Going back to work after a vacation is always an adjustment. Fortunately, my first two weeks were spent in a drug information rotation. During this rotation I worked on a few drug information projects and answered drug information questions. It was a pretty good way to ease back into residency mode. This week I finished my first week of training as a clinical pharmacist on call. Basically, if the physicians or staff pharmacists reach a pharmacy question they can't answer, then they page the clinical pharmacist on call. A couple of days were pretty slow with calls but there were a few crazy days. It's definitely been a challenge, and I hope I can improve as I continue to train the next two weeks. Once I'm trained, I will be the clinical pharmacist on call instead of my usual job in the inpatient pharmacy.
I am working this weekend, but I had 2 great weekends prior to starting to work weekends again. I have been a big fan of the musician/singer Ingrid Michaelson for a long time, and I've been talking to my friend Susan about going to a concert. We decided on Thursday to check online to see when her upcoming concerts would be in our area and saw that she had a concert in Rochester, NY that Saturday. On a whim, we decided to go and invited my cousin Hannah who is living here for a 6-month fellowship. The three of us hit the road to Rochester and after a fun dinner of tapas went to a great show by Ingrid. She is so funny and a great performer. We stayed in the Hyatt Regency for $60 (thank you Priceline.com) in Rochester. On our way home we stopped in Syracuse and biked in this tram thing around Lake Obanaga. For dinner we stopped for pizza and ice cream in the town Susan grew up in. It was a really fun weekend with some fun ladies!
Last weekend I took the train (so much easier than flying) to Baltimore to hang out with my friend Elijah. On Saturday we got lunch with my friend Sara who did the pharmacy residency at the hospital I worked at in KC and walked around the harbor. Elijah is German, so that night we headed to the Maryland State Fairgrounds for the annual German festival. It was a culture experience with German food, beer, dancing, music, and even the Jegermeister girls were there. The next day I attended high mass for the first time and we went to Camden Yards for an Orioles game. They won and we saw the record broken for the most strikeouts by a Taiwanese-born pitcher (12, btw). For dinner we had Turkish food for the first time, although we kind of played it safe by getting pizza-type things. Another fun weekend and benefit to living where all of the cities are close together!
Next weekend is supposed to be a bonding weekend with my new coresidents. Should be fun!
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Tomorrow Starts Year 2!
I successfully completed my PGY1 residency! Some highlights of the end of the year include getting a great evaluation on my Neonatal ICU rotation, my coresident's going away party with all of our friends here, and our end of the year party during which my coresident and I thanked all of our preceptors for all the non-pharmacy things they taught us this year (we all had a good laugh). I also volunteered at my church's VBS one week, which was a great experience. The kids were so fun, and it made me realize how much I enjoy spending time with children. One girl and I even had a secret handshake.
After I received my residency certificate, I made my way to California where I spend 4 days with my grandparents in Newport Beach. I went shopping, laid out and read at the beach and pool, and ran at the beach. Newport Beach is one of my favorite places to be (surprise, surprise). My grandpa and I also did our classics such as going to Laguna for lunch by the beach and lunch at the Nordstrom Cafe.
On July 4th, I headed to Missouri for a week and a half of spending time with family and trying to see as many people as possible. I celebrated Independence Day with my girlfriends from high school plus some of the guys from our class. The next day we headed to KC to have dinner with my dad's brother and his family, and I stayed the night with my college roommate Mary in her new apartment. It was a little taste of post-residency life! The next night I stayed at Kayla's new house and we headed to the Niangua River in South Missouri for our 2nd float trip with Kathryn, Kayla, Natalie and LeDawn. The river was low so we had to paddle a lot, but we still had fun. On Monday I saw another college roommate Kristen, and Tuesday we got together with my cousins and their little kiddos. They're growing so fast, and it was fun to play with them. Wednesday we had dinner in St Joe with my cousin Hallie who is hilarious. We had a lot of laughs. Thursday I had muffins from Francine's with Marty and Gary, lunch with Megan and Rachel, and dinner at my grandparents' (with the potato salad I requested). Friday my friend Kyle from pharmacy school picked me up and we headed to KC to hang out with my college friends Kevin, Jordan, Brad, Rachel, Brenden, Molly, York, and Mary. The Royal's game was surprisingly out of reasonably priced tickets so we just played yard games and watched the game at the guy's house. I stayed with Kayla that night which was nice to get some one-on-one time with my BFF, and Saturday morning I had breakfast with my Jacob's Well friends Emily, Ellen, and Amanda. In between social events I biked with my mom, ran with my parents, and walked the dog with my family in the cemetery behind our house. It was a great trip! It's always hard to come back to the Northeast. I have good friends here, but I do miss my friends and family at home.
