Introducing Angie Streckert

Hello MPhA members! My name is Angie Streckert and I am a fourth year pharmacy student at the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities. I am currently fortunate enough to be doing an APPE rotation at MPhA and will be spending 5 weeks here. I grew up in Minnesota and am still able to visit my parents frequently in Ham Lake. I attended the University of MN-Duluth for undergrad where I earned my bachelor’s degree with a major in biology and minors in chemistry and psychology. Unsure of which area of health care I wanted to enter, I worked for a year at R&D Systems in Minneapolis, MN before starting pharmacy school. This was a great opportunity to explore the research and industrial side of pharmaceuticals.  Since starting pharmacy school, I have been able to explore huge number of various pharmacy practice settings. Still unsure of where I want to practice when I complete school, I am considering community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, MTM and pharmaceutical industry.

Starting this rotation, I had no idea what I would be doing or what to expect from my time at MPhA.  Although I was familiar with what MPhA provided to pharmacists, I didn’t know what they did on a daily basis. I have learned that the people who work here are busy! I have only been here 4 days and have already experienced a vast amount of unique opportunities.

On my second day here, I was honored to meet the CEO of the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), Roger Williams. We were able to eat lunch with him and then attend a seminar he gave on the university campus. It was great to meet in a small group for lunch because this gave the opportunity to really learn more about Roger and his mission for the company. Before this meeting, I only thought of USP when considering guidelines 795 and 797. I didn’t comprehend how huge USP is and how they have such a large impact on all of healthcare and science. I also learned that USP is expanding globally, helping to improve standards in other countries as well.

I was also given the opportunity to visit the state’s capital this week. Although I had visited the capital once before, I hadn’t been there since grade school. While there, I was able to enter the MN Supreme court, House and Senate rooms. I was also able to see the chandler that normally hangs in the rotunda, but was taken down for the first time in 30 years for maintenance. It was fascinating to learn how technologically advanced the capital was when it was built in 1905, already being wired with electricity.

Since the legislature is not currently in session, I needed a different focus for my time here. Today, we decided that I will focus on the National DEA Drug Take Back event which is happening on September 25th from 10am to 2pm. This event is taking place in 11 Minnesota locations. We will be helping to collect any unused, unwanted or expired medications from the public with no cost to the public and no questions asked. I will be helping to get volunteers for the project and to let others know about the event. More information should be sent to pharmacists this week as we get more details. If you would like to volunteer for the event, please let us know! I look forward to working with everyone to make this event a success.