UH Hilo DKICP alumnae share their experiences
Both born and raised on O‘ahu, Keri Oyadamari and Shantelle Robinion are both proud graduates of the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy (DKICP) at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo. Shantelle and Keri crossed paths when becoming employed at a family-owned independent pharmacy, 5 Minute Pharmacy. Currently with four locations on O‘ahu, 5 Minute Pharmacy offers a variety of services including same-day delivery, compliance packaging, compounding, and the flexibility that larger companies cannot offer.
Although carrying out day-to-day retail responsibilities, both Shantelle and Keri are involved with providing unique services through the pharmacy. Shantelle works closely with a nonprofit organization in providing specialty medications for HIV and Hepatitis C clients. Keri is currently providing retail and pharmacy services at a Federally Qualified Health Center in the heart of Kalihi.
Below they share their experiences as both an alumni and preceptor for DKICP pharmacy students:
Keri and Shantelle
Growing up in Hawai‘i, it was a treat and a privilege to be able to be close to home and attend pharmacy school at the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy. During pharmacy school, we were involved with organizations that allowed us to travel to various conferences. At each of these, we met different people, learned about many different industries a pharmacist could pursue, and also had a lot of fun! We are forever grateful to the college for these opportunities that opened our eyes to the huge world of pharmacists.
Shantelle
I became a preceptor for the first time this year for a second-year student. My student previously worked in a retail pharmacy in a different state, so it was great to show him how a small, independent pharmacy operates and the types of services that a small pharmacy is able to provide to the patients. Being a preceptor was a great experience and having a student eager to learn new things despite having lots of experience made it even more rewarding. It was great to have a new set of eyes giving me a second perspective on everything.
Keri
This year was also my first time being a preceptor for a student. It was a very rewarding and unique experience, and brought variety to the usual workflow. In the beginning of this year, through the Pharm2Pharm Grant I was able to step out of the pharmacy a few days a week to provide pharmacist-led services to two very different healthcare settings. At Rehab hospital, my fourth-year student and I were able to aid in medication management for patients discharging from Rehab hospital back home. On other days during the week, we were at the Kokua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Health Center providing medication management for clinic patients. It was great to share these experiences with a student and demonstrate the many facets that an independent pharmacy can do other than pure retail.
Our advice
Pharmacy is constantly changing and the role of a pharmacist is constantly evolving into more responsibilities. There are so many opportunities in retail pharmacy to customize to your interests; it’s just about being open-minded and creative. Outside of retail pharmacy there are unlimited possibilities of where a pharmacist could influence healthcare. Our advice is to keep an open-mind throughout pharmacy school and don’t close yourself off to any one area!