Tomorrow marks day one of PGY2. I'm a little nervous, but I am excited that it is my last year before becoming a full fledge pediatric clinical pharmacist! I'm not sure what life holds after PGY2, but I'm excited about the possibilities. Just like when I applied for residencies- the whole country is open!
I appreciate all of the support I received during PGY1, and I promise to keep you updated in year 2!
After I received my residency certificate, I made my way to California where I spend 4 days with my grandparents in Newport Beach. I went shopping, laid out and read at the beach and pool, and ran at the beach. Newport Beach is one of my favorite places to be (surprise, surprise). My grandpa and I also did our classics such as going to Laguna for lunch by the beach and lunch at the Nordstrom Cafe.
On July 4th, I headed to Missouri for a week and a half of spending time with family and trying to see as many people as possible. I celebrated Independence Day with my girlfriends from high school plus some of the guys from our class. The next day we headed to KC to have dinner with my dad's brother and his family, and I stayed the night with my college roommate Mary in her new apartment. It was a little taste of post-residency life! The next night I stayed at Kayla's new house and we headed to the Niangua River in South Missouri for our 2nd float trip with Kathryn, Kayla, Natalie and LeDawn. The river was low so we had to paddle a lot, but we still had fun. On Monday I saw another college roommate Kristen, and Tuesday we got together with my cousins and their little kiddos. They're growing so fast, and it was fun to play with them. Wednesday we had dinner in St Joe with my cousin Hallie who is hilarious. We had a lot of laughs. Thursday I had muffins from Francine's with Marty and Gary, lunch with Megan and Rachel, and dinner at my grandparents' (with the potato salad I requested). Friday my friend Kyle from pharmacy school picked me up and we headed to KC to hang out with my college friends Kevin, Jordan, Brad, Rachel, Brenden, Molly, York, and Mary. The Royal's game was surprisingly out of reasonably priced tickets so we just played yard games and watched the game at the guy's house. I stayed with Kayla that night which was nice to get some one-on-one time with my BFF, and Saturday morning I had breakfast with my Jacob's Well friends Emily, Ellen, and Amanda. In between social events I biked with my mom, ran with my parents, and walked the dog with my family in the cemetery behind our house. It was a great trip! It's always hard to come back to the Northeast. I have good friends here, but I do miss my friends and family at home.
Tomorrow marks day one of PGY2. I'm a little nervous, but I am excited that it is my last year before becoming a full fledge pediatric clinical pharmacist! I'm not sure what life holds after PGY2, but I'm excited about the possibilities. Just like when I applied for residencies- the whole country is open!
I appreciate all of the support I received during PGY1, and I promise to keep you updated in year 2!
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
The Countdown Has Begun!
Less than 5 weeks left of my PGY1 year. I can't believe it! I am on my last clinical rotation of this year which is in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The tiny babies are so much different than even young kids, so it has definitely been a learning experience. I am also continuing in the Bone Marrow Transplant Clinic. I'm really enjoying seeing the kids every week. One of my favorite weeks was when one of our patients who was 4 years old sang Single Ladies while the attending physician was her backup dancer. It was one of the cutest things I have seen.
Since my last post I have also completed my big presentation in Hershey. It was just a 10 minute presentation on the results of the study I did this year, but it's kind of a big deal in the residency world. One of my biggest areas of feedback this year has been my presentations, so I was nervous going in to this presentation. There were a lot of my friends there from other residency programs as well as other people from the pediatric pharmacy world. I am proud to say that I nailed it! I was also told that I did a good job answering questions, which can be one of the hardest parts of a presentation. To celebrate, the next morning my coresident and I got room service for breakfast. Since we were in Hershey I got chocolate chip pancakes.
After I left Hershey I headed back to Missouri to surprise my mom for her 50th birthday which was a few weeks earlier. My dad told her that they were meeting some Chinese business associates of his for dinner. She spent a lot of time researching how to act at a business dinner with people from China. Much to her surprise- Natalie and I showed up! The next day we had a surprise cookout for her at the park with her coworkers and friends. And that night we had a pizza party with all of her family. It was quite the weekend! Happy 50th birthday to my amazing mom!
The next weekend I headed to Washington DC to tour with my Uncle Ray, cousin Tucker, and cousin Marcia. My cousin Tucker is 10 years old and had a great time seeing all of the sites of DC. I hear he even put on a Q&A for his classmates upon his return. It was a beautiful weekend, and I got to see some monuments I hadn't seen yet. Living crazy far from family isn't ideal, but it's fun to live in a place that people want to visit.
