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Roosevelt University College of Pharmacy
My Reflection as President of RUCOP-SSHP

College Connection

by Kimberly Zaleski, PS3, President Roosevelt University College of Pharmacy

As we transition our SSHP e-board positions to the Class of 2020, I wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on the great strides taken to successfully promote our organization at RUCOP. When I was elected President of our student chapter, I did not realize the opportunities of professional growth that would be available. Each event that we planned for this past school year was planned with professional growth in mind. Not only did our e-board members benefit from our events, but the presence of SSHP on campus has significantly grown. It was a very humbling experience to offer journal clubs and see other students learning from an article that was presented. After each journal club, it was easy to see that the students were becoming more comfortable with statistics and were able to interpret the results and conclusions of a study to make clinical recommendations.

In addition to journal clubs, we hosted multiple events so students could learn more about the residency process. Early in Fall term, we offered Residency 101 which gave a brief overview of what residency is and what the path to obtaining a residency looks like. Recently, we held the annual Residency Roundtable event. There was a great turnout of students and pharmacy residents from Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Advocate Christ Medical Center. During the event, there was plenty of thoughtful conversation and great questions. One of our major goals this year was to promote residency focused events so that our students can ultimately make the best decision for their future careers. We presented a poster at the Midyear clinical meeting on what P1 and P3 students knew about post-graduate opportunities. Our results indicated that some students knew what a residency was but the majority of students were unsure about post-graduate opportunities. Although we have not yet followed up with the Class of 2019 and 2020 with a new survey to see what they know now, my hope is based on the events hosted that more students have a better idea of what a residency has to offer.

In addition to these two events, we offered a CV workshop and brought in guest speakers to talk about initiatives and projects that they have completed during residency. It was a great opportunity to hear what the residents have done and how it has impacted their line of work. We also hosted events to also give back to our community including a blood drive through LifeSource on campus. We were able to help save 45 lives thanks to our blood donors. Members of SSHP and our student government organization also volunteered at a local food pantry to pack food for families that were in need.

Looking back on my year as the RUCOP student chapter SSHP President, I could not have asked for a better e-board to bring ideas to life. I am also beyond grateful for our faculty advisors that supported us throughout the year. I am excited to use what I have learned as an SSHP member to help me succeed during my APPE rotations and during my career as a pharmacist. Opportunities that were presented from ASHP and ICHP helped shape me as a leader and I hope that I can continue being involved in leadership positions throughout my career.