Alpine, Utah; Alpine Fitness & Physical Therapy - Lizzy

The internship at Alpine Fitness & Physical Therapy is an amazing learning opportunity. Nowhere else will you have the same hands-on opportunities that this facility provides. You work very closely with fellow interns and real patients from day one. It is a difficult internship in that it tests you intellectually, physically, and socially. However, it is a very unique opportunity as you are provided with wonderful resources, but then get to take your learning into your own hands and shape your experience into exactly what you want it to be. You can learn how to be physical therapist, or you can learn how to be a personal trainer, or you can do both! The greatest thing I learned was that, "A good physical therapist makes a good personal trainer." It makes so much sense that the two go hand in hand and I'm glad I had this experience to open my eyes to this fact, so that I can be a more successful and more motivating physical therapist some day.

Utah Valley Regional Medical Center Emergency Room--Reaghan

Growing up, I was raised constantly being told that I could do anything. The concept of anything has changed over the years, but I can say one thing for sure. If you’d told me a year ago that I would be spending three hours a week in the Emergency Room, in the thick of things, I would have never believed you. 

This summer, I had the opportunity to shadow Matt Pepper, a clinical pharmacist in the Emergency Room at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, Utah. On a daily basis, he (1) reviews the lab results of patients seen in the Emergency Room, whether they’ve been discharged or admitted, (2) consults with doctors if medication adjustments need to be made based on lab results, (3) follows up with patients about their lab results, (4) manages each patient’s medication records, compiling at-home medications, and medications given within the hospital into one system, (5) assists with trauma cases and sedations, and (6) lends help and advice to doctors and nurses when needed.

Before job shadowing, my perception of a pharmacists came mainly from what I’d seen at drug stores and supermarkets. After doing research and shadowing around the hospital, my view definitely shifted toward the reality. While shadowing, I’ve learned a lot about what the day-to-day life of a pharmacist is like. Pharmacists are actively involved in patient care and are significantly responsible for the medications a patient receives, which has a major effect on the patient’s outcome. Pharmacists are problem solvers—they use their specific expertise to question and evaluate patients’ medication lists and offer suggestions when concerns arise. Pharmacists are an integral part of the healthcare system, although their role may sometimes be overlooked.

The best part of shadowing for me has been reporting on a 'Drug of the Day' each time I shadowed. Every time I go to the hospital, Matt challenges me to report on a specific drug we pick together. Doing this has helped me learn about pharmacy for myself, and then take my questions to him after I have a background on each drug. Through this, I’ve learned a lot of drugs’ names, uses, and side effects tailored to an Emergency Room setting. This experience has assured me of what I didn’t know before: I want to be a pharmacist. And I will be. Job shadowing has been the most influential part of me taking that decision.