KeePosted - ICHP

metastasized to the brain and did not have a favorable
outcome. Given the diagnosis, the goal for the patient
was comfort rather than curing the cancer. Family members
of the patient had made it very clear in the exam
room that they wanted to keep fighting the cancer and
did not want to even consider hospice. This conflict was
handled very professionally by the nurse practitioner.
The nurse practitioner had two bone marrow biopsies
scheduled for the afternoon. After my past experience of
nearly passing out during a blood glucose lab in school,
I realized that witnessing a bone marrow biopsy was not
going to be easy. The first patient was extremely laid back
and nearly fell asleep during the procedure. Although I
did have to sit down at one point during the first biopsy, I
was able to watch the whole process. The second patient
was very nervous and at one point, it was just the patient
and me in the exam room before the procedure. Trying
to comfort the patient before the procedure was a task I
was not used to dealing with. Luckily, I was able to talk to
the patient about the first procedure I had witnessed and
how well the patient tolerated it. After talking about the
first procedure, the patient seemed much more relieved
and this gave me a great feeling as a health care professional.
Illinois CancerCare offers a unique rotation that is a
very educational and extremely interesting experience. I
would recommend this rotation to any student on rotations,
especially any student wanting to pursue a career
in oncology pharmacy. Even if a student has no interest
in oncology, this rotation offers a great refresher in the
oncology topics that will be on the NAPLEX exam. I feel
very privileged that I was able to complete a rotation at
Illinois CancerCare and will forever remember some of
my experiences I had there. ■
Pharmacists
Say it Best …
“PTCB Certified Pharmacy Technicians
continually demonstrate the highest
excellence of professional performance
across practice settings. They are among
the best qualified to participate in
operational functions of dispensing and
inventory management. Our pharmacy
simply couldn’t function without our
team of PTCB CPhTs.”
—Jeanie Barkett, RPh, Long Term Care
Pharmacy Lead Pharmacist, Providence
Specialty Pharmacy Services, Portland, OR
Certification Excellence
Since 1995, the Pharmacy Technician
Certification Board (PTCB) has certified
over 400,000 technicians nationwide
and is the only pharmacy technician
certification program endorsed by the
American Pharmacist Association,
the American Society of Health-
System Pharmacists, and the National
Association of Boards of Pharmacy.
Do it for your pharmacy.
Do it for your patients.
Do it for you.
Encourage your
technicians to become
certified today!
Candidates may apply to
take the Pharmacy
Technician Certification
Exam online at
www.ptcb.org.
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26 July 2011 | KeePosted | www.ichpnet.org
An Alternative Rotation Delivers An Alternative Experience