In the last of my stretch of weekends off (I did some trading so June is not going to be a fun month), my friend Elijah came to visit Philadelphia. He's recently moved to Baltimore, so he's less than 2 hours away now. I took him on a walking tour of Philadelphia, and we saw a ton of stuff! One of the more memorable moments was at Independence Hall when the guide got stuck on his personal ideas of how history should be reported and neglected to tell us anything about the actual building. Fortunately it was so ridiculous it was funny.
I'm planning on spending about a week and a half in Missouri at the beginning of July, so I'm looking forward to seeing all of my Missouri friends and family!
Since my last post I have also completed my big presentation in Hershey. It was just a 10 minute presentation on the results of the study I did this year, but it's kind of a big deal in the residency world. One of my biggest areas of feedback this year has been my presentations, so I was nervous going in to this presentation. There were a lot of my friends there from other residency programs as well as other people from the pediatric pharmacy world. I am proud to say that I nailed it! I was also told that I did a good job answering questions, which can be one of the hardest parts of a presentation. To celebrate, the next morning my coresident and I got room service for breakfast. Since we were in Hershey I got chocolate chip pancakes.
After I left Hershey I headed back to Missouri to surprise my mom for her 50th birthday which was a few weeks earlier. My dad told her that they were meeting some Chinese business associates of his for dinner. She spent a lot of time researching how to act at a business dinner with people from China. Much to her surprise- Natalie and I showed up! The next day we had a surprise cookout for her at the park with her coworkers and friends. And that night we had a pizza party with all of her family. It was quite the weekend! Happy 50th birthday to my amazing mom!
The next weekend I headed to Washington DC to tour with my Uncle Ray, cousin Tucker, and cousin Marcia. My cousin Tucker is 10 years old and had a great time seeing all of the sites of DC. I hear he even put on a Q&A for his classmates upon his return. It was a beautiful weekend, and I got to see some monuments I hadn't seen yet. Living crazy far from family isn't ideal, but it's fun to live in a place that people want to visit.
In the last of my stretch of weekends off (I did some trading so June is not going to be a fun month), my friend Elijah came to visit Philadelphia. He's recently moved to Baltimore, so he's less than 2 hours away now. I took him on a walking tour of Philadelphia, and we saw a ton of stuff! One of the more memorable moments was at Independence Hall when the guide got stuck on his personal ideas of how history should be reported and neglected to tell us anything about the actual building. Fortunately it was so ridiculous it was funny.
I'm planning on spending about a week and a half in Missouri at the beginning of July, so I'm looking forward to seeing all of my Missouri friends and family!
Sunday, April 8, 2012
A Quarter of a Century Old, A Quarter of Residency Left
It's been a while since my last post, so I have a lot to update you on. I finished my PICU rotation and really enjoyed it. I decided to do a residency after working in the PICU as a pharmacy student, so I'm glad I still enjoy it. I am finishing up my research month this week. It has not been my favorite month as much of my time is spent in front of my computer collecting and analyzing data, but I needed the time to get this project done.
I turned 25 years old in March. I was a little worried about my first birthday away from old friends and family, but it was a great birthday. I went shopping for a birthday outfit with my friend Susan, which was very successful. That evening we went to dinner and had good seafood, had frozen yogurt, and then went dancing. We ended the night with shamrock shakes from McDonalds'. There was a good group of coworkers, friends from church, and other pharmacy friends. It was a really good birthday.
At the end of March, my little sister Natalie came to visit. My friends gave me tickets to a special ballet concert for my birthday, so we went to that with some of my coworkers. She visited my church, and one of my coworkers took us on a driving tour of Philadelphia and the surrounding area. There were places that I hadn't seen before, so it was cool. We ran up the steps at the art museum and took our picture with Rocky. On Monday we took the bus to NYC and spend the day being very touristy: Times Square including taking pictures with the ball and getting up on the screen outside of AE (like I did in December), a stroll through Central Park and soft pretzels for lunch, a walk down 5th Ave, stopped in St Patrick's cathedral, and took the NBC studio tour (the Saturday Night Live tour was the best). We finished the day with nachos from the Hard Rock Cafe and walking through Central Park at night. On Tuesday we walked around Philadelphia and saw the Liberty Bell, visited Reading Terminal Market, and saw other historical landmarks. That night we played Quizzo (a very popular form of trivia in Philly) with some friends from work. We didn't do very well, but we had fun. I miss her a lot, but we had a great time.
