“Veronica,” congratulations on starting your final year of pharmacy school and embarking on a new journey of rotation life! This is an exciting year for you to learn from both your preceptors and fellow student pharmacists. 


I am glad to hear that you enjoyed your ambulatory care rotation. Like you, I was super excited to manage patients’ chronic disease states while I was on rotations even though I did not really know what it was either. You are right, ambulatory care is different and something that most student pharmacists do not experience until they immerse themselves in an ambulatory care setting.

Over the next year, I will be sharing my unique experiences while on rotation. To speak honestly and openly with you, I will write this column anonymously under the name “Veronica.” It is my hope to provide you with insights about rotations and the many pharmacy opportunities I encounter.



In September, I had the opportunity to get fully immersed in an ambulatory care setting. For me, ambulatory care has been somewhat of an elusive, mystical creature. Housed somewhere between Minotaur and Pegasus, this specialty is something that I have heard a lot about, but did not fully experience as a student pharmacist until this 
rotation. 


One of the first things that you hear about when starting pharmacy school is the importance of finding a good mentor. To some people, this may seem intimidating because reaching out to faculty and preceptors can be intimidating. However, it can be one of the most important steps you take as you start your journey to become a pharmacist.

At the APhA2015 APhA–ASP House of Delegates in March, the Academy passed Resolution 2015.4 Increased Access to Opioid Reversal Agents. The resolution includes the following:


1. APhA–ASP supports state and federal legislation to increase access to opioid reversal agents.

2. APhA–ASP encourages pharmacists and student pharmacists to provide public education about opioid reversal agents, including proper administration in situations of opioid-related drug overdose.


Since 1996, it is estimated that through community-based naloxone (Narcan) programs, more than 26,000 lives have been saved. The account featured here is from one such patient. The following excerpt, from the blog post “Overdose!,” was published anonymously by the Harm Reduction Coalition at www.hrc.org and is reprinted with permission. We are reprinting this to share the impact that these programs have for the beneficiaries of this life-saving medication

In the year 2000, pharmacy job openings could be found in every region of the nation, and with the PharmD as the new standard for graduating pharmacists, opportunities seemed limitless. To meet the demands of enhanced education requirements and the need for more pharmacists, the number of pharmacy schools increased dramatically. Fifteen years later, the pharmacy market is reaching a saturation point, fueled by overestimations of job growth and pharmacy schools failing to adapt to the sluggish job market.