ALPS RESIDENCY PROGRAM
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A PHARMACY RESIDENT
Jessica Witt
Former Resident Pharmacist
B
eing a resident consists of basically anything you can think of! Every day changes! Being a resident at Alps means growing in your role as a pharmacist with the support of a surplus of skilled pharmacists and a helpful team of technicians.
On Monday’s and Friday’s, you can usually find me staffing the pharmacy with the other pharmacists. These are the days I get to work on my workflow skills. I talk to patients, doctors, nurses-anyone and everyone! These days, anything can happen and you learn something new every single day. The pharmacists I get to work with have been working in Community Pharmacy for years and are very skilled in patient care. They are innovative and encourage you to be the best pharmacist you can be! The technicians I get the pleasure to work with are extremely supportive and helpful! They never fail to put a smile on my face during the workday – no matter how busy! Working in the pharmacy means running the pharmacy. As a new pharmacist, it can be scary at times, but the staff is there to support you. As long as you are taking care of the patient to the best of your ability, you will have full support!
"WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE STAFF, YOU HAVE THE SKILLS AND HELP TO ACHIEVE WHATEVER GOALS YOU SET YOUR MIND TO."
Tuesdays are up in the air when it comes to where you can find me. If I am staffing the pharmacy on Saturday (which I do every other Saturday), I might be off and working on projects from home. If I am off on Saturday, I could potentially be at any Alps location, filling in where I am needed. Like I said, every day can change!
On Wednesdays, I am at Faith Community Health in Branson, Missouri, working with Dr. Heather Lyons-Burney for the longitudinal ambulatory care portion of residency. At the clinic, the pharmacist is there to assist in patient care. I will help to perform labs on patients (A1c, lipids, urinalysis), patient intake (blood pressure, pulse, temperature, etc.) and
medication review. After discussing with the patient, I will discuss options with the provider to optimize the medication regimen. Working with the staff and providers there has been very educational, not only regarding medications, but also Social Determinants of Health. Working with Dr. Lyons-Burney, I also have the opportunity to teach pharmacy students at the clinic and in the classroom. I was always invited to lead Topic Discussions and help to precept students.
On Thursday’s, I am commonly at our Nixa location. There I help to staff, check prescriptions, and field pharmacist phone calls to allow the Springfield location to focus on filling medications. These are also the days I hold meetings for my Residency Project. This year I have been working on the National PreDiabetes Program (DPP) funded by the CDC. This consists of educational classes for patients diagnosed with Pre-Diabetes to help prevent or delay the onset of Type II Diabetes. During my year of residency, COVID-19 vaccinations have been a large part of our workflow, so I spent numerous Thursdays working on and helping to coordinate COVID-19 vaccine clinics!
Through residency at Alps, I have had the opportunity to be involved in multiple organizations and programs. I have joined APhA and the Legislative Committee with MPA as a pharmacist. Throughout the year, I have had the opportunity to participate in a Teaching Certificate Program run by UMKC School of Pharmacy, where I have learned about academia from a perspective of career and precepting. During my residency year, I was able to form a group of Community Pharmacy Residents from around Missouri, where we met monthly to discuss upcoming innovation projects and, as would be expected during this year, COVID-19 vaccines.
At Alps, the opportunities for growth are endless! With the support of the staff, you have the skills and help to achieve whatever goals you set your mind to. I have enjoyed every opportunity Alps has provided to me and I will be forever grateful for all of the things they have given me. Alps Pharmacy will always have a special place in my heart.