Pharmacy Day 2010
Someone once said that the essence of education is lifelong learning. As lifelong learners and students at UCSD Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, we like to seize every opportunity to pass on what we have learned to people in our community. It is our chance for us to “pay it forward.”
The Second Annual SSPPS Pharmacy Day, held on January 23, was an overwhelming success. This past Saturday, after an incredibly stormy week, the sun finally peeked out from behind the clouds. Over 130 students from 14 different high schools throughout San Diego County visited our school to learn about college and graduate school requirements, various opportunities for careers in pharmacy, compounding, and medication safety. Students also became "specialists" in one of four areas: diabetes, hypertension, immunizations, or asthma. They had the opportunity to measure blood pressure, practice vaccine administration techniques, practice proper use of inhalers, and utilize blood glucose monitors. It was amazing to see how much they learned in just one day. One student bade us farewell at the end of the day by saying, "Wow, I want to be a pharmacist now!” The students who attended SSPPS Pharmacy Day left UCSD ready to present their newfound knowledge to peers, family members, and San Diego middle school students. I am proud to say that we have successfully passed on a portion of what we as student pharmacists have learned. In doing so, we were able to not only stimulate interest in pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences, but also empower young adults to “pay it forward” by becoming teachers in their communities.
In addition to spending time with student pharmacists and UCSD undergraduates, high school students were able to meet esteemed professionals in the field, including SSPPS faculty members Dr. James Colbert, PharmD, Dr. Marie Scott, PharmD, Dr. Christopher Woo, PharmD, Dr. Binh Tran, PharmD, Dr. David Bao, PharmD, and Dr. Sarah Lorenz, PharmD. Thank you for being awesome preceptors and for sharing your experiences at Pharmacy Day.
This year, Pharmacy Day was led by Trina Huynh, a first year student pharmacist, and Alegra Bartzat, Sciencebridge Program Representative. This successful event would not have been possible without their leadership and the support of and collaboration among SSPPS students, student organizations, and faculty. More than 100 SSPPS student pharmacists contributed in a significant way, through planning curriculum, leading activities, mentoring teams of students throughout the day, or documenting the events of the day as they unfolded. In addition, numerous undergraduate pre-pharmacy students also attended the event to help mentor high school students and to learn more about pharmacy themselves. SSPPS and Walgreens sponsored the event, along with five organizations, APhA, CSHP, ScienceBridge, Kappa Psi, and ASCP.
A huge THANK YOU is extended to everyone who was involved in planning or supporting the event. What an amazing day! Thanks to our involved SSPPS family, we will continue to spread the Skaggs name by reaching out to our community.
