PQ+2
PRESENTEDBYPHARMACARE Sep tem b er 20 18 . Issue # 1 PLEASEDONOT REMOVECOPIES FROMPBL ROOMS Picture and design by Meg De Castro
Pharmacy student engagement| connection | voice
INSEARCHOF PUBLICATIONCOMMITTEEMEMBERS (PHOTOGRAPHERS ANDWRITERS (SEEPAGE3 for moredetail s)
ORIENTATION RECAP+SDMBEACH VOLLEYBALL pg. 6
Presidential Message, Community EducationDirector, Sports Reps (Pg. 7- 10)
W EL COME CL ASS OF 2022 1 WELCOMEORBIS HEALTH
SUMMER PHARMACY TRAVELS
Pg. 14- 15
(pg16- 17 & 20- 21)
Pharmacy Student W age Survey(pg. 18- 19)
NAME THAT DRUG! PG. 2 For achanceto win$
TABLEOF CONTENTS 4-5
RxA? B& G?
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? SA SAN? P A CAPSI? ACP?
B& G?
ORIENTATIONRECAP
FAQ
9 COMMUNITY EDUCATION
20- 21 INTD375Inter-cultural Explorationof Health andPracticeinItaly
10 Intramural Update!
11 Seedsof Grace
22-23 FEATURESTUDENT RESEARCH
PRESIDENTIALMESSAGE
CIBCRUNFORTHECURE
14-15
12-13
18-19
ORBISHEALTHARTICLE
ADAYINLIFE-Pharmacist Interview
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NAMETHAT DRUG Inspired by my love to RTSdrugs and the human CPS drug identifier himself Eric Cao -LW
1.
Ru les: Iden t if y t h e f ollow in g m edicat ion s (u se w h at ever r esou r ce you w ou ld lik e)
this one is difficult (blame Eric C)
2.
M u st in clu de: -
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M edicat ion n am e: If medication is a generic, provide generic name ONLY. If the medication is a brand , must specify the br an d n am e of dr u g ONLY. Answers will be deemed incorrect if a brand name medication is provided with generic name and vice versa. * manufacture is not needed Dose/ St r en gt h + an y SPECIAL RELEASE FORM S (eg: SR, EC)
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* one submission per individual/ email . Winner announced on APSA members corner * generic drugs with brand name only eg. Metonia may be named either brand or generic * Prize money will be added to next issue's contest if no winners, contests ends Oct. 1
Fir st individual to send an email to pqplus.2@gmail.com correctly identifying the medications will receive a 10$ to starbucks or timmies! In clu de in su bject lin e: PQcon t est
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PharmacyStudent Wagesurvey
PUBLICATIONS TEAM
` Lawrence Woo Publications Director W el com e to th e fir st edition of PQ+2 (Ph ar m acy Qu ar ter l y) th is sch ool year. As an APSA ph otogr aph er l ast year ,I r an for th is position to com m it 2 goal s: 1. Su ppor t th e pu bl ication s com m ittee in fin an ces an d r ecogn ition for th eir wor k 2. In cr ease stu den t col l abor ation to al l ow th e PQ m agazin e to be sel f su stain in g with qu al ity con ten t. M y aim for PQ by th e en d of th is sch ool year is for it to be abl e to pr ovide u n iqu e an d qu al ity per spective on topics stu den ts ar e in ter ested in r eadin g ! Th er e is l ots of r oom to fil l th is page fu l l of pu bl ication s team m em ber s an d I en cou r age an yon e in ter ested to appl y. 3. Reach ou t to m or e spon sor s for th e PQ m agazin e In addition to th e PQ m agazin e, I coor din ate year book sal es, gr adu ation ph otos an d year book ph otos, an d over see APSA r el ated pu bl ication s. As per a l ittl e bit abou t m ysel f, I l ik e pl ayin g a l ot of spor ts so you 'l l be su r e to see m y at in tr am u r al s. I r ecen tl y in ju r ed m y l ower back , wh ich m ak es r el atin g to a l ot of patien ts m u ch easier , an d tr u th fu l l y I am afr aid th is is th e en d of m y ph ysical l y active body. I am al so l eadin g a Ph ar m acy Ch r istian Fel l owsh ip th is year so stay tu n ed for th at (SEE th e FAQ section for m or e detail s). Don 't h esitate to say h i (: l woo1@ u al ber ta.ca
` Meg De Castro
Thom Le
APSA Photographer
PQ Editor H ey gu ys!
H el l o! M y n am e is M agr itte Joyce A. De Castr o, or ju st M eg for sh or t. I?m a th ir d year stu den t in th is facu l ty an d al so on e of you r cu r r en t APSA ph otogr aph er s. Gr aph ic design is m y passion .
M y n am e is Th om an d I am in m y th ir d year of ph ar m acy. I am excited to wor k in g with PQ+2 as an editor for th e 2018-2019 academ ic year. I wou l d l ik e to wel com e th e cl ass of 2022 to th e facu l ty!
In m y spar e tim e, I en joy pr odu cin g videos, m ak in g m u sic, eatin g ch ick en , th e occasion al gam e of l eagu e of l egen ds, an d h eavil y daydr eam in g abou t pl ayin g in th e NBA som eday. Al l jok es aside, m y best fr ien d in ph ar m acy sch ool is Lawr en ce W oo an d l ik e a com m on col d, I cau gh t an eye for th e aesth etic fr om h im . If I was ever in fr on t of th e cam er a, h e is th e on e I?d tr u st to be beh in d it.
Besides stu dyin g, I en joy watch in g TV sh ows, an d a l ot of con ten t on You Tu be. I r ecen tl y got in to watch in g m u k ban g/ ASM R an d food-r el ated videos on You Tu be in h opes th at I can becom e a par t-tim e food r eviewer som eday. TV sh ows th at I am cu r r en tl y in to r igh t n ow ar e Su its, Power an d Sn owfal l .
You wil l al ways fin d m e ever y m or n in g with a tim m ies iced capp in h an d. I?ve n otor iou sl y spil l ed th em in 231, 227, an d even th e in fam ou s 628.
If you h ave an y feedback for PQ+2 or an y r ecom m en dation s for TV sh ows I sh ou l d get in to, feel fr ee to l et m e k n ow an d don 't h esitate to say h i if you see m e in th e h al l s!
At th e tower in g h eigh t of 5?1, I h ope I don ?t in tim idate you (ig: @ iam tootal l ), so if you see m e ar ou n d, cam er a in h an d or n ot, say h i! I h ope to catch you r best side!
Em ail : th l @ u al ber ta.ca
FB: Th m th y El
Em ail : m agr itte@ u al ber ta.ca
First round of applications are now open, please see APSA's member corner on Facebook for the application process: 1. Search for a post by me (Lawrence W oo) from September 11th 2. Locate the post for 2 links on instructions to apply. (One link is for PQ editor + Apsa photographers, the other link is for PQ writer applications. Deadline to apply is Sunday, September 16 at 9PM, and involves a letter of intent!
Ethos Ho PQ writer & Orbis Health Liason Hey guys! My name is Ethos, and I am in my 4th year of pharmacy. I am excited to be working for PQ+2 as a writer and Orbis Health liaison this year! I hope to utilize my experiences as a previous PQ editor and writer to create engaging and exciting health articles for you all to read! For those who do not know, Orbis Health is an online startup health platform that was started by a University of Alberta pharmacy alumnus, Choi Chung. The platform served as a means for patients to access healthcare information and services that are not restricted by one?s mobility, means of transportation, financial barriers, or the operational hours of the typical healthcare settings. So, a little about my self. I enjoy binge-watching Netflix TV shows, watching movies, playing video games, and stressing out about my future in my spare time (or when procrastinating). Along with writing heart-felt articles, my hobbies are running, badminton, petting dogs, and drawing. Do not hesitate to reach out to me or say hi to me in the halls! You can email me at hohuang@ualberta.ca. Have a great school year!
` This could
you !
