Pharmacy Student Experiences

Students are the lifeblood of the university and the future of the profession of pharmacy. Chicago College of Pharmacy has terrific students! Their energy, enthusiasm and passion for pharmacy never ceases to amaze me. While students, they are learning and practicing pharmacy. Here is PS-III student Sandra Naegele, who describes her involvement in student organizations. She describes how students associated with one organization have administered more than 1 million vaccinations since 1997! Students can and are making a difference in the health and well-being of patients all across America.

To see all that we have going on during American Pharmacists Month, go to our American Pharmacists Month Web page.

As a 30-mile commuter to Midwestern University, I jumped at the chance to get involved in organizations during my PS-I year in order to stay connected to campus. Somewhat trepidatiously, I joined a pharmacy fraternity, which enveloped me in a network of professional student pharmacists who quickly encouraged me to become more involved in other organizations. This domino effect has led me to invaluable opportunities and experiences, and I have enjoyed subsequently motivating others to become more involved. I never could have imagined the immeasurable return on investment possible from involvement in these various organizations.

I currently serve as President of the MWU chapter of the American Pharmacists Association - Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP), a national organization that seeks to be the collective voice of student pharmacists. Three advisors, 13 executive board members, 25 patient care project chairs, and more than 200 general members fuel our chapter and allow us to leave an impact on the lives of patients surrounding the MWU community.

One aspect of APhA-ASP that has impacted me profoundly is the way energy and ideas spread among the executive board members and patient care project chairs. These active members push one another to continuously take on larger and larger projects and roles. For example, we currently have a member serving on the APhA-ASP National Education Standing Committee, we are establishing MWU as a host site for the IPSF Student Exchange Program, and are continuously developing new clinical sites for our patient care projects. Working among a network of people who continuously push others to strive higher has helped me to achieve success in and out of the classroom. This amazing network we have begun building at MWU will follow us into our careers and drive us to push the envelope in the pharmacy world.

Through my involvement in APhA-ASP and other organizations on campus, I have been able to practice counseling patients on such topics as diabetes, breast cancer, and heartburn. I have attended conferences from Washington D.C. to Seattle, befriended hundreds of student pharmacists from across the nation along the way. I have met with Congressional advisors and Illinois legislators to discuss pharmacy hot topics, and I was given the opportunity to travel to South Africa to work in a hospital pharmacy. Collectively APhA-ASP student pharmacists have given more than 1 million vaccines to patients since 1997 and counseled millions more-that's pretty powerful!

Above all, I feel that I have already begun making a difference in the lives of patients. All of these experiences I have collected in just over two years are helping to mold a confident and patient-centered pharmacist that I aspire to become. I strongly encourage all of my peers to actively participate in at least one organization, experience everything possible, and give to and take from MWU all that it has to offer.