Thanksgiving in the Northeast

Happy belated Thanksgiving!  Thanksgiving was my holiday to work, which is great because it means I get Christmas off.  The day of wasn't too bad.  I got free lunch for working the holiday, and after work I went to my coresident's apartment.  She had cooked for her boyfriend, his brother, and another of the pharmacists from work that we hang out with, so I was able to enjoy some good Thanksgiving food.  We finished the night out with a game of Scrabble.  The night before Thanksgiving my Bible study had a fun night due to the number of people who were out of town.  We played Just Dance 3 on the Wii and it was awesome.  Even the guys really got into it and danced their hearts out to "Let's Go to the Mall."

I have a week left of my cardiology rotation, and I'm really enjoying it.  I realize that I might just like the CICU because it's my first critical care rotation, but I know I'd like to do more rotations in cardiology.  I'm not totally sure where I'll be next month but it looks like I'll be in administration.  I don't think it will be easy, but it will be a nice break from our traditional clinical rotations.  I've been spending a lot of time following my patients and working on projects, but I know that if I can just make it through these 2 years of residency then I can find the job that I've been looking forward to since I start working in a peds hospital in pharmacy school.

Speaking of doing a second year of residency, I head to New Orleans a week from today for the Midyear Clinical Meeting.  It's the meeting I went to last year in Anaheim to meet residency programs.  This year I'll be looking for 2nd year programs in pediatrics as well as recruiting for residents at my current program.  I'm still undecided if I'm going to stay here or leave for my second year, but I'm glad I have the opportunity to look into other programs at this meeting.  This is a great program so I only want to leave if I can find a place where I would get an added experience to prepare me for my career.

Last weekend was the Philadelphia marathon, and I volunteered at a water stop.  It wasn't as fun as actually running the race, but it was great being involved in the run in some way.  There is definite strategy involved in handing out water at a race, especially to the fast runners.  I haven't been running as much as I'd like to, but hopefully I can get back at it soon.

Stay tuned next time for updates from my trip to New Orleans!

Getting to the Heart of the Matter

Dear blog readers, I am sorry that it has been a month since my last post!  I'll try my best to catch you up on going what's been going on here in the Big East.

I am currently in my fifth month of residency.  Time is flying!  I finished my first clinical rotation in general pediatrics (the pediatric version of general medicine).  It was a good experience, and I was able to learn a lot.  I also had some very cute patients.  I gave my first case presentation which was definitely a learning experience, but that's why I'm here!  Last Monday I started my first ICU rotation in the cardiovascular ICU.  Cardiology is very interesting, especially in patients who have totally cardiovascular anatomy/circulation than the typical adult.  I'm interested in being an ICU pharmacist, so I'm excited to see what this month will hold.  I have been spending many hours a day at work, but I'm learning how to use my time more efficiently.

Three weekends ago Kayla and Daniel L made their way to Philadelphia for a weekend visit.  We did many of the touristy things in Philly and had a great time.  We were able to take a tour of Independence Hall where the Constitution and Declaration of Independence were written, which I wasn't able to do with my parents because the tickets were sold out.  We even got to meet "Ben Franklin" (the figurehead of Philadelphia).  It was fun showing them around my new stomping grounds, and Kayla even remarked at how well I had become familiar with the area (thanks, Kayla).  It was so good to see them and spend time together.

Last weekend Kathryn B came to Philadelphia.  I had to work on Friday, so she did the Old City historical things while I was at work.  We went to the Rim Cafe where this eccentric French guy makes hot chocolate (and yells "Make it happen!").  It was featured on the Food Network.  On Saturday morning we had an amazing brunch including delicious pumpkin pancakes.  We also took a tour of Eastern States Penitentiary, which was the first modern prison built.  It's pretty spooky even during the day.  In the afternoon we went on a tour of a local brewery.  I think we were both worn out from all of the walking by the end of the weekend.  I'm so glad she came to visit!

I have stopped running with the running group due to time, but I am still going to the same church and a small group that is part of the church.  I have met some pretty great people through the small group.  This has been a long post, so I'll update you next time on my upcoming trip to the ASHP conference in New Orleans.

A Quarter Done

After a few months of training and preparing to start my first rotation- it's here!  I started my first rotation at the beginning of October.  I'm currently on my General Pediatrics rotation, which in the adult medicine world is internal medicine.  It's nice being on the floor interacting with parents, nurses and physicians, and I feel like I'm forming good relationships with the residents and med students.  It's also a little stressful knowing that the team and the patient are depending on me to make sure medicines are appropriate.  But that's why I'm here- to learn how to do that better!

