Recently, I attended a wedding where the bride and groom had a large chalkboard for their wedding guests to take pictures with. I remember thinking, “What a beautiful idea!” Since the “Before I Die ...” chalkboard global art project sparked a lot of interest on social media, I thought, “Why not do something similar, but more catered toward student pharmacists?”  Hence, the University of the Pacific Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences APhA–ASP Chapter decided to twist the familiar “Before I Die ...” chalkboard to a “I Am a Provider because …” chalkboard for relevancy toward student pharmacists. 

“Ami,” can you believe that you are already roughly halfway through your APPE rotations? The time passes quickly, making it challenging to get as much as possible out of every month. While you may feel disillusioned with some aspects of the process, you are doing an excellent job taking active steps to maximize your own experience and maintain a positive, open-minded attitude. 

If you continue to approach the rest of the year in the same way, I am confident that you will find the “hAPPEness” you are looking for!

Five years ago, I started as the first clinical pharmacist in women’s health at the Indianapolis VA Medical Center. My passion and desire to encourage fellow pharmacists and student pharmacists to practice in this exciting space grows as each year passes. Empowering patients to feel in control and well informed regarding their health and medications is one of the most rewarding aspects of my job. 

I currently practice in an internal medicine resident physician clinic, where I focus on chronic disease state management and women’s health-related concerns.  I also still have the pleasure of spending time in a gynecology clinic, focusing on conditions such as menopause, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, urinary incontinence, pregnancy and lactation concerns, endometriosis, and polycystic ovarian syndrome. As a women’s health advocate and APhA–ASP Chapter Advisor at the Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, I was thrilled to see the recent launch of the APhA–ASP Women’s Health Campaign.