By: Aleena Cherian, Co-Copy Editor [Graphics-focused]
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From December 8th to 12th 2013, over 20,000 student pharmacists, residents, fellows, pharmacy technicians, new practitioners, and seasoned professionals all gathered in Orlando, Florida for the 48th Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition, hosted by the American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists (ASHP). The schedules were packed with a number of networking events, educational activities, the Clinical Skills Competition, annual Residency Showcase, and various exhibits and poster sessions. PharmD Candidates from St. John’s University represented the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at the Clinical Skills Competition, as well as at the student poster session, where they displayed the results of various research projects, surveys, and clinical studies that were successfully completed over the past year.
Students and first-time attendees of the conference also were entertained by the humorous and inspiring Ron Culberson, MSW, CSP, a former social worker and Director of Quality Services for a hospice organization in Washington, DC. Mr. Culberson shared words of advice for achieving success while dealing with the pressures of the work environment, which uses the principle “Do it Well, Make it Fun.” We learned that one of the keys to being an excellent worker and leader is to show up and focus on doing an exceptional job, while finding ways to make even the most menial tasks enjoyable.
The words of wisdom from the speakers, the valuable information from the educational programming, especially those geared towards students transitioning into becoming health care professionals, and the various networking opportunities are only a small glimpse at what makes attending the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting such a worthwhile experience for students at any stage in their pharmacy education. I strongly encourage students, especially those in their final professional year, to consider attending the next meeting, which will be held in Anaheim, California from December 7-11th, 2014.