Last weekend my parents came into town.  It was so good to see them, and we were able to do a lot of touristy things here in Philly.  We ate at a little Italian restaurant on Friday night (and I used my first Groupon).  On Saturday morning we ran by the Schuykill by boat house row and up the steps at the art museum.  We also got our picture taken by the Rocky statue.  In the afternoon we saw the Liberty Bell, went to Penn's Landing (the shore of the Delaware River which separates PA from NJ), and had cheesesteaks at Jim's.  Sunday my mom's flight got cancelled, but it worked out so my parents could go to my church and then we had lunch together at Whole Foods.  We also randomly ran into one of the other pharmacists I work with, so I think that was fun for my parents to see that I can run into people I know in the 5th largest city in the nation!

It's back to work this weekend, but I'm so excited about my friends that are coming to Philly soon!

Tomorrow Equals 1 of 12

October is only a week away and things are rolling along here in PA.  I finished my training and I have one more week of my kinetics rotation.  Kinetics is basically pharmacy math, and at the risk of sounding like a big nerd, I kind of enjoy doing it.  After this week we'll start following patients and going on rounds on the General Pediatric Medicine floors.  It's exciting that it's almost here!  Along with the progression of this residency, I start working weekends next weekend.  We do every other weekend for 6 weeks then get 3 weekends off in a row.  I took my law test on Saturday, so I'm hoping to have good news before this week is over.

Outside of the hospital, I've been running with the running group and trying to get involved in the church I've been going to.  Last Saturday I ran the group run with a few girls who ran college cross country.  They kept about an 8 minute/mile pace, and it about killed my feet (which already have problems).  With work and people coming to visit (yea!) I won't be doing the long run for  awhile.  I went to a barbecue last weekend at my church and met some nice people.  Small groups started last week, so I went to one that was close to my apartment.  I know I'm used to the Midwest, but people were not super friendly and almost seemed annoyed that new people were coming to the group.  There is another one close to my apartment that I think I'll try this week.  I hope it's more successful.

Since this was my last weekend before starting to work on the weekends, I wanted to go out of town.  My friend Susan who is a pharmacist where I work was going to Princeton, NJ, to visit a friend so I tagged along.  We went shopping in the afternoon, walked around the campus, got cupcakes from the House of Cupcakes (which won Cupcake Wars on the Food Network), went to a show for local musicians, and played at least 3 hours of Guitar Hero- the version with the full band.  It was a really fun day.  Princeton is such a quant town, and I would definitely go back.  

My parents are coming out to visit in 2 weeks, so I can't wait!

Missouri is a World Away

As I mentioned in a previous post, I went home for Labor Day weekend.  I knew it would be a quick weekend, and it would probably be hard to come back to PA but I'm glad I went.  I flew in Saturday morning (thanks to US Airways for a nonstop flight).  It was weird because I've never lived somewhere where I had to fly to get home.  Flying into KCI used to mean the end of my trip and not the beginning.  My parents picked me up and we went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast.  I was reminded about how nice people are in the Midwest and how there are so many open spaces!  Natalie came home and we spent the day as a family.  Saturday night I was able to see my Uncle Ron, Aunt Becky, Clint, Hollie and Macie at my grandparents' house.  Macie is becoming more social which is fun.   Then I got ice cream at Hicks with Kayla, Daniel and Rachel.  It was fun laughing and talking with them and was a reminder again of how easy it is to pick up with them like old times.

Sunday I went to the House of Prayer with my family, and then Natalie and I headed to KC for Abigail and Jesus' wedding (friends from UMKC).  It was fun to see so many people at the wedding, including people who had come from Oklahoma and Florida.  The best part of a Cru wedding is the dance party at the reception.  At most weddings, people need to get in a few drinks before they hit the dance floor.  At Cru weddings, as soon as they open up the dance floor to everyone the tables are emptied and everyone is dancing the night away (and there was no alcohol served).  I'm so happy for Abigail and Jesus and wish them a lifetime of happiness.

This morning we went to my grandparents' for a breakfast of cinnamon rolls.  Natalie had to head to MU to study, and mom, dad and I went for a run on the golf course route.  I love running with my parents.  We talked about how one of the joys of living in a small town is watching people grow up- seeing them go through school, disperse for college/careers, start their own families, and come back to visit friends and family.  We chatted with John and Laurie after our run and then it was time to get ready to head to the airport.  I do like it here in Philly, but it has helped me appreciate the Midwest/small towns even more.  I miss MO and the people I love there, but I know I am getting a great experience here and hope to make the most of this opportunity!

