and well-being.
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