This could be you! APSA Photographer (5)
PQ Editor (1) Ou r com m itee is l ook in g for on e addition al Editor (Cou n ci l or p osi t i on ) to join ou r pu bl ication s team . N O EX PERI EN CE W / sof t w ar e n ecessar y Respon sibil ities in cl u de bu t n ot l im ited to: -Fin din g vol u n teer s to wr ite/ wor k on issu es of th e PQ -Pr in t an d distr ibu te issu es for stu den ts an d staff (ph ysical an d el ectr on ic) -Edit an d pu bl ish th e Ph ar m acy Qu ar ter l y n ewsl etter at bim on th l y in ter val s -Col l ect ar ticl es fr om stu den ts an d facu l ty Tim e com m itm en t = 6 h r s/ edition , 2-3 edition s/ sem ester
W e ar e l ook in g for u p to 5 addition al APSA ph otogr aph er s to aid in ou r pr odu ction team . Respon sibil ities in cl u de bu t n ot l im ited to:
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1. Atten din g an d tak in g ph otos of even ts (Bl u e an d Gol d, "M r. Ph ar m acy "/ Next top Ph ar m acist Cam paign ph otosh oots / M ovem ber even t) 2. Ph otogr aph er s m ay be r equ ested to tak e ph otos for oth er facu l ty or ph ar m acy stu den t even ts an d wor k wil l be spl it u p accor din gl y
3. Ph oto editin g (OPTIONAL) th r ou gh softwar e an d pl oadin g/ sh ar in g ph otogr aph s with team on Fl ick r 4. W or k cl osel y with PQ editor s to pr ovide ph otos for n ext issu es - W age n egotiabl e (Jk )
` This could
you !
PQ writer (7) Do you h ave th e passion to wr ite, sh ar e am azin g l ife or wor k exper ien ces, or wou l d l ik e to im pr ove on you r wr itin g sk il l s so you can ace al l you r r efl ection s in ph ar m acy? Th en th is position m igh t be ju st for you ! Ou r team is l ook in g for u p 7 addition al PQ wr iter s! Respon sibil ities in cl u de bu t n ot l im ited to: -Con tr ibu tin g to th e con ten t devel opm en t of PQ -W r itin g an d editin g con ten t - Com m itm en t = ~3 h r s/ m agazin e edition , 2-3 edition s / sem ester
- Exper ien ce with a cam er a is an asset - poten tial for r eim bu r sem en t on eqiipm en t r en tal s
*If you h ave an y addition al qu estion s r egar din g th e r ol e as a PQ editor pl ease con tact Th om @ th l @ u al ber ta.ca
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- Appoin ted cou n cil position - Con tact M eg (m agr itte@ u al ber ta.ca) for m or e detail s
Design by LW
PHA RM A CY FA QS Presentedby: WinnieLoBsc Pharm2018 editedbyLawrenceWoo
Alber t a Ph ar m acy St u den t s Associat ion (APSA) Your go-to for everything you?ll need in a school year ? we?ve got you covered for textbooks, job postings, lockers, Lunch and Learns, TGIFs, Career Nights and much more! If there?s something you?d like to see that we?re not doing, feel free to bring it up to a councilor and we can help make it happen. To keep up with what APSA is doing, join the Facebook group APSA Member?s Corner. www.myapsa.ca St u den t Accom m odat ion Net w or k (SAN)
""For all those first years strugglingto keepthe pharmacyevents andendless acronyms straight (and upper yearswho areforever struggling) ""
Stressed about how you?re going to live in a new place for a whole month when you?ve only just started learning to cook? Don?t worry, you?ve got every other year backing you up. The Student Accommodation Network is a student-run forum where you can post and find information about accommodations, transportation, dining and survival tips for a month on your own. www.apsasan.net Alber t a College of Ph ar m acist s (ACP) These are the people who make sure that we remain a self-governed profession and enforce our pharmacy practice standards. In other words, the group that protects the safety of the public! It?s also a great resource if you need to look up drug availability, drug schedules, Standards of Practice, Code of Ethics, or need to register yourself as a student working in a pharmacy. www.pharmacists.ab.ca Alber t a Ph ar m acist s?Associat ion (RxA) The group that protects the interests of pharmacists! This includes advocating for our profession, engaging our stakeholders about how awesome we are, and courses for professional development (such as injection courses or conferences). For students that join, you can apply for bursaries, get a discount to their events, and receive email updates about the pharmaceutical world. Additionally, they sponsor our White Coat Ceremony and many other events! www.rxa.ca
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CAPSI Com pet it ion s Get ready to win fame, incredible prizes, and eternal glory in multiple CAPSI Competitions throughout the year. These include the Student Literary Challenge (SLC), the Compounding Competition, and the OTC Competition to name a few. These are serious business ? not only are your bragging rights on the line, so are free tickets to PDW 2019! Let?s shrug on that white coat and get down to business. www.capsi.ca/awards-competitions/ Mr. Pharmacy : M ovem ber Fu n dr aiser Formerly known as Mr. Pharmacy, this fundraiser ?pageant? is no longer just for the boys! For the first time this competition is now accepting ANY contestants that want to strut their stuff in front of their peers. This event is fundamental in the faculties fundraising efforts for the Movember campaign, which focuses on topics such as prostate cancer and mental health. Favourite segments of past events include mini games, talent show and beachwear competition but this year look forward to some exciting changes. Top contestants from pharmacy schools across Canada will also compete at PDW 2018 to be crowned Canada?s Next Top Pharmacist. (Look out for a naming contest starting September 10 and have your chance to give a new name to this exciting event and win free tickets!) - Amy McMurdo (VP external) Blu e4an d Gold Ball Are talents shows, team spirit, and glorious punch competitions more up your alley? Blue and Gold is a competition between all years of pharmacy as we try to wow the judges with each classes talents and punch mixing abilities. For everyone attending, this means a night of trying LOTS of punch, eating delicious food, dressing to the nines, and getting a good show out of it all. It also happens to be the finale of Pharmacy Awareness Month (PAM)!
CSHP- Th e Can adian Societ y of Hospit al Ph ar m acist s Are you Interested in Hospital Pharmacy Practice? (CSHP) is a nation-wide group that advocates for safe and effective use of medications in hospitals and collaborative healthcare settings. Our local branch, CSHP-AB, is here to support you throughout your pharmacy education by ensuring you get mentorship, knowledge about, and exposure to hospital pharmacy practice, and to help you navigate all the different types of pharmacy careers available to us! Becoming a member with CSHP provides you with many opportunities like networking events with pharmacists and pharmacy managers, setting you up with pharmacy mentors throughout Alberta, getting you huge discounts on hospital conferences, supporting you through residency applications? . and much more! For these reasons I highly encourage you consider getting a CSHP student membership whether you see yourself working in in a hospital setting or not. I encourage you to come out to out to the free information session (with food!) October 3rd, 2018 to get more information about what CSHP-AB has to offer. If you have any questions about CSHP in general, how I can help you kick start your hospital journey, or even if you just want to chat please get in contact with me! Jordan Kelly CSHP AB Student Representative, APSA ? 3rd year pharmacy student) Email: jordan.kelly@ahs.ca or jjk@ualberta.ca
St u dy Spot s 1. PBL Room s ? the be all end all of study spots. If you choose not to go this route, you can watch your classmates pack their things 10 minutes before class ends, followed by racing out the door the second the prof finishes speaking . DO NOT SHARE PBL CODES WITH ANYONE OUTSIDE OF THE FACULTY... you have been warned 2. KATZ ? plenty of tables and comfy seats, with the added benefit of the soothing sounds of Timmies. Perfect for group projects! Take the elevators up the west elevators? for a nice cozy spot on the 4th, 5th or 6th floors! 3. Libr ar ies ? Pr ot ip: you and a friend can Book Study Space on the UofA Library website to reserve a private room ? yours to study in, nap in, and procrastinate for the time listed. Joh n Scot t (JWS) - Where all the other future
HCP's study. A head to head RCT study comparing UofA students studying 5 hrs a day at JWS vs any other library over 2 weeks yielded a 200% increase in GPA in those who study at JWS. Home of all the EBM librarians.
keep an eye out for posters in ECHA and KATZ. See you guys around!
