My first week at the zoo!

First, a huge THANK YOU to Chris Churilla for getting me in touch with the zoo!  Without you I'd never have this amazing opportunity (and $30 in zoo bucks)!

I'm official!

The vet and techs seem to be excited that I'm there to answer/ research any compounding questions they have.  I am the first pharmacy student ever at the zoo, so hopefully it is a mutually beneficial experience!

My supplies for the month

Also, disclaimer: while I'm allowed to take pictures of treatments for my own use, I am not allowed to post any online.  I will try to post as many pictures of animals as I can...but don't expect to see any treatment photos on here.   Sorry!

New red panda earrings.  I think Xia will like them!

I also met a hickory horned devil

 In the new vet van on our way to pick up a cheetah

One more rotation down

In Pittsburgh, all is curious and wonderful; site, environs, history, geology, business, aspect, atmosphere, customs, everything.
      -James Parton

I can't believe I've already been in Pittsburgh for a month!  It was wonderful returning to Pittsburgh, UPMC (where I used to work as a nurse's aid), and Magee (where I was born).  This will be mostly a post about what I love and missed about Pittsburgh...a then a little about what else I did this month.

Foggy Magee on my first day

Things I loved about Magee:
- First, the people!  Everyone was so nice and welcoming.  The pharmacists, NPs, nurses, physicians, Pas, etc all worked so well together.  Can't say enough about the great example they all set for how to have healthy, functional inter professional relationships.  Refreshing.

- The food!  Seriously, for a hospital cafeteria, it was pretty amazing.  I actually ran into coworkers from my old lab who were just there to get lunch at the cafeteria because it's so good.  And healthy..no Chick-fil-a here (good? bad? you decide).  Plus you can eat in one of the courtyards.  My favorite had a fish and turtle pond and was filled with vegetable and fruit gardens...which I helped myself to.

-The history.  Magee was founded in 1911 and still retains some of the original areas of the hospital.  Rather than tearing down and rebuilding new buildings, the hospital is a series of new additions and expansions...making it kind of a maze to get around. 

Other things I love about being back:

My double oven <3

The Great Pierogi Race

Go Oliver Onion!

The Conflict Kitchen

This little place changes it's front and menu every so often but always serves food from countries whom the US is currently in conflict with...Iran, Cuba, North Korea, etc.

My 3 mile walk home from the hospital

Yes, I live and work in the city and yes, this is my commute :-)

Seeing good friends again

We hate selfies but love each other

Plus, all of these facts!

This month I also got to travel to Greenville, SC to join in the #scullgore festivities!  

I've never seen a happier bride.  She literally bounced down the aisle.  It was such an amazing weekend and everything went off without a hitch!

 And when I wasn't working and traveling, I've mostly been at the farm.  Since my parents were kind enough to cover the cost to repair my dying car, I am now their indentured servant while I'm in the area.  Lots of painting the porch, cleaning the barn and house, gardening, etc.  But it also has it's perks!  I get to play with these guys.

Baby alpacas waiting to get shorn. 

 New baby, born August 31st.  He had a pretty traumatic breech birth so now he just gets to lounge in the sunny field.  Name suggestions are welcome.

Sorry for the delay in posting this.  I start at the zoo tomorrow so I should have more to post soon!

South Carolina to Pittsburgh (by way of Alabama)

Hello everyone!  This is my first blog post ever!  Last weekend I attended a wedding where I was asked repeatedly where I was living now...I didn't know how to answer this question.  My car was packed with all I would need from July to February and I was en route from Charleston to Pittsburgh for my next rotation.  So I thought this would be the easiest way to keep friends and family up-to-date on where I am currently located and what I'm doing at each spot.  I am in my last (and final!) year of pharmacy school, which consists of nine 1-month rotations.  For these rotations I will be traveling from Charleston, SC to Alabama, Pennsylvania, Hawaii, Maine, North Carolina, and Texas.  Why would I want to leave such a beautiful place full of wonderful people and delicious food, you ask?

So I can work with patients like this:

Yup, that's an actual profession: veterinary pharmacy.  Normally when I tell people about pursuing a career in vet pharmacy (pharmacists or not), I get a quizzical look followed by many questions:

Do you have to do special schooling for that?
Not necessarily, but it certainly helps!  I first got interested in veterinary pharmacy after taking a vet pharmacy elective in my second year of pharmacy school (Thanks, Dr. Gaskins!).  Since then I've sought out additional online classes, work experience, and volunteer opportunities to gain more insight into the profession.

Do you need more training after pharmacy school?
There are also 2 residencies that I will be applying to in the next few months for veterinary pharmacy.  They are one-year programs at NC State and UC Davis and each take only one resident per year...fingers crossed!

Where would you work?
There are jobs for veterinary pharmacists in large vet hospitals and schools, industry (think Merck, Pfizer, etc), compounding pharmacies, and even some private veterinary practices.  I could see myself working in any of those fields so I'm keeping an open mind this year.

There are not many opportunities in South Carolina to gain experience in this field, so I decided to get in touch with pharmacists all over to set up rotations around the country.  And while I was at it, I might as well go to Hawaii too to work with people :-)

So there it is, the reason I'm a gypsy and living out of my car for the year!  So far I have completed two rotations:
May:
Pediatric Surgery at MUSC in Charleston, SC--Children...they're kind of like animals (some can't speak to you to tell you what's wrong, you have to give medication directions to their parents (owners), dose medications based on weight).  This was a VERY demanding rotation but it was very rewarding and I learned so much!

June:
Clinical Veterinary rotation at Auburn University in Auburn, AL--This was an amazing introduction into the world of clinical veterinary pharmacy.  I got to round with the ICU, equine, bovine, neurology/neurosurgery, ophthalmology, and dermatology teams. I will probably devote a blog entry (or two) to this experience in the future!

As for this month: August I will be at Magee Women's Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA for my last acute care rotation (Internal Medicine).  I was born at this hospital so this will definitely be a special experience :-)

On deck for September: The Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium!

It's good to be back :-)

Thanks for reading!

xoxo Erika