I completed two months training at the University of Saint Joseph, Connecticut, USA, as part of the student exchange program offered by the College of Pharmacy, Gulf Medical University. During my visit, I took a 2-credit course on Pre-APPE Integrative Experience for International Students and another on Pharmacochemistry of the Antineoplastic Agents. Both of the courses were for the duration of 5 days after which I had an evaluation at the end. I then started my APPE rotations which consisted of 2 weeks of Ambulatory care posting, 2 weeks of Acute care posting and 5 days of Community pharmacy posting. During my rotations, I participated in daily clinical rounds with the attending, case workup, developing SOAP notes, screening for drug-drug interactions, case presentations, journal club, and CORE lectures.
I was also a facilitator for an Interprofessional education (IPE) where I guided the students in solving the patient’s case. I was also a facilitator in helping them prepare a case presentation for an interesting case of alcohol withdrawal. The patient exhibited all the classical signs that we have been taught in class such as agitation, tremors, sweating etc. During the community pharmacy postings, I prepared an order for a covenant. I did bubble packing and reviewed the medication lists to ensure that everything was accurate and I corrected the error identified. This was my first time preparing an order and doing a bubble pack or Dispil. It was an amazing experience.
Due to the diverse nature of the daily rounding team, I was able to enhance my knowledge in regards to why certain laboratory tests or physical assessments are done and in understanding the roles of other health professionals in the team.