Ot h er s: ECHA (seminar rooms, class rooms, computer labs, silent lounge in the basement). Cameron, Rutherford, Education
Officially a student group under APSA! The purpose of this fellowship is to grow in faith as we prepare ourselves to be future health care professionals. We understand how difficult it may be to pursue God in the business and occasional chaos of work and/or school + personal life. The goal of this fellowship is to stir up one another to love and do good works, not neglecting to meet together and encourage each other. We are non-denominational and welcome all pharmacy students. Whether you are simply curious, a new Christian (like me) or busy with some other commitments / your own fellowship, we hope that you can join us for discussion, prayer and some volunteer and group events! Hopefully a kick off event will be announced September or early October , with regular prayer meetings to follow. Please email pcf@gmail.com if you have any questions! - Lawrence Woo
There?s plenty of options on campus for those who are adventurous enough to leave the safety of MedSci!
Clu bs t o Join Pu blicat ion s Com m it t ee If you enjoy design, writing, interviewing, or are bursting with creativity, get involved in the PQ publications process! We hold monthly meetings to determine the contents of each issue and then set out to create a work that will inspire, engage and amuse the students of pharmacy. More of a spontaneous kind of person? No problem ? even without being on the committee, we?re always searching for articles about any topic under the sun. Drop a word with anyone on the committee and we?ll do our best to bring your work to life in print! - Thom Le (PQ editor ) email: thl@ualberta.ca
JOURNAL CLUB The Pharmacy Undergraduate Journal Club will be starting back up in October this year! In our meetings, presenters choose articles to critically appraise followed by discussion as a group. These meetings feature snacks and faculty members (they won?t bite!) As future pharmacists, you will be responsible for answering many medical- related questions that require thorough research. Knowing how to properly evaluate the quality and significance of an article is an essential skill. Anyone looking 5 to improve his or her confidence in the critical appraisal process is welcome to participate. Kristen Farrell , VP academic
SHINE Hi guys! My name is Kelly and I?m your SHINE Director this year. SHINE is an organization that is run by U of A students and we work with inner-city youth in Edmonton. There are plenty of opportunities to volunteer for SHINE this year for those who are interested! We have an orientation on Sept 22nd. Feel free to email me at kliu1@ualberta.ca for more information or
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Ph ar m acy Ch r ist ian Fellow sh ip
Th e Ph ar m acy Rock Clim bin g Clu b Have you ever been stuck between a rock and a hard place? The only way to get out of the jam is to climb! Whether you are a beginner or expert, rock climbing is a great way to not only get physically stronger but to relax, meet new people, and get your mind off school. It is great to be able to socialize while doing something active. Everyone of all skills and climbing backgrounds welcome to join! If you are interested at all, please join the U of A Pharmacy Rock Climbing Club on Facebook as there will be news on club climbing sessions and other climbing information posted. Most of the climbing will be done at the Wilson Climbing Centre on campus (which is free for all students ) and occasionally at the Rock Jungle Boulders by MacEwan. If you have any further questions please feel to contact me (Fred) at dmin@ualberta.ca or message me on Facebook.
ORIENTATIONRECAP+ SDMBBQRECAP By Mar vin Chai (2Y Class Rep.) With br istling anticipation, we were all excited to welcome the Class of 2022. Being 2nd year class rep, I had a small role in or ientation by making the or ientation video. However, I had a bur ning desire to do a little more and took it upon myself to suppor t the amazing Jennifer Pidzarko and co. to plan or ientation. Planning quickly went south as we discovered how much Rae Beaumont suppor ted us with renting spaces, facilities and making the process over all much easier. Thankfully, we found suppor t with the Faculty to help us make this day a success. Dean Davies lent a financial hand in renting out the Rehab Cour tyard for the barbecue. The Student Ser vice unit, Anjela, Dallyce, and Ravina, also provided their suppor t and even slaved away at the gr ill to cook food for us all. Thank you Faculty member s for backing us with the enthusiasm to make this day wonder ful. We also had amazing or ientation leader s to imbue the day with a fun- filled and exciting atmosphere. As soon as the fir st student walked into the room, I knew they were going to kick it up a notch. Half my class was at my throat for the chance to be an or ientation leader. This year, we increased our or ientation leader s count from 24 to 39 just to accommodate this bur ning desire. And with the suppor t of the APSA Councilor s and Officer s, or ientation day went as smoothly as one could hope! This year, and hopefully for year s to come, we decided to take the class photo at the steps of Dent- Phar m. Imagine the bitter- sweet memor y for the class when they take their gr aduation class photo at those same steps and reflect back on their student life and great memor ies. It was a joy to see these enthusiastic 2022s come in with a big smile and leaving the day with a contented hear t. It?s plain to see that they are a br illiant and fun class and will be a great addition to the progr am. Though, the day did get hectic at times, I was happy to be able to coordinate and be par t of the solution to make the day flour ish. It was ver y rewarding to see the day come out to a success. Over all, I feel as though or ientation was a hit and ever yone had a great time. I think the Class of 2022 are settling in nicely with the progr am and with the rest of their upper year s. It is only a matter of time for them to create their own legacy, and per sonally, I can?t wait to see how they make their mark.
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PRESIDENTIALMESSAGE Welcome back Pharmily and a big welcome to the new Class of 2022!! We are so excited to have you join our Faculty and student body and can?t wait to see what you bring to our community. We would like to start by congratulating you on reaching this new milestone in your professional careers. Whether you are brand new to the program and profession, you are starting 2nd or 3rd year and are about to learn a whole bunch of new therapeutics, or you?re in 4th year and you?re putting the finishing touches onto your degree and professional identity, you should be very proud of what you have achieved to get here and extremely excited about what?s to come this year.
chosen to be here in this program because someone saw potential in you and thought that you are going to be a great Pharmacist some day. And always, know that if your struggle is becoming too much that there is a ton of support out there for you with the Faculty, APSA, and your classmates. Have a #phantastic year, have lots of #phun, and #APSAlutely get involved in the student body! Oh, and maybe try to learn a couple of drugs while you?re at it. Best wishes, Jes Buhler APSA President
Sean Hanson APSA Past-President
As we write this, we are trying to think back to what it was like to start the program and figure out our places in this new profession and community and we are wondering what advice we would?ve needed. We can both honestly say we don?t remember much from a lot of our classes (Sean claims he doesn?t remember a single thing from Pharmaceutics), but sometimes that?s not what?s important. This year and your 4 years in the program are going to absolutely fly by and will be over before you know it. Someday you are going to look back at this time as being ?the good old days? and wish you could come back, so take advantage of your time now. There are so many events and interest groups that you can join and we highly recommend you take some time to step away from your studies and participate in them. You might find you have a knack for counselling and excel in the CAPSI competitions, or that you are the next McDavid and light it up with the intramural ice hockey team, or you find your inner pop star and dazzle at the Movember Event (name change TBD) or Blue and Gold performance! Whatever it is that you choose to do, we hope that you enjoy your time here, make some friends, and develop both personally and professionally. Know that this year will not be easy, regardless of which year you are in. You will have challenges, hurdles to jump over, and failures to cope with. Everyone struggles at some point in their journey towards becoming a professional, but the struggle is part of what it makes it worth doing. Always remember that this isn?t meant to be easy, and you were
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PC: M eg De Cast r o, St even Zh en g & Law r en ce
AMESSAGEFROMYOUR CAPSIREPRESENTATIVES Welcom e (or w elcom e back ),
Mar k Cont r er as VP CAPSI Sr. Repr esent at ive
First let us introduce ourselves. My name is Mark Contreras and I am your VP CAPSI Sr. Representative. My right hand woman is Morgan Patrick; she is your CAPSI Jr. Representative. Together, we make up part of APSA that unites it with the national organization of CAPSI. Part of our duties include organizing many events that enrich your pharmacy student experience, both professionally and personally. Follow us on facebook and on instagram @ualbertacapsi for updates on the events, social media challenges and more!
Our first big event this year is CIBC Ru n f or t h e Cu r e on Sept em ber 30. It is a 5 km walk or run that raises money for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, in which proceeds go towards breast cancer research and support for those affected by breast cancer. We have a handful of fundraising events organized leading up to the run, such as an escape room night and a softball tournament. Stay tuned and hope to see you there!
