My Journey in Core Competency in Pharmacy Practice - Paper Example

Primarily, it is essential to state that reflections are components of pharmacy practice and even more particularly critical to students pursuing such a discipline in masters level. In the straightforward approach, the representation would refer to a central avenue that offers the chance to review the journey and activities undertaken on a given subject of study such as clinical pharmacy. Nonetheless, reflection is often a multifaceted concept and therefore provides students with the ability to analyze and question the practice, and the entirety of every aspect learned in a classroom setting (Mann et al., 2009). Therefore, in this paper, I will explore the whole experience of my journey completing the first module of my master's programme in clinical medicine by employing appropriate reflection models to attain the critical objectives of the essay.

Model of Reflection

The most appropriate model for this paper would be Schons model of thinking since it advocates for two kinds of thoughtful approaches. First, reflection on the action that encompasses the nature of experiences acquired and the types of work taken to ensure proper practice is imparted on an individual, as well as the constructive interaction gained from such experiences (Mann et al., 2009). The other type of reflection postulated by Schon entails meditation in action, which explicitly involves activities as completed by an individual and includes matters such as best practice in the entire process. Subsequently, this model provides a platform to have positive interaction on the kind of experiences and activities that were completed during the first module of the programme.

Reflection on Experiences

My experience in completing the first module in masters in clinical medicine stretches far and wide. As a foreigner pursuing master's programme in a different country situated many miles away from home, adjusting to such new environment would be the toughest challenge in my education career. A state with diverse cultural aspects and being in the midst of many other students across the globe indeed stretched my attitude to the limit. Nonetheless, I responded well and took the challenge as an opportunity to learn. A lot of work done during my first semester and honestly, I started living to my expectations. Even though few differences in the mode of teaching and learning occurred in my new master's programme in clinical pharmacy, many substantial aspects were taught in that every semester, and I began to have a sense of experience and critical knowledge in this discipline.

After completing my first module, I believed that I was gradually gaining necessary experience as well as skills through what my qualified professors imparted to me. In fact, the kind of expertise received was as valuable as the lessons learned through academic studies. For instance, one of the key aspects I was able to grasp in my module one was about various pharmacy setting in place and how challenging it may be for an individual to shift from one a given context to another based on the experience. Both hospital and community practice have their distinct merits though I would be glad working in any setting. However, I would not be knowledgeable on these glaring dissimilarities if I had not obtained this valuable information from my experienced professors in clinical pharmacy.

In a nutshell, I learned much skill in my first semester with lots of writing in the way of promoting adult learning concept instead of memorizing notes, and this ability mostly played a pivotal role in bolstering my writing skills than I had thought. These numerous writings also played a huge role in improving my English language prowess. English is the sole language in teaching this particular subject, and I had to take extra effort to sharpen my skills especially when I had a free time. I had folks who were supportive and willing to help me improve my literacy skills in this language in the bid to construe every aspect of the module delivered in the classroom. Pharmacy is a profession that exposes individuals to the situation where you interact with people from diverse languages, and since the contemporary society is full of multilingual people, it was in the best interest to learn English to fix such challenges that may arise during my practicing career. Moreover, medical terms are essential, and a student requires this aspect to enrich communication during the period of practice.

To highlight Schon's theory of reflection, it is evident that the nature of experience gained after completing the first module was a significant step in contributing to my career. The specific activities and the type of information taught formed an integral part of my understanding of the discipline. For instance, communication was a critical aspect emphasized by the professors, and it is essential that pharmacists embrace such a fundamental virtue in their practice. Key among the highlights is that a pharmacist must know the type of language and information appropriate for the patients, fellow pharmacists, and physicians. The module contributed to improving my capability to listen keenly to the patient, accrue hints from their body gestures, and have a clear picture of the case a patient may be trying to present. I also learned many communication guidelines to execute when handling challenging patients. For example, the most vital lesson in my point of view is that it is not what you are saying but rather how you are saying it. Informing a patient that you "won't" or "can't" help her or him may stimulate some form of aggravation. However, telling them that we shall work on it or it shall be completed some other time may assist in calming such a patient (Mann et al., 2009). Therefore, these are some of the best aspects of communication that is expected of a pharmacist.

