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Official Newsjournal of the Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists

Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
Welcoming Normalcy

College Connection

by Naim Fsai, P3, ICHP President, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science

Student organizations have all been adjusting and implementing new strategies for student development and engagement during remote learning. I applaud all of us for demonstrating our creativity, overcoming the challenges, and making the last academic year a success. As the new academic year is just around the corner, we’re all looking forward to getting back to a sense of normalcy.

I am the new President of the student chapter of ICHP at the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (RFUMS) for the 2021-2022 academic year. My executive board and I are excited to take everything we have learned from this past year, all the experiences and hardships we’ve faced, and make our student chapter shine at RFUMS. The COVID-19 pandemic was harsh. However, it has provided opportunities to implement unique events and create new experiences for students - both in-person and virtually. An example of this is our Clinical Rounds with ICHP, as was showcased in KeePosted vol. 47, issue 1. It was one of the ways our chapter was able to keep students involved last year and provide an opportunity for students to see real-world cases presented by current pharmacy residents. This event will continue both virtually and in person - or even simultaneously - depending on the topic. Others will emerge just like it, giving students plenty of opportunities to stay in touch.

Continuing old traditions is just as important as creating new ones. We had to hit the pause button on some of our previously well-attended events, but we plan on bringing them back during the Fall Quarter. One of these events is our curriculum vitae workshop, where both faculty and peers review student CVs. Another popular event that will return is the residency round table, where PGY1 and PGY2 residents are invited to come to campus to discuss their current experience as a pharmacy resident and share their advice to students on becoming strong candidates for a future residency position.

We will be taking our foot off of the breaks and putting it back on the accelerator in the new academic year. We plan to bring back our professional, social, philanthropy, and fundraising events at full force and develop our RFUMS ICHP chapter and students. The pandemic didn’t put out our light; it simply made our will stronger to burn.