✨You are in LUCK! ✨

We are three months into 2024 and the vibes have been positive and fun at OCPD. With more sunny days and warmer weather, we want to add some extra luck and charm into your inbox.

As always, our team is excited to bring you OCPD resources, residency and fellowship information, and insights into traditional and non-traditional pharmaceutical careers throughout the year.

Ask a Senior Professional!

Do you have tricky career or professional development questions that you would like to ask anonymously to pharmacy professionals?

Our team will get in touch with SOP faculty, residents, and/or alumni AND GET YOU EXPERT ANSWERS! We will feature 2-3 answers on our monthly newsletter, so ask away :)

WAITTTT 🛑, there's more!

We are giving away FREE money to one lucky student. If you submit a question, you will be entered in a raffle to win a $25 Amazon gift card.

💸💸💸

You asked, and we got you answers!

We received many excellent questions about residencies from last month's "Ask a Senior Professional" survey. Since many students expressed interest in ambulatory care, we got in touch with Dr. Melanie Vela, a PGY-2 Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Resident at Kaweah Health. Recently, Dr. Vela also taught COPD therapeutics to the P1 class during their respiratory block.

Interview questions and answers:



(1) Describe how you developed an interest for ambulatory care pharmacy.

I found out early in pharmacy school, after rotations, that inpatient pharmacy was not my long-term goal. I get attached to patients and its difficult when they pass, or you cannot follow-up with them to set up that continuity of care. I wanted to help patients avoid getting to that point and that's where I found that outpatient settings worked better for me. I went to PGY1 for community pharmacy with UCSF and Safeway. That’s where I got more ambulatory care experience and fell in love with this field. I knew I wanted to meet frequently with patients to ensure they weren’t hospitalized and to prevent issues before they happen. 

(2) How do you collaborate with other healthcare professionals in an ambulatory care setting and how your day-to-day looks like? 

In my primary care setting we have the providers and the pharmacists who work closely to solve clinical issues like high A1C's and high blood pressure. Sometimes we visit the patients together, other times it’s my team or we alternate. Typically, I'll have a schedule of patients that I'm seeing – the number of patients depends on the clinic and what services you provide. I also work with preceptors and a pharmacy student, and we tend to split it up [the patients] throughout the day, but we have our own patients. As we work them up, we review their documentation and charts, meds, clinical targets, and disease state focus. We work with a lot of diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, polypharmacy, and even benzo tapers.

When we visit the patients, I always do a full medication reconciliation at the beginning and address any questions, any concerns, any medication barriers, and then dive into that disease state. We also work with social workers, medical assistants, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and physician residents. We have a very nice mix of people collaborating to address patient needs and help our patients. 

(3) P3s have expressed concern about the amount of time they have to work up patients. There is a lot of clinical information, and it is important to be thorough. Are there any frameworks you use to help expedite this process? 

Ultimately, if there is something that you think is clinically incorrect or is going to bring harm to the patient, I think that's what it comes down to. It’s important to be methodical and take a stepwise approach where you prioritize issues and create lists to help organize your thoughts. Once you do that, you can ask yourself – what can I tackle today and what can I save for later? Sometimes there are patients that have a lot of medications and if you make many changes at once, you will confuse them and that can create other problems down the line. 

(4) Since Covid-19 pandemic, sentiments around vaccines have shifted in different directions. Have you experienced any vaccine hesitancy in your role?

Not as much as I thought I would have! But I think that might be because you establish this rapport with your patient after seeing them in various appointments. When the recommendation comes from someone who they've already established a relationship with, they’re more receptive to listening and making an informed decision. You should always explain the benefits of vaccines and clarify misconceptions the patients have. 

(5) Describe any memorable patient interactions or success stories you've experienced in your role.

There was a patient who started with A1C of 14 (super high) and was not very informed about their health issues. I was lucky enough to have a longitudinal am-care rotation, so I was able to see them the entire year. During our time together, we got them to our target A1C (<7%). It was like a wonderful moment to be like, oh my gosh, like my interventions had this impact! I'm reducing the risk for heart attack, stroke, and they were doing well. I took the time to educate her on why it's important to take medications, how they work, and how to properly administer them. And it made all the difference.

