Volunteering In Memorial Health's Emergency Department

Being a volunteer at the UM Charles Regional Medical Center is a great way to give back your community and in a small way help society to become a better place. However, before you can become a full volunteer there are certain requirements that you will need to fulfil.

I have spent my time as a student pharmacist learning about opportunities within clinical pharmacy and making certain that I was equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed. In my pursuit, I became an active member of pharmaceutical organizations, held multiple leadership positions, attended clinical conferences, established research projects, participated in community service events, and other initiatives. I excelled academically, which was manifested in not just a high academic standard but also in tutoring fellow classmates and arranging sessions with other pharmacy students to help them improve time management and study skills. I shadowed pharmacists and residents before my advanced pharmacy practice experiences commenced to discover which areas of clinical pharmacy I found intriguing. I have obtained valuable pharmacy practice experiences in five specialties thus far including inpatient internal medicine, long term acute care, geriatrics and telehealth, and primary care. Through these rotations, I built upon the knowledge I acquired from my didactic courses but also developed patient-centered approaches and strengthened my clinical skills. I enjoyed many aspects of my rotations, including contributing pharmacotherapy recommendations, providing patient education, attending rounds and interdisciplinary team meetings – all of which have solidified my desire

One of my extracurricular activities was volunteering at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, PA during the 10th and 11th grade. I gave patients food and water, answered call bells, and comforted and transported patients. I volunteered for 4 hours a week, 15 weeks a year, and had a total of 120 volunteer hours. Volunteering at the hospital showed me what it takes to care for the sick and made me realize that I want to go into the medical

Many people don’t realize the true value of volunteering, but I’ve come to understand the incredible impact of volunteering through my experience at Memorial Hermann. Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” For me, his words could not be truer.

Over the past century the practice of pharmacy has evolved from a field with few specialties typically focused on compounding and filling prescriptions to modern pharmacy practice which has many different specialties. Due to the many opportunities in the field of pharmacy one assignment I completed was the APhA Career Pathway Evaluation Program to see which specialties I hay have the most interest in based on a series of questions I answered. In the following paper, I will list and discuss these results, point out some of the positive and negative attributes to each career choice, and will make an assessment on which careers may be the best form me and some of the options I disagree with.

Initially I was preparing for pharmacy school, but I realized that it was not an active profession and the only way I could work with patients is to distribute prescribed drugs to them. I was young and immature and chose a profession based on financial benefit. After graduating with my bachelor’s degree in biology, I decided to explore the medical field by applying for a volunteer position supporting direct patient care at a hospital.

Growing up within a stable, loving environment, all the while enjoying good health with no major setbacks or difficulties, I have always considered myself fortunate. The value of respect, along with imparting a non-judgmental attitude toward people and situations, was emphasized daily by my parents.

Working as a Behavioral Specialist, I took care of patients with traumatic brain injuries. It was a very rewarding job, which taught me compassion and appreciation for my own life. As a Health Unit Coordinator I have learned about admissions and discharges of patients, how charts are organized, and how to communicate with doctors and nurses. In my most recent job, as a Pharmacy Technician, I have learned many things that I believe will be helpful while going through the Physician Assistant Program. One of them is my familiarity with different medications, knowing what they are used for and what they look like. As a Physician Assistant I will be required to write prescriptions for medications. Knowing dosages and how a prescription should be written will be a very useful tool to have. I have enjoyed working as a Pharmacy Technician, being a part of medical team and most of all helping patients in the best way I could, but I always wished I could have more

When I was in high school, I had a mentor ask me, “What career would you like to have when you graduate”? Those words still lingering in my head until this day and to be honest I really didn’t know what answer to give him because I was still unsure. He then chose to put it in my mind that Pharmacy Technicians are important and they are needed just about every day. I took it upon myself to do some research. In 2010, I read that in 2009, there were approximately 267,000 pharmacists and, in 2008, 326,300 pharmacy technicians. Between 2003 and 2009, the number of pharmacists in the workforce increased by 35,000.

From there, I began to explore more of what a career in pharmacy would mean and take the steps necessary to pursue my dream. As I reflect on the past and look forward, becoming a Doctor of Pharmacy is still the clear answer to achieving both my immediate and long-term goals. My immediate goal is to work towards additional education to be better equipped to utilize my undergraduate degree. In particular, I have a strong interest in applying my knowledge of biochemistry to the area of pharmacy in order to better understand how different medications work, how to help patients understand their medications, and how to solve problems to better care for patients. Ultimately, through achieving a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, I desire to develop a meaningful career that would allow for life-long learning and impacting lives.

As a junior in High School, working in a pharmacy would be a new experience for me, but I have never let the fear of the unknown prevent me from pursuing what I am passionate about. I would love to become a pharmacist one day because I want a career that will enable me to help others. Having the knowledge that I will be making the necessary medications to help people feel better will give me a tremendous amount of satisfaction in my

My strongest impetus for the study of this major is pegged on the personal urge to improve the lives and health of those around me. I would only be able to serve the health of others when I am fully acquainted with the knowledge of pharmacy, which to me is one of the noblest professions. I am deeply concerned about the welfare of others. My experiences, especially as I visit hospitals form a significant part in influencing my choice to study pharmacy. At one point, I felt very bad when a pharmacist in a hospital I had visited was very indolent in serving a patient. All human beings would feel adored and valued when they are given appropriate attention in regard to their health. The health profession has a mission geared towards safeguarding people's health and that mission is perfectly in sync with my desires. I want to be exceptional, to do my best in caring for people, and attend to their interest to the best of my knowledge. I admire nourishing hope to desolate patients and always give them a reason to

In my community many people do not understand the struggles of kids with serious illnesses and the financial and mental toll it has in the parents. To have more understanding of the problem I encourage people to volunteer at hospitals to gain more knowledge about the problem.

For me, choosing to pursue a career in pharmacy was far from planned. I knew that I wanted to find a profession which I could find self fulfilling. So, one could say I knew as much about pharmacy and its history as an average person. I’ve always imagined that pharmacy and the entire profession as a whole was relatively modern. In other words, I never really took pharmacy as a profession with a history. I’ve always thought that pharmacy and medicine, as one, essentially made its largest strides with the technology boom of the 21st century. During my visit, I realized I was both right, but also, wrong in a sense.

I delight in helping people and that is what pharmacists do as well as additional significant tasks. They are also very organized people, as am I. That is why I would treasure being a pharmacist and truly love the job. I have worked exceptionally hard in my classes to maintain my exceptional grades and GPA. I have completed additional activities such as going to pharmacy camp to learn what a pharmacist does. I have also done ample research to know if I will like the job and what I have to do to achieve this goal. Every bit of this contributes to me reaching my goal and I cannot wait until my journey