The Grand Finale

6.15.13
I have truly enjoyed my stay in Ghana.  I am so thankful to have had this experience of exploring what pharmacy is like here.  I really wish I could stay longer because there is so much more for me to learn!

I would like to thank my preceptor Mr. William Addo for giving me the opportunity to complete my rotation at J.M. Addo & Sons Pharmacy Ltd., as well as the staff at the pharmacy.  They took me in as one of their own and really helped me learn a lot as well as enjoy my time in the pharmacy.

My preceptor and me

Last week in the pharmacy

I would like to thank Dr. James Pschirer and Ms. Anna Schmotzer for helping me set up this rotation.  Without them, I would not have had this wonderful opportunity.

I would like to thank Dr. Lauren Jonkman and Dr. Randall Smith for helping me with my public health project.

I would like to thank my sister Lisa for accompanying me on this trip because it would not have been easy doing this alone.

I would like to thank my parents for all their support and encouragement throughout this trip, as well as allowing me to explore pharmacy in Ghana.

I would like to thank my dear friend Fata Karva for helping me set up this blog and making it a huge success.

And I would like to thank all my family and friends who read my blog.  Thank you so much for all your support.

This experience has definitely made me appreciate Ghana and all that it has to offer.  I strongly encourage everyone to visit some part of Africa at one point in time of his or her life.  I hope to come back to Ghana within the next three years, God willing.

Until next time.... :)

Week 5/6 Highlights

6.11.13
I have been able to learn a lot in the past few days.  I attended a lecture on asthma and was able to get a refresher on the treatments based on which step a patient was on.  Some of the brand names for the drugs were different, but the treatments are the same in Ghana as that of the USA.  The lecture was very interactive, as pharmacy interns who are preparing to take their licensing exams soon were bouncing ideas back and forth to make sure everyone was on the same page.

The other day a woman came into the pharmacy with her baby.  The baby had really big bumps on his face and the woman wanted to buy something to help the bumps go away.  I had never seen anything like it!  It was really sad because you could see that the baby was suffering.  The mother did not have enough money to buy medication for the baby so one of the employees helped pay for it.  We strongly advised the woman to take the baby to the hospital for a more appropriate diagnosis.

Project Progress

6.5.13
So far, I've gotten a few people to participate in my research study.  It felt really good counseling one of the subjects on her medication.  The doctor had recently switched her over from lisinopril to losartan so she had a lot of questions.

Today a woman wasn't interested in participating but thanked me for asking her if she any questions because she said many people usually don't ask and just sell the medications.

This project has really helped me realize how difficult it is to conduct research because not everyone is willing to participate even when it is in their best interest.  I wish I had more time here so I could have the opportunity to reach out to more people, but I will do the best I can with the little time I have left.