Last year, we were the post-secondary challenge winners, raising over $20 000! We strive to reach this goal again this year; however, we will not be able to do it without the help and support of all the pharmacy students. To help us reach this goal, please join the U of A Pharmacy team at: http://www.supportcbcf.com/goto/UofAPharmacy2018.
Mor gan Pat r ick CAPSI Jr Repr esent at ive
By joining the team and joining us for our events, you will be helping us with our goal of raising awareness on the impact of breast cancer on everyone, not just limited to those diagnosed with the disease. We want to increase public awareness that we, as pharmacy students, are more than students and care providers; we are their peers, friends, family members, neighbours, and supporters. Please don?t hesitate to give us a shout out8in the hallways, by social media (DM), by email, or by phone. Ask us about CAPSI, Run for the Cure, or anything else you?re curious about; we are just glad to meet you (if we have not met yet) or reconnect with familiar faces again after the long summer.
xoxo M &M
Mark Contreras,
Morgan Patrick,
mcontrer@ualberta.ca, mbelsek@ualberta.ca, (514) 377-3826 (780) 819-4428
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Design by LW
AMESSAGEFROMYOURCOMMUNITYEDUCATIONDIRECTOR COMMUNITYEDUCATION- POSSIBLEBECAUSEOF YOURSUPPORT! Welcome new and returning pharm students! The Community Education program is back and thriving thanks to pharmacy students?continued support. Community Education has existed inside APSA for over a decade, and our mission to raise awareness for health issues in the community remains front and center. For those of you who need a refresher, Community Education is where pharmacy students give presentations to Grades K-12 schools in Edmonton about various health issues, like Sun Safety, Allergies or Smoking Awareness. This year, some of
There is ALWAYS a need for volunteers, as requests from schools greatly exceeds our volunteer response. I know our schedules are hectic as heck and finding time to give back can be difficult for even the best organized of us. However, it is our responsibility as pharmacy students to represent our profession and reach out to the community to education them about their health. The majority of presentations are for adorable elementary school kids and the presentations are so easy. Everything is prepared and streamlined for you - just pick
GE ZINABAEH R Gezina Baehr CLASSO BF SC20 PH20 ARM2020
up your kit if needed and have fun!
the program is being absorbed into the
APSASPEAKERS@ GMAIL.COM
Faculty (first year Pharm D?s, ComEd will be mandatory in BASE 2). There have
There are also volunteer opportunities for
been so many changes and upgrades to
you outside of the classroom. Every year we
the program, with help from the Faculty
have the WISEST SET and CHOICES
and various organizations. I am so excited
conferences, in November and February
to tell you about the new updates!
respectively, where you get the chance to be
For our presentations, I?ve worked diligently to completely revamp every single presentation. I?ve streamlined the process with Google Folders, an overhaul of the supplies and storage area to better stock kits, and made student specific instructions so you won?t feel like confused or lost in a presentation. I?ve updated and changed our existing
STEM role models for Edmonton girls,
-12:50, so drop in for that (location TBD).
teaching them compounding activities. For
First years, I will see you in second
the first time, there will also be
semester in BASE 2 for a mandatory
opportunities to present an Admissions
presentation, but feel free to volunteer on
Presentation at the First Peoples House for
your own time. Presentations will begin
Indigenous UofA students to increase
starting in September this year. The first
Indigenous enrollment in Pharmacy (it?s a
Indigenous Admissions Presentation is
health crisis y?all). Not to mention, multiple
tentatively scheduled for August 12.
groups contact ComEd every year to set up
Throughout the school year, I?ll be
presentations and give volunteer
matching volunteers and sending out
opportunities.
presentation details. If you are interested
presentations of Do Bugs Need Drugs?,
in volunteering, or have any questions,
Operation Wash-Up, Operation Allergies,
please email me at
Operation Butt-Out, and Sun Safety. I?ve
Community Education continues to be a
changed the elementary Smoking
success due to our absolutely beautiful,
Awareness presentation from a
wonderful, enthusiastic volunteers who
powerpoint to an adorable Activity Book
dedicate their time and effort to the
from AB Quits. I?ve redone the Pharmacy
program. To acknowledge our volunteers,
I hope you will take advantage of this
presentations for elementary and high
there will be a volunteer appreciation event
amazing opportunity to give back and I
school, as well as the Head Lice
this year! Details in the works.
look forward to working with you.
presentation. I have put in countless hours of work so that YOU
There is a refresher presentation about
can have an effortless experience
ComEd planned for September 11 so you
delivering health education to our
can see in-depth the changes and updates
community.
to the program. It?ll be super quick - 12:30
9
9
APSAspeakers@gmail.com or stop me in the halls!"
AMESSAGEFROMYOUR SPORTSREPRESENTATIVES! UPCOM I NG EV ENTS: Sav i ng Second Base Date: Sept 22, 2018 Ti me: 10 A M - 5PM
joinusonthefield/ ice/gymtoshowother facultieswhat #fitpharmisall about
Intramural Sports pl annedfor Fal l . (Tobeful ly decidedsoon) ! -
IceHockey Vol l eybal l Dodgebal l Sl o- Pitch Ultimate
A ngel a Ch en Cl ass of 2020 aych en@ual b erta.ca
Sean Larade Cl ass of 2021 l arade@ual b erta.ca
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From Phar macy to Social Work I've had the pleasure of getting to know Ellen through attending the same Church and Fellowship. As well, she was the brain's and brawns behind setting up the Pharmacy Christian Fellowship when I was super stressed in second year pharmacy. Ellen has the biggest heart and is not afraid to share her personal battles to spread hope and perspective to others. Today, she speaks to us about some of the struggles she faced as a student. Despite investing years of education into Pharmacy school, Ellen took a change in career paths. Though this may sound like a nightmare to some students, or the joke/ meme we say to one another about difficult classes, the truth of the matter is that we all have our own strengthens and weaknesses, so we ought to put in our time, hearts, ears, or be that voice for student's who need it. There is a silver lining to this story. I hope that Ellen's message is able to reach out to those student who may struggle either w/ academics and/or their personal life. - Lawrence Woo
The Jour ney of Seeds of Gr ace
Gr ow ing up, I?ve had a very strong influence to go into healthcare.
During this program, my friend and I from church started an outreach fellowship called Seeds of Grace. We started off very small, as we simply had the desire to serve in the community rather than just in our small group at church. We started by helping the Mustard Seed with serving meals, sorting clothes, and participated in their fundraising events. Over time, it grew as more individuals wanted to join and help. We soon expanded and organized bottle drives, made care packs, and became more involved with talking with the individuals. In September of 2016, we formed a committee and became an official registered society. Our mission as a group is not only to provide basic needs for these individuals, but to deeply understand their struggles and to build relationships. Even prior to pharmacy, I had a dream of building a centre filled with medical, mental, and advocacy services tailored toward helping those living in poverty, homelessness, or marginalization. In January 2017, a fellow committee member and I approached the managing director of the Mustard Seed and we presented this idea to him. We were not prepared for them to accept it as a project since we were only university students with no prior experience in this area, but to our surprise they accepted. To this day, we are partnered with the Mustard Seed to build a Family Health Centre for the homeless, individuals living in poverty, and marginalized population groups. We are currently in our fundraising stage as we reach out to sponsors, corporations, and other services for support.
As a child, I would wear my father?s white coat and stethoscope, pretending that I was a doctor. W hen high school rolled around, all I really knew was that healthcare was where I belonged. In college, pharmacy seemed like a profession that I would enjoy. W orking toward this goal of getting into this program, I was blessed with the opportunity to be a part of this profession for the past 4 years. A lot of you are probably thinking, that?s awesome, she completed the program. Even though it has been a total of 4 years, I still haven?t finished my degree in pharmacy. After struggling for so many years with anxiety, depression, and panic attacks in the program of pharmacy, this year I closed this chapter of my life. However, I am unashamed to share my struggles and experiences, as I have taken away so many valuable lessons and have met amazing individuals along the way. Even though I won?t become a pharmacist at the end of the day, I have grown a lot as an individual. I just wanted to pass on a brief message for everyone coming into this program and who are currently in it. If you ever enter a season of difficulty during this program, whether it is with your mental health, academics, or conflict at home you are not alone. Reach out to the people around you because there will be a pharmily there to support you. It is so important to work together through this program because it can get very stressful. It is of greater importance to understand the material than to aim for a grade. The focus will always be to care for the patient, so instead of studying for the mark, study so that you are able to help someone in need down the road.
