December 2016 Issue

PHARMACARE Specialty Pharmacy

presents

PQ Plus 2 December 2016

IN THIS ISSUE SAMPLE

04

Recipes

Something savoury and sometihng sweet for you to make. Amanda and Sabrina return with recipes.

06

CAPSI Competitions

The winning SLC Essay posted in full.

08

Interviews with three pharmacists

Hear what these unique pharmacists have to say about their practices and how they got to where they are today.

14

You’ve gotta try this!

16

20

The stress is too high, you need to cut it! Some upcoming events for destressing in the exam season.

Which one is more educational?

De-stress

TV Shows + Horoscopes

22

18

Mr.Pharmacy

Alyssa Aco details their existence.

24

4th years in med sci

Check out some of our favourite pics from the event!

CONTEST

PQ visits Qup Cafe.

A Reminder about the Industry Trade Show

After 3 months of planning and organizing, the SAF-PHARM committee, Mike Song, and Jerry Zhang proudly announced the first-ever APSA Industry Exposition will be held on Saturday, January 14, of 2017 in ECHA.

They have multiple participating companies , such as Medela, Pfizer, Merck, Xenex lab, Trudell Medical, Jamieson, BD Canada, Contour/Ascensia and Sanofi to display their lines of products. All of these product’s use, availability, cost, and other

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aspects are not currently discussed as part of the pharmacy school curriculum but may be integrated over time.

This event is free for all APSA members to attend, and light refreshments will be available.

This is a great learning opportunity for all pharmacy students. You will not only see a wide variety of available products out there, you will also have the chance to ask questions and meet the drug representatives personally in a small group.

The goal of this event is to connect stu-

dents to what they have learned in class to the actual products on the shelf. Another reason you should attend this event is you will have the opportunity to take a peek at the industrial side of pharmacy as most of our exposure are concentrated between hospital or community pharmacy.

We encourage everyone to sign up ASAP; spots are limited!

There is a Facebook event called “Industry Trade Show” which has a link to the Google From that you need to fill out in or der to attend.

Image Credit: USNEws.com

Editors’ Notes

It is almost Christmas everyone!

This also implies that Finals is not very far from here. BUT! You came this far, and I believe that you can make it all the way until the end! So keep working hard and good luck on all of your upcoming exams! Make sure take a break every now and then, and have a read of this new issue as your study break!

- Jasmine Han, Editor We are truly into winter now and so finals are around the corner.

Establish your studying schedule and stick to it. We have the ability; we only need to commit to

discipline!

First of all, let me congratulate everyone who’s made it so far in their educational careers, The first-years who will write their first finals in this faculty, and the fourth-years, some of whom will write exams in December and, having done their placements in early spring/summe, will be done their degree - we’ll miss you!

And I should pat my own class (2019) on the back for a moment.

It’s been called the Term from Hell by none other than Dr. Dion

Brocks for good reason. We have all done very well to make it to this point, even as the hardest part is yet to come.

As for PQ stuff, congrats to Hugo Tse who has won the Movember issue contest. We’ll contact him about his prize. Dong Hwan Kim gets a close second.

I wish you the best in your work and school and wish you happy holidays, a good break and a promising New Year -Yusuf Nasihi, Editor (furthest right in above picture)

You can find us on Facebook at PQ PlusTwo or Instagram @pqplustwo Misc Illustrations design: FREEPIK, cliparts.co, clipartkid.com, clipartpng.com

PHARMACY QUARTERLY 3

SAMPLE

Amanda’s Kitchen

Amanda Leong shows us what’s she’s been eating during her placements in neonatal intensive care and PCN pharmacy practice.

Gourmet grilled cheese sandwich recipe Ingredients

2 slices of bread 2 tbsp of your favourite cheese (best to use cheeses that melt easily like cheddar, mozzarella or Havarti) 1 tomato slice 3 slices of your favourite deli meat or 2 tbsp. of your favourite meat Optional: 1 basil leaf, shredded with your hands (it adds some freshness to the sandwich)

meat, then 1 tbsp of cheese on the browned side.

Top with the other slice of bread, browned side down touching the cheese.

4. Cook on the pan for 2 minutes while pressing down gently with your spatula 5. Flip your sandwich over and cook for 2 minutes while pressing down gently with your spatula 6. Eat!

Directions

1. Heat your frying pan on high. While you are waiting for it to heat up, butter both sides of each slice of bread.

2. Once your frying pan is hot (but not smoking hot), put your bread on the pan and grill it until it is browned. You may turn down the heat of your pan to medium or medium-high at this point if it is starting to burn your bread. If you can do both slices at once, the grilled cheese definitely gets made a little faster!

3. Turn your slice of bread over and pile 1 tbsp of cheese, then 1 tomato slice, optional basil, then your

Above: A close-up of the grilled cheese sandwich.

Left: Amanda at an annual CPhA Conference with astronaut Chris Hatfield.

4 PHARMACY QUARTERLY

Gingerbread Cut-out Cookie Recipe

Recipes

Sabrina Lorico CHRISTMAS. My favourite holiday of the year. As a kid, I loved leaving cookies out for Santa. Then I figured out Santa wasn’t real, and then I decided I would make cookies and eat them by myself share with friends and family instead.

I love gingerbread cookies. This recipe is for cut-out cookies, which means that you have to use a cookie cutter. I couldn’t fit a recipe for royal icing in this space but just Google ‘royal icing recipe’ and take your pick. Have fun decorating, eating, and hanging out with your loved ones!

