Students in Pharmacy Online Pathway Visit Campus for Immersion Experience

Nearly 70 students in the Wegmans School of Pharmacy online pathway came to St. John Fisher College’s campus to engage in an immersion experience.

The students, who are rising second- and third-year students came from 20 different states to build knowledge and gain certification in various skills.

The rising P2 cohort participated in training for two nationally recognized certifications, Pharmacy-Based Immunization Delivery Certification and the American Heart Association course in Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers. With the immunization certification, students working as pharmacy interns can immunize patients in states where practice laws allow.

Rising P3 cohort members participated a variety of activities, including a reception sponsored by Wegmans Pharmacy, hands-on workshop for counseling patients, and completed the laboratory portion of a course in the extemporaneous compounding of sterile and semi-solid medications. There, students practiced proper compounding techniques, packaging, labeling, and patient counseling of compounded medications.

“During the immersion, students were able to solidify elements of their course work and expand on their knowledge of pharmacy practice and patient care,” said Dr. Angela Nagel, interim assistant dean for online education.

Sabrina Wight, a native of Douglasville, Georgia, said the experience helped create bonds between classmates and professors, many of whom were meeting in-person for the first time.

“Being immersed with our cohort, one could definitely agree that we not only built on leadership and communication skills, but also first encounter interactions with different people, time management, and our ability to be thorough,” Wight said, who hopes to pursue a career as an independent pharmacist for underserved patients. She said the online pathway has several benefits.

“Not only has this format of learning offered convenience, but it has also allowed me to broaden my network farther than I might have had I stayed local,” she explained. “Being able to master the advanced technology we have today has changed the world of medicine, not only clinically, but also academically. It allows for those to obtain higher education while maintaining their current daily lives.”

For the students, their time in Rochester wasn’t all work. Many spent time exploring the best of Rochester, including trips to Pittsford Dairy for ice cream and the Lilac Festival.