Student Spotlight
This student is featured for exemplary work during experiential education.
The preceptor had this to say about Jacob:
Bay Pharmacy
Jacob is a first year pharmacy student at the UF Gainesville Campus. His rotation at Bay Pharmacy included Retail, Long Term Care and Compounding. Our entire team would like to nominate Jacob for the UF Student Spotlight. This honor would be well deserved by this future pharmacist. We just wish we could keep him! Thank you for your consideration.
What was your favorite part of this rotation?
My favorite part of this rotation was having the opportunity to experience three different areas of pharmacy practice within one site: long-term care, compounding, and retail pharmacy. Although I spent most of my time on the retail side for my CIPPE, I was also able to spend time in the long-term care and compounding areas, which made the experience even more valuable and rewarding. One of the highlights of my rotation was working with the long-term care pharmacist during consulting visits to different facilities. This gave me a better understanding of the pharmacist’s role outside of the traditional retail setting and showed me how important communication, organization, and patient-centered care are in long-term care pharmacy. Bay Pharmacy was an amazing site to learn at because they truly value strong relationships with their patients and the community. The team creates a welcoming environment while still maintaining a high level of professionalism and care. I owe a special thank you to my preceptor, Dr. George Warren Jr., who is not only an amazing pharmacist, but also an even better individual. His guidance, support, and example throughout the rotation made a lasting impact on me. I also want to give a special thanks to the retail colleagues I had the opportunity to work with. They taught me so much during my time there, and I was able to learn something valuable from everyone at the pharmacy. Overall, this rotation helped me appreciate the many different roles pharmacists can have and gave me a broader perspective on pharmacy practice.
What advice do you have for pharmacy students preparing for rotations?
The advice I would give to incoming students on their rotations is to be open-minded and willing to learn. Coming into this rotation, I did not know much about independent pharmacy, but I was eager to learn, ask questions, and help wherever I could. Having that mindset was very useful and helped me get the most out of the experience. I would also encourage students to take initiative and be flexible, because every day on rotation can bring something different. Whether you are interacting with patients, pharmacists, technicians, or other healthcare professionals, maintaining professionalism is extremely important. Being respectful, dependable, and willing to learn from everyone around you can make a big difference in your growth during the rotation.
What are your plans after graduation?
My plans after graduation are not completely concrete yet, as I am still considering several different career paths within pharmacy. I am looking forward to my APPE rotations during my third year, as I believe those experiences will give me a better understanding of the areas of pharmacy I am most interested in pursuing after graduation. I am keeping an open mind and hope to use each experience to continue learning, growing professionally, and determining where I can make the greatest impact as a future pharmacist.
What is a fun fact about you?
One fun fact about me is I have played soccer since I was three years old!