Ingredients

5 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 teaspoon salt 3 teaspoons ginger 2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon cloves 1 cup softened butter (leave it out at room temp for an hour) 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 egg 1 cup molasses

Directions

1. Sift the flour, baking soda, salt and spices in a large bowl and set aside.

2. Cream the butter and sugar together with a hand or stand mixer until thoroughly mixed.

3. Add the egg then mix until it’s completely combined, add the molasses and mix until combined.

4. Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix until a

Flickr user Troy B. Thompson

dough is formed.

5. Divide the dough into two sections, wrap each section in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 5 hours or overnight.

6. When you’re ready to bake pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

7. Cover your cookie sheets with parchment paper.

8. Lightly flour your countertop or a cutting board and roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness.

9. Cut out your shapes, place on the cookie sheet and make sure to re-use that excess dough!

10. Bake for 8-9 minutes, let it cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes then transfer onto a cooling rack.

11. Decorate once the cookies are completely cooled down.

PHARMACY QUARTERLY 5

CAPSI Competition Results PQ congratulates all the winners of the University of Alberta competitions held

by CAPSI! #TheRoadToWinnipeg Student Literacy Contest Winner: Sabrina Lorico Title of essay: They judge you, but do you judge them?

Before I leave my house to go to work (at a community pharmacy) I look at myself in the mirror and think, “If I were approaching the pharmacy counter and I saw me, would I trust me?”

I always ask myself this because we may not want to admit it, but appearance does matter.

Think about it. A patient approaches the counter and sees you. Before he speaks to you, he is already assessing if you are competent enough to be trusted with his health, based on your appearance. “Her clothes aren’t wrinkled. Her hair is in place.

She looks like she showers. She’s smiling at me – she seems really nice. I’ll trust her.” As that same patient approaches you, some of the same thoughts may be going through your mind: This patient looks tired. Maybe he was waiting at the doctor’s office for a few hours.

He might be a handful. Smile at him, maybe that will make things easier.

Whose appearance matters more? Yours? Or your patients?

In the scenario above, do you believe that the patient has the right to judge you? Most patients that come to see us barely have a clue about their recent diagnosis, its pathology, or what they are about to take to treat it. And now, they have to decide if you are capable enough to take care of their health.

As a patient, it is a big responsibility to make that call but they reserve the right to do so.

Now, imagine this: an overweight,QUARTERLY elderly lady comes into 06 PHARMACY

your pharmacy asking for needles and syringes. What do you think she is using them for? Now imagine this same scenario, just tweaked a bit: a very muscular, tattooed, fit male in his late 20’s comes into the pharmacy asking for needles and syringes. What do you think he is using them for?

Who is using the needles and syringes for diabetes? Are they using both? Or is one using it for illicit drug use?

In our Code of Ethics the second principle is, “Respect each patient’s autonomy and dignity”, and in order to uphold this principle we swore that, “[we will] Avoid discriminating against any patient on grounds such as age, gender, marital status, medical condition, national or ethnic origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status.” Nowhere

Flickr user Taka Umemura

in this definition does it blatantly state that we will avoid judging our patients based on their appearance.

How important is appearance to our practice? How often does it affect our decision of whether or not we will dispense Tylenol® #1’s to a patient? How often does it determine if we will call a prescriber to confirm if she did indeed scratch out the 60mL on a prescription for codeine cough syrup and replaced it with 200mL? How often will we withhold information, medication, and care to our patients, based on their appearance?

Judgment continues to thrive in our communities.

Whether deliberate or involuntary, it is engrained in our society. As a healthcare practitioner that is embedded within a community, we are counted on to keep our patients, and the well-being of

themselves and their loved ones, safe. But when a patient leaves their house to see you, should they ask themselves, “If I were a pharmacist, and I saw me, would I trust me?� Even though we may not want to admit it, appearance does matter.

Compounding Competition The winners of the Compounding Competition. From left to right: Rebecca McLean, Theresa Eberhardt, Alec Huard, David Poon. (All from Class of 2019) These four will go on to compete with the competition winners from other universities!

The Compounding Competition judges with the CAPSI representatives. From left to right: Darrin Berlin, Hoda Soleymani, Hannah Kaliel, Marline Aizouki, Igor Paiva.

(Is it really possible that Hannah and Marline got away with being in lab without personal protective equipment?)

Other awards Over the Counter Competition - Stephanie Metzger Patient Information Competition - Daniel Leung Compounding Competition - Alec Huard, David Poon, Theresa Eberhardt & Rebecca McLean Guy Genest Award - Daniel Leung PHARMACY QUARTERLY 07

Day in the Life

A Day in the Life of an ICU Pharmacist Interview by Jasmine Han

First, let me introduce to you Mike Laevens, a pharmacist at the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital (MHRH).

He is a 32-year-old whose passions include board games, craft beer, punk rock, and Game of Thrones. On top of his role as a hospital pharmacist, he has a part time job marketing for a local brewery called Hell’s Basement Brewery.

Along with his many titles, he also is a father of a 14-month-old boy Ira, named after podcast legend, Ira Glass, and a husband of Chandel Lovig, a pharmacist who has always been his inspiration to be a better pharmacist.

