Rotations are clinical placements in the final year Waterloo Pharmacy program. Students complete three placements in hospitals, community pharmacies, and health centres in one of fourteen regions across Ontario.
This year, long-time supporters of the School Dr. Frank and Julianna Wong created an award to support students on rotation. It was received by three students: Janhavi Malhotra is completing her rotation in the Niagara Region, Rui Su in the Sudbury Region, and Tharsika Sinnathamby in the Ottawa Region.
“My experiences in Sudbury have inspired my future career plans,” says Su. “I hope to work and advocate for underserved populations and marginalized groups, both in a clinical setting and through research and innovation, to ultimately improve systems of care. As a future pharmacist, I also hope to lead initiatives to redesign better health care services for patients living with chronic illnesses.”
Rui and Regional Clinical Coordinator for Sudbury Kaitlin Bynkoski outside one of Rui's placement settings.
With the support of the new award, students are able to relocate to regions that are of particular interest to them professionally.
By exploring pharmacy practice in new areas and different settings, rotations often help students make decisions about their future career. Tharsika Sinnathamby’s experiences in Ottawa have done exactly that.
“The possibilities to provide direct, collaborative, and advanced patient care in a variety of settings drew me to Ottawa for my clinical rotations,” explains Sinnathamby. “Since then, my experiences have solidified my decision to work as a hospital pharmacist. The process of identifying and solving therapeutic issues with a multidisciplinary team and seeing patients improve is rewarding. Moreover, pharmacists can have different roles such as dispensing, clinical care, research, and teaching at the hospital which allows for opportunity for growth in career.”
Tharsika at the Ottawa hospital
In addition to the new award, Dr. Frank and Juliana Wong have supported the School since it opened in 2008 and provide an annual entrance scholarship for outstanding incoming students. The couple are residents of Waterloo Region – Frank practiced as a family physician for over 35 years – and have a strong desire to promote and develop local pharmaceutical and health care.