Ens Jeffrey Vang

ENS Jeffrey Vang

Wayne State University

My experience at the Federal Correctional Institution in Florence, Colorado was an exceptional one. I worked with a group of professionals on a health care team. They taught me many things that will enlighten my career as a pharmacist. Perhaps they may have influenced me to think Public Health Service by the time I graduate next year.

What I did at the FCI this past summer was a retrospective study on the use of simvastatin. The results turned out to be interesting.

I looked at inmates' charts to see the strength they were on, whether there were any labs done (LFTs): baseline, every 6 months, and every year, etc.; excercise and dietary counseling documents on chart or not, and were the inmates' cholesterol being controlled or not according to the National Cholesterol Guidelines. I found that most of the inmates' cholesterol levels have not been controlled, and the labs were not monitoring according to the guidelines. The reason for the uncontrolled cholesterol levels may be due to lack of excercise and inappropriate diet.

I like the FCI is because I liked the working environment. I did not have to deal with third party insurance, no doctor calls, and less stress for me than in a community pharmacy. The health care teams are right there, and you can communicate with them directly. I feel that this is what I want to do in my profession.

Besides that I had a great time, I love the weather in Colorado. I also like the clean atmosphere down there. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call or email me.