This weekend for Easter I went to the suburbs. One of the pharmacy residents I knew from my job in Kansas City is from a suburb of Philadelphia, and since she knew what it was like to live away from family on holidays was nice enough to invite me to spend the weekend with her family. It was fun, and they even had an Easter basket for me to search for- it was hanging from a tree on the edge of the woods- so not easy to find! It was a nice break from the city, and I enjoyed spending Easter with a family!
Upcoming- I head to Hershey for a pharmacy conference in 3.5 weeks. Happy Easter, Friends!
I turned 25 years old in March. I was a little worried about my first birthday away from old friends and family, but it was a great birthday. I went shopping for a birthday outfit with my friend Susan, which was very successful. That evening we went to dinner and had good seafood, had frozen yogurt, and then went dancing. We ended the night with shamrock shakes from McDonalds'. There was a good group of coworkers, friends from church, and other pharmacy friends. It was a really good birthday.
At the end of March, my little sister Natalie came to visit. My friends gave me tickets to a special ballet concert for my birthday, so we went to that with some of my coworkers. She visited my church, and one of my coworkers took us on a driving tour of Philadelphia and the surrounding area. There were places that I hadn't seen before, so it was cool. We ran up the steps at the art museum and took our picture with Rocky. On Monday we took the bus to NYC and spend the day being very touristy: Times Square including taking pictures with the ball and getting up on the screen outside of AE (like I did in December), a stroll through Central Park and soft pretzels for lunch, a walk down 5th Ave, stopped in St Patrick's cathedral, and took the NBC studio tour (the Saturday Night Live tour was the best). We finished the day with nachos from the Hard Rock Cafe and walking through Central Park at night. On Tuesday we walked around Philadelphia and saw the Liberty Bell, visited Reading Terminal Market, and saw other historical landmarks. That night we played Quizzo (a very popular form of trivia in Philly) with some friends from work. We didn't do very well, but we had fun. I miss her a lot, but we had a great time.
This weekend for Easter I went to the suburbs. One of the pharmacy residents I knew from my job in Kansas City is from a suburb of Philadelphia, and since she knew what it was like to live away from family on holidays was nice enough to invite me to spend the weekend with her family. It was fun, and they even had an Easter basket for me to search for- it was hanging from a tree on the edge of the woods- so not easy to find! It was a nice break from the city, and I enjoyed spending Easter with a family!
Upcoming- I head to Hershey for a pharmacy conference in 3.5 weeks. Happy Easter, Friends!
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Half Done with Year One, A Quarter Done with Residency (Not that I'm counting)
Time is trucking along and my first year of residency is over half done. I finished my 3rd clinical rotation in oncology and started my first PICU rotation on Monday. I don't have a particular interest in oncology, but I really enjoyed the rotation. My preceptor was a really good teacher, and at the end I was really comfortable with the team I was working with so I was able to more of an asset to them. So far the PICU has been challenging, but it always takes me a week or so to get acclimated to a new rotation. I am finishing up my lung transplant rotation, which is a longitudinal rotation that I have been doing since October. I've enjoyed getting to know a few of the patients, and one of the patients I met with a couple of times who was waiting for a lung transplant got her new lungs! When I walked in her room for the 2nd time after her transplant she said- "Rachel!" when she saw me. That was exciting. I am going to be doing bone marrow transplant clinic after lung transplant is over with the hopes of increasing my knowledge of transplant medications and considerations.
When I'm not at work, I'm still attending my Bible study which I enjoy. The people in it are great. Last weekend I was able to take a trip to Washington, DC and stay with my mom's cousin, Marcia. She moved there after she got her PhD in microbiology and has lived there for over 30 years. We visited a few Smithsonian's, toured and had lunch at the Kennedy Center, and visited the National Portrait Gallery. One of my favorite things was the First Lady exhibit with many of the first lady's dresses from their husband's inaugural balls. I hope to be able to attend an event in the Kennedy Center someday. I love the history, political importance, and culture of DC and hope to make multiple trips there!
Exciting things coming up: I turn 25 in less than a month and my sister is coming to visit me at the end of March! I just need to figure out the best way to celebrate of quarter of a century of life- we'll see what happens!
When I'm not at work, I'm still attending my Bible study which I enjoy. The people in it are great. Last weekend I was able to take a trip to Washington, DC and stay with my mom's cousin, Marcia. She moved there after she got her PhD in microbiology and has lived there for over 30 years. We visited a few Smithsonian's, toured and had lunch at the Kennedy Center, and visited the National Portrait Gallery. One of my favorite things was the First Lady exhibit with many of the first lady's dresses from their husband's inaugural balls. I hope to be able to attend an event in the Kennedy Center someday. I love the history, political importance, and culture of DC and hope to make multiple trips there!
