ENS D. Nichole Jennings

University of North Carolina

This past summer, I had the unique opportunity to spend my JR COSTEP rotation with the Bureau of Prisons. The Carswell Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas is different from many prison facilities because they treat acutely ill patients in the inpatient setting as well as provide chronic care management in the outpatient setting. I had the chance to become involved by spending one month in each of these pharmacies. My days were spent preparing medications for pill lines, counseling patients on their medications, filling prescriptions, mixing IVs, and doing chart reviews. It was a new perspective for me because it was all the responsibilities of a pharmacist without the frustrations and obstacles that would be presented in a retail or hospital setting. We were able to review every chart before processing a prescription, easily access the physician if there was a problem, and best of all, no insurance to bill!

I learned a lot about the practical aspects of pharmacy and the things they have not taught me in school. I also learned more about diabetes through my project. I was responsible for leading a series of seminars about diabetes and how to manage it to the Hispanic inmates. At first, I was very intimidated at the thought of teaching classes through a translator. I am so glad I had this opportunity because I really feel it was a learning process for both the patients as well as myself. I also had to present a summary to the medical staff about the guidelines of diabetic management. It is a challenge to provide education for patients as well as physicians because you have to really understand the topic from two different perspectives.

The summer was not all work; Fort Worth is a wonderful place to live. There are endless things to do in the area. I went to ball games, water parks, museums, San Antonio, Dallas. It is not everyday you have the opportunity to live somewhere new for the summer, so I definitely encourage everyone to take advantage of the opportunities the Public Health Service presents to students.

I can honestly say it was a WONDERFUL experience for me and I would not trade my summer for anything.