hi, I guess I’m back. I literally wrote an 800-word post last April, but I could not bring myself to post it. It was about my trip to Spain and about the beginnings of the pandemic but posting about it felt… wrong. I guess I can share it at some point, but now? I don’t feel like it (sorry). If you want to see pictures, though, you can go to my instagram or see this tweet:
My trip to Spain started when there were about 100 cases, and when I left there were more than 300. Although it was foolish to travel at the time, it was fun and unforgettable. When we came back, we had to go to uni for about a week until lockdown started (no quarantine required back then. Whoa) and things became the way they are now. And that’s all I’ll say about the trip, sadly. *cries*
I guess this post will be kind of an update? We’ll figure it out as we go.
What’s new?
I’m a bit more than halfway through my first APPE rotation, Ambulatory Care, at an OBGYN office. You may ask, what is a pharmacy student doing at a doctor’s office? (Believe me, I asked the same thing too.) We’ve been taking vitals, interviewing patients and discussing cases and treatments. It is definitely a nice way to start my 7 rotations.
We’ve been following protocols, sanitizing the areas every time we meet patients and wearing face-shields. I’ve also been tested. (And will get tested again next Monday). This doesn’t mean it’s not scary working and being so close to patients once or twice a week. (This is also an adjustment my preceptor made: We don’t work at the clinic every day. However, we meet on Zoom to discuss cases.) But this is what I’ve wanted to do for years. Pharmacists are on the front lines, don’t you ever forget that. 🙂
My next rotation will be remote, sadly, but I know I’ll learn a lot. Plus, the one after that will (finally) be at a community pharmacy. I’m SO looking forward to that. “What about hospitals?” You may ask. It’s a bit difficult for students to work at hospitals right now. Even my current rotation was originally supposed to include visits to the operating room, and we lost that. 😦
What else can I say? I miss a lot of life before COVID, I miss my friends and sometimes I feel like this is just a dream where I can’t bring myself to wake up. This is all so weird, and I can’t say I have completely gotten used to it. But this is our new reality for the time being. Which is to say PLEASE STAY HOME and if you don’t, WEAR A DAMN MASK. It’s not so hard. Things are tough and will get even more difficult… Please stay safe, my friends.
I’ll try to be back sooner rather than later *peace sign*
Science, Books and Silly Things 