Anyone else NOT like rotations?

[Jmassey]

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Has anyone else out there gone on rotations and not had a single one that they liked? We have 8 rotations, I'm currently in my 6th one and I haven't really enjoyed a single one. Perhaps, it is the fact that I was saddled with all clinical rotations. I really have no interest in clinical pharmacy so I finding extremely boring to follow physicians around all day and parrot the pharmacist. I have two more to go, Poison Control Center, which I'm actually pretty optimistic about because I already posses a degree in toxicology and another retail rotation that won't be too bad. Anyone else feel the same way as me or I am just a pharmacy outcast? 🙁

 

[tussionex]

i was lucky in that, basically, mine didn't suck completely. the retail ones that i did were boring, especially since i had already worked retail since high school.

the "clinical" ones....well, i was completely anti-clinical from the get-go...but really had a great time opening my mind to a new experience. it completely changed my life and career path. after rotations, i was going to be a hospital pharmacist, hands down! i also did a few with pharmacy associations, a VA site, some database management.....i guess i was lucky in the variety.

i'm sorry your experience has been less than fulfilling. good luck on your next ones!

 

[Hels2007]

I am very sorry to hear you didn't enjoy your rotations. Didn't you get to choose them? I only disliked one of mine, and that was due to the very catty environment there, and personality conflict with my preceptor. Almost everyone I know disliked one or two of their rotations, but overall liked them. Rotations are far more independent than schoolwork, you aren't being spoonfed anything anymore, and how much or how little you get out of them are entirely up to you. If you do not make an effort to learn something you want to learn, if you do not try and find something to enjoy about it and just follow the preceptor's directions to a t with no initiative on your part - I can see how it can be a mind-numbingly boring experience. Try to come to your next rotations with an open mind and positive attitude, and maybe they will be a better experience for you. Remember, a rotation does not exist in a vacuum, it is what you make out of it.

Even the one rotation I did not enjoy, I am glad I had, because it gave me some good survival skills, and also something to talk about when asked about conflict situtations, overcoming obstacles, etc. during interviews.

 

[imperial frog]

Hell yes!!! The only one I liked was the one where I wound up with a stupendously unbelievable fantastic job opportunity. The others, especially the hospital ones were a total waste of time and I'm surprised I didn't wind up stabbing someone in the eyes from the bat**** insanity that occurs in them(of course there is still a week left so who knows.)

 

[pharmboy30]

That's funny, I liked all my clinical/hospital and hated the retail.

 

[dgroulx]

I hated my one mandatory retail rotation - 4 weeks at Target. My preceptor only made me do 3 weeks of the rotation, because it was such a waste of time. I completed all the "special projects" and could answer any of her questions.

I enjoyed all my other rotations, although I got pretty sick and tired of journal clubs and power point presentations. When I talked to the residents at the VA and saw all the stupid projects that they had to do, it made me want to go to work right away. Another year of doing "projects" would have forced me to commit suicide.

 

[jawnly211]

funny........but i loved all my rotations

at our school, we have running WORD document of all the preceptors and people will add their thoughts, ratings, comments, etc. to the list.........

so when we were listing our top 7 community and 7 institutional rotations, i didn't care about the distance factor.........i pretty much went straight from the document and listed in order the preceptors with the highest ratings and best comments..........

you will get your fair share of experience in any rotation site........i believe the preceptors make the WHOLE experience........

i met some great pharmacists.........still keep in tough with them, email each other, exchanged phone numbers..........you pick up little things you like about each preceptor and try and adopt them to your own skills........

sorry about your experience.........2 more months though........hang in there, graduation is right around the corner

 

[PharmDstudent]

All of our rotations are six weeks long. The "bad" rotations will probably seem worse when I'm there for an extra two weeks.

Regardless of how much you disliked your rotations, just think, you're almost done! Poor saps like me still have two more years until they graduate .

 

[Allure]

I'm not gonna start my rotations any time soon, but there is one mandatory one that I know I am going to hate. I already know how many presentations I'd have to do (10) and I already know who my preceptor will be...ughh...It's gonna be awful. Is it normal to do 10 presentations for one rotation? I think it's a lot.

 

[Tessalon]

Ah, yes. I remember a few rotations where I literally had no more to do than stare at the wall, or clock, and wish it was time to leave. It is hard to go to "work" for 8 hours, not get paid, and hang out with new people all the time who may or may not be excited to have a student there. And just when you get the hang of being somewhere, you have to leave and start all over. Even the ones I liked I would still get burnt out on the little "projects", aka busy work they would give me to do.

Hang in there!

 

[imperial frog]

I'm not gonna start my rotations any time soon, but there is one mandatory one that I know I am going to hate. I already know how many presentations I'd have to do (10) and I already know who my preceptor will be...ughh...It's gonna be awful. Is it normal to do 10 presentations for one rotation? I think it's a lot.

At the hospital one I'm currently at (one week left) I have had to do 4-45 min ones, 3-35 minute ones, 5-20 minute ones, 1-60 minute one, and 1 which originally was planned as a 25 minute one but turned into a 90 minute one the day before.

 

[pinkyrx]

I'm not gonna start my rotations any time soon, but there is one mandatory one that I know I am going to hate. I already know how many presentations I'd have to do (10) and I already know who my preceptor will be...ughh...It's gonna be awful. Is it normal to do 10 presentations for one rotation? I think it's a lot.

Definitely not normal around here. The most I've had to do is 3 or 4 and most rotations it's just one big one.

 

[MeHungryRx]

Forgive me for asking, I was recently admitted to pharmacy school, and I was wondering can someone elaborate about the presentations that will be required in the hospital/ (retail setting)? What do they consists of, and who will the audience be? Are they time consuming? Any insight would be great.

 

[pinkyrx]

Forgive me for asking, I was recently admitted to pharmacy school, and I was wondering can someone elaborate about the presentations that will be required in the hospital/ (retail setting)? What do they consists of, and who will the audience be? Are they time consuming? Any insight would be great.

Most of the ones I've done have been about 45mins to an hour long. Mine were usually presented to the pharmacy staff or the clinical pharmacy team and once included the DOP as well. I've also done in-services for nursing teams to bring them up to speed on the latest drug or to teach about a specific subject.

For the most part they have all been pretty low key without much pressure because everyone knows that you are still a student and still learning.

You'll do fine with them! It gets easier with experience too.