student experiences
Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience
We take students at every level of pharmacy school, including the first year students. The first year pharmacy experience is when a lot of students get inital exposure to the pharmacy field. First year rotations focus on community pharmacy experiences and all that comes with it including the basic processes, patient counseling, and vaccines. Our students focus on these aspects during their rotation. We help our first year pharmacy students gain confidence in their abilities to talk to patients and give vaccines as well as improve their over the counter medication knowledge.
Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience
In addition to first year pharmacy students, we also have fourth year students! Fourth year students are more advanced in their pharmacy knowledge. They have had two other experiences in previous years and they have gone through more therapeutic classes. Fourth year students have a new rotation every month and their rotations vary between hospital, ambulatory, research, and community pharmacy. At Topeka, we offer community, management, and clinical rotations. Each rotation focuses on a different aspect of community pharmacy, but all offer a more in depth experience. Whether it be learning how to manage a pharmacy or doing in depth clinical work for patients, our APPE students get a well-rounded experience here!
students at work
You can find students around our pharmacy on most days of the week! They are often helping fill prescriptions, answering patient questions, giving vaccines, and working on a variety of projects for the store. Don’t hesitate to ask them questions, they are full of knowledge! We take pharmacy students from both Manchester University and Purdue University, so our students often travel from all over the state. Having students working with us is one of our favorite things here at Topeka. We know our practice site is unique and we love to share that with our future pharmacists. Our students have participated in a variety of events and projects over the years. Below highlights some of our most favorite student experiences!
Hometown Treasure
One of the projects our students take part in is writing an article for our local publication, the Hometown Treasure, about a multitude of healthcare related topics. From the importance of medication lists to hemorrhoid medication options, our students have written about it all. Read some of our most recent articles down below.
Vaccine clinics
At Topeka Pharmacy, we have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of vaccine clinics. Every year, we are set up at booths across the surrounding counties offering vaccine information as well as vaccinations. In 2023, we were awarded a grant that let us offer FREE shingles, flu, COVID-19, and pneumonia shots to everyone in and around our community. We traveled all around Northeast Indiana to offer this amazing opportunity to various communities. This was such a big opportunity, but with big opportunities comes big responsibilities and our students stepped up to the challenge. All of our students participated in at least one vaccine clinic, while a few participated in upwards of five. Vaccine clinics are a great way for students to gain confidence in giving vaccines and talking to patients. We love being able to offer this opportunity to all of our students and are so grateful we are able to serve our community in this way.
community involvement
Not only do our students serve the community through health articles and vaccine clinics, but we also offer the opportunity for our students to participate in a wide variety of community events and collaborations. A lot of our staff are a part of many different community foundations, collaborations, and boards. We always offer the opportunity for our students to tag along to these events and get some insight into the behind the scenes of our community. Whether it be an obesity collaborative, drug court, or school health board meetings, there will likely be a unique experience for each student.
Beyond The Rotation
Not only do we love having students at our rotation site, but we also love following them throughout their pharmacy careers. A few students even make it back for a few months to help us out at the pharmacy. Hearing from our students is one of our favorite things. They are not only great pharmacy candidates, but also great human beings. Below highlights some of our most memorable moments with our students at the pharmacy and beyond.
