MEMBERS SECTION
PHARMACIST SPOTLIGHT: RACHEL OTTING, PHARMD
A
n open mind and a willingness to say yes to new opportunities have helped shape many pharmacists’ career pathways. This has certainly been true for Rachel Otting.
Rachel Otting, PharmD Clinical Pharmacist MercyOne Pharmacy
Written By: Maureen Martin, PharmD Candidate Class of 2021 University of Iowa College of Pharmacy
The Charles City native came to pharmacy school as a nontraditional student. She completed her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, spending four years as a member of the varsity swim team. Following graduation, she returned to Charles City, unsure what she wanted to do next. Her father told her she just had to pick something, so she chose pharmacy. In January 2007, she began working as a pharmacy technician at Connor’s Pharmacy, an independent pharmacy in Charles City at the time, and completing prerequisite courses for pharmacy school. She graduated from the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy in 2013 with her PharmD. As a fourth-year pharmacy student, Rachel completed one of her advanced pharmacy practice experiences with the Medical Assistance Center at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. She enjoyed working with the patients, often from underserved populations, to find ways to make their medications more affordable. When considering her options after graduation, she remembered this experience and searched for residency programs that would allow her to continue working with underserved patient populations. Rachel completed the PGY-1 community residency program at Mercy Family Pharmacy in Dubuque. During her residency, Rachel gained experience managing chronic disease states through a collaborative practice agreement, working with hospital staff to increase patient safety during transitions of care and managing anticoagulation therapy, among other valuable experiences including an elective with the Iowa Pharmacy Association. After successfully completing her PGY-1 residency, Rachel entered her current role at MercyOne Pharmacy as a clinical pharmacist. One of the many things she loves about her position is the variety of her responsibilities. There is always something new. Her current role focuses on transitions of care, but she also works with long term care and palliative care and precepts pharmacy students as well as the MercyOne PGY-1 Pharmacy resident. Rachel works closely with the interdisciplinary team on the inpatient psych unit to facilitate transitions of care for those patients by monitoring their medications for other disease states and preemptively completing prior authorizations before patients are discharged. Though her role has changed from what she experienced in her residency, Rachel has enjoyed gaining experience in new areas and having the opportunity to continue working
30
| The Journal of the Iowa Pharmacy Association
with the medically underserved patient population that initially drew her to MercyOne in Dubuque. She is able to follow her patients as they transition between inpatient and outpatient, which she has found to be a unique and rewarding experience. When she is not at the pharmacy, Rachel enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, catching up with friends, and being involved in the Rotary Club. Son Atticus and daughter Etta keep Rachel busy with various activities, including sledding in the winter and visiting the pool in the summer. Rotary Club provides a refreshing chance to meet other members of the community and collaborate on projects unrelated to pharmacy. Rachel enjoys the local connections she has made within the Rotary Club. Building and maintaining local connections is important in pharmacy as well, which is one of the reasons Rachel is also an active member of the Iowa Pharmacy Association. IPA helps foster connections between pharmacists in the state and offers opportunities and resources for pharmacists to learn how to advocate for the profession. To move the profession forward, Rachel believes pharmacists must educate the public about what we do. When she entered pharmacy school, Rachel had no idea how many different services pharmacists are trained to provide or the variety of different settings in which pharmacists work. Now, after seven years as a pharmacist, Rachel has had the opportunity to provide services she never would have imagined when she was in school. IPA is appreciative of Rachel’s ongoing commitment to the profession and looks forward to all the success that lies ahead of her! ■
