Welcome Resident Nickell!

Hello everyone!  My name is Mark Nickell and I am a fourth year pharmacy student from the University of Minnesota.  Much like the other students who have done a rotation with MPhA, I will give you all a brief introduction about me and share some of my excitement about being here with MPhA for this rotation.  I was born and raised in Eagan, MN from a family of seven children!  After graduating high school I attended undergraduate school at the University of MN-Duluth.  I majored in biology with a minor in chemistry, and this led me to pharmacy school at the U of M Twin Cities.  While on campus I was heavily involved in multiple organizations, including MPhA.  This past year I served as the student representative on the MPhA board of directors, where I got a glimpse into the inter-workings of a state association.  It was a great experience!

Now that my stint on the board is finished I am lucky enough to begin my rotations in a familiar place with MPhA.  Plus, I’m here with a fellow classmate, Laura Grube.  So we are learning together!  I look forward to learning more about the legislative process and how MPhA works to serve Minnesota pharmacists.  Although the state legislature is not currently in session, there is very important election coming up on August 10th which will most likely bring large changes around the capitol.  This will be an opportunity for us to put our best foot forward with the candidates who endorse the wonderful work our Minnesota pharmacists do on a daily basis.

With the legislature not currently in session, it gives us an opportunity to put a different focus on the rotation than previous students have experienced.  Over the past week, and in the weeks to come, we will be putting an emphasis on independent community pharmacies.  This is a very important area of practice, which is experiencing some difficult times.  Independent owners often look to the association for help and support, and we got an opportunity to meet three different independent pharmacists earlier this week.

I’d like to share a couple thoughts about our meetings.  First of all, I have never been to an independent pharmacy or seen how they are different from other pharmacies, so this was a unique experience for me.  I was surprised to see the location of some of the stores.  One, in particular, was literally right next to a big chain store.  And the independent STILL did well.  My perception before seeing and talking with this owner was that when new pharmacies open up near independents, the independents suffer greatly.  This is not always the case, and I wondered why?  We soon found out that it was because of the wonderful services an independent can offer that a chain store does not always have the capability to offer.  It was very encouraging!

My other thought I’d like to share is in regards to a question posed by my preceptor, Julie Johnson.  She wanted to know what I would tell someone outside of the pharmacy world about my experience with independent pharmacies.  In the limited experience I have, I would tell people to take a good look at the pharmacy they use and ask themselves if that pharmacy is truly meeting their needs.  If it is not, DON’T settle!  There are many different pharmacies with many different business models.  Take a look around, and don’t be afraid to check out an independently owned pharmacy on your way!  Independent pharmacists take a lot of pride in the relationships they build with their patients.  If you’ve never checked one out… give it a shot!

If you’re interested in, or looking for a pharmacy in your area, try this link from the MPhA website.

https://m360.mpha.org/frontend/search.aspx?cs=213

Welcome Resident Grube!

Hello readers – My name is Laura Grube and I am a fourth-year pharmacy student at the University of Minnesota.  I’m here with the Minnesota Pharmacists Association for my first five-week rotation.  I grew up in Plymouth, MN and am the first in my family to enter a health care field.  I completed my undergraduate studies at the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, MN with a four-month stint at Bunkyo Gakuin University in Tokyo, Japan.  I earned a BA in Biology with a minor in Asian Studies.  After completing my Pharm.D., I am interested in community management or pharmacy benefits management.  I plan to complete a part-time MBA program locally within the next few years.

I have completed two weeks with MPhA so far, and it has been a unique experience.  Because the legislature is not in session, I have been spending a lot of time getting to know the inner workings of MPhA.  This knowledge is invaluable, because prior to this I did not have a firm grasp on what MPhA really does or what they have to offer.

I have already experienced a variety of things and learned that many pharmacists value MPhA.  Julie Johnson, Mark Nickell (a fellow rotation student) and I visited Blomberg Pharmacy, Setzer Pharmacy, and the Medicine Chest over the course of an afternoon.  Seeing these independent pharmacies was eye-opening, as we discussed the benefits and challenges of owning your own pharmacy.  Owners feel a sense of pride in their work and their relationships with customers, but also have to deal with difficult business issues like decreasing reimbursement rates.

I have also participated in a few meetings regarding the Minnesota Pharmacists Foundation’s AWARxE.  I learned about the background of the program, the current initiatives within the program, and plans to expand the program and gain much more visibility.  AWARxE brings to light the important and somewhat shocking fact that misuse and abuse of prescription drugs is now a much greater problem than use of illicit drugs.  I think many people, pharmacist or otherwise, aren’t fully aware of this growing problem.  Hopefully, AWARxE will succeed in its mission to inform and educate both health professionals and the public.

Also this week, I was able to sit in on a meeting between some members of MPhA and the Iowa Pharmacists Association.  The sharing of information and ideas between the groups was inspiring.  It’s exciting to see first-hand what these professionals are working on in an effort to change pharmacy and health care for the better.  I’m really looking forward to reflecting on that meeting more and contributing my viewpoint as a student nearing graduation.

Overall these first two weeks have offered a variety of experiences.  I’m thankful that I was assigned this rotation, because it gives me some opportunities that I wouldn’t have throughout the rest of the pharmacy curriculum.  Thanks for reading and I’ll update you with more next week!