1. Can you tell me about your career path, and how you got to be where you are today?

I worked at MHRH for a couple summers before I was in pharmacy in several different roles which gave me an early exposure to hospital setting. Once I got into pharmacy, I knew I wanted to be a hospital pharmacist based on my exposure. I spent my 2nd and 3rd summers of university working in the MHRH hospital pharmacy and gained a lot experience with the technical and EBM side of pharmacy. Then, for my 4th year placement, I had a great rotation at the Peter Lougheed Centre which further solidified my belief that hospital pharmacy was for me.

Initially when I started my career at MHRH after graduating in 2008, it was not very rewarding to come to work because the clinical program needed lots of work. However, over the years, we slowly built our clinical program, especially on the 36 bed cardiac floor, where I cut my teeth with real clinical work.

After a couple years of working on the cardiac floor, I was given the opportunity to move on to a new challenge in the MHRH ICU. 2. Can you explain a bit more about what it means to be a hospital pharmacist?

Being a hospital pharmacist means being part of the health care

08 PHARMACY QUARTERLY

team made up of allied health, nursing, and physicians. Our goal is to provide the best possible care to a very vulnerable population.

My role in the team is to be the medication expert. Our team and patients have grown to rely on pharmacy and that is very fulfilling.

My main goal is to be present for the patient and health care team.

3. What does a typical day look like for you? How does specializing in ICU making your role different from other hospital pharmacists?

I typically arrive at 08:00 on the ICU and review patients until we do nursing rounds at 08:45. After that, I work up the most acute patient first and work my way from patient to patient. As our unit doesn’t have dedicated intensivists, we don’t often have physicians on the unit. This allows me to use my APA quite often as nurses can come to the pharmacist for minor medication changes without having to call the physician.

My role in the ICU is a little different because the patients are sicker, and we have many medications in the ICU that aren’t available for use anywhere besides ER and ICU. These include pressors, inotropes, anesthetics, and IV vasodilators. We also have less patients in the ICU so we are able to work each patient up a little

more thoroughly.

4. What do you think is the most challenging and rewarding part about your job? What kind of challenges do you see when interacting with patients or other healthcare professionals such as nurses and physicians?

The most challenging part of the job is keeping up with new evidence. There is so much data and so many avenues to consume that it can be overwhelming.

The most rewarding part of my job is seeing a patient go home happy on the least amount of

Day in the Life medications possible. There are challenges when interacting with other health professionals, but as long as you are present on the unit and demonstrating your value, it’s easy. Once you show you can help the team and the patients, nurses and physicians will continue to rely on you to provide medication expertise.

5. Have you worked at a community pharmacy before? If you have, how does the level of interaction with

patients as a hospital pharmacist differ from that of a community pharmacist?

Since 2009, I have also worked one weekend a month at a local community pharmacy.

This has made me a better allaround pharmacist as I have seen a lot of gaps occurring upon admission and discharge from both community and hospital perspectives.

The interaction can be the same in hospital and community.

You just have to be willing to engage and ask a lot of questions.

Don’t be scared to talk to people

even if it’s not about their medications. If you put someone at ease you will build trust and they will share more information with you otherwise.

6. How else are you involved in the pharmacy community?

I’ve been a pharmacy union representative for HSAA, a preceptor for U of A and U of S students, and a member of the CSHP awards committee.

7. What are your thoughts on the future of pharmacy with our scope of practice expanding?

I think the sky is the limit for pharmacists as long as we use our expanded scope in a practical, fair manner. If you build relationships with physicians by demonstrating your values, they will trust you to use your APA independently when they aren’t on the unit or upon discharge when there are inevitable errors on discharge prescriptions. At our hospital, over 95% of pharmacists have APA, and we all have made it a practice of using it when

Photo credits (left to right): Saamis Teepee/City of Medicine Hat website.

MHRC/Chattlevision. MHRC sign/Calgary Herald.

appropriate.

8. Do you have any advice for students thinking of pursuing their career as hospital pharmacists?

What are some tips and guidance you would give to students to make their pursuit more successful?

My advice is that pursue being a pharmacist if you like people. If you don’t like dealing with people then I don’t think health care is right for you because good communication skills

with people is essential to do a meaningful job.

One piece of advice I can give to students is to do their rotations in cities that they don’t plan on working in upon graduation. You will see different practices and hopefully make connections that last your entire career. I am so glad that I decided to do my rotations in areas other than Medicine Hat as I made some lifelong friends and professional connections that I rely on daily to advance my practice.

PHARMACY QUARTERLY 09

SAMPLE Interview

From Intern to Manager Interview by Jasmine Han Next, we have Yuchu Yan who is a pharmacy manager at an independent store known as Boyle Value Drug Mart, located in the tiny town of Boyle in Northern Alberta, with a population of only 1000 people. He was originally born in China but immigrated to Calgary at a young age. His current job is his first job upon licensure in 2015. So if you would like to learn more about a young pharmacist’s experience, just keep reading!

1. Can you tell me about your career path, and how you got to be where you are today?

I started with biological sciences, at the University of Calgary, uncertain of what I wanted to make of myself. In second year, I excelled at a couple of organic chemistry classes and found that I had quite a knack for it. My interest in organic chemistry is what ignited my interest into becoming a pharmacist; whenever I thought about the word “Pharmacy,” I thought of “hard core chemistry” (Although I couldn’t be more wrong…).

After 4 long years of material that went well beyond chemistry, as well as a series of internships, I applied for the pharmacy manager position at Boyle Value Drug Mart and was fortunate to have received the offer. Although I knew the position I undertook would be challenging especially for a new grad, I was highly looking forwards to it as people always told me “what doesn’t take you down makes you stronger.”

