Ambulatory Care Rotation

I completely did not expect to love my Ambulatory Care rotation. I had no idea what it would entail, but it is one of my favorite rotations (even though we have only done two). My rotation was at the Health Wagon from 08/08-09/16 with Dr. Phillips as my preceptor. I was lucky enough to be paired up with Nick and Preston on this rotation, which meant there was never a dull moment. She paired us up with Willie and Crystal to follow his patients in multiple medically under-served areas in Southwest Virginia.

We provided medication reconciliations, looked at previous lab history, and documented any current issues the patients had. We then discussed what we found with Willie and he would use each patient case as learning experience. Dr. Phillips would review our assessments and would guide us to key information we might have missed during our first assessment. Dr. Phillips and Willie always quizzed/drilled us on pertinent drug information and drug monitoring.

We ran a diabetes education class for some of the patients that was supervised by our current resident Travis. We asked patients if they knew how their diabetic medication worked, offered free A1c checks, and talked about good eating habits. This was a perfect time for patients to talk to each other about new healthy recipes they have tried and loved, and exercise routines that have helped them lose weight and stay active. We also set up game called "The Carb is Right." This game tested the patients knowledge of how much carbs they should have per meal and how much carbs are in food items such as a Double-Decker Chocolate Moon Pie (55 g).

Having gone through this rotation, I am now looking into ambulatory practice residencies that I might be interested to apply to. I would recommend any P2 to this rotation. This rotation is where you really see how pharmacist can interact as a healthcare team, and how patients benefit from this interaction. I will really miss the healthcare team we worked with at the Health Wagon.