At the end of every I have the same mixed emotions. I’m excited to start my next rotation and learn something new from someone new. But I’m also sad because I have to leave the site and the people I’ve gotten to know over the past 6 weeks. Maybe I’m lucky. The past 4 rotations have been exactly what I’ve wanted out of my APPE year and have left me with amazing experiences and connections with amazing people. Today, I’m going to discuss my most recent rotation, at ASHP Headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland.
General Information:
I am with the Office of Member Relations. My preceptor is the Director of Membership Forums and most of my projects have been working with the New Practitioners Forum (NPF), the Pharmacy Student Forum (PSF), and the Section of Ambulatory Care Practitioners (SACP). Other students who have been on rotation with me have worked with the Section of Clinical Specialists and Scientists, the Center Medication Safety and Quality, and the Educational Services Division.
Projects:
The opportunities for projects at ASHP are varying based on the time of year, your preceptor’s position and current projects within ASHP, and your interests. With the NPF I have helped review posters for the Midyear Clinical Meeting. I was also involved with reviewing submissions for ASHP TV, the SSHP outstanding professional development projects, and SSHP PAI video submissions. I’ve had topic discussions with my preceptor on various management topics including interviewing and email communication. I was able to complete some projects with the SACP staff director because this is my area of interest for my future career. These projects included working on uploading content into the REMS Resource Center and creating questions for the pharmacist prescribing twitter chat (#ASHPchat on November 15th).
Meetings:
I’ve met with 30 individuals that work at ASHP. I’ve met with individuals who practice in areas like Accreditation Services, Affiliation Relations, the ASHP Foundation, CareerPharm, Educational Services, Government Affairs, Medication Safety and Quality, Office of Practice Advancement, Office of Professional Development, Publication and Drug Information Systems, and the social media strategist. Each individual gave information about their role at ASHP and how they got there in addition to valuable advice for my future career.
Personal Experiences:
I was lucky enough to be at ASHP for Take Your Dog to Work Day and the Fall Party. You might know me from such pictures as the Happy Halloween post from ASHP:
In addition, ASHP headquarters is just a short Metro ride away from our Nation’s Capital, which allowed me to explore some very famous places. I spent every weekend in DC or hiking around Maryland and definitely got my 10,000 steps a day in! Even with 6 weeks I have not explored everything I would like to see and will have to come back. A big bonus is that all national monuments and museums are free entrance. My top recommendations are the Holocaust Museum, the National Archives, and watching the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider at Arlington National Cemetery. If you’re up for it I’d also recommend participating in a walking tour (some are free of charge with only tips at the end) of the National Mall or Georgetown (ghost tour!).
Closing Thoughts:
I’ll leave you with two things. First, if you’re at all considering doing the APPE rotation at ASHP I would recommend it! Click here to learn more and apply. Second, I’ll leave you with one of my favorite Presidential quotes:
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader” – John Quincy Adams
#APPERotation #PharmacyStudents #ASHPStaff