Pharmacy students getting first-hand experience during crisis
IF there’s such a thing as a ‘ baptism of fire’ for pharmacy students, then Liz Moore from Currow and Emma Campbell from Tralee know all about it.
The IT Tralee students were on work placement in local pharmacies as part of their Pharmacy Technicians course when the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
No textbook could have prepared them for the surge in expectation and anxiety from customers as their pharmacies became a front-line for people in need of important medication in spite of lockdown restrictions.
On top of the pressures of working in a pharmacy during COVID-19, the students also had to submit important endof-term college assignments. But Liz and Emma met the challenge head on and feel all the better for an experience that has only boosted their ambitions to further their careers in the sector. Liz Moore returned to college as a mature student and plans to continue her studies in the autumn with a BA in Pharmacy Management and Practice. As part of her work placement, Liz joined the team at Leahy’s Pharmacy in Tralee where the COVID-19 pandemic required her to ‘grasp and absorb’ key aspects of the job during unprecedented times.
“It was extremely busy and there was a lot of pressure,”
Liz said.
“I was thrown into the deep end so quickly, and you had no other choice but to learn fast. Trying to reassure the elderly was particularly important as some of them didn’t understand the social-distancing rules. We dealt with people over the phone, and we talked people through things.”
Liz says she was ‘ lucky’ that she had already worked in Leahy’s Pharmacy a year prior to the outbreak. This helped, and she praised her colleagues for being supportive.
“They helped me out whenever they could. Yes, there was stress, but the staff are amazing. I’ve learned so much in the past few months, and I was probably learning stuff quicker because of working during the panic of COVID. You’ve no choice but to learn quickly in a situation like that. We had to complete our assignments as well during all this, which added to the pressure. But the IT were very supportive.”
So what did Liz gain most from it all?
“The importance of having empathy for customers is what I took most from the experience. You bond a little more with them at times like this. During my first year of placement it was all ‘ knowledge-based’ aspects of pharmacy, but during COVID-19 it was as much about the bonding and empathy with customers.
“I worked in retail for years and only for IT Tralee having this course, it gave me an opportunity to study pharmacy. I love it,” she said.
Emma Campbell’s work placement took place in O’Donoghue’s Pharmacy in Tralee, where she also had a year’s experience in pharmacy under her belt when COVID-19 arrived.
Emma received a call from IT Tralee asking if she wanted to continue working during the virus, which she did without a moment’s hesitation. Emma is now planning to resume her pharmacy studies in the autumn.
“I enjoy working in O’Donoghue’s, they’ve been great, and it’s a fantastic experience working through the pandemic. The customers we have are so loyal, and they place a great deal of store in James and his staff. It was great to see this trust going on during such a difficult time,” said Emma.
“I was prepared as much as anyone could be prepared for what happened. I couldn’t have imagined starting my placement somewhere new and having to gather my bearings during something like this, which helped.”
Emma explains that it was tough watching people ‘panicking’ in the early stages of the lock-down.
“At the start it seemed like there was a panic every week nity services as well as policing and the emergency services have shown immense dedication and professionalism in their approach to the current crisis,” Cllr Kelleher said.
“I was pleased to present a certificate of the ‘Cathaoirleach’s Acknowledgement’ about something: hand sanitiser, face masks, gloves and thermometers. Eventually it calmed down, but at the beginning it was tough to see people so worried. These are patients you’re familiar with, there was such an air of tension, and every working day felt like Christmas Eve, it was so busy.”
Emma describes receiving up-to-date advice from the HSE and WHO as a ‘ huge help’ in alleviating stress and panic.
“It was easier to brush off the rumours about the virus that you read online when you have this advice first-hand. That helped. No one could have prepared us as technician students, even the qualified pharmacists couldn’t have been prepared for what happened. I can understand how frightening it must have been for people.”
Lastly, Emma said the whole experience has been invaluable, and that so much of what she learned was ‘off the book’ compared with learning in a classroom setting.
“The most important thing was being able to roll with the punches. The way I see it, if I was able to come thorough this with the limited experience I had, I feel I can do anything.
“I still enjoy it and it certainly hasn’t put me off wanting to work as a pharmacist in the future, that’s why I’m going back to continue my studies. It was a very unique placement,” said Emma.
to the management of University Hospital Kerry as well as the Chief Superintendent of An Garda Síochána and her colleagues as a token of the appreciation of Kerry County Council and my council colleagues.”