2. Can you explain a bit more about what it means to be a pharmacist AND a manager?

Pharmacist and Manager are different to some degree. Being a pharmacist would simply imply going to work for 8 hours and performing your everyday duties as a professional. Being a manager on a broader scope would encompass

10 PHARMACY QUARTERLY

tasks such as hiring new staff, keeping track of inventory, and above all, ensuring the pharmacy runs smoothly and in accordance with legal requirements.

This whole new umbrella of tasks would often involve staying extra hours or coming in earlier than usual to make sure they are completed. I will point out a “slacker” part about my managerial role is that I am the only pharmacist and thus I do not get the hassle of scheduling other pharmacists, except maybe a couple technicians.

3. What are some tasks that you do that you never thought you would do?

One task I certainly would not have experienced would be the intricacy of dealing with a business owner. The owner whom I work for is not a pharmacist himself so often I find myself simply working with a businessman trying to maximize profit margins the best he can. Because he isn’t a pharmacist himself, he does have a tendency to push me to do things that I lack time for, such as certain clinical services.

Working with him taught me ways to interact with a businessman. For instance, if there is something I really hope to do that my owner disagrees with, I learned to convince him that it will help him flourish so that my suggestions go through. This certainly would not be a technique taught in school, and maybe even an experience that would be

difficult to cross path with in life.

4. What do you think is the most challenging and rewarding part about your job?

Some of the challenges I have faced include being the only pharmacist, having responsibility as the licensee, as well as working lengthy hours. Given there are no pharmacists or senior members around me, I find that it is up to me to figure everything out for my patients.If I really get stuck on something, I would need to phone pharmacists from nearby towns to ask for help.

Because I am also the manager, I was busy trying to become comfortable with both pharmacist duties and manager duties. In addition to all this, my hours could be enduring, as the pharmacy opens 9-6 on weekdays and 9-5 on Saturdays. Since, it does not operate on a lock & leave basis, I had to be present whenever the pharmacy is open. I often find myself working a total of 56-60 hours in any given week with the overtime hours I must commit to.

Being a student out of school, gradually getting accustomed to working 6 dayworkweeks plus overtime was quite an endurance run. At the end it all comes down to tenacity and determination.

Despite the challenges, it is all well worth it at the end.

The rewarding part really is the experience itself. I indeed felt like I have grown really fast in terms of

Interview focus. The main focus should still rest on how to optimize patient centered care as opposed to maximizing profit margins. A downside I do see in the business aspect is that the clinical services such as CACPs are now being utilized as a tool by owners to make money. As a result, these clinical services are often being done poorly. Although the profit can be a huge attractor, I believe it is still important to optimize patient care as much as possible in order to maintain the integrity of the profession.

6. How else are you involved in the pharmacy community?

As far as other involvement within the pharmacy community, I have not had the chance to do so yet given my extensive hours. However, in the near future, I will definitely look into getting involved with organizations such as RxA to help advocate for the profession further.

independence.

An especially rewarding moment kicked in when the Fort McMurray wildfires started and tons of evacuees went to my pharmacy desperately in need of medications. As a result I had to perform tons of medication renewals in order to ensure those evacuees received their needs and that the continuity of care was not compromised. Being a savior to those in great need due to a natural disaster is more than likely going to be an experience I’ll never encounter again in a lifetime.

I felt very fortunate to have had the chance to see how much of a difference I was able to make in times of disaster. Moreover, this also made me appreciate the profession of pharmacy more than ever before and the great differences pharmacists make in the lives of patients.

5. What are your thoughts on business oriented aspect of pharmacy?

The business within pharmacy always have the opportunity to flourish given that there are always people who become sick and are in need of medications on a daily basis. Despite the cut to generic rebates a few years back, there are still plenty of opportunities for profit such as the newly implemented clinical services as well as the wider scope of practice pharmacists now possess.

However, as a pharmacist, I believe that money and business should not form the main

7. I believe that you, as a recent graduate, could most likely relate to some of the concerns students may have as they go through pharmacy school.

Do you have any advice for students taking their first step into the real working world of pharmacy and for those who may end up taking managerial positions in the future?

The transition from school to work is without a doubt the toughest transition I have experienced so far in my life. It would really make one feel like they have actually grown up.

Exams and late night studying can be stressful but they are simply the “prologue� to a series of challenges to be experienced once the work journey begins. My advice to you all would be to keep an optimistic attitude and be ready for anything that comes your way. Even if your first job involves management or something difficult, take it as an opportunity to become stronger from it as opposed to a difficulty that pins you down.

PHARMACY QUARTERLY 11

Interview

Dispensing Behind Bars A look into prison pharmacy with Kory Sloan Interview by Yusuf Nasihi

You may not have ever considered what the healthcare system provides for prisoners. Welcome to the Edmonton Remand Centre. The healthcare services for medium and maximum security prisons are provided directly by AHS.

The pharmacists and techs at these institutions perform almost any service, from compounding to medication reviews all while taking on challenges that are unprecedented in any other site of practice. This ncludes the obvious challenge of medication not being used for its intended purpose but also the difficulty that comes with having to discuss medical information with patients under the supervision of staff of the correctional facility.

1. Can you talk about your academic and professional background? How did you get into prison pharmacy?

I graduated from pharmacy at the U of A in 2003. After graduation I worked as a manager of an intendant pharmacy for just over four years until I accepted the position with the then Department of Solicitor General and Public Security. I have been working in jail, doing time, ever since!