Homeword Bound

For those of you who follow the news, you know that Hurricane Irene was very mild compared to what was expected.  Some people seemed upset about how lame the storm was, but I am perfectly fine with it.  I did end up sleeping in my walk-in closet to make sure I was safe from all windows, and the worst thing that happened was that my running trail was flooded for a couple of days.  One of my coworkers were out of power for 3 days, and she has 3 little boys.  Yikes.

Monday night was our welcome new residents/goodbye old residents dinner.  It was at a Mexican restaurant and we happened to get a room with a karaoke machine.  It was fun and we ended up singing as a big group instead of individually with the microphone (thank goodness). Some favorites of the group were Baby Got Back and We Didn't Start the Fire.  One of the things I like about this group is that they are very serious about their jobs but like to have fun outside of work.

I have been training on the neonatal intensive care unit order entry this week, which is basically processing orders.  It has been interesting to see what meds are ordered and paging doctors to have them change things.  I have also been getting a ton of projects the last two weeks.  Most of them will be worked on for weeks or months, but it's still pretty overwhelming.

And in exciting news- I'm going home this weekend for a friend's wedding!  I'll be in Chilli most of the time, but it will be nice to see my family.  I'm glad I can be there for Abigail and Jesus' wedding, and I'm ready for a break from the city.  One only more day!

Earthquakes and Hurricanes

As you probably know there have been some weird acts of mother nature going on here in the Northeast.  Earlier this week, an earthquake that started in the DC area made its way up to Philadelphia.  I was in a meeting at the time in the basement.  A lady sitting about 4 feet from me said she could feel the ground moving and after a couple seconds I felt it, too.  It was almost like you could feel the shaking traveling up north.  Apparently, it could be felt all the way up to Canada.

And today we are in a hurricane watch.  Our hurricane threat level is extreme.  It started raining about noon, but starting about midnight it's supposed to really go crazy with pouring rain and high winds.  There are concerns that the river (that I can see from my apartment window) is going to flood and that the electricity will go out.  In order to prepare for my first hurricane, I headed to the store today and got some food.  As one can imagine, many people had the same idea.  There were many empty shelves at Trader Joe's.  I also filled all of my water bottles with water, and tonight I plan on moving my mattress into my walk-in closet to avoid sleeping close to the windows.  I'm sure I will be writing a post-hurricane post, so I can let all of my Missouri friends know what it's like to be part of a hurricane.

On a different note, I decided to run with the Philadelphia Runners group today.  I have been nervous about going with the fear that I would make a fool of myself.  They run 8.5 miles, and I haven't done that in a while.  But I ran the whole way with no problems and got to talk to some fun people, so I'll be joining them again in the near future.  It was fun!

The World of Public Transportation

People in the Missouri do not take public transportation, unless it's taking the train from KC to St Louis or for a trip to Chicago.  But it is not a daily form of transportation.  When I moved to the Northeast, I decided that I would not be bringing a car because it would be expensive and overall inconvenient.  As a result, everyday is an adventure as I try to get around the city using SEPTA (Southeaster Pennsylvania Transportation Authority).  I'm getting the hang of the system, but sometimes I'll take the bus somewhere and then not be able to figure out what bus from what stop at what time I'm supposed to get back, so I'll just walk home.  Fortunately, most places I go are less than 2 miles from my apartment, and every time I manage to get home on public transportation it's a cause for celebration.

Here is one of my recent adventures with public transportation: My apartment has a shuttle that goes to UPenn, which happens to be right next to my hospital, that I am able to take in the morning to work.  I had been taking the shuttle without fail, until one morning (when it was sprinkling, of course) I went downstairs and the concierge informed me that the 6:40am shuttle would not be coming that day.  One of the downsides of the bus, trolley, or subway is that they only run north-south or east-west (or vice-versa), so I have to take 2 buses to get to the hospital.  I text my co-resident to tell her I'll be late and walk to the bus stop for bus #1.  I stand next to the sign, and the bus is going pretty fast so I give a little wave to let him know that I am standing here for the bus.  And the bus just goes right on by.  Fortunately, at the next intersection the bus gets stopped at a red light, so I run up to it and get on. When I get on the bus driver says, "I wasn't sure what that wave meant."  Alright.  I get off and wait for bus #2.  I finally get on another bus, which is standing room only.  I grab onto one of the handles, but I feel like a drunken sailor standing on this bus as it whips around turns and screeches to a halt at every stop.  It takes all of my upper body strength not to end up in the laps of the people sitting by me.  I finally make it to work about 15 minutes late.  It may be crazy somedays, but only spending $53 on transportation each month is pretty great.

