I cannot believe that my rotation here at ASHP is more than halfway over! I feel like I am finally getting the hang of how things work around here and I will have to leave so soon. Since Policy Week ended last week, it was nice to ease my way back into a regular routine at the office. I do not think I would call it a routine though, as each day brings different meetings and new collaborations and projects.
As I mentioned in my first blog, students on rotation at ASHP have the opportunity to set up introductory meetings with ASHP staff members, and learn about their background. I thought it was interesting that not all staff at ASHP are pharmacists, and how they bring their expertise to advance ASHP’s mission is inspiring. Everyone at ASHP collaborates with one another and always has ASHP’s strategic plan in mind.
I enjoyed listening to everyone’s career path and how they got to where they are today. Many of them had very unique journeys consisting of different residency experiences, fellowships, earning their masters, for some having multiple different jobs and for others staying at one job for a long time. During one of the meetings, the pharmacist referenced the book Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg, and I was excited because I had previously read that book. She highlighted the part of the book when Sandberg describes careers as a jungle gym instead of a ladder, because this pharmacist felt that her career has been a jungle gym of various jobs at different places. As I discovered, this is a common theme for multiple individuals I have met. Many of them gained unique experiences through their different jobs, all because a mentor told them about an opportunity and they went for it. Hearing their stories gives me courage and motivation to seize every opportunity.
Doing a rotation at ASHP in the Washington DC area also allows for new local experiences. Over the weekend I was able to go out and explore with my fellow extern, Ansley Gayle. We went to Annapolis for the day where we ate great seafood, went shopping, and took a boat tour. It is such a quaint town and I highly recommend to anyone who has not gone before. It was fun to be able to explore new areas and meet new people. I especially enjoyed my crab cake sandwich, because being from Ohio I have never had crab before. This rotation experience has exposed me to many new things, both professionally and personally so I encourage other students to go outside their comfort zones and do different things, including the rotation at ASHP.