My wife was working for the Department of Justice and sent me a posting for a Pharmacist at the Edmonton Remand Centre (ERC). As part of her role with Justice, she had the opportunity to tour the ERC. She sent me the posting and said, “Just apply and go for a tour, it’s really cool!” I don’t think she really thought I would take a job there, and if I am being really honest, neither did I, but when I went for the interview, I saw an opportunity that was simply far too good to pass up!

2. Can you describe what your work schedule is like?

The work schedule has certainly changed since I started in corrections. I am now the manager of the pharmacy for all of the provincial sites so of course the schedule is quite chaotic!

Although the pharmacy services are open 7 days a week, does a pharmacist work there everyday?

Otherwise, what does a typical

workday look like for you?

We do now have a pharmacist onsite at ERC seven days a week from 07:00 to 21:00 My days are anything but typical, but I suspect you and your audience would be much more interested in what a day looks like for our clinical pharmacists.

I don’t think any two days are the same, which I think is part of the appeal of corrections. Every day has something challenging and new! I could go on at length about what the pharmacists do day in and day out, but suffice it to say, the majority of their time is spent meeting with patients and providing clinical services.

3. How would you describe the work environment of the Edmonton Remand Centre? In one word, “different.”

I have always said the fundamentals of pharmacy practice are the same no matter the environment. You want to help your patient achieve optimal health outcomes from medication therapy. That is certainly no different in corrections, but the environment is certainly different and something that takes getting used to. It isn’t for everybody

The people can be intimidating…and I’m not just talking about our patients!

Corrections is a tough environment and I think it attracts tough personalities. You have to be

assertive yet compassionate, and that is a very challenging balance in this setting. It is very colorful at times and you hear language that isn’t often heard in a workplace, but all that being said, it is also a very rewarding place to work. You can make a lasting impact and help impact positive change for a very vulnerable population.

4. Can you describe process by which prisoners are assessed by healthcare staff?

On admission to our facility, each individual is seen by health care staff and medical concerns are identified.

Additionally, nurses provide medications to the patients on the living units four times a day.

There is also a process whereby the patients can request to be seen by healthcare and the Corrections Officers who spend the most time with these individuals do a great job of letting us know if they feel a patient needs the support of health care.

5. Is medication which is dispensed to prisoners kept by the prison authorities and given to patients as they need it?

It actually depends on the facility, but typically the medications are given direct to the patient by nursing staff, but in some instances the patients are provided a limited supply of certain medications for self-

Photo credit: Flickr user Aapo Haapanen. Kilmainham Gaol, Ireland.

administration. This is a very restricted list of course because medications are a valuable commodity in prison!

We don’t ever have the medications given by Corrections staff as this is a function we want health care to be involved in (health care staff does a great job of assessing patients during each interaction and we don’t want to waste an opportunity to do that).

6. Your presentation referenced a “self-medication program.” Can you talk a bit about what that is?

The self-medication program is something we have tried to pursue as a means to engage patients in their own care and to help them develop their capacity to manage their health conditions more effectively when they are living in the community.

Under this program, patients are provided a limited supply of medication for self-administration.

As previously noted, medications are a very valuable commodity in prison, so the medications available for selfadministration are quite limited.

We not only have to consider the safety of the patient taking the medication, but there are also other security issues we need to consider when evaluating a medication for self-administration.

For instance, something we would perceive as fairly benign like a turbuhaler device, represents a significant security concern. I found out, only after a patient of ours had turned it in to security, that the device has a spring in it made of a thick gauge wire that when straightened out was nearly 2 feet long! In prison such material

can be used as a hand cuff key or worse yet, a shank. So even [for] medications that represent minimal patient risk, there is a whole myriad of other factors we need to consider!

We don’t provide and medications with CNS effects for self-administration and we will not provide anything that has potential to be abused, and I can assure you, the list of the latter is much longer than I had ever even anticipated.

7. Does the remand centre healthcare team treat substance addictions of prisoners?

We do our best to address the substance misuse issues with our patients, but sadly with current resources, we really struggle in this area. A very high percentage of our population has addiction and substance misuse issues and we just do not have the capacity to address the need adequately.

If patients come to us on some form of addiction therapy (for example: opiate agonist therapy for opioid use disorder [ie. methadone or buprenorphine]), we do continue them on treatment throughout their stay, but at present time, we are not really able to initiate this treatment in house. Given the global focus on the ongoing opioid epidemic, corrections is working to increase our capacity to help treat these patients.

8. Is the model you described in your presentation for only medium/ maximum security prisons? How does it compare to lower security institutions?

I am really struggling with what you are asking here. I’ll go with my interpretation, but I might completely miss what you were trying to get at.

All of our facilities are either medium or maximum security. Anything else would be a community type program and we don’t have any involvement there. My presentation focused on the distribution at ERC and sadly, this is the only provincial

correctional center with that type of distribution system. We only have pharmacy staff on site at four of the ten correctional centers and have significantly fewer pharmacy resources outside of ERC. At most sites procurement is the extent of pharmacy support we can offer.

9. Does the healthcare team spend time communicating medical needs of prisoners to prison authorities?

The only time when medical needs of the patients are discussed with the security personnel is if the patient is a significant risk to self-harm or is a risk to harm others. Under the HIA [Health Information Act] we can share information with the administration of a correctional institute if the purpose of that disclosure is to ensure provision/ continuation of health services.