(6) Collaborative practice agreements have helped increase our scope of practice in the realms of smoking cessation and HIV prophylaxis. How do you see the role of ambulatory care pharmacists evolving in the future?

That's something that we've been able to do because we work with an agreement with the providers, and we do have prescriptive authority. Although orders must be approved by preceptors, we have the capacity to order medications, labs, and put in referrals. For example, if I'm following a patient for diabetes and that's what they recommend their referrals, then anything diabetes-related is within my scope – blood sugar medications, blood pressure medication, cholesterol medications, etc. I hope to continue to see this growth in the future. 

(7) Finally, what advice would you give to someone considering a post-graduate residency program? 

If you're hesitant about even doing a residency, just apply! Just do it. I almost didn't go into PGY1 because I was hesitant about working in an inpatient setting. Someone shared this piece of advice with me: try and see what's out there and apply for places where you think you could fit and grow and learn.

For people that are in the process of completing a residency, really take advantage of the fact that you have a preceptor with you who's very experienced and has gone through all these different patient scenarios. Now is the time to challenge yourself. Challenge yourself with complex patients, different disease states, ask all the questions, do the digging, like get all the information. You don't always get that once you graduate. Of course, your colleagues and resources are there. But now is the time to build those skills and have someone support you and help guide you in the right way.

Faculty Messages

Rupa Tuan, PhD, Associate Professor - Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology

Dr. Rupa Tuan wanted to share a message with students!

In the dynamic world of pediatric pharmacy, pharmacists care for patients ranging from premature neonates to young adults facing complex health challenges. Their roles range from treating common childhood illnesses such as otitis media, strep throat, and Reye’s syndrome to navigating diseases that transcend age.

Pediatric pharmacists engage in ongoing research to develop custom formulations, address stability concerns, and explore novel applications. Despite the hurdles of dosing precision and limited medication forms, these professionals serve as advocates for children's health, providing crucial education and innovative solutions to various clinical challenges.

With growing opportunities for specialized training and a rewarding career path, pediatric pharmacy invites pharmacists to make a meaningful difference in young lives.

California Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Pharmacy practice perspectives written for pharmacy students, residents, and new practitioners. 2004.

Ramadan Mubarak!

Ramadan is a month in the Islamic (lunar) calendar. In Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset and do not drink water or eat food during this time. You may see your muslim colleagues and friends fasting and offering nightly prayers. If you would like to learn how to advise your muslim peers during this time, here are some suggestions:

1. Show Curiosity- In a relaxed approach, if your muslim friends are open to it, ask open-ended questions, such as "What does Ramadan mean to you?" Try to avoid questions like, "Why would you put your body through this voluntarily?" as that can be offensive.
2. Don't feel "sorry for them"- Muslims eagerly anticipate this month as it enhances spirituality and commemorates community, family, self-reflection and mindfulness.
3. Perform actionable acts of support- simple acts of kindness goes a long way. You can provide your friends with a box of dates, snacks or electrolyte packets as way to supplement during the times they can eat. More importantly, offer words of encouragement as positive support makes a real difference.

Access Article Here!

Rewarding Student Pharmacist Programs

The California Affiliate of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP), in partnership with Gilead and LEO Pharma, is offering Student Pharmacy Programs for AMCP Affiliate Student Members. These opportunities aim to provide student pharmacists exposure ot a day in the life of a pharmaceutical manufacturer. Air travel, meals, and overnight accomodations will be provided by the pharmaceutical manufacturer.

What if you could find a career counseling appointment anytime you were looking for one?

Help manifest this future by taking our 3-minute anonymous appointment preferences booking survey!

As part of your OCPD's commitment to be responsive to your needs we are continually assessing our appointment booking offerings so that we can update our appointment availability for when you need it most. Every month we'll be offering students the chance to take this survey so that you can share your monthly and quarterly scheduling preferences because we know that your schedules change frequently. 



Students who take the survey have the option to win a $25 Amazon gift card by entering our monthly gift card raffle, (winners are announced every month!).  

Did you know?

We have an incredible team at the Office of Career and Professional Development (OCPD) that can help you with your professional needs.

Our most popular services include career counseling services with career counselors, application material review sessions (CV, resumes, LOI) with career peers, mock interviews, and networking appointments. Book an appointment!