As we grow as a group, we are beginning to understand of the social issues that this community faces and the services available to help them. Seeds of Grace is continuing to work with the Mustard Seed to provide assistance in serving meals, making care packs, planning outreach events like community BBQs, and helping in whatever capacity with their fundraising efforts for the Family Health Centre and the Mustard Seed in general.
Try your best in working hard, but don?t be afraid to fall down and have to get back up; it does not reflect your competency or worth as an individual. We are all worth so much than we know. Career is only one aspect of who you are and it does not determine your entire identity. Everyone goes into a profession with the hopes of it working out, but even if you decide that pharmacy is not for you or if circumstances changes your plans, then there will be other doors waiting for you to open. W ho knows, everything could fall into place and it could be the best door that you open.
Through starting this group, serving in it, and watching it grow, I have developed a passion11 for this kind of work and due to circumstances with school, have decided to pursue Social W ork, which I will be starting this fall. If anyone is interested in helping out with Seeds of Grace, you can find more information at our: Facebook page which is updated regularly Seeds of Grace Outreach Fellowship Website at- www.seedsofgrace.ca Instagram at seedsofgraceoutreach Email at ellen@seedsofgrace.ca We will be writing more articles for PQ, so stay tuned for more information on Seeds of Grace and how you can get involved, as well as why pharmacy can play such an important role in this field.
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Design by LW
ADAYINTHELIFEof
CHOI CHUNG RPh, PharmacyManager, Orbis healthfounder
Questions by L awrence Woo Choi is a 2017 graduate from the Bachelor of Pharmacy program at University of Alberta. Since then, he has become the founder of a health and wellness company, Orbis Health, a pharmacy manager and a practicing clinical pharmacist at a community pharmacy located within the inner- city of Edmonton. As a student, I have had the honor of working alongside Choi (no conflicts of interest to be declared) and I am very excited to have him here today to share to us his insights to pharmacy practice as well as his projects, health initiatives, and educational platforms.
How did t he idea of Orbis Healt h st art , and w hat does it aim to achieve?
Tell us a bit about your pharmacy pract ice in t he inner cit y. W hat led you to w here you are today, and w hat does a t ypical day look like for you? I?ve been provided with many fortunate opportunities over the past couple years. It all started after my 3rd year of pharmacy school, where I was given an opportunity to work at our Mint Health + Drugs: CMP location within Edmonton?s inner-city. As a student, my practice was focused towards providing clinical services to the marginalized population that we service on a day-to-day basis both within the pharmacy and on an outreach basis. I continued to work here during my last year of pharmacy school and eventually, became a clinical pharmacist at this location. A few weeks after I graduated, an opportunity opened up for the management position for this operation and I was fortunate enough to be able to take it on. This is where you can find me today (and on most other days)! W ithin this practice site, we work directly with a marginalized population struggling with complex mental health conditions, substance dependencies and homelessness. Given the complex needs of our patients, we work closely in collaborating with many practitioners such as physicians, nurse practitioners, social workers, housing workers, outreach workers and addiction workers in the surrounding area to ensure we can put patient care at the forefront of our priorities.
I founded Orbis Health shortly before graduating with the vision of creating a platform that provides quality evidence-based health information to the general public and with the desire of wanting to help patients make informed decisions through health promotion, education and advocacy. This came after witnessing many of my patients being miseducated with various online resources or having a lack of access to quality information and services. I?m truly grateful in saying that I?ve been able to grow a team from just myself to a team that includes authors, editors and photographers. The team is made up of 12 pharmacists/ pharmacy students with guest authors with a dentistry, occupational therapy and social work background all with a common vision. Today, Orbis is continuing to expand as we are actively collaborating with health professionals, advocates and influencers from around the world who share a common vision. Ultimately, each day we bring ourselves closer to our vision and I can say that none of this would be realistic without the dedicated hard work of our entire team and our collaborative partners.
A typical day in the life for me looks something like this: 06:30 - W ake up and address any urgent matters (missed overnight calls or emails, HR/ staffing/ scheduling issues, etc.) 07:30 - Drive to work and listen to a self-development audiobook/ podcast 08:00 to 6:00-8:00 - Pharmacy (dispensary, administrative tasks, oversee operation [e.g. clinical, dispensary, production, customer relations, delivery, finances] and address any issues that arise as required) 8:00 to 9:00 - W orkout / / Prepare social media content for following day
P.S. Special thanks to my business partner Aaron Chy, and our team members consisting of Jasmine Han, Brooke Thai, Courtney Flisiak, David Poon, Ellen Mi, Ethos Ho, Kevin Huang, Ty Johnston, Vyvian Jiang and all of our other collaborative partners!
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9:00 to 01:00-02:00 - Orbis & other ventures (meetings, phone calls, emails, networking, marketing, collaborations, content preparation/ publication)
W hat were your goals and vision after graduat ing from Pharmacy School. Have t hey changed? Have you met t hem?
W hat ot her project s are you current ly working on?
I?ve always been the type to set many goals for myself. But, there are 3 primary goals I had set which included: 1) retiring my mom and giving back everything she had to sacrifice 2) improving myself in all aspects of life (mental, physical, and spiritual) and 3) establishing the Orbis company and brand
Outside of my role as a pharmacy manager, I?m also the founder of a health and wellness company, Orbis Health (www.orbishealth.ca) and an entrepreneurship-based digital media company, Daily Hustle (www.mydailyhustle.co). Outside of this, I?m also actively involved in other projects and ventures including ecommerce, app development and authoring.
Though I?m personally not where I want to be yet, I can say that my mom is now retired and is happily spending her days with my niece and nephew and the Orbis company, team and brand are growing everyday!
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Wh at ar e som e w or ds of advice you h ave f or Ph ar m acy st u den t s? An d h ow can w e con t act you f or m or e in f or m at ion ?
I t hink it ?s very easy for someone to lose mot ivat ion or grow content in t heir personal/ career goals, or even as a pract icing clinician. How do you st ay mot ivated to lead t hese project s out side of your schedule as a pharmacy manager and clinician?
There are two pieces of advice I can offer, one being pharmacy related and the other is just a life lesson: Pharmacy Pearl: Look at the patient as a whole, and not as a chronic condition, a risk factor or a lab value. Patients often struggle with problems that exist outside of their medication therapy, and this can impact your recommendation as a clinician - don?t forget to consider these!
I think it boils down to three different factors: a) Constantly reflecting on your ?why?(aka the reason I do what I do on a daily basis). For me, my ?why?is my mom, my family and my loved ones. Doing allows me to break through any barrier or roadblock that comes my way and it leaves me not wanting to waste any opportunity that comes my way.
Life Pearl: W hen times are tough or you?re feeling unmotivated, remember why you do what you do. I?m quite open to connecting, networking and collaborating with others and can be reached on almost every social media platform including:
b) Focusing your time things you?re passionate about and where you feeI like you can provide the most value and have the greatest impact on others. This in itself acts as a positive feedback to continue to encourage me to pursue my dreams and ambitions. I?ve learned that when you focus on things that are materialistic or monetary in nature, you end up getting burnt out, content, and jaded much quicker.
Facebook: Choi Chung Instagram: @choichungrph LinkedIn: Choi Chung
c) Having a strong support network. I?m fortunate enough to have a supportive girlfriend, Jenny Park, and family who supports me in all of my crazy ideas, ventures and pursuits. These are the people in my life that keep me grounded in my pursuits and allow me to really reflect on why I do what I do.