Outside of that, we do not share or disclose health information to the security personnel.

Are there any challenges associated with this?

Huge challenges!! Health services in provincial correctional facilities was only taken over by AHS is 2010. Prior to that, all health staff (and at that time myself included) working in correctional facilities were employees of the correctional facility and did share information. Since AHS has been overseeing health services in corrections, the disclosure of health information has been much more restricted.

This is been especially challenging as for years, health information had been readily available to JSG. We need to work closely together with them to ensure safe operation of the facility, but need to carefully balance that against our patient’s rights to privacy and confidentiality. Just because an individual is incarcerated does not negate their right to have their health information secured and protected appropriately.

PHARMACY QUARTERLY 13

You’ve got to try this!

You’ve gotta try this! Qup Café 8534 109 Street NW, Edmonton APSA discount: 10% off food and beverage.

Left: Matcha green tea egg waffle.

Below: Brown sugar egg waffle and Hong Kong-style almond milk tea.

Right: Before you insert your straw, make sure to check out the comics! To read the comics on the next page, will you turn the magazine itself?

Jasmine – First outing after promotion to PQ editor ;) What I got: HK Egg Waffle: Matcha green tea Did you know that there is a bubble tea café on campus???

Guess what?!! Qup is a HK style bubble tea cafe right on campus!

It’s not very big, but they have a nice environment with a wide selection of board games to play.

Plus, they have Free Wifi!

As for food, I had match green tea egg waffle. It’s hard to make a comment since I have never had HK Egg Waffle. But I think it is worth a try.

3.5/5

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Winnie – post-promotion and back to talk about how much I love food!

What I got: HK Style Milk Tea: Almond (HOT) and HK Egg Waffle: Brown Sugar

First impressions of the café – it is, shockingly enough, located on the second floor! Pick a window seat and you’ll be able to gaze down at the busy street traffic and enjoy the chill music. The interior décor is a colorful modern chic; it’s small enough to feel cozy, but plenty of room to spread your legs and relax. The menu is overflowing with drink options and a few (admittedly pricey) food choices.

The egg waffle was great (I’ve never had one before!) and was interesting – it was sprinkled in brown sugar and tasted like a small cake. I’m glad I got the chance to try one! The almond milk tea was super hot, and served in a to-go cup. There was a cute comic on the top (that was EXACTLY what we were doing 5 minutes ago…), which I haven’t seen since I was in Asia. The milk tea itself was solid – good balance of sweetness and cream. Nothing particularly stood out, but there was nothing bad to

note either! I would say give it A +++!

Overall, I think the Qup would be a great place to stop by with friends, order a couple drinks, play some board games (or if you’d rather, study for ‘ceutics). It’s a cheerful atmosphere with friendly staff, so please give it a try!

4/5

You’ve got to try this!

Yusuf – “I like to think that I can tell if someone is speaking Mandarin or Cantonese” What I got: Chunky Monkey (chocolate + banana) with tapioca A very good drink with tapioca to be sure, the flavours were an excellent combination. This bubble tea was more of a smoothie, which was great even though it’s so cold outside.

The plastic cover had a funny comic which brought up something I hadn’t realized – the plastic cover itself keeps the smoothie pressurized with tapioca dispersed throughout. I never considered why the tapioca does not fall to the bottom of the cup.

And that is your pharmaceutics lesson of the day.

And my fellow Publications

Committee members let me get some samples of their egg waffles.

A light snack, I have to give the edge to Winnie’s brown sugar egg waffle. It’s more of the waffle flavour that I’m familiar with I suppose, although getting the green tea flavour into waffle form is impressive. It’s my first time having egg waffle but Jasmine and Winnie tell me I should have heard of it before!

As for the restaurant itself, I enjoyed the décor and evening view of 109 Street, a moderately busy road which leads to the River Valley. The wifi password is on a mural on the wall, which Is quite unique. Qup does have some board games to pass the time, but neither Jasmine nor Winnie accepted my challenge to play

Connect 4.

Good quality food with some options even extending to fish balls. The prices match up other bubble tea establishment. As with any café of this sort, the price and nutrition value make Qup only an occasional option.

4/5

PHARMACY QUARTERLY 15

De-stress

De-Stressing When the Stress is High

By Winnie Lo and Yusuf Nasihi

So you’ve cleared the mini-boss stages of midterms, possibly even tackled a couple finals by now, and we’re at the final round – Fall Term Exam Season. Of course, this is compounded by your biannual cold (the 2nd one is reserved for Winter Exams), making holiday plans, or general stress in the road to becoming a Certified AdultTM. I’m sure many people have made plans to take over the PBL rooms or try the procrastinate and cram strategy – but far fewer people have made plans to de-stress and take time to look after themselves. We all need time to recover HP and MP!

We’re a part of the greater University of Alberta campus too! Here are some events open to ALL students for FREE:

Faculty of Nursing: Take a Tea Break On Us Monday, December 5th 10 AM – 2 PM ECHA 2nd Floor Main Hall Drop by for an assortment of teas and relaxing activities – if you’re lucky you might even get a coupon for free David’s Tea!

Peer Support Centre 2-707 Students’ Union Building Help Line: 780-492-HELP Regular Line: 780-4924268 Counselling and Clinical Services 2-600 Students’ Union Building (SUB), next to the Myer Horowitz MRF 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

TW 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

780-492-5205

Yoga for Study Breaks Wednesday, December 7th 3 – 4 PM Cameron Library Stretch out all those tense shoulders with a relaxing yoga session – flexibility is not a requirement!