Another critical aspect learned during the original module is that it is essential for pharmacists to stay calm when under pressure but work quickly and efficiently. The nature of job dictates no mistakes. When a pharmacist is working in a shaky and disturbing situation, then such scenario may invite an opportunity to make erroneous undertakings, and such errors may pass directly to the patient. Dispensing the right drug in its correct amount is essential, and therefore calmness is an aspect that must be espoused at all time by pharmacists (Tsingos et al., 2014). Since peace is necessary for this entire profession, it is vital to emphasize it in the first year of master's programs so that the students develop it early enough.

Majorly, completing the first module was a critical aspect that unraveled and exposed numerous things that are essential in building my career. Pharmacy, just like other medical professions requires quintessential knowledge and sobriety in all elements while carrying out the work (Moon, 2013). In the first modules, students are taught vital ways and approaches they must embrace while practicing as a pharmacist both in the hospital as well as community settings. Communication and language choice is essential in articulating all aspects in the profession. As a student, the first module was an eye-opening to particulars in this business. Since I had the passion for prospering in everything I do, I developed an appetite to understand any pieces of information taught in the module. I knew this would be the only way to attain success in this programme.

To complete our portfolio, we had to conduct extensive research on a particular subject. First, the programme allowed me to improve my academic ability and bolster my research skills. The portfolio required to research situations that may be unclear. With the help of my professors, I was tasked with conducting some research in a case scenario of a diabetic patient with a given unique aspect. The diabetic patient had scheduled to travel to a tropical area where access to refrigeration facility for his insulin for roughly a week would be a challenge. Therefore, the critical aspect of the study was to establish if discrepancies in drug action would occur if insulin were stored at differed temperatures. The case presented a challenge to my ability as well as tested the key aspects we had been taught in the first module of clinical pharmacy. Researching methods and articulation of issues formed the focal point of this research, which I was expected to establish a comprehensive fact to help advise the diabetic patient accordingly. Happily, I completed a successful study on this assigned topic and organized fascinating findings on the subject. The outcome of the research found that insulin refrigerated at 50C does not exhibit significant difference with that stored at temperatures of 370C. In essence, both conditions make the insulin to function efficiently in lowering blood glucose; a critical performance of insulin. Irrespective of the situation, it is prudent to store the insulin at reduced temperatures even if the performance of the drug is not affected by the temperature variance. This was just a case scenario, which is also subjected to various limits but storing insulin at lower temperatures is effective. Therefore, an innovative suggestion in my research encompassed that the diabetic patient stores the insulin he intend to use in his lunch bag, which is made of the reflective material on the inner walls and maintain reduced temperature by ice packs. Concisely, the environment would stay cold, and that would suit the storage of insulin. The patient was very pleased and not only was he thankful for such a tremendous work, but also showed a point of appreciation for the research I did. Predominantly, this study also enlightened me to a new aspect of the shelf life of insulin as well as how to serve patients professionally on a direct level.

This research unfolded an array of things that I was not aware of. First, finding and collating relevant information was a problem I had at that particular time. However, through guidance and consistent researching on various subjects increased my skill and I began to find it simple to gather information and collate in a more presented way that can be understood easily. Every student often carries varied opinions about a given topic, and it is prudent to listen to fellow students to extract more information from their views as they express them. This practice turned successful on my side and apart from actual carrying out of research; I acquired other skills that proved essential in this pharmacy profession. Researching topics under stress meant that I could work in a more composed manner while delivering quality job even in short deadlines. Furthermore, I also learned that quality research should be done in peer-reviewed journals and other authentic scholarly articles, which have been proved as having empirically backed scientific facts and evidence-based studies that are relevant to the particular topic. Hence, quality of research is anchored on the kind of sources used to generate the analysis.

Besides the research skills learned, I also had the chance to interact with excellent pharmacists and other professors in this area. This in itself provided me with a platform to hear from fierce intellects and great ideas from such outstanding individuals. I benefited from such consistent medical questions like what to do in some unique scenarios and how to fix them. The above issues form intrigues that pharmacy students need to know in the bid to bolster the practice and enhance career development in this area. I was also fortunate to learn that a pharmacist can serve as a patient advocate as well as help in the arrangement of some expensive drugs. In this regard, many pharmacists have been able to receive appreciation from patients and increase the quality of the pat...