One Month Down!

As most of you know, I'm in a one year program.  So the fact that my first month is already over is pretty crazy.  What's also crazy is that we're still training, so it doesn't even feel like I've started my residency yet. I don't want to complain because I know that about November things will be super crazy, but I'm excited to get into the real rotations- the reason I'm here.

Also this week I found out that I passed the MO law test.  Yeah!  I just have PA law to go, which I hope I will be taking soon.  The continued training and no more tests to study for (right now) means I have a lot of free time.  I've been doing some fun reading, so I read The Help- and the movie comes out Aug 10th.  Next up is Love in the Time of Cholera.  I'm open to suggestions.

My coresident and I are both from out of state, so we thought it would be a good idea to try to connect with some of the other pharmacy residents here in the city (there are tons of hospitals here).  We met up with the pharmacy residents from the University of Pennsylvania Hospital (HUP).  They are 4 ladies about our age who are also new to the area, so we are hoping to be able to hang out more in the future.
And as always, I love hearing from people in Missouri... :)

Visitors from the West

Another week of orientation is over.  I spent most of the week in the IV room, which was a reminder of why I am doing this year of residency.  I couldn't be in there permanently.  I'll be back in there Monday and Tuesday but the next week and a half will be computer training.  The other new pharmacists are also training, so I'm excited that we can all be together for this time.  I went to the farmer's (I literally just typed pharmer- oops haha) market with my co-resident, her boyfriend, and one of the other new pharmacists yesterday.  It was fun to spend time with them outside the pharmacy, and we got ice cream made by the Amish (there are a lot of Amish people in this area- outside the city, of course, but they come into the city to sell food and goods).

My Grandpa Hughes was in town for business this week, so he took me out to dinner at The Oyster House.  It was fun to show someone where I live and eat seafood so close to the coast.  Mainly it was just good to see someone I know and love!
The Martins from my hometown were also in town this weekend, and took me to Buca di Peppo last night.  I enjoyed hanging out with folks from home and talking to their girls (ages 10 and 4).  Eating at Buca reminded me of all of the fun times I've had at Buca in KC: Kayla's bachelorette party, my birthday parties, and going there with the JW girls and our guy friends/boyfriends.  We even ordered gnocchi!

Sometimes I wonder what in the world I'm doing here in this foreign place, but overall I'm enjoying my new life here.  Everyday is an adventure!

I passed the NAPLEX!

I think that sometimes when you move to a new place the weekends are the hardest part of the week.  It seems backwards but the weekends is usually a time to hang out or go out with friends.  When you haven't met friends yet it can be pretty sucky.  But luckily I didn't have to be alone this weekend!

Saturday morning I took the pharmacy practice exam which is step one to becoming a licensed pharmacist. I've been told that everyone leaves feeling like they failed, so I wasn't going to get worked up about it during or after the test.  I attribute lots of prayers and studying to the peace I felt.  After the test I received a text from the grandson (Paul) of a lady from the church I grew up in (Lucy) inviting me to go to lunch with him, his girlfriend, and her friend. I was so grateful to have people to hang out with.  It was fun and they invited me grill out that night.  I am so appreciative to them for inviting me to spend time with them, and I look forward to getting to know them better.  It also turns out that Paul and his girlfriend go to the church I've been going to (2 weeks now).

I'm in another week of training (our training takes about 2 months).  My day/week was much improved, though, when I found out that I passed the NAPLEX!  I decided to celebrate by buying a Snickers.  It turns out that a king size was on sale for $1.  This test is a big deal, so I bought a king size. :)

One week down

Welcome to my pharmacy residency blog!  In case you need a refresher, I just started my one year pharmacy residency in Philadelphia, PA.

Week one went pretty well.  I mostly did orientation-type activities such as reading policies and procedures, learning about exciting topics like hand washing, and going over expectations for the year.  Oh, and I have a coresident.  Her name is Chelsey, she's from California, and I feel like we are going to get along well.  Which is good because we are going to be spending a lot of time together.

In my off time, I have been studying for my board exam, which I took today.  Studying for it was no fun, but it kept me busy during a time when I could have been worried about being so far from everyone I know.  And going to our outdoor pool to study made it a little more bearable.

I have never written a blog before, and I'm not promising crazy exciting stories of saving lives and living it up in the big city.  I can say that I'll do my best to keep people updated on my life here in PA, and I'd love to hear from you!