APPE rotations and chronic illness?

[hajenkin]

Hey all. I'm a P3 and am getting ready to register for APPE rotations. I've noticed a lot of them are 10ish hour days, starting at 4/5AM, M-F. I have a documented chronic illness where a schedule like this can cause flare-ups. I'm fully aware that this is a requirement for graduation and I'm going to get it done, but I was wondering for those of you who have finished your APPEs:

1. What are the best as far as schedule/low stress environments?
2. I'm going to talk to my cardiologist about getting paperwork done for my disability in the case of a flare up, with possible accommodations. However, I don't even know what kind of accommodations would be reasonable to ask for in this situation?


Thank you

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[Marzapan]

Why are you still trying to be a pharmacist if you have a disability? Not to make fun of you but if you need special accommodations as an APPE student (where performance doesn't matter so long as you don't piss off anyone too much, and your school administrators will fight for you if there are issues with your preceptors), then how do you think you're going to survive in the real world (if you even get a job)?

Standing for 8 hours straight with no chair, weird scheduling (12am-8am, 4-midnight etc.) and poor work conditions are representative of what this profession has become due to the saturation cheapening the value of all pharmacists, so if you have a medical condition then you have bigger issues to worry about than getting accommodations for your APPEs... I would take a long hard stare in the mirror...

 

[hajenkin]

Why are you still trying to be a pharmacist if you have a disability? Not to make fun of you but if you need special accommodations as an APPE student (where performance doesn't matter so long as you don't piss off anyone too much, and your school administrators will fight for you if there are issues with your preceptors), then how do you think you're going to survive in the real world (if you even get a job)?

Standing for 8 hours straight with no chair, weird scheduling (12am-8am, 4-midnight etc.) and poor work conditions are representative of what this profession has become due to the saturation cheapening the value of all pharmacists, so if you have a medical condition then you have bigger issues to worry about than getting accommodations for your APPEs... I would take a long hard stare in the mirror...

I'm fully aware. I work in retail now, full time while also in school. Standing for 8-9 hrs/day. However, I get to have a day off every couple of days to rest and recoup. I also don't start at 4AM in the morning every day. I was just asking to see if anyone had some suggestions on what I can do ahead of time to help myself succeed, as well as avoid a flare up.

 

[rxkrafted]

I would register for anything you find interesting because this is the only chance you'll get to see first hand what its like working there before you graduate and enter the real market. Just let your preceptors know about your disability so they can work with you if needed.

 

[deleted562805]

Hey all. I'm a P3 and am getting ready to register for APPE rotations. I've noticed a lot of them are 10ish hour days, starting at 4/5AM, M-F. I have a documented chronic illness where a schedule like this can cause flare-ups. I'm fully aware that this is a requirement for graduation and I'm going to get it done, but I was wondering for those of you who have finished your APPEs:

1. What are the best as far as schedule/low stress environments?
2. I'm going to talk to my cardiologist about getting paperwork done for my disability in the case of a flare up, with possible accommodations. However, I don't even know what kind of accommodations would be reasonable to ask for in this situation?


Thank you

Your community rotation in grocery store or an independent should be low stress. Don’t pick CVS or Walgreens unless you are rotating with corporate. If you have a industry rotation, those might be low stress since you are making content working in your own desk. Make sure you let your preceptors know

With your clinical rotations with morning rounds, just let your preceptors know ahead of time so they can accommodate.

Drug information rotation might be low stress. you are mostly sitting in a desk answering questions on a laptop for eight hours. Same thing with Poison Control

Main thing is to check with the Office of Experiential Learning in your school and tell them about your condition and contact the preceptors ahead of time about your condition.

 

[owlegrad]

The difficulty or intensity of any rotation will depend entirely on the preceptor. If you want to know which rotations have historically been the easiest you would be better off trying to connect with recent graduates or people currently on rotation at your school.

 

[deleted562805]

Hey all. I'm a P3 and am getting ready to register for APPE rotations. I've noticed a lot of them are 10ish hour days, starting at 4/5AM, M-F. I have a documented chronic illness where a schedule like this can cause flare-ups. I'm fully aware that this is a requirement for graduation and I'm going to get it done, but I was wondering for those of you who have finished your APPEs:

1. What are the best as far as schedule/low stress environments?
2. I'm going to talk to my cardiologist about getting paperwork done for my disability in the case of a flare up, with possible accommodations. However, I don't even know what kind of accommodations would be reasonable to ask for in this situation?


