Topics
Page Two
Masthead
|
Topics |
Page Two |
Masthead |
|
|
| ||
| ||
Exploring Pediatric Pharmacy By Jenny Wong One of the things that drew me into pharmacy is the number of specialties and options within the field. There is something for everyone, but we do have to make an effort to learn about what is out there. Fortunately, there are many avenues for pharmacy students to learn more about the specialties, such as the RAMPS program. After learning about the RAMPS program, I signed up to learn more about pediatric pharmacy. I became interested in the specialty after taking the pediatric pharmacology elective during my first year. Pediatric pharmacy is appealing to me because working with such a unique patient population makes it a challenging yet extremely rewarding area. Luckily for me, the RAMPS program has given me an opportunity to learn more about pediatric pharmacy by matching Sarah Scarpace, PharmD as my mentor. Dr. Scarpace is a pediatric clinical pharmacist at UCSF Children’s Hospital. Her position entails working closely with the medical team, the patients, and their families to ensure that optimal care is provided. I was lucky enough to see this firsthand when I shadowed Dr. Scarpace during hematology/oncology rounds a few weeks ago. On that particular morning, 16 pediatric cancer patients were covered by the medical team which consisted of the attending physician, medical residents and students, a social worker and Dr. Scarpace. As I observed the interactions of the team, I saw that a pharmacist is an integral part of the team. Dr. Scarpace was invaluable to deducing possible drug-induced conditions (one patient had unexplained leukopenia) and optimal drug dosing. After rounds, Dr. Scarpace works on medication reconciliation, the process of making sure that a patient’s list of medications is accurate. When patients are admitted, Dr. Scarpace performs an intake interview to make sure the medical team has the most up-to-date list of medications for the patient. Before a patient is discharged, Dr. Scarpace makes sure the patient is discharged with the correct drugs and educates the patient (or caretaker) about the drugs. She goes as far as personally calling in the prescriptions to a conveniently located pharmacy. It is definitely encouraging to see that a pharmacist can play such an active role in patient care – both behind the scenes with the medical team, and directly with the patient/caretaker. After rounds and medication reconciliation, Dr. Scarpace finds time in the afternoon to attend meetings, work on various projects, and precept students and residents. Overall, this mentoring experience has been exciting. Dr. Scarpace has been a wonderful mentor, and I look forward to continuing our mentor-mentee relationship. I am also very glad the RAMPS program gave me the opportunity to take a closer look at pediatric pharmacy. I definitely encourage other pharmacy students to explore the various pharmacy niches out there.
| ||
Synapse is part of the Office of Student Life and Student Academic Affairs. | ||