Courtney Montague, Sudbury

Courtney Montague, Rx2017 - Sudbury

Navigating the region

Northern Ontario is my home. I was born and raised four hours north of Sudbury so getting to go back north was so exciting to me. Sudbury is the best of both worlds. It has a city feel with all the conveniences of cities down south while still maintaining harmony with nature. Whether you wanted to go out for dinner at a fun restaurant or wanted to be surrounded by trees, you were able to instantly. The region also provides a close sense of community. Any person you met in Sudbury was friendly and open. Another positive is a slower pace of life. After being in pharmacy school for 3.5 years, it was nice to take a step back and not feel so rushed all the time. The region provided an environment to relax, learn, and really enjoy transitioning into the next part of your pharmacy career.

Free time was dedicated to fun. I enjoy the outdoors so I was able to go hiking along the countless trails or go out and catch some fish. All the students in the region would also get together for dinner or dancing. A unique activity to Sudbury was that the students would go to Porketta Bingo which never disappointed and we always won free pork roast. Sudbury also has Science North, Dynamic Earth, and the Big Nickel. You can always find something to do in Sudbury! Like all things, Sudbury is what you make of it. It can be a really fun place if you’re willing to get out and explore!

Housing is really easy to come by in the region given Sudbury has Cambrian College and Laurentian University. Given that there is student housing, finding a sublet or rental is stress-free and less expensive than renting in regions such as Toronto or Ottawa. Transit is in place but not as frequent as larger centres however the community is very easy to navigate.  

I cannot say enough great things about Kaitlin, the Regional Clinical Coordinator (RCC). She’s a genuinely warm, caring person. She is organized which I really appreciate so you never had to wait for feedback or help with problems. Kaitlin organized dinners for all the students so that she could check up on us. She would meet with us individually to discuss learning goals and areas she wanted our feedback on. Kaitlin sincerely wants you to succeed and helps provide you with the tools to do that. She presents herself in a professional manner but really does have an interest in you. I feel very fortunate to have had her as an RCC.  

Practice site descriptions

My first rotation was at Remedy’s Rx. It was a small, independent pharmacy with a staff of 4 people. During my time there, I learned a lot about addictions management and counselling through the methadone program. I also was able to independently check prescriptions, provide counselling, and perform medication reviews. My preceptor met with me once a week and we went through a topic that had come up in the week that we thought was interesting. This real-world practice helped refine my skills for the PEBC/OSCE.

My next rotation was with North East Specialized Geriatric Centre. This rotation was truly a unique one as there was not a pharmacist on site with you but Kaitlin (RCC) was always available should you need her. She also met with me once a week so I could present a patient with the changes I had made to their medications. At this rotation, you got to work with PT’s/OT’s, nurses, and specialized physicians. Being able to gain independence in clinical decision making was so beneficial. I was able to learn how to communicate with other health care professions and justify clinical decisions more confidently.

My last rotation was with the intensive care unit at Health Sciences North. This experience was truly eye-opening. Here I worked with pharmacists, pharmacy students, physicians, nurses, respirologists, and dieticians. Every single day you faced a new challenge. I saw countless infectious diseases, post-op cardiac patients, stroke patients, trauma patients, patients with cancer, and patients over teleconference in other regions. We rounded every day with the physicians and made recommendations to assist with patient care.

During rotations, I feel like I got to develop skills that were already there and really use the knowledge I had gained at school. My rotations made me a better communicator which is essential in our line of work. It also really helped solidify my knowledge of the vast topics we learn in school. Real-world experience is the best teacher as it allows you to apply what you know and see real outcomes of your decisions. Problem-solving was another skill honed during rotations. You were facing real people in real time. A decision had to be made and you needed to work effectively in order to solve medication issues.

Advice for future students

The one piece of advice I wish I has was to relax. Rotations always seemed like this scary capstone you had to make or you wouldn’t get your degree and you’d have to spend more money. A lot of us were genuinely terrified of rotations and it really took a lot of the fun out the experience. Relax and be confident in your knowledge. Your preceptors are not out to get you, they want to prepare you so don’t fear them. It won’t be easy but trust you will get through it. These are your last months as a student, enjoy them as much as you can!

Get out of your comfort zone. Try something new. Northern Ontario is not this frozen tundra that everyone makes it out to be. You’ll learn more and get to experience more simply because there are fewer students and you’ll get more one on one time. Kaitlin is a great RCC and really takes into consideration what you feel you need to learn. She picks great preceptors who not only teach you important lessons but are also kind, and caring. Rotations in this area will challenge you but will help you grow into a great pharmacist.