You can also reach me through my company websites where you?ll find links to our social media pages: www.orbishealth.ca www.mydailyhustle.co
Last ly, w hat are some ot her t hings you enjoy doing out side of Pharmacy? My time is so limited now-a-days that I really do cherish quality time with my girlfriend, family and friends. I also have a passion for fitness, self-development, listening to audiobooks and dipping my toes into anything and everything related to business and entrepreneurship!
Edit or's not e:
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PQ is looking to continue interviews with clinicians who can provide insight to pharmacy students. If you know anyone who may be interested, please have them contact our PQ email : pqplus.2@gmail.com or contact one of our team members from the publications team on the 3rd page
Thanks!
Left toright: AaronChy(Bsc Sci, PharmD2018) , Choi Chung(RPh, Bsc Pharm) 1313
Design by LW
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2018 Charl otteYang Cl ass of 2019
Shanghai F
r om Ju l y 2n d to 27th , I h ad th e ch an ce to stu dy in Sh an gh ai?s
Fu dan M edical Un iver sity as par t of an in ter pr ofession al devel opm en t cou r se on Gl obal H eal th , titl ed In t D 457. It was a col l abor ation between th e M edicin e, Nu r sin g, an d Ph ar m acy facu l ty th at took stu den ts fr om each pr ogr am to stu dy at th e Fu dan Fen gl in g cam pu s. Th e pr ogr am con sisted of 3 week s of cl ass wor k with stu den ts fr om th e Fu dan pr ogr am join in g u s in an exch an ge between h eal th car e pr ofession al s an d differ en t cu l tu r es.
U
n for tu n atel y,th e h ou sin g in Fen gl in g Cam pu s was n ot
com pl eted for in ter n ation al stu den ts at th e tim e, so al l th e stu den ts h ad book ed ou r own Air bn bs or h otel s. Th is cam e u p to abou t $500 dol l ar s per per son . W e wer e th an k fu l to h ave th e su ppor t of th e m edicin e facu l ty an d al so Dr. Kon k in h er sel f for per son al l y cover in g ou r cou r se costs, wh ich saved u s abou t $1600. Th e r est of th e costs, wh ich in cl u ded fl igh ts, food an d tr an spor t, added u p to abou t $1500. Th er e ar e sch ol ar sh ips avail abl e fr om stu dy abr oad an d ou r own ph ar m acy fau l ty wh ich gen er ou sl y l essen ed th e fin an cial bu r den on u s. I can say th at th e cou r se an d th e Sh an gh ai por tion of th e tr ip was m ostl y cover ed an d I en ded u p with on l y m y own l ivin g expen ses, an d th e addition al costs of visitin g Kor ea an d Japan befor e th e cou r se began 16 .
W
e wer e in str u cted by both Can adian pr ofessor s Dr. Davies,
Dr. Som m er fel t, an d Dr. Kon k in , fr om ou r m edicin e an d n u r sin g facu l ties, as wel l as gu est l ectu r es fr om Fu dan an d even Au str al ia. Th e topics r an ged fr om th e M il l en iu m Devel opm en t Goal s to th e Ch in ese h eal th car e system an d in n er wor k in gs. W e al so did week l y pr ojects an d pr esen tation s on th e topics cover ed. Fin al l y,we h ad a week of cl in ical exper ien ce in th e Jin g An Distr ict H ospital , pr ecepted by th e doctor s of var iou s special ities in cl u din g bu t n ot l im ited to: Ch in ese Tr adition al M edicin e, Acu pu n ctu r e, Car diol ogy, Su r ger y,Em er gen cy,an d Pediatr ics.
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O
u tside of th e cl assr oom , we h ad pl en ty of tim e th r ou gh th e week en d an d m ost week n igh ts (if you get you r
pr esen tation wor k don e efficien tl y!) to tr avel ar ou n d Sh an gh ai an d its su r r ou n din g cities. W e visited H an gzh ou an d Su zh ou by tr ain (Not m e for Su zh ou ), both of wh ich ar e ver y scen ic an d a fu n expl or ation of Ch in ese ar ch itectu r e an d cu l tu r e. Sh an gh ai itsel f al so h ad pl en ty of fu n spots, su ch as th e Bu n d, Yu Gar den , Jin g An Tem pl e, an d th e fak e br an d m ar k et, wh ich was ver y popu l ar am on g u s stu den ts. Th e city?s peopl e wer e ver y fr ien dl y an d tr an spor tation was easy an d con ven ien t. Th e Fu dan u n iver sity was al so a won der fu l h ost. W e wer e given an edu cation an d al so fiel d tr ip exper ien ces th at I wou l d n ot h ave h ad th e ch an ce of h avin g if I was sim pl y a tou r ist. Al l in al l , it was a ver y wor th wh il e exper ien ce, an d I wou l d r ecom m en d it to an y stu den t th at h as an in ter est in Ch in a. If an yon e h as m or e qu estion s abou t th e cou r se, costs, an d l ogistics, feel fr ee to ask m e eith er th r ou gh facebook or m y em ail : sh u yu 4@ u al ber ta.ca I wil l be h appy to an swer th em !
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PHARM ACY STUDENT WAGE SURVEY Brendan isa 2nd year pharmacy student from the University of Alberta. Thissummer, he launched a survey on APSA?smember corner regarding job wagesfor Pharmacy students. His survey received a tremendous amount of responses(96 to be exact). Considering the usual student response rate in the summer, thisisrecord breaking! I remember applying for my first job in confusion of what appropriate pharmacy student wage should look like, and later on, struggling with a negative self perception that wage defined my performance asa student. I applaud Brendan for taking the initiative with thissurvey and I am excited to have him here today to share hissurvey results! - Lawrence W
Brendan Kudrowich kudrow ic@ualbert a.ca 2nd year st udent
Questions for Brendan: W hat ot her quest ions would you add t o t his survey if it were t o be re-launched in t he fut ure? If this survey were to be re-launched, I would split question 5 up. Instead of just asking how much a pharmacy student should make, I would specify the year; for example ?How much should a first year student make? How much should a second year make?? and so on. I think this would give a better representation of the opinions towards what pharmacy students are worth.
W hy did you launch t his survey? I had been thinking a lot about my pharmacy job. I was not happy with what I was being paid and I had discussed it several times with friends and family members. They all agreed that it was ridiculous that a pharmacy student who does important work in a high-pressure environment was making the same wage as a shelf-stocker or cashier at the same company (no disrespect to cashiers or shelf-stockers). I wanted to see what the rest of my peers were getting paid and see their opinions on the topic. I also wanted to open a dialogue and bring some awareness to what I believe is a problem that our profession faces.
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How do you feel about t he result s? The results are pretty much what I expected, which is disheartening. I was sort of hoping that everyone else was making $18/hr and it was just me making $14/hr. It seems that most of us feel underpaid, and I 18 is indicative of a greater trend in pharmacy. think this With the new pharmacy compensation framework, pharmacists are having a harder and harder time getting fair pay for the value they bring to the health care system. I believe pharmacists and pharmacy students are worth more than what we settle for. If we get paid less during school, then we get put in a deeper financial hole upon graduation, which causes us to be desperate and more willing to take a job even if it pays less than we are worth. I?m not sure how we fix it, but I?m glad that I have been able to bring some awareness to this issue.
An sw er s lin k ed t o Qu est ion 5: -
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Edit ors Not e: It's important for students to be paid fairly and work in environments that recognize the capacity students can contribute to the pharmacy. Your abilities and competences as a student and/or assistant should reflect your wage. When this doesn't happen, it's easy to begin devaluing yourself. Am I ju st n ot "good en ou gh" ? Am I n ot doin g en ou gh? Am I n ot w or k in g h ar d en ou gh ?
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Your wage can begin affecting how you view yourself as well as how you view the profession. Although it is easy to be disheartened by the fact that your classmates may be paid higher than you, please do not find value and worth from the wage you receive. Ultimately, I believe that working as a student is all about learning. If you feel that your pay is not reflective of the work ethic and/or the ways that you contribute in a clinical and dispensary role, have that conversation with your manager !
