Local Students Gain First-Hand Experience in Pharmacy Profession

School of Pharmacy welcomes students from George Washington Elementary School with fun-filled tour and presentations.

By Malissa Carroll
March 8, 2013

On Tuesday, Feb. 26, students from George Washington Elementary School in Baltimore visited the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy as part of an outreach activity through Club UMB, a youth leadership after-school program sponsored by the University of Maryland President’s Outreach Council. Through Club UMB, students from all of the University’s schools are invited to volunteer as mentors at select local schools to help students with homework and support activities related to science, fitness, college, and careers.

Students from George Washington Elementary School began their visit to the School of Pharmacy with a brief tour that included stops at the multimedia room and one of the lecture halls. While in the lecture hall, students were treated to a presentation by JuliAna Brammer, MBA, associate director of admissions at the School of Pharmacy.

In her presentation, Brammer discussed the requirements that students need to meet to be accepted into pharmacy school. She also talked about the many careers available to pharmacy school graduates.

“There are more than 4 billion prescriptions filled by pharmacists each year,” said Brammer. “Pharmacists can work almost anywhere, including in the community or in a hospital. They can also specialize in different areas such as diabetes, asthma, or pediatrics. If you like math and science, as well as helping people, pharmacy could be the right career for you.”

Following the presentation, four student pharmacists from the School spoke about what inspired them to choose a career in pharmacy. The stories they shared were personal, and often referenced illnesses contracted by family members or friends. One pharmacy student recalled, “When I was in high school, my dad became very sick. He was diagnosed with a severe form of arthritis that caused his bones to fuse together over time. After he received his diagnosis, I became very interested in learning how someone acquires an illness like that and how it could be treated or prevented.”

The pharmacy students also addressed the obstacles they encountered both before and after their acceptance to the School of Pharmacy, offering advice gained from their experiences. “When I went to chemistry for the first time as an undergraduate, I thought it would be easy. I had taken two years of chemistry in high school. However, I failed my first exam with a score of 38 out of 100,” said Brittany Harris, second-year student pharmacist and student mentor in Club UMB. “After that experience, I had to try very hard. I got a tutor and studied with groups. It was a lot of work, but I did it. If you have trouble with your classes, don’t be afraid to ask for help.”

At the end of the presentations, students were invited to participate in a hands-on activity in which they matched pictures from medication labels with the instructions they represented. All students were eager to participate and rewarded with a special treat after the pictures had been matched with the correct instructions.

The visit concluded with a trip to the School’s state-of-the-art pharmacy practice lab, where students had the opportunity to watch student pharmacists work in a mock pharmacy and explore the different tools used by pharmacists to dispense prescriptions to their patients.

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