Here we go...

Well, hello.

I should probably start by introducing myself. I am your friendly neighborhood P4 pharmacy intern, but you can just call me Blondie. I've created this blog to help me maintain my sanity while I go through my advanced practice pharmacy experiences ('APPEs' or 'rotations' from hereon out). I have 7 of them over about 12 months with one six week block free within those 12 months.

I guess I should confess that I'm not quite a P4 yet; I've still got three finals to get out of the way. Which, by the way, I am currently procrastinating from by creating this blog. I have probably the worst case of senioritis, or, P3-itis as it may be, seeing as how I'll never have to see the inside of a classroom again. My notes are sitting in front of me as I type, mocking me. I know I should be studying, but even when I try, nothing sticks. Oh, well. I could probably barely pass each final and still do just fine in my classes.

Just a disclaimer: I will not answer any medical- or drug-related questions. For one, I am still a year away from being a licensed pharmacist, and secondly, I do not know your patient history. At the risk of sounding like a super bitch (and I promise you, I'm really, really not, seriously), any e-mail or comment I get about a medical question will be ignored.

I will, however, answer any questions anyone has about pharmacy school. I won't disclose my location or the undergraduate and graduate institutions I have attended, but I will certainly try to answer any questions about what it took to get in, my experiences in school or on rotation, etc. I also have experience in two states, and will gladly compare and contrast for anyone the differences in pharm laws and regulations (and believe me, there are a lot of differences).

I suppose that I should tell you that I have worked in retail pharmacy for 5 years, and I absolutely love it. Back home I work at a grocery chain in a small town just outside of where I live. The patient population is, well, interesting. It's really corny, but I love the relationships that I form with my patients (the sane, nice, don't-think-they're-owed anything ones anyway). I like to be the one they trust and will continually come back to. It really means a lot to me when a patient comes to my pharmacy and will ask if I'm around if they have something I may be able to help them with. I'm looking forward to rotations because I think it will help me broaden my interest; who knows? Maybe I'll decide I like something else better. For now, though, I love my job, and I'm crossing my fingers that they'll pick me up after graduation.  Despite all the shit I take at work sometimes, I still like what I do and where I work.

Where I work has helped me grow a backbone. Not that I didn't have one before, but considering some of the patients we get and some bitch-ass pharm techs I work with, I've had to grow thicker skin. And please don't misconstrue 'bitch-ass pharm techs' as derogatory. I feel quite the opposite; I feel like pharmacy techs pretty much make the pharmacy work. They usually get the first encounter with irate patients, shitty insurance companies, etc. I was a technician for two years before I got my intern permit (though I still do pretty much the same thing, with a few added responsibilities). I know what it's like to be crapped on pretty much every day by Medicaid patients who think I owe them something, whiny patients who can't wait 15 minutes for a prescription that was written four months before, etc. It's just that there are a couple people I work with that enjoy making everyone's lives miserable, and I've gotten to the point where I do NOT give a shit. You wanna talk about me behind my back? You're obviously too scared to say it to my face, so keep my name out of your mouths. It's not just me they shit on; it's all the younger girls I work with (these women are middle-aged). This, however, is a rant for another day :)

A little bit about my personal life: I am engaged to a great guy, and we're getting married next summer. I'll be wedding planning this summer as well as working through my rotations, so I'm sure my stress level will be THROUGH THE ROOF. I am a gigantic Pittsburgh Steelers fan (all you haters, drink your Haterade) and have bled black and gold since the day I was born. My fiance is determined that I will eventually waver and jump on his team's bandwagon, but he is sorely mistaken. No way, no how.

Anywho, I can't guarantee that I'll blog every day, but I'll keep you all updated on what's going on with my rotations. My first rotation is in community pharmacy (YAY! something I'm good at and something I love!), which will start in a couple of weeks. I have a week off between finals and rotations, so I'll be working. I'll be looking for some stories to share :)

The Blond Intern