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If you have any questions regarding work place experience, don't hesitate to shoot me a message! - Lawrence W
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" Depends on your skill and activities. Are you dispensing? Are you performing billable/clinical services? If you're not doing billable services, you should be paid same as a basic assistant (~$15/h)." "I think that it is acceptable to pay first year students near minimum wage. 2nd year: 17-20+, 3rd year low twenties, 4th year 25+. Though that is a pipe dream." "Depends on amount of experience and business of pharmacy. In a smaller, independent pharmacy with slower flow I feel minimum wage is fine, especially if the student lacks experience. However in a large volume or more demanding (requires help with clinical services) pharmacy, it should be at least $16/hr." "Year 1: $15, Year 2: $17, Year 3: $19, Year 4: $20+" "starting at $18 (1st year) up to $25/h "$18-25 depending on their year in the program" "Variable but for a fourth year it should be $25" "Depends on the year. I think first years should make above minimum wage ($16 starting November), and each year subsequently makes $1.50-$2.00 more." 19 "First years should be at least $16, 2nd yrs 17-18, 3rd yrs 19, 4th yrs 20. When the minimum wage goes up to 15 we should definitely be paid at least 17" "Depends on the year- students in upper years should be paid more. Going into my third year, I?d like to be paid about $17.50 as I contribute a lot to clinical services at my pharmacy. Depends on the students' year - I would think first years should start a few dollars above minimum wage and then it can increase a dollar or so per hour as students complete more years.
Image Link: https://handluggageonly.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Hand-Luggage-Only-8-5.jpg
ITALY 2018
INT D357
BY EDDIEHUANG
"
HAVEYOUEVERW ONDEREDWHATPHARMACY PRACTICEIS LIKEOUTSIDEOF CANADA? ORIF PHARMACYSTUDENTS ELSEWHEREINTHE W ORLDARESTRUGGLINGAS MUCHAS YOU?
"
I surely have .
was th e tr ip to th e Un iver sitĂ Degl i Stu di di
A s a tr avel en th u siast, I often
Napol i Feder ico II, Dipar tim en to di
obser vin g th e ?ph ar m acist? an d bein g th e
daydr eam abou t wh er e m y n ext
Far m acia, an d th e l ocal com m u n ity
patien t. Al th ou gh th er e wer e m om en ts
adven tu r e l ies, wh ich cu isin e I?d be
ph ar m acy in Napl es.
wh en we h ad to stop th e in ter action in
eatin g, an d th e type of cu l tu r e I?l l
or der to pr ovide expl an ation s or to l au gh
be im m er sed in . Con sider in g th e
at sil l y an swer s by th e ?patien t? an d
am ou n t of tim e I spen d
Ph ar m acy L ab Si m u l at i on w i t h N ap ol i
fam il iar izin g m ysel f with dr u gs,
St u d en t s.
tr an sl ation , it was a gr eat l ear n in g
Pr ior to m eetin g th e ph ar m acy stu den ts at
exper ien ce for both par ties.
th e Un iver sity of Napl es Feder ico II, we
At th e en d of th e session , th e Napol i
wer e given a task to cr eate an d devel op a
stu den ts wer e su r pr ised by th e cl in ical
ph ar m acy case scen ar io, sim il ar to th e on es
k n owl edge th at ph ar m acists h ad.
th er apeu tic k n owl edge, an d ph ar m acok in etics, it on l y seem ed n atu r al th at I al so won der abou t wh at ph ar m acy pr actice is l ik e ou tside of Can ada. An d wh en th e facu l ty an n ou n ced th e oppor tu n ity to stu dy abr oad for an el ective cou r se in Ital y th is past M ay,I h ad n o dou bt th at it was som eth in g I wan ted to do.
?ph ar m acist? du e to im pr ecise
in pr actice l ab (as you ar e, or wil l be, fam il iar with ). Th ese case scen ar ios wer e aim ed to h igh l igh t th e scope of pr actice of ph ar m acists in Al ber ta, su ch as in itial pr escr ibin g, or der in g l ab val u es, adaptin g pr escr iption s, tr eatin g m in or ail m en ts, an d pr ovidin g m edication s by in jection .
20 Th ey fel t com for tabl e tal k in g to th e ph ar m acist abou t th eir con cer n s an d wer e con fiden t in th e car e th at th e ph ar m acist pr ovided. It was in ter estin g to n ote th e differ en ces in th eir ph ar m acy pr ogr am com par ed to wh at we h ave in Can ada. For exam pl e, r ath er th an h avin g
Ital y,k n own for its r em ar k abl e
As we ar r ived, we pair ed u p with th e
a sin gl e pr ogr am , th e Depar tm en t of
pizza an d pasta, gor geou s h il l -side
ph ar m acy stu den ts at th e Un iver sity of
Ph ar m acy at th e Un iver sity of Napl es
bu il din gs, an d exception al
Napl es Feder ico II an d con du cted ou r case
Feder ico II offer s two u n iqu e pr ogr am s
h ospital ity, didn ?t disappoin t m e.
scen ar ios. Th e Napol i stu den ts took tu r n s
with in th e depar tm en t: on e th at focu ses
On e of th e h igh l igh ts of th e cou r se
on ph ar m aceu tical s, wh il e th e oth er
20
Y 8
focu ses on cl in ical ph ar m acy. W h at was even m or e
goes to th e ph ar m acy r egu l ar l y.
in ter estin g was th at th e m ajor ity of ph ar m acy stu den ts
Secon d of al l , ph ar m acists ar e on l y al l owed to dispen se
ch ose to go in to th e ph ar m aceu tical in du str y r ath er th an
m edication s in th eir fu l l u n it pack age. For exam pl e, even
wor k in g in th e com m u n ity.
th ou gh a patien t m ay on l y n eed an tibiotic th er apy for 10 days, th e ph ar m acist m u st dispen se th e en tir e pack age (ie. 30 tabl ets) for th e patien t.
Needl ess to say,con n ectin g with th e Napol i stu den ts on e on on e an d con du ctin g case scen ar ios was tr u l y an am azin g exper ien ce. Not on l y did I l ear n abou t th e
Lastl y,m ost, if n ot al l , of th e over -th e-cou n ter (OTC)
ph ar m acy pr ogr am in Napl es, bu t I h ad com e to
m edication s ar e k ept beh in d th e cou n ter in th e ph ar m acy.
appr eciate th e scope of pr actice in Al ber ta an d wh at we, as
Th at?s r igh t, OTC pr odu cts su ch as ibu pr ofen ,
fu tu r e ph ar m acists, can do to pr ovide car e for patien ts in
acetam in oph en , an d var iou s an ti-h istam in es wer e al l k ept
th e com m u n ity.
beh in d th e ph ar m acy cou n ter in Ital y. Th e ph ar m acist expl ain ed th at wh en patien ts com e in l ook in g for OTC m edication s to tr eat m in or ail m en ts, th e ph ar m acist wou l d be th e on e wh o con su l ts with th e patien t an d pr ovide th e m ost appr opr iate r ecom m en dation accor din g to th eir sym ptom s. In th e m idst of cou n tl ess gel ato r u n s, fou r / five cou r se m eal s for su pper ,an d l on g wal k s al on g th e beach to ou r cl assr oom , m y exper ien ce in Ital y was tr u l y en h an ced becau se I was abl e to con n ect with th e Napol i stu den ts, an d th e l ocal com m u n ity ph ar m acist. So n ext tim e you fin d you r sel f daydr eam in g in cl ass, wan tin g to tr avel acr oss th e wor l d, I en cou r age you to do so. Seize th e oppor tu n ity to l ear n abou t differ en t h ow ph ar m acy wor k s with in th e differ en t cu l tu r es, an d tak e
A Vi si t t o t h e L ocal Com m u n i t y Ph ar m acy.
wh at you ?ve l ear n ed an d appl y it to you r fu tu r e pr actice.
