Headwaters Health Care Centre was the hospital of choice for Dhruv and Gregory, Doctor of Pharmacy Students from the University of Toronto. Both are currently completing a rotation in our Pharmacy Department as part of their program.
“Headwaters was my top choice to complete my hospital rotation. I have completed a previous rotation in downtown Toronto, and it was very niche. I wanted the opportunity to get to see a breadth of cases and work environments and knew I would get that here,” said Gregory.
To complete a Doctor of Pharmacy, students complete three years of in-class learning followed by rotations in community pharmacies, hospitals and other areas of choice (such as in the pharmaceutical industry).
The in-class portion of the program, for both Dhruv and Gregory, was impacted by the pandemic with all classes being shut down in March 2022. Their final semester of their second year and entire third year were virtual and while this had benefits (such as being able to watch lectures back for parts that may have been missed), the social elements took a hit and learning from peers became a challenge.
Once students reach the rotation portion of their learning, they can essentially do everything a certified pharmacist can do with appropriate supervision. This includes tasks such as medication reconciliation, double checking medication dosing and discharge summaries.
“I have seen how large hospitals function; when they are at capacity that makes it hard to learn. Here, I get to see many more areas of the hospital and interact with patients. Everyone is really nice and genuinely want to see you succeed. They will take time, even when they are really busy, to help you in your learning,” said Dhruv.
So far, the students are focusing on infectious diseases, pharmacy and how our hospital systems work.
“We get a chance here to mould our own learning and where we would like to move within it. We feel like part of the team rather than students just here temporarily and I don’t think you would get that just anywhere,” said Gregory.
Both Gregory and Dhruv will complete their rotation on November 26 and move on to the next; for Dhruv that happens to be here at Headwaters once more.
After completing all seven rotations required to complete the program both students will write a final licensing exam.
Best of luck to you Gregory and Dhruv in your program and all your future endeavors.
Photo caption: Dhruv and Gregory, Doctor of Pharmacy Students.