Featuring: Erica Kohen, PharmD Candidate c/o 2024
By: Isabelle Lim, PharmD Candidate c/o 2024
Erica Kohen is a sixth-year pharmacy student at St. John’s University, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. During her time at St. John’s, Erica served as the Secretary and President-Elect and is currently serving as President of the Student College of Clinical Pharmacy (SCCP). She decided to pursue these positions because she felt that SCCP’s purpose and mission align with her interest in clinical pharmacy, and she had many ideas to contribute to the organization.
What are SCCP’s goals/mission statements? What sets SCCP apart from other pharmacy organizations at St. John’s?
SCCP is the student chapter of ACCP (American College of Clinical Pharmacy). Our mission is to inform our members of opportunities in a clinical pharmacy setting, the various specialties available within clinical pharmacy, and how to become a stronger residency candidate. Although there are many professional pharmacy organizations at St. John’s, I think what makes SCCP stand out is our connection with ACCP, which provides many opportunities for students interested in clinical pharmacy, such as the annual Clinical Pharmacy Challenge and Clinical Research Challenge.
What special events/programs hosted by SCCP would you like to highlight? How do these events uniquely benefit pharmacy students?
SCCP holds many events throughout the year, but some of our signature events include the Sim-man challenge (pictured below), hospital intern panel, and alumni panel. The Sim-man challenge entails 4th- to 6th-year pharmacy students working together in groups with St. John’s University physician assistant students to treat a patient case. I would say that the Sim-man challenge is my favorite event because it provides students the chance to treat a patient case in an interprofessional setting that simulates the role of a clinical pharmacist. The hospital intern panel features current hospital pharmacy interns sharing their experiences and advice to pharmacy students aspiring to work in a hospital setting. This is one of our most popular events because many students are interested in gaining work experience in a hospital and appreciate the tips provided by their fellow peers. Lastly, the alumni panel is one of SCCP’s staple events in which St. John’s University pharmacy alumni share their experiences as pharmacists. Something that I like about this event is that we try to include not only clinical pharmacists who work in a hospital setting but also ambulatory care pharmacists and pharmacists working in the industry field. I believe these events play a crucial role in aiding pharmacy students in deciding if clinical pharmacy is a career path they are interested in pursuing and what steps they can take to reach their goals.
What initially drew you into SCCP?
In my first year of pharmacy school, I came across flyers promoting the SCCP general body meeting (GBM), featuring a clinical pearl presentation by an APPE student. I decided to join that event to learn more about clinical pharmacy and to hear the experiences the APPE student would share about their rotations. After joining the GBM, I learned about the SCCP mentoring program in which 1st-4th year pharmacy students had the chance to be mentored by a 5th-6th year pharmacy student. I was excited about this opportunity and ended up participating in the SCCP mentoring program throughout my pharmacy school career, initially as a mentee and eventually as a current mentor.
What is something you have accomplished as President or President-Elect that you are most proud of?
I am proud of the collaborative service outreach event with the Rho Chi Honor Society, where we presented information on flu, cold, RSV, and COVID-19 viruses to elementary students at PS173. This initiative was particularly meaningful to me during my time on the SCCP Executive Board (E-Board) because it aligned with my goal to implement more public service events. I strongly believe that conducting such events not only educates our community but also reinforces the vital role pharmacists play in our community.
How do you balance being on APPE rotations and serving as President of this organization?
I can balance being on APPE rotations and serving as President because of my wonderful E-Board and proper planning! Due to my experience serving as Secretary and President-Elect in years prior I know how important it is for the President to delegate tasks and ensure I give the E-Board ample time and guidance on completing them. Raya, the current President-Elect, serves as the main speaker at most of our events, and we work together to delegate tasks and follow up on our E-Board chair members,
What is one challenge you faced this year?
One challenge I faced was scheduling events to maximize student attendance while allowing my participation. Since most pharmacy students are available during common hour, but many of our E-Board members and I are on rotations at that time, we decided it would be best to hold our events in the evening. However, to ensure that we are still getting a good turnout of students joining the events, we decided to keep some of our events virtual for the ease of student participation.
How has being a part of SCCP’s E-board benefited you and helped to shape who you are as a pharmacy student?
SCCP has been crucial in my pharmacy school journey, helping me find mentors, make connections, and build on key skills in time management, communication, and leadership. By working together with fellow pharmacy students in hosting and planning events, I was able to collaborate with other students for a common cause. I think SCCP has helped me learn more about the pharmacy profession and the different postgraduate opportunities available.
What advice would you give to students who are interested in being more involved in pharmacy organizations but don’t know where to start?
If you are a pharmacy student interested in being involved, I would recommend joining a couple of general body meetings or events you are interested in. Use this time to meet new people and make connections because the more events you attend, the more you will start to know what you want to do after graduation and how you can get there. One of the most beneficial parts of joining an organization while in pharmacy school is you get to make the most of your experience and build on important skills you use as an E-Board member and eventually as a future pharmacist.