Exciting things coming up: I turn 25 in less than a month and my sister is coming to visit me at the end of March! I just need to figure out the best way to celebrate of quarter of a century of life- we'll see what happens!
Monday, January 9, 2012
2011- you were great! Welcome 2012!
I apologize for my lack of new posts in December. There was so much going on- I guess I just didn't have time to blog about it! We'll I'll try to recap what's happened in my life since my last post.
In early December I went to New Orleans to recruit for my program and look for programs for a second year residency. It was a nice break from being at the hospital, but we did a lot of interviews and I did a few for myself. It was also great to see a lot of friends from pharmacy school and the hospital that I worked at during pharmacy school. After much deliberation, I've decided to stay here for a second year residency. I am excited about my decision, and I know my parents are excited about not having to move me again. :) Someday I'd like to head back to the middle of the country, but we'll have to see what opportunities present themselves.
I decided that I really wanted to see The Tree at Rockefeller Center, so the weekend before Christmas I hopped on the Megabus and went to NYC. I loved it. I got to see The Tree, walked through Macy's, saw Radio City Music Hall, and spent time in Time's Square. I even got to have my picture on the outside of American Eagle on Time's Square, which if you know me really well you know on any given day most of my outfit probably came from AE. I went to the Time's Square visitor's center and got my picture with the new ball (which I was excited to see on NYE) and wrote a wish for 2012 on a piece of confetti that was dropped onto Times Square at midnight on NYE. A friend from KC lives in Long Island, so I was able to spend time with her and stay at her apartment. It was a great weekend.
I worked Christmas Eve and then flew to MO on Christmas Day to stay until January 2nd. It was SO nice to be back in the Midwest. I got to see friends from high school, pharmacy school, Jacob's Well and family. It's always great to know that even though I have friends I haven't seen in 6 months we can pick up like it's only been a week. I didn't get to see everyone that I would have like to, but overall it was a very successful trip. I went to El Toro (twice), hung out in Megan's kitchen and Kathryn's upstairs, worked with Kayla at the library, had lunch at my grandma's, saw my friend Kyle in Jeff City, breakfast with the JW girls, attended the Keith Christmas, and spend NYE with the Keith cousins. It was really hard to come back, but over the last week I have transitioned back to my life in the Northeast. The weather this weekend was great, so I was able to run at my favorite place in the city.
2011 was a great one filled with great friends, family, graduating from pharmacy school, moving to Philadelphia, and starting my residency. I hope that 2012 has more to offer than I'm expecting, and I hope that 2012 is a great year for you all as well!
In early December I went to New Orleans to recruit for my program and look for programs for a second year residency. It was a nice break from being at the hospital, but we did a lot of interviews and I did a few for myself. It was also great to see a lot of friends from pharmacy school and the hospital that I worked at during pharmacy school. After much deliberation, I've decided to stay here for a second year residency. I am excited about my decision, and I know my parents are excited about not having to move me again. :) Someday I'd like to head back to the middle of the country, but we'll have to see what opportunities present themselves.
I decided that I really wanted to see The Tree at Rockefeller Center, so the weekend before Christmas I hopped on the Megabus and went to NYC. I loved it. I got to see The Tree, walked through Macy's, saw Radio City Music Hall, and spent time in Time's Square. I even got to have my picture on the outside of American Eagle on Time's Square, which if you know me really well you know on any given day most of my outfit probably came from AE. I went to the Time's Square visitor's center and got my picture with the new ball (which I was excited to see on NYE) and wrote a wish for 2012 on a piece of confetti that was dropped onto Times Square at midnight on NYE. A friend from KC lives in Long Island, so I was able to spend time with her and stay at her apartment. It was a great weekend.
I worked Christmas Eve and then flew to MO on Christmas Day to stay until January 2nd. It was SO nice to be back in the Midwest. I got to see friends from high school, pharmacy school, Jacob's Well and family. It's always great to know that even though I have friends I haven't seen in 6 months we can pick up like it's only been a week. I didn't get to see everyone that I would have like to, but overall it was a very successful trip. I went to El Toro (twice), hung out in Megan's kitchen and Kathryn's upstairs, worked with Kayla at the library, had lunch at my grandma's, saw my friend Kyle in Jeff City, breakfast with the JW girls, attended the Keith Christmas, and spend NYE with the Keith cousins. It was really hard to come back, but over the last week I have transitioned back to my life in the Northeast. The weather this weekend was great, so I was able to run at my favorite place in the city.
2011 was a great one filled with great friends, family, graduating from pharmacy school, moving to Philadelphia, and starting my residency. I hope that 2012 has more to offer than I'm expecting, and I hope that 2012 is a great year for you all as well!
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