The first few weeks of summer have already come and gone. Work now seems like a regular routine of 8 hour shifts and T-rides. The life of no homework and no studying is better than I could have ever imagined. Once I leave work, I have nothing to worry about until the next morning. This is amazing because it opens the door to many activities after work. In addition to the relaxation I have been enjoying, the learning experience cannot be compared to anything. I have been able to learn and experience many important aspects of a hospital pharmacy in just a few weeks. I have had the opportunity to make just about every type of IV that Dana Farber uses, and also have had the chance to learn about many types of therapies from the pharmacists. The knowledge I take from this co-op will prove to be very useful in the years to come, as I begin to learn about cancer drugs and various therapies. Working one on one with a pharmacist is the perfect experience to understand the true role of their jobs and the duties that accompany their titles. So far this job has taught me more than I ever expected to learn, and it has been a truly amazing experience.

Posted by Neil Labak at 10:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So far my summer co-op has been absolutely awesome. I have been working at Dana Farber for a week now, and I have loved my experience thus far. I have been given the opportunity to mix various Chemotherapy IV's and been taught the basics about the hospital. It has been a totally different experience than my last job in a hospital, which has helped me already learn a lot. The people I work with are also awesome. It is a very inviting environment for learning, and it is fun to work with fellow college students who are studying pharmacy at different age levels. I have also already learned a lot about various cancer drugs and what types of cancer they treat. My shift usually consists of being in the hood and actively mixing for the majority of the day, which has helped my aseptic technique very much. The more comfortable you feel in a work environment, the more confidence you can gain and the faster you can do something. Although it has only been one week at DFCI, I feel that I made the correct choice in picking Dana Farber as the site for my first co-op. I hope to learn as much as I can this summer, so I can bring all this newly acquired knowledge back to the classroom in September. I will be sure to keep you all updated on my progress of my summer.

Posted by Neil Labak at 4:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)