I was somewhat disappointed when I had not received the pharmaceutical research internship position in Massachusetts that I was excited about. I was however offered a different pharmacy management internship in Des Moines and accepted. Since the management position was not my first choice, I found myself not very excited about the summer.
I am a firm believer in the idea that if you think something hard enough that is what will play out. For example, if you truly believe you can achieve something you will make it happen. For this reason, I was upset that I was setting myself up for failure by retaining such negative thoughts about the internship that I accepted. As the starting date neared I wanted to change my negative thoughts and images into positive ones so that I could psych myself up and give myself a fighting chance of having a phenomenal experience through the internship. I started contact with my to be supervisor to learn more about what I was doing in which I began to gain interest and ideas of what I wanted to get out the next few weeks of work. I also learned about some great learning opportunities that I could take advantage of while interning for the company. By the time the day came for me to start, I had made almost a 180 degree turnaround in attitude. I was excited, had a wealth of ideas, set some goals, was eager to learn and realized the fun I might have.
That was a week ago. So far after the first week, I think I made a GREAT decision by choosing this internship. No day has been the same (I enjoy variety) and each one filled with a tremendous amount of learning and doing!
One of the more exciting afternoons included a meeting with some Iowa senators, legislators and pharmacy lobbyists. I accompanied the individuals through a pharmacy tour where they were introduced to the 'art' of pharmacy that is most likely much different then what they assume from their regular visits to their local pharmacies. We discussed how innovations, policies, and laws were influencing the profession of pharmacy in an effort to gain their support when debating bills on capital hill. It was great to explain my views on issues within the health profession in hopes that they may take into consideration the best interests of their future voting constituency. The whole event was conducted in order to teach our influential representatives about the changing world of pharmacy and the amounting concerns pharmacists face with the evolving health care system.
I never thought that the district management dealt with these issues but am pleased that they do because I was able to get a taste of practice. I am pleased with my first week and am looking forward the rest of the summer with enthusiasm and a desire to find out if this is a possible direction that I may consider for my career.
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