Thank you

What are going to pursue long term based on your chronic illness? Drug info or industry would be better for you instead of hospital or retail

 

[hajenkin]

What are going to pursue long term based on your chronic illness? Drug info or industry would be better for you instead of hospital or retail

I'm unsure right now, but I know for certain it won't be retail or hospital. I'm actually thinking about switching careers altogether (not entirely due to illness, but mainly just lack of interest and market saturation), but I'm wanting to finish out my PharmD degree since I've come this far and only have 1 year left. I'm thinking of PA school and specializing in dermatology/cosmetics, as I have a friend who is a PA has recommended that to me since that specialty is a bit more laid back. Honestly, I just have no clue right now hah.

 

[deleted562805]

I'm unsure right now, but I know for certain it won't be retail or hospital. I'm actually thinking about switching careers altogether (not entirely due to illness, but mainly just lack of interest and market saturation), but I'm wanting to finish out my PharmD degree since I've come this far and only have 1 year left. I'm thinking of PA school and specializing in dermatology/cosmetics, as I have a friend who is a PA has recommended that to me since that specialty is a bit more laid back. Honestly, I just have no clue right now hah.

Pursue the PA path if you are interested in PA. Shadow some PAs in derm

 

[zelman]

Without knowing more about your condition’s triggers, it’s hard to offer advice. At some sites you could probably work longer shifts on fewer days or shorter shifts by coming in a weekend day or fewer days in a row by working Saturday instead of Wednesday. But some rotations will already have you working 16+ hours every day of the week between being on site, doing projects, and working up patient cases, so there’s less flexibility in those instances. Do you have a good relationship with many faculty preceptors? If so, your best bet is to reach out to them and tell them you’re concerned about ending up places that cannot make accommodations so they can request you be at their site.

 

[confettiflyer]

I’ve precepted 3 students with disabilities that required varying levels of accommodation, and all three students very clearly articulated this to me in their first contact email 6-8 weeks before rotation start. This allowed me to modify and set expectations.

I did not require any medical paperwork/proof, but I would suggest keeping it handy.

One student did have to come in late from time to time and it was suboptimal given we had a lot of clinical work/rounds, but we rolled with it and I was satisfied with what the student learned and how they performed.

Aside from being too late to change up student schedules, the idea of denying a clinical experience to a person with a disability is an abhorrent idea to me. If a preceptor seems unwilling to accommodate, I would be wary of that site and ask your experiential director for guidance.

 

[lord999]

I’ve precepted 3 students with disabilities that required varying levels of accommodation, and all three students very clearly articulated this to me in their first contact email 6-8 weeks before rotation start. This allowed me to modify and set expectations.

I did not require any medical paperwork/proof, but I would suggest keeping it handy.

One student did have to come in late from time to time and it was suboptimal given we had a lot of clinical work/rounds, but we rolled with it and I was satisfied with what the student learned and how they performed.

Aside from being too late to change up student schedules, the idea of denying a clinical experience to a person with a disability is an abhorrent idea to me. If a preceptor seems unwilling to accommodate, I would be wary of that site and ask your experiential director for guidance.

Only difference I would suggest is that the disability be logged formally with Employee/Occupational Health in the hospital by either the student or have University Student Affairs or whichever office deals with ADA issues confirm. I agree philosophically with you, but there is a formal process that the Op needs to go through to ensure that reasonable accommodation is met that should not have fallen on you.

I did have a chronic illness that was logged with the ADA office with the proper paperwork (ICD-9-CM 493.22/ICD-10-CM J45.51). The only accommodation requested and was granted was that I did not draw a rotation in a pharmacy or building that allowed smoking within the pharmacy (non-smoking pharmacies only became mandatory after I graduated).

 

[confettiflyer]

Only difference I would suggest is that the disability be logged formally with Employee/Occupational Health in the hospital by either the student or have University Student Affairs or whichever office deals with ADA issues confirm. I agree philosophically with you, but there is a formal process that the Op needs to go through to ensure that reasonable accommodation is met that should not have fallen on you.

I did have a chronic illness that was logged with the ADA office with the proper paperwork (ICD-9-CM 493.22/ICD-10-CM J45.51). The only accommodation requested and was granted was that I did not draw a rotation in a pharmacy or building that allowed smoking within the pharmacy (non-smoking pharmacies only became mandatory after I graduated).

Agreed, we’re a small-ish site and I felt that bringing in HR may have jeopardized the entire thing (or at least may have drawn unwanted scrutiny or barriers).

I’m probably overly paranoid in my thinking, and I felt at the time we had a mutually agreeable and fair scenario (open mind on my end) with the student.

But I do agree the OP should at least get guidance from their university and their future preceptor in engaging more formal channels.

Come to think of it, our students do have to engage with employee health/HR anyway, but I do wonder what duty is owed to a non-paid/temporary volunteer.