My first two months of rotations have flown by! I started out with an infectious disease rotation and am currently on a cardiology rotation. Every day I learn something new. There are always more articles and guidelines to read and information to look up. While on rounds, I am constantly challenged to look up medical jargon to understand the procedures, hemodynamic lab values, and diagnostic tests that the physicians are discussing.
It takes hours to fully work up a patient to understand their medical history and what indications their medications are for. I learned early on that, while understanding what the team is doing to care for patients is very important, my preceptors want to know what my plan is. As soon-to-be pharmacists, we need to question everything. Is this the right medication? Is this the right dose? Are there medications the patient should be taking that they are not currently? Understanding what the medical team is doing for the patient is only half the battle, because the next question preceptors will inevitably ask is, "But what is your plan?"
I am fastidiously learning how to form a plan for each of my patient's problems and can now understand a lot more of what is being discussed on rounds. I can't wait to see how much more I can learn over the next few months and look forward to making meaningful interventions in my patient's care.
#PharmacyStudents #Rotations