Max Kisil, a third-year Pharmacy student, shares his co-op journey from Grand River Hospital and Lancaster Wellness Pharmacy.
Max spent his first co-op term at Grand River Hospital on the general medicine floor as a Discharge Medication Reconciliation Pharmacy Student. During the first half of the day, Max would have to gather a medication history for the patients. For the rest of the day, he would have to look at the patient’s medical history as well as current medication and assess if it is safe and appropriate for the patient to go back home.
“I caught over 650 errors on my 4-month work term which was pretty cool," says Max. "Maybe 10 to 15% of those were very significant and potentially lifesaving.”
Max then spent his next co-op term at Lancaster Wellness Pharmacy as a Pharmacy Co-op Student where he looked at prescriptions for patients and administered flu shots. “With the pharmacy curriculum in the 2B term, which is prior to our second co-op, we have this course called Professional Practice, and that's when we have the opportunity to become injection certified to give intramuscular or subcutaneous injections.”
How has working remotely changed your lifestyle?
"It’s changed my lifestyle in a few ways. Mainly it's given me a lot more flexibility with my time, which has been really nice. I've been able to do some physical activity during the day and then be able to watch my lectures later on at night or get up early and watch it first thing in the morning."
"I've been able to move my school schedule around just to tailor it more towards my sleep schedule or my activity schedule, which has been great. I guess I’ve become a little more physically fit because of it."
"I've been able to prioritize some physical health stuff, but at the same time it does come with the added responsibility of having to really stay on top of schoolwork."
What has been the most rewarding thing about co-op?
"Being able to have such a big impact on patient's health and well-being. I wasn't expecting to catch as many errors or be able to give as many recommendations as I have so far, but I honestly feel like I've made people's lives better or helped give recommendations to prevent them from getting sick."
What is your advice for 1st year science students?
“Get involved, put yourself out there, step out of your comfort zone. I was on the varsity golf and rowing teams during my undergrad, and I definitely think that that helped differentiate myself when I was getting into the pharmacy program.”