The last few weeks have been extremely busy in the Investigational Drug Department. On July 1st I attended a Site Initiation for a new study that is opening at the University of Michigan Hospital. I worked with IDS Pharmacist, Rivka Siden, in developing the dispensing guideline for the study. The sponsor, Array BioPharma, came to meet with several staff members from the Hospital including the principal investigator, the study coordinator, and the pharmacy staff. Array BioPharma gave a detailed presentation of the protocol and fielded questions. The initiation lasted a few hours and it gave me a glimpse of how much is truly involved in the drug approval process.
Most of the drugs we work with are not yet approved by the FDA so we are not allowed to publicly reveal information about them. A majority of the medications are either oral or IV chemotherapy. As an intern I get the chance to read and learn about future drug therapies.
My internship at the Hospital also offers the opportunity to job shadow clinical pharmacists. During the last few weeks I shadowed an infectious disease pharmacist and an internal medicine pharmacist. I went on rounds and witnessed firsthand the crucial role pharmacists play within the health care team.
When I am not attending site initiations or job shadows, I am working on my day-to-day activities at IDS. I support the five pharmacists who work in the department. My biggest challenge is trying to be a productive asset to each and every pharmacist. For example, I must prioritize projects in order to complete them all in a timely manner suitable to my project leaders. One of the greatest skills I will take away from my internship is a greater ability to organize and distribute my time between several activities.