Adult Mental Health Crisis Response Services (24/7): 780-342-7777 Protective Services (24/7): 780-492-5050

Photo credits: Flickr user adifansnet and the Columbia University Medical Center

Furry Friends Thursday, December 15th 12 – 2 PM Cameron Library Visit with some friendly pooches in Cameron Library for relaxing pet therapy.

TRAVEL UAlberta also offers free, drop-in group workshops that are led by a psychologist. Coordinated by the Counselling and Clinical Services in SUB, these group sessions range from lessons about relaxation and motivation to learning how to face fears and do yoga.

The bulk of the workshops are over for the current term, but yoga is still being offered well into December.

You can find these workshops by following this pathway of links University of Alberta (homepage) -> Current Students -> Student Support -> Counselling & Clinical Services -> Drop-In Workshops.

From what I can tell, there is also one more “Supporting Healthy Eating” Therapy Group in 2016 (December 15), which is also provided by Counselling and Clinical Services. It’s not directly related to stress management but maybe it’s just what we need at this late point in the term.

In news closer to home, the APSA STUDENT LOUNGE is now open! During exam season, expect to see it well-stocked with healthy snacks and games – 20 minutes may not make or break your study session, but it can be a much needed mental break. For our new students, this is located on the first floor of Medical Sciences in the locker hallway.

If you find yourself struggling to get through the season or have a friend who you are concerned about, there ARE resources available on campus – and they are meant for YOU, no matter if it’s a small issue or a big problem. If it’s bothering you, it’s important enough to talk about it. If you just need a friendly face to talk to, all the members of the APSA council are willing to lend their ear or give some advice. Now that you’re in pharmacy, remember we all have each other’s’ back!

If you want to help other people who are struggling but don’t know how to communicate your support, the UofA Community Social Work Team has created a How to Help Guide. Good luck in exams Pharmily – let’s study hard and keep our minds healthy!

On December 2, the APSA Lounge held its official unveiling party amid much fanfare - and much pizza.

PHARMACY QUARTERLY 17

How To Spot Fourth Years in Med Sci (And what you can say to them)

By Alyssa Aco Do you recognize that sinking feeling of realization that the only reason you had friends is because you are obligated to go to school 5 days a week? Coerced socialization is a big part of university - simply put, you need friends to survive in a stressful environment like this.

Which is why entering your final year of pharmacy school can be a bit of a challenge for people who relied on school for socialization. Half your friends are on rotation and the ones left behind are taking electives on the other side of campus. Your manager knows you only have to take 3 classes and voluntells you to work more shifts at the pharmacy.

For some, this arrangement works well. However, others become lost and confused at this new pace of living. You might have seen some of these lost people roaming around aimlessly in Med Sci, but before you call UAPS, here are (maybe) helpful tips in recognizing 4th years.

1.) They don’t know the PBL code

Let’s face it, you’ve probably seen a couple of these kinds of 4th years already. They make their way to the PBL rooms in comfortable and familiar strides only to arrive and realize they don’t know how to get in. They stand there for minutes frantically punching in last year’s codes, hoping muscle memory might help them this time (obviously it won’t, codes always change) When you see these people, help a pharmabro/sister out - share the code.

2.) They hog an entire PBL to themselves On your daily search for a vacant PBL, you’ve probably run it to “those people.” But before you judge these 4th years for hogging PBL’s, take a minute to feel for their loneliness, as they are reminiscing the good ol’ days when they were never alone in these PBLs… when they had study buddies, with whom they stressed out over Ceutics and created lousy Business Plans together. Maybe consider dropping in the PBL and joining them. After all, we’d all be less lonely with an #opendoorpolicy.

Fourth Years

3.) They

travel in small

groups … And often keep to themselves. You’ve probably

RARE SIGHTING OF MORE THAN THREE 4TH YEARS (They travel in small groups).

seen a couple of people walking around the halls of Med Sci and you were never really sure if they belonged there. Because firstly, they’re not in your class, they also don’t seem to be in the other class, and straight up look unfamiliar.

Don’t be shy and say hello! Ask about their day and maybe you’ll make a new friend. Trust me, these people could use some of those.

4.) They look scared ****less The PEBC’s may be a few months away, but the expectation that their knowledge should be (at least, somewhat clinically sound) is overwhelming this sad bunch.

4th years are expected to know the half-life of perindopril in pregnant women with diabetes, and sometimes, we may not know all the answers. Also, everything is coming in pretty quickly: rotations, graduation, job interviews then soon, adult life. Sympathy for some of these people could go a long way.

PHARMACY QUARTERLY 19

NETFLIX

Another 3 Shows to take the Stress out of Finals Season!

By Morena Medina

While finals are looming over us, it’s hard to concentrate on anything but your notes and books. But remember, your physical and mental health comes before your grades, so make sure you find time to relax your mind however you’d like! If you’re a TV addict like me, here are three additional shows that can take your mind off studying:

Jane the Virgin

This hilarious over-the-top drama/comedy is perfect to laugh away your worries after a long day of studying. Jane, a young, pious Catholic woman, is eager to marry the man of her dreams, Michael.

That is, until she is accidentally artificially inseminated with a sample belonging to the gorgeous rich boy Rafael.

