Random thoughts

This is a total pleasure man! It's a pleasure to just sit around in school after the medication counseling. Well I am not that free la, I need to wait for mj to finish with her counseling session cos we are going to meet judy for dinner and MOVIE tonight! yesh!!! my virgin movie of the year!!! wheesh!

Today is the last session of medication counseling. In some ways, I feel a bit reluctant that this is the last session. I really enjoyed every of the four sessions, despite the adrenaline rush and apprehension awaiting us prior to every session. I must admit, I've learnt a lot. And I am starting to think that, I am really suitable to be a retail pharmacist. Sometimes it is just so ironic. Apart of me knows that I will enjoy the dynamic and more personal interactions with the customers/ patients in a community/retail setting, but a small part of me also yearn for the eye-opening exposure a hospital setting can provide.

Maybe next time, when I think that I've learnt enough/ enjoyed enough in the hospital, I shall venture and be a full-time retail pharmacist.

A quick flashback, 4 topics that I have covered in these medication counseling sessions were:

Session 1: Diabetes
First session, a little nervous. I watched youtube multiple times to see how is insulin supposed to be injected using the insulin pen. However, watching it and doing it is totally different. Didn't have the chance to orientate myself with the injection pen and catridges during my preceptorship, that's why I resolved to watching youtube to see if it helps to get a better idea. Watching is easy, but when the real injector was right before me, I was totally disorientated and unfamiliar. Sigh. Nevertheless, I tried my best, and she said that I was quite good considering that was my first time using the injector. But i know I should have done better, and I need to. Can't imagine myself counseling patient on using a medicine device which I myself am not well-orientated, or familiar with.

Counseling on a pregnant lady with Type 1 Diabetes. The session went fine, but it was also through it then I realized that what I've learnt before was mere knowledge if I don't know how to apply. I know I can do better, if the knowledge that I have is no longer just, knowledge.

Session 2: Oral Contraceptives
This topic wasn't taught during the curriculum and we have to read up. Counseling was fine, I guess I was more confident, as a pharmacist-to-be. In fact, I quite like this topic because this is a social drug, and I have some personal encounters with it during the course of my life thus far (yeah I don't use it myself, don't worry.).

I did something silly.
I didn't check the prescription thoroughly, thinking the focus of this whole session was just counseling. The prescription that I got just happened to be... FAULTY! Darn, I was so carried away during the entire session, neglecting the most basic thing about prescription validity. And I took for granted that patient had no drug allergy. The prescription did not have doctor's signature!!!!

Just when you thought you did well, something just happened to turn out not right.
I know it's part of learning. I accept these mistakes, just they are too silly to make!!!
I need to be more responsible from now on.

Session 3: Smoking Cessation and Warfarin
Smoking cessation written case was okay. Weird enough, I have tonnes of things to talk people out of smoking but when it comes to someone you know, personally, all these things, or rather knowledge, just don't work anymore.

I remembered advising an old uncle to quit counseling during my year 2 preceptorship.
The uncle refused, and gave me a handsign of dying.
And he said ' if I quit, I'll die. That's what happened to my friend.'
I was shocked then. I didn't expect to get such an answer from him.
True enough, this is what some smokers feel, especially the older ones, for they smoke their entire lives. But I can only say, you don't die from quitting smoking. If you do, it simply tells that the damage that you caused to your body had reached the irreversible, severe stage and quitting a day later may fast-forward D-day a day earlier.

Warfarin counseling... wasn't too bad. I think I almost killed my patient by not giving vit K at INR 8. Yeah, the higher INR, the thinner your blood is, and thus higher risk of bleeding. FYI, warfarin is an anticoagulant. Every hospital has different protocols as to what to do if patient's INR is abnormal. I learnt about not giving vit K if no risk of bleeding, but just... when it comes to real practice, different ppl have different judgment core... and yea, next time i will give vit K. (vit K reverts the action of warfarin, in a way).

Session 4: Skin
I didn't study until this morning. In fact, I can't study much too cos I've left my notes back in KL. Luckily I saw edwin online and asked if his lecturer had covered this topic in their PP2 module. And he said yes and sent me a copy! God really blessed me. I was nasty last night by reading twilight the whole day and watching unecessary drama to increase my level of pleasure. And I told God that I was sorry for not doing what I'm supposed to do, rather what I'm not supposed to do I keep doing. And the next day I found out that all my notes are not with me, cos I brought home the other time.

But God knows my limitations and He knows that it's not that I'm lazy to study.
That's why He made sure edwin was online to send me the notes which were of GREAT help (thanks brudder!). I made my way to school earlier, one hour earlier, so that I could print the notes and read them. It's actually a refresher cos I've learnt abt skin in year 2.

The counseling was quite good I felt. And she said I was quite good.
All glory to my Lord!

I think it's a good ending to my counseling session.
I think I'm more encouraged to do a better job next time, for God, and for people.

It's Good Friday! :)
And judy, mj and me are supposed to watch confession of a shopaholic!