Khrystine Waked, Kitchener/Waterloo

Khrystine Waked, Rx2018 - Kitchener

Navigating the region

Kitchener-Waterloo provided me with some excellent sites for rotations. It has been home to me for the last 3 and a half years and there is a certain level of comfort when starting something new in a place you know well. Also, there are plenty of new (and older) restaurants in the area to enjoy, places to have coffee with your classmates, and festivals to experience.

In the winter, take advantage of the outdoor ice rinks! I also really enjoy going for brunch. There are some great spots such as Red House in Waterloo and Belmont Bistro. During the summer months, there are festivals happening all the time; I enjoyed the Multicultural Festival and Rib Fest. There’s just always something to do in Kitchener-Waterloo. Also, Bingeman’s water park is pretty fun on a hot day!

I took the bus to every rotation site. The longest commute was 30 minutes by bus so everything was fortunately very central for me. There are also plenty of housing options available in the area.

My Regional Clinical Coordinator (RCC) was extremely helpful when dealing with last minute requirements requested from one of my sites. He checked in on us and organized a meeting with the students in the area to chat about rotations. His support was much appreciated.

Practice site descriptions 

Sunnyside Long Term Care via Remedy’s Specialty. I worked alongside a multidisciplinary team consisting of doctors, residents, and nurses. I performed medication reviews and assisted the staff with health concerns/questions. I also attended rounds (every day) and worked alongside a nurse practitioner once a week. I actually made therapeutic changes and monitored patients throughout my 8 weeks. There’s something very special about seeing my recommendations being implemented and then being able to follow the patient throughout the changes. This position was very clinical but also extremely rewarding.

St. Mary’s General Hospital (General medicine). I worked alongside a multidisciplinary team on the 7^th floor. My role was to ensure that prescribed medications were both safe and efficacious. We conducted therapeutic drug monitoring of certain medications and followed-up on patients staying on our floor. There were rounds at least twice a day and we visited patients almost every day. Once again, this was a very clinical role. I was involved in every aspect from the admission (BPMH verification) to discharge (writing discharge orders and patient education).

Rexall Pharmacy. At Rexall, I worked with a registered technician and a pharmacy assistant. The pharmacist (my preceptor) placed me in the pharmacist’s position and I spent 8 weeks working as a pharmacist would. I verified prescriptions, counselled patients on new medications, recommended minor ailment therapies, and made many changes when a DTP was found. I was surprised with how well doctors were responding to my faxes requesting changes. If changes were made, I ensured appropriate follow-up and kept the prescribing doctor informed. While this role varied greatly from the first two sites, it was so rewarding because I actually made meaningful changes that benefitted the patients.

I had no experience with long-term care, so I learned so much with that rotation. I learned about the role of a pharmacist in that setting, how to work-up complex geriatric patients and the inner workings of long-term care. Hospital was also brand new to me and I was able to build on my clinical skills earned from my first site. I really did a lot of antibiotic stewardship, which is something I had yet to practice.

Pharmacy 5in5 (infographics/handouts), Lexicomp, UptoDate, RxTx were great resources to use. Stay in touch with your friends. They are all going through the same experiences and they are your best support system!

Overall, I realized I was much more knowledgeable than I thought. Practicing as a pharmacist is scary but this whole experience makes you grow as a student, and as an individual. My confidence grew tremendously with each passing rotation. I truly feel as though I can now be a pharmacist.

Advice for future students

I was terrified of rotations and having completed them, I am very proud of myself. The experience forced me to come out of my shell and appreciate working independently. Sometimes, situations were uncomfortable but it only provided me with a better learning experience in the long run.

The first week will be overwhelming but just keep pushing. Be adaptable and accept all the learning opportunities presented to you.