After ou r session with th e Napol i stu den ts, we ven tu r ed ou t on to th e bu sy str eets of Napl es to a l ocal com m u n ity ph ar m acy. Fol l owin g a fr ien dl y gr eetin g, th e ph ar m acy own er in tr odu ced th e basic l ayou t of th e ph ar m acy (wh ich was ver y sim il ar to th at of an in depen den t ph ar m acy in Can ada), expl ain ed h ow th e ph ar m acy oper ated on a dail y basis, an d descr ibed th e h eal th car e system in Ital y in
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r el ation to ph ar m acy. W h il e h e sh ar ed a l ot of ver y in ter estin g in for m ation r egar din g ph ar m acy pr actice in Ital y,I wou l d l ik e to sh ar e th ose th at h el ped m e gain in sigh ts to th e differ en ces in wh ich ph ar m acies oper ated h er e in Can ada com par ed to Ital y. Fir st of al l , ph ar m acies don ?t h ave patien t pr ofil es in th eir system . In stead, al l th e patien t in for m ation in cl u din g th eir m edication h istor y,is u pl oaded to th eir per son al h eal th database in wh ich th e gover n m en t h as a r ecor d of. M ean in g, th e ph ar m acist is abl e piece togeth er th e in for m ation r egar din g th e patien t, on l y if th e patien t
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Feature Student Research : A nti ox i dants to attenuate cl ozapi ne (Cl ozari l ÂŽ) tox i ci ty i n-v i tro ByThomH. Le Hi everyone! My name is Thom and I am a third-year pharmacy student. Instead of spending my summer traveling, attending festivals, watching Netflix or catching up on sleep. I was fortunate enough to spend my summer continuing on a research project with Dr. Arno Siraki. You are probably thinking, ?Oh Radiopharm/PHARM 311! Are you working on something in radiopharmaceuticals??. The answer in short is no, however there were some concepts within the course that was related my project making it helpful to review prior to starting. I spent the first month
reactions of clinical drugs, I felt both aspects really spoke to
of my summer doing my hospital rotation at the Foothills
me and so I decided to send him an email expressing my
Medical Centre, and the remaining three months on the
interests.
project back in Edmonton.
W hat is thebackgroundof theproj ect? W hat kindof work didyoudo?
Howdidyouget involvedinresearchandwhy? I always had interest in the toxicology branch of science. Studying and understanding the underlying mechanisms
Clozapine (ClozarilÂŽ) is an atypical antipsychotic drug first
of how chemical substances and medications can cause
introduced in the 1960?s and continues to be the first-line
adverse reactions on living organisms has always been a
treatment in refractory schizophrenia. Dosing is usually 12.5
domain of curiosity for me. After my first semester in
mg once or twice daily increasing in increments of 25 to 50
pharmacy, I remember receiving an email from the faculty
mg daily up to a target dose of 300 to 450 mg daily with the
with a PDF attached listing all of the available projects for
maximum total daily dose of 900 mg, and serum
pharmacy students. There were a few that caught my eye
concentrations ranging from 200-600 ng/mL. About 0.8-1% of
and I was really interested in pursuing summer research
patients taking clozapine experience agranulocytosis, being
after my first year.
prone to life-threatening infections after a drop in neutrophil counts. Due to the adverse reaction of agranulocytosis, it
I remember coming across Dr. Arno Siraki?s webpage and
was withdrawn/restricted in the 1970s. However weighing
seeing a section titled ?Teaching Philosophy?which
out the pros and 22 cons, major advantages of clozapine
mentions ?My research program as well as my
include: lower incidence of extrapyramidal effects including
undergraduate teaching is based on an ?open-door ?
tardive dyskinesia, mitigating symptoms of schizophrenia, and reduces suicidality. Its use was greatly increased in the
approach. Learning is a dynamic process, I like to always
1980s, accompanied with haematological monitoring.
have time undergraduate and graduate students. One of the moments I appreciate most is when a student
In the liver, clozapine is metabolized to stable metabolites,
achieves a level of training such that they transition from
demethylclozapine, clozapine N-oxide, and hydroxylated
becoming a student to a colleague. This, I feel, is one of
metabolites. Clozapine can also undergo bioactivation in the
the hallmarks of success in teaching?. With his teaching
liver and from neutrophils to the same chemically reactive
philosophy and research interests towards the
nitrenium ion. This electrophilic metabolite can react
exploration of drug toxicity mechanisms through various
spontaneously with glutathione (GSH to form glutathione
tools and techniques investigating biochemical adverse
conjugates). Clozapine is metabolized to reactive
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intermediates by hepatic P450 enzymes, myeloid cells,
I also worked on an analytical study with clozapine and
and PMNs (polymorphonuclear leukocytes).
edaravone using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-VIS) for the
Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is the major enzyme in PMN
quantitative determination of different analytes. With previous
that may oxidize clozapine into the nitrenium ion.
literature indicating which peak clozapine is represented at a
Nitrenium ions and other free radicals are the main
distinct wavelength, I was able to achieve a similar readout to
culprits that can lead to the apoptosis of neutrophils.
what was published but also added 4-ABAH/Edaravone to see if there are any changes to the readout. Observing a change in the
In 2017, I spent the summer learning how to culture a
readout indicates that a new compound/intermediate may
cell line called ?HL-60?which are derived from peripheral
formed and this can be supported by conducting a liquid
blood leukocytes and predominantly show neutrophilic
chromatography-mass spectrometry (LCMS) with the
promyelocytic morphology, containing high amounts of
department of chemistry on campus. My last LCMS submission
the enzyme MPO. With these cells, I ran cytotoxicity
demonstrated that the addition of edaravone with clozapine,
assays with clozapine and some of their metabolites
MPO, and H2O2 prevented of clozapine metabolite formation
(N-desmethyl clozapine, clozapine hydrochloride,
and forming another adduct. Further studies we are trying to
isoclozapine, and clozapine N-oxide) at varying
pursue is to determine what exactly the adduct is as well as what
concentrations using a cell viability kit called CCK-8. How
would happen if glutathione (an antioxidant) was included in the
the kit works is essentially a highly water-soluble
same reaction.
tetrazolium salt, WST-8, is reduced by dehydrogenase activities in cells to produce a yellow-color formazan
W hat didyouenj oymost out of your proj ect?
dye, which is soluble in culture media. The amount of
I found this opportunity really allowed me to explore and
color produced is generated by the activities of
supplement my curiosity for drug toxicology and drug toxicity
dehydrogenases in the cells and is directly proportional
mechanisms. Working with a drug like clozapine has also
to the number of living cells. This means that the low
provided me with opportunities to learn more about the drug
absorbance value, the lower the cell viability and was
(background, dosing, adverse effects, serum concentrations)
observed at clozapine concentrations greater than 50
which would be valuable for PHARM 447 Psychiatry. Aside from
ÂľM. I left the project off with doing this assay with the
all of these aspects, the best part of my project was being able to
addition of another reagent, 4-ABAH (4-Aminobenzoic
work with such a supportive team. Everyone in the lab has a
Acid hydrazide), an MPO inhibitor to determine on
diverse experience with a strong background in varying areas of
whether clozapine cytotoxicity is dependent on the
science. They are always willing to provide their insight on their
enzyme. This means that if this mechanism of toxicity
area of expertise, demonstrate how to conduct different assays
was MPO dependent, then adding an MPO inhibitor
and techniques, as well as provide feedback on experiments and
would show less toxicity with having clozapine exposed
results. I really appreciate having Dr. Siraki stopping by the lab
to the HL-60 cells alone.
everyday to provide feedback and advice on our work as well as having the time for us to visit him in his office to answer any
This past summer I was able to pick up where I left off
questions or concerns.
and was able to work with an additional agent called edaravone. It is known to be a free radical scavenger and is approved for ALS in the US in 2017. Previous studies of this drug suggests there may be other off-label uses for this drug, including antioxidant activity
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(donating an electron to free radicals) . With the hypothesis that edaravone will attenuate the toxicity of clozapine in-vitro with HL-60 cells, I was able to get some preliminary results supporting this hypothesis using the same cytotoxicity assay I did in 2017. However, it would be more supportive if I could do the same experiment using a different cell viability assay such as CellTiter-GloÂŽ (which relies on ATP activity to determine cell viability) or Trypan Blue Exclusion (dies dead cells blue).
Fr om Lef t : Harun Rashid (PhD Student), Lindsey Suh (MSc Student), Dinesh Babu (Post Doctoral Fellow), Andrew Morgan (PhD Student). M issin g: Dr . Ar n o Sir ak i
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