As a pregnant virgin, she must juggle her relationship with her fiancé while still involving the baby’s father in her life, which is all very reminiscent of the Team Edward/Jacob debate. Truthfully, this show is best enjoyed by employing “suspension of disbelief”, but like New Girl and The Mindy

20 PHARMACY QUARTERLY

Project, it’s sure to give a lot of laughs as long as you don’t think about it too much!

The Time in Between

Do you just find yourself longing to be transported to a bygone era filled with gorgeous settings and costumes, à la Downton Abbey? The Time in Between is a Spanish drama that will do just that.

At the brink of the Spanish Civil War, the beautiful and headstrong seamstress Sira elopes to Morocco with the man she thought she loved… until she finds herself stranded, alone, and with no one to trust. Struggling to pick herself up after her tragedy, she establishes herself as an upscale seamstress, in a true “fake it till you make it” fashion, until she unexpected becomes a spy against the Nazis while the threat of a new World War lingers on.

Even the very first scene captivates you with suspense, so I suggest watching this one once you have more time, but this show gets an A+ for its addictive quality.

Freaks and Geeks

I’m kicking it back a couple of years to bring to your attention this slightly obscure but adorable show. Although its only season is now on Netflix, it originally ran relatively unknown in the late 1990s.

Believably set in during high school in the 80s, the show stars two siblings: Lindsay, a school-smart mathlete now trying to buy into the “Freaks” crowd (consisting of characters played

by James Franco, Jason Segel and Seth Rogan); and Sam, a new timid freshman who finds reassurance with his two “Geeks” friends as they brave the bullying from their peers.

The cliquey high school atmosphere will be sure to make you nostalgic (well, not really, but you’ll love it if you liked Stranger Things). Sadly, there are only 18 episodes, so make sure you relish each one!

Pharmacy Horoscopes

Horoscopes

Unappealing and hard-to-swallow. This section is the eggnog of the PQ+2.

By Danial Khan LIBRA (SEPT 23 – OCT 22) It’s the most wonderful time of the year because of Christmas! It’s also the most stressful time of the year because of exams… and it’s the most anxious time of the year because we have to wait for marks. Oh dear…

SCORPIO (OCT 23 – NOV 21) Don’t be a Grinch-y pharmacist!

Dispense some Christmas spirit! And by “Christmas Spirit” I mean whatever drug gets you through listening to Mariah Carrey’s cover of “All I Want For Christmas” for the two billionth time.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV 22 – DEC 21) Family visiting over the holidays? Be prepared to explain that pharmacists don’t just count pills and be extra prepared to laugh when a distant relative makes a “certified drug dealer” joke.

CAPRICORN (DEC 22 – JAN 19) This year you will get your Christmas shopping done early. You can’t treat your loved ones like PHARM exams and leave them to the last minute, right? RIGHT??

AQUARIUS (JAN 20 – FEB 18) Time to start thinking about placements first year students! Think of all the amazing places you will get to go to and all the skills you will apply!

PISCES (FEB 19 – MAR 19) Did you know your APSA card can grant you benefits and discounts?

Plus, if you rub it a curtain way, a genie will pop out and grant you three wishes.

ARIES (MAR 20 – APR 19) The moon will make some real interesting shapes this month. Based solely on that, you should try your hardest to be a good human being and spend the month spreading goodwill and love.

TAURUS (APR 20 – MAY 20) Finals are fast approaching! Feeling overly stressed? The university offers several services! Be vocal! Take it easy and spend time with your loved ones!

GEMINI (MAY 21 – JUN 20) Keep an eye out for APSA’s “Lunch and Learn” opportunities for professional information and development!

CANCER (JUN 21 – JUL 22) Did you know Hubert Humphrey, the 38th Vice President of the United States, was a licensed pharmacist? Humphrey and his father were known for concocting “patent medicines for both hogs and humans”.

It’s like “Netflix and Chill” but, you know, school appropriate.

LEO (JUL 23 – AUG 22) Congratulations on another successful Movember campaign UofA Pharmacy! Feel good in know you helped contribute to make a difference in the lives of millions!

VIRGO (AUG 23 – SEP 22) This month, you will look out the window. You will see snow falling.

You will put your books aside, strap on some boots and go make snow angels. You won’t regret doing it either.

PHARMACY QUARTERLY 21

PDW 2017

Saving the Best for Last - Mr. Pharmacy 2016

By Lynnea Schultz

Cheers erupted as eight of the hawtest pharmacists-to-be strutted onto the Myer Horowitz stage the evening of December 3 for the Mr. Pharmacy mock male beauty pageant. This was the finale of fundraisers that was put on in November for fundraising for Movember Canada.

Although all contestants were glamorous and entertaining, the elegant Preston Eshenko, representing the class of 2020, was crowned Mr. Pharmacy. In addition to this spectacular title, Preston can also brag about being the first first-year to win this beauty pageant. The projected overall amount fundraised by the U of A Pharmacy team is $35,000, the most that has ever been raised!

22 PHARMACY QUARTERLY

Mr. Pharmacy 2016

PHARMACY QUARTERLY 23

Movember Contest 1st and 2nd place

1st place goes to Hugo Tse. It’s not that easy to draw a curved object using Microsoft Paint!

2nd place goes to Dong Hwan Kim.

NEW CONTEST ANNOUNCED Here’s another contest! #CantStopWontStop. Send us your pictures of what you did over the break! We’re preparing a gift basket for the winner!

The submission deadline is Friday January 13th, 2017. It’s easy to remember, right?

Happy holidays from PQ

Fllickr user IQRemix. Edmonton Churchill Square. New Years Day 2016