‘Pura vida’ in Costa Rica!
It was an unforgettable PARS experience for Susan Garcia.
By Susan Garcia
“Pura vida” is the Costa Rican phrase for “living life” and is used as a common form of welcome, celebration, and of course, living life to the fullest! Just like every other student pharmacist, I took great interest in doing study abroad and/or mission trips to experience the glories of travel.
I first heard of international conferences from our International Vice President during our annual APhA–ASP Chapter officer retreat in August 2018. She excitedly shared her experience in attending the International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation (IPSF) World Congress the year prior and encouraged me to apply for a scholarship to attend the 13th IPSF Pan American Regional Symposium (PARS), held this past June in Costa Rica. She also advised me that this was not an opportunity that I should pass up. Figuring that I had just as good a chance as anyone, I threw my name in the hat, applied, and ended up being chosen for the scholarship! The award covered the cost of the conference in its entirety, which was an amazing factor. In addition, it offered a unique blend of educational and recreational opportunities in a whole different country.
Out of my comfort zone
The presentations at PARS offered a refreshing blend of topics such as veterinarian pharmaceuticals, toxicology, and cancer research. Many subjects were those that I had not come across in school and introduced me to a new perspective of the different avenues of pharmacy. In the excitement of the pre-traveling rush, it didn’t cross my mind that the presentations wouldn’t be delivered in English until I finally buckled in for my flight. My suspicions were confirmed when attending the first day of the conference and the opening speaker delivered her presentation on phytomedicine in Spanish! Luckily, the wonderful IPSF Planning Committee was one step ahead and informed students of an app that would translate slides so that all attending delegates would be able to fully enjoy their academic experience.
In addition to the presentations, students were engaged in “design thinking” workshops. Teams were encouraged to brainstorm solutions on how to bring awareness to the intricacies of the pharmaceutical industry. Also, the conference provided opportunities for students to showcase their competitive side in a patient counseling competition, a team clinical skills competition, and poster presentations. Since I am someone who enjoys taking my time conversing with patients, participating in a competition that was timed, judged by licensed professionals, and viewed by an audience of fellow students was definitely out of my comfort zone. However, I truly enjoy pushing my boundaries, so I took several deep breaths, did my best to ignore the pairs of eyes focused on me, and counseled the patient to the best of my abilities.
At the end of the conference, an awards ceremony celebrating the various achievements of the pharmaceutical organizations and announcing the winners of the competitions was held. To my astonishment, I was awarded first place in the patient counseling competition and my team placed first in the clinical skills competition! When reflecting back on the competition, I realized that the practice that I had received through my schooling had provided me with the best tools to be comfortable in counseling a patient, and therefore made my performance award-winning.
A rewarding experience
Now if you recall, I mentioned that the conference took place in Costa Rica, so of course I was interested in what the exotic country had to offer. The planning committee did a phenomenal job of scheduling events each night to showcase their beautiful country and culture.
We traveled to Manuel Antonio
National Park for a beach day, roamed the city of San Jose for a night tour, and much more. These events not only satiated my thirst for travel but served as great networking opportunities that earned me lifelong friends with whom I made unforgettable memories.
I never imagined that I could receive such a rewarding experience in only 1 week, and would highly encourage anyone who is interested to take advantage of PARS 2020, which will be held in the historic city of Cusco, Peru. Overall, this trip deepened my love for the profession of pharmacy, allowed me to meet some amazing individuals, and taught me how to “Pura vida”!
Susan Garcia is a third-year PharmD candidate at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy, Jacksonville Campus.