Christmastime

So, as I sit here on my couch relaxing, I'm am enjoying the sight of my husband in the kitchen washing oranges. Yes oranges. We just got home from the yearly Christmas in Claxton at Cilantros and the grandparents sent us home with about 100 oranges. Ok maybe not that many but I have already ate several. They are so fresh and so yummy yummy! On another note, it has kinda been an odd weekend. There are so many things that are going to be changing in the near future. The semester ended well and my grades were fantabulous! Do you even have to ask how dave's semester turned out? All A's of course. This past weekend while in Claxton, I received my rotation schedule and where I will be going. Upon first glance, it wasn't very encouraging and I was not excited. Out of 11 months of rotations, 3 were assigned to St.Augustine and 1 month is to be spent in Pensacola. How in the world will I survive 4 months in a different city without my husband and family?? Let alone the financial burden of having to pay for 4 months of stay in a far away town. There are a few solutions to my dilemma. We have what is called "Swap periods" in which all 300 pharmacy students petition to the professor of their wishes for a schedule change. Obviously it is not going to be possible to please every person. I am trying my hardest to be patient with this process but is it selfish to want to be home with my husband and ask for all my rotations in Jacksonville?? The process has just began so the only change I can forsee right now is that 2 can be swapped for the Jacksonville location, however, I have an Adult Medicine rotation at the Flagler Hospital in St.Augustine during the months of May and June and it does not look promising to be able to swap with anyone. I apoligize if any of this does not make much sense. I am just venting and this seems to be a good outlet, if anyone is even reading this. Maybe a little background of what Pharmacy school has been like might help. I began at the University of Florida, yes that's right, the University of Florida College of Pharmacy in 2007.

Here are a few pics from when I was accepted:

The first year of Pharmacy school was extremely difficult. My grades were not what I was expecting but I was hanging on. The first year was spent studying Pathophysiological Basis of Disease, Biochemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, Dosage Forms, and Intro to Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy. Here is a pic of my course work over that first year:

At the end of my first year, we had our coating ceremony. This is what being in Pharmacy school was all about. Or so I thought at the time. I felt so special when I finally got to wear this white coat.


This next picture is my study buddy Molly and me. I literally would not have made it through these past 3 years without her!

We were bombarded by drug info during the second professional year. During this year, most of my time was spent studying downtown at Seattle's Best coffee, Starbuck's and Panera. Most night's I had to kiss my hubby goodnight and keep at it at the dining room table while he was catching some sweet sleep. Then about 1-2 am I would crawl in the bed for a few hours of sleep and wake up at 6am and do it all over again. Man, I do not miss that second year. There is alot to know about drugs and we should be so thankful for our pharmacists :)
I just finished the first semester of my third year. All I can say is this was a "catch all review" semester. I don't feel like I learned anything about drugs but alot about Law and Study designs/significance and Continuous Quality Improvement stuff. Our pharmacotherapy course felt like a whirl wind. It was all case based and we covered several cases including Diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia's, arrhythmias, heart failure, trauma, alzheimers, and lots of others. We also did self-care which included learning about over-the-counter meds and self-treating patients, like cough/cold, foot fungus, and allergies to name a few :) It was just a crazy semester.
When I come back after Christmas break, my spring semeseter is only 8 weeks in the classroom and then I start my rotations March 1st. I am very excited and hope that I will be able to get on here and blog about my monthly rotation experience and all that I will be learning and the different places I will be. Wow this was a long one.
I will leave with a verse that has been in the forefront of my heart and mind in the anticipation of all that is changing around me.
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalm 46:10
-Lindsey