APhA Member News
A minute with …
Michaela Metts, PharmD
PGY1 Resident at Norman Regional Health System
2020 Graduate of University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy
Member since 2016
“I began pharmacy school as a quiet, shy student who wanted to do more but did not know where to start. I joined APhA–ASP as a first-year pharmacy student as a way to get involved on campus and make friends. I was immediately inspired by how the organization brought pharmacists and student pharmacists of all backgrounds across the nation together to advance the profession we all love. Now, as a PharmD graduate, I look back at my time in APhA–ASP, and realize my participation empowered me to accomplish more than I had ever imagined. I started as a general member during my first year, and then I became the chair of the OTC Medicine Safety Patient Care Project during my second year. I loved the mission behind the Patient Care Projects so much that I ran for Vice President of Patient Care Projects as a third-year student and was elected. Together with other dedicated APhA–ASP members, I helped organize many events that benefited my school’s chapter and my local community, including the initiation of the new Women’s Health Campaign in my chapter. I also love APhA–ASP because they give student pharmacists many opportunities to share their work and to speak to other student pharmacists and the pharmacy community as a whole. I was able to take advantage of one of these opportunities and write an article that was ultimately published in Student Pharmacist. Thanks to APhA–ASP I graduated from pharmacy school as a more passionate and accomplished pharmacist.”
How has APhA helped you establish meaningful connections?
As the Vice President of Patient Care Projects for my chapter, I was responsible for making connections with the local community to find a need, so our chapter could rally together passionate members to help fulfill that need. Along the way, I spoke to dozens of pharmacists, physicians, volunteer coordinators, and other leaders in my local community. Some of these connections will endure past the end of my term as Vice President of Patient Projects and as a student pharmacist into my career.
How has APhA helped prepare you for your career as a pharmacist?
As an APhA–ASP officer for 2 years, I learned a lot about communicating effectively. I was first the OTC Medicine Safety Chair and then the Vice President of Patient Care Projects. In these roles, I was responsible for contacting members of the community, fellow student pharmacists, and preceptors to arrange patient care events. I arranged in-person meetings, wrote professional letters and emails, and made phone calls. Before taking on these leadership positions, I was petrified of speaking to new people. Now, I have confidence. These communication skills will be valuable to my future career as a pharmacist as effective communication between other health professionals and patients is essential for effective, quality patient care.
What excites you about the profession of pharmacy?
I am excited about how the profession of pharmacy is rapidly advancing. I remember when pharmacists were just starting to immunize and now pharmacists are the most accessible proponents of vaccinations. Pharmacists have many more opportunities to specialize and advance their training through residencies and advanced licensing programs. Health care is in a paradigm shift as patient-centered, value-based care is becoming the mainstream and pharmacists are earning their place as a valuable part of the health care team.
Can you share a meaningful story about a time you interacted with a patient?
I once counseled a patient who had discontinued his statin. When I asked him how he felt about taking the statin, he told me that he saw needing a statin as an indicator of failure. I was able to directly address his trepidations. We discussed the genetic components of high cholesterol, which no one can change. We examined the benefits of reduced likelihood of a heart attack while on a statin, which, in turn, increased the chance of a long and healthy life with his family. He realized that taking this medication did not mean he had failed; instead, deciding to take it meant he was taking control of the situation.
On the front lines: A COVID-19 testing center
The COVID-19 pandemic has offered a unique opportunity to serve in my community as a student pharmacist and hopefully contribute to the resolution of the virus. As a rising third-year student at Mercer University College of Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia, I have been working at Walgreens’ only testing site in the state since the beginning of May. This site is a self-testing location that possesses an in-house rapid results lab, which means that my role can range from demonstrating testing technique to processing tests for a positive or negative result.
Many patients come through our drive-thru filled with apprehension about their potential results or the test itself, and it is my responsibility to ease their anxiety and walk them through the process and provide next steps. It is a privilege to be there and I feel honored to be able to help curb some of the fear that much of the world is experiencing right now.
Part of the Oath of a Pharmacist includes devoting yourself to a lifetime of service to others. No matter how frightening that may be, putting the needs of our patients above our own is part of our duty. Pharmacists have always done this but continuing to reliably show up for our communities through a global pandemic makes the commitment we have to our profession and our communities very clear.
Another element of the Oath of a Pharmacist includes advocating for changes that improve patient care, and this pandemic provides a unique opportunity here as well. This pandemic has created a huge need and opened doors for expanded roles for pharmacists across the country. Student pharmacists like myself have been able to practice skills we may have never otherwise used and will hopefully graduate more equipped to handle future unforeseen circumstances with more expertise.
I feel lucky to have been well prepared for a moment like this as a student pharmacist. At Mercer, our first 2 years included labs that focused on teaching clinical skills and patient care experiences. Much of our didactic curriculum also focuses on the importance of our contribution to health care as pharmacists. This training, combined with my long-time jobs as both a pharmacy technician and intern, have allowed me to confidently face the responsibility of testing patients for this virus that has brought the entire world to a standstill.
Mercer’s motto is “Everyone majors in changing the world,” and I think pursuing a pharmacy degree allows me to carry that out. I have a chance to make a difference in the lives of every patient I come in contact with—not just after I graduate, but right now as I work every day throughout the pandemic. As a pharmacist, I hope to continue searching for solutions to the most challenging health problems facing our world today, and I believe that this experience working on the front lines at a COVID-19 testing center will prepare me all the better for my future career and whatever I may face throughout it.
Savannah Cunningham, 2022 PharmD Candidate, Mercer University, 2020–2021 APhA–ASP National Communications Standing Committee, 2020–2021 Mercer APhA–ASP President-Elect
National pharmacy organizations unite to take a stand against racial injustice
APhA and 13 national pharmacy associations have issued a joint statement in support of the ongoing fight against racism and discrimination. To read the APhA press release, please visit: www.pharmacist.com/press-release/national-pharmacy-organizations-unite-take-stand-against-racial-injustice.