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All good things must come to an end – a P4’s reflection on the past four years and what comes next

By Alexandra McPherson posted 03-09-2015 10:08

  

I sit here with mixed emotions, having just submitted my rankings for the ASHP PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Residency Match. You better believe the first of these was an elephant-sized sense of relief - yes, it's now officially out of my hands. Pride that I made the most of my four years of pharmacy school, enabling myself to be the most competitive candidate I could be. Nervousness, anticipation and excitement for the next chapter of my professional life; and above all, gratitude for the faculty, preceptors, mentors, friends and family who gave me a kick in the pants when I needed it most and helped shape the person I am today. All of these feelings and self-reflection have made me channel my inner Oprah and think about the three things I know for sure.

1.) Everything they told us during that first year of pharmacy school was true. Yep, all of it. Get involved. Develop your own leadership philosophy. But not at the expense of your schoolwork because at the end of the day, our patients’ lives are in our hands and our clinical knowledge is important. Learn to see the value in group work - it's not going to end with pharmacy school. Embed professionalism into your value system and know that someone is always watching. Pharmacy is a small world. Network – what you know is key, but who you know can help. Seek opportunities - they are there waiting but will not be handed to you. Most importantly, enjoy these four years, because while it may not seem like it at times, they go by faster than you ever thought possible.

2.) Without a shadow of a doubt, the friends I have made here will be my friends for life. These are the people who have been in the metaphorical trenches with me for four years, who stayed up late explaining endless concepts, and who kept me (mostly) sane. I am eternally indebted to these fabulous future pharmacists who I'm lucky to now call my family.

3.) Regardless of what happens, where we end up, and the path we choose, we're all going to be okay. Not just okay, but great.

As I started to write this, I intended it to serve as advice to my younger pharmacy school colleagues. Proof that there is a light at the end of the tunnel - and no, it's not the pharmacotherapy train coming to pummel your hopes and dreams. But as I embarked upon this exercise in self-reflection, I realized that perhaps it was just as much for me - or rather for us, those of us wrapping up our four-year pharmacy school journey - a chance to sit back and reflect on the good, the bad, and the ugly. So for those of you in the Class of 2015 reading this, congratulations, you deserve it. Now, go out there and save some lives!

Alexandra McPherson, MPH
University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Class of 2015

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