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Posts Tagged ‘Vivian Pham’

Meet Our P3 Pharmacy Student, Vivian Pham, Who Currently Works at Happy Druggist, Karl Road.

A.J Zanyk Photography 2016

A.J Zanyk Photography 2016

We know that those of you who frequent the Happy Druggist Karl Road store in Columbus may have met Vivian. Therefore, we asked Vivian to tell everyone a little bit about herself. Vivian is a P3 pharmacy student at The Ohio State University’s College of Pharmacy. She will graduate with her PharmD degree in May 2020.

Here is what Vivian tells us about her life and decision to be a pharmacist:

Hello, my name is Vivian Pham and I am originally from a suburb in Los Angeles called Hawthorne, California. I have a younger brother and my parents are Vietnamese immigrants who came to the United States as refugees from the Vietnam War. My parents taught me to speak both Vietnamese and English growing up and, as such, I am fluent in English and am also proficient at Vietnamese. Most of my extended family lives in California and I have a few relatives in Australia and Vietnam.

I chose to come to Ohio for pharmacy school because of the prestigious pharmacy program and to be a part of the Buckeye family. I am currently a P3 in the program and I am very pleased with my decision although I must say I really miss sunny, southern California whenever I have to trek through snow to get to class or work. I have never lived outside of California, but I feel I have adjusted well to living in Columbus, OH and have made many valuable friends. My pharmacy background before starting pharmacy school included being a certified pharmacy technician at Rite Aid Pharmacy.

I chose to apply to Happy Druggist Pharmacy – Karl Road after starting pharmacy school for a few reasons, but mainly because I wanted to experience what the world of independent pharmacy was like.

I have found the independent pharmacy experience extremely rewarding and love the personalized patient care that independent pharmacies are able to provide. For example, during flu season we drive out to the senior assisted living home nearby and educate the residents on over-the-counter cold medications that could cause drowsiness or raise their blood pressure. The fact that there is a high population of diabetics at our store compelled us to start our Diabetes Care Club where we provide free meters and glucose testing supplies.

One of the most pleasant surprises has been how many patients I’m able to help with my knowledge of Vietnamese. A few of our Vietnamese patients who struggle with English actually have my cell phone number so that I can help convey their questions and concerns to the pharmacy.

Some of the most fun projects my pharmacist has let me work on have been making informational pamphlets for patients to take home after any educational lectures, participating in a flu clinic, participating in a diabetes clinic, among many other exciting opportunities.

After a year of working at Happy Druggist, I decided to apply to a long-term acute care hospital called Select Specialty – Victorian Village to learn what pharmacy in a clinical setting is like. I enjoy learning about new drugs in this setting and having the opportunity to compound medications. I am also able to see what electronic medical charts look like and learn how to navigate them in this setting. I also enjoy watching the pharmacists figure out the best dosage adjustments and drug changes would best benefit the current patients.

For those of you who have made it this far in reading about me, I appreciate you letting me tell a bit about myself. I invite you to visit our pharmacy and let us help you with all your health and medication needs. We would love to help you.

I hope to see you soon!

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