Mission: Accomplished

My second clinical rotation drew to an end yesterday. As usually is with my life, parting was bittersweet. I started the rotation not enthused. I even wrote a letter to the experiential coordinator at my school complaining about having a retail rotation as a selective. I have long suffered from "foot-in-mouth" disease, and following suit with this infliction, I learned that this was probably the best selective I could've had. This rotation site wasn't just retail - it truly was an all-encompassing pharmacy. They had a durable medical equipment department, a retail pharmacy, a home infusion company, and they also served as a "warehouse" for all the doctor's offices as well as the surgery center for the facility. It really was a neat place to work. Before this rotation, I never had experience making IVs. On my evaluation, my preceptor wrote that I was more than competant to prepare IVs, PCA bags, and chemotherapies. Yes...I said chemotherapy. During this rotation I was provided with the opportunity to compound 5-FU. My sterile compounding professor is going to flip. She gave me an introduction to chemo, but told me that I would never make it on rotations. HA! My fourth week at this rotation, I was gowned up, masked down, gloved, and in the hood making chemo. It was awesome. At this rotation I also got to stregthen my compounding skills. I made two solutions for burning off gential warts. Fun stuff!

At lunch yesterday, my co-workers shocked me by having me a "going away" party. They all went together and purchased 2 6-foot subs and baked all kinds of goodies. Before I could get food, they made me promise that I would come back and be a pharmacist there. (Awwww!) When I told them I would seriously consider it, they all cheered. They gave me a "good luck" card with all their well-wishes in it. When I went in for my final evaluation, my preceptor informed me that her technicians told her that if she didn't give me a great grade, they would beat her senseless. (These are the greatest techs I have ever worked with.) I walked out of the evaluation wit a 99 and another job offer. My preceptor called the owner of the pharmacy and told them she had a pharmacist she wanted to hire in May 2006 and that I could only work for her. At 5:00, when I walked out of the pharmacy for the last time, they all bombarded me with hugs and made me promise to come visit. I told them that I'd definitely be back...even if it was just for a lunch party! :)

Residency? What residency??? ;)