It has been awhile since my last blog. I have been quite busy with classes, both jobs, and studying. Summer classes are a little more relaxed, compared to fall and spring semesters, for pharmacy majors. We take classes the whole summer, so there is not a very frantic pace to the course compared to taking only half-summer courses. Although the work load for pharmacy is much more compared to other majors, it is a very nice break to have Friday’s off. I just had my first test on Monday for Communications for Pharmacist’s, and it wasn‘t too challenging. Next week will prove very busy for me, with our first pharmacology and Medicinal Chemistry test on Monday, our midterm for communications lab on Tuesday, and a test in Health Care Systems on Wednesday. I am also going home this weekend for my girlfriend’s sister’s wedding. This will definitely hamper my studying ambitions, so I have been preparing for these tests for a few weeks already.

At this point in my educational life at NU, I have come to the realization that you just have to know all the material down cold. It seems like the material for most tests are endless, but in the end, every word on every page must be well understood for you to succeed. I feel this is why Northeastern’s pharmacy program stands out among the finest in the country. For six years, you are constantly multi-tasking between course work and labs and also work and studying. The challenging course load enhances a student’s ability to understand and interpret new concepts at a much quicker rate than in High School or even at other universities. After scaring most of you by those statements, I will also say that if you put in the time, and have a passion for the healthcare field, then you will exceed beyond your own expectations. I guarantee it.

I also wanted to talk about the paper that we are working on right now in Health Care Systems. With a partner, we chose our own topics and researched to find several primary sources to interpret and discuss a problem in the Health Care System. My topic is the hospitalist movement, which is based on academic teaching hospital care versus non-teaching hospitals. The cost versus health outcome between these two facets of healthcare will surprise many of you. It has been interesting to develop a topic and dissect it, because the knowledge you gain makes your experience more comprehensive. We get to make scientifically backed arguments about various weaknesses or strengths in the healthcare system, which enhances our ability to learn.

I will update you in a few weeks on the outcome of my tests and midterms, as well as other portions of my summer experiences in class. As for now, I must find time to study hyperlipoproteinemia drugs as well as antihypertensives and many more.