Hello, student pharmacists! A genuine thank you for continually following along during my APPE journey! Graduation is approaching and I cannot believe this year full of 40-hour work weeks and projects galore is coming to an end … finally! However, as you know, I am a glutton for punishment and opted to go through the Match process in hopes of starting a PGY1 this coming year.
In the last issue, I spoke about the residency application process in its entirety. Despite having taken a residency preparation course in school, I just never felt fully prepared for the rollercoaster ride that is called residency applications.
I am thrilled to say that I was fortunate enough to match with a PGY1 program! It is easy to look retrospectively and say that it was all worth it. It’s just like pharmacy school. There are semesters that are harder than others, and you start questioning why you willingly did this to yourself. Or was that just me? Regardless, once it is all over and done with, to look back and see what you accomplished is a good feeling.
That applies to those who matched and those who didn’t. Every single person who filled out an application or went to interview, congratulations! You successfully survived getting multiple applications in before all the deadlines, and you likely travelled near and far for interviews, all between a hectic rotation schedule. That is something to be proud of and celebrate.
A personal connection

Until residency starts and I get those extra letters at the end of my name, I am finishing up my last APPE rotation in an oncology infusion clinic. I opted to do this rotation because I knew it would challenge me. And y’all, oncology is hard! How am I just now truly realizing this? My preceptor jokes, saying that he will convert me and that I will love oncology by the end of the rotation—and every time I laugh.
I have a newfound respect for any pharmacist, or any health professional, who chooses to specialize in oncology. I feel like since starting this rotation 2 weeks ago, 10 new medications have been approved, guidelines have changed, and 50 new studies have come out contradicting the recently updated guidelines. Now, obviously that is a drastic exaggeration, but some days it feels that way. Oncology is constantly changing and as soon as you master one area, it all seems to change overnight.
Despite its difficulty, I didn’t anticipate having such a personal connection with this rotation. I have been working in hematology-oncology, which includes patients with lymphomas, leukemias, and a lot of multiple myeloma, a cancer that took my own grandmother. Reviewing these patients’ regimens and seeing how hard they are fighting the pain and nausea—and fighting for their lives—makes my grandmama’s fight all too real for me. I was too young to understand what was happening, but to now see everything that she went through just to survive hurts my heart.
I see my grandmama in these patients, and ultimately I think that is a good thing. These patients aren’t just patients, they are someone else’s grandmama, or dad, or sibling. Throughout these APPE rotations, I have come to realize the importance of this. Patients are people, too. They should be fiercely cared for and loved.
I need to prepare
On top of mastering the art of chemotherapy regimens and supportive care, I am trying to navigate the perilous waters of licensing and NAPLEX review. I opted to become licensed in two states, which means two MPJE exams plus the NAPLEX. Have I started studying? Nope. But to be fair, I did buy the books! I should get points for that, right? They made it as far as my bedroom floor, but they will eventually be opened and used.
Think about it: the next time I write, I, and many of you, will be a PharmD. The wait is almost over! However, that doesn’t mean that I know all the answers yet, so I have a few questions for our Preceptor Feedback author. Transitioning from didactic coursework to APPEs was incredibly difficult, and I wish I would have known how to be prepared ahead of time. Do you have any recommendations or tricks on surviving the boards? And how about some tips on that major leap from student to pharmacist?
Until next time y’all, when you will meet the real “Alison.”