Maximize Your Rotations

Successful pharmacy careers begin with successful rotations—and successful rotations start with this guide. Although rotations are crucial to the development of skills needed to practice pharmacy, there has been little available to guide students in the best way to prepare and make the most of these experiences—until now. 

Maximize Your Rotations: ASHP's Student Guide to IPPEs, APPEs, and Beyond breaks down everything you need to know into easy-to-navigate chapters. Inside you will find the skills required to excel while on IPPE or APPE rotations, along with competencies that may be unique to one type of rotation or another.

Each chapter is written by an experienced preceptor, lending a valuable perspective.

By using this text, you will gain an appreciation of the general expectations and typical activities of each rotation experience before you begin. Better preparation means better performance. Maximize Your Rotations will also be a resource throughout the experiential year, offering everything from reminders of clinical issues and statistical reviews to advice on interviewing, CV writing, professional organizations, and more. 

Maximize Your Rotations means less time getting up to speed—and more time getting ahead in your career. Your rotation experience can be the launching pad for your career, and there's no better guide than Maximize Your Rotations.
 

Mate M. Soric, PharmD, BCPS

Mate M. Soric is a Clinical Pharmacist and Residency Program Coordinator at University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center in Chardon, OH. He is also an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Northeast Ohio Medical University College of Pharmacy in Rootstown, OH. He received his BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees from The University of Toledo in 2007 and 2009, respectively. He completed an ASHP-accredited pharmacy residency at The Toledo Hospital Family Medicine Residency and obtained board certification in pharmacotherapy in 2010. He precepts pharmacy students from a number of schools and colleges of pharmacy along with students from other health professions.  

Dr. Soric is an active member of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), Ohio Society of Health-System Pharmacists (OSHP), the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), and the Ohio College of Clinical Pharmacy (OCCP). He serves on the Student and Resident Committee of the ACCP Ambulatory Care Practice and Research Network and on the Education Committee of the ACCP Adult Medicine Practice and Research Network. He is also Chair of the OCCP Communications Committee. He has authored articles and chapters on a number of subjects. His interests include direct patient care of both inpatients and outpatients, education of student pharmacists and residents, and evidence-based medicine.

MedInfoNow: Doody’s Review Services 

[REVIEWER'S EXPERT OPINION] 

Jennifer L. Colon, PharmD, MS, MBA (Temple University School of Pharmacy) 

Description

This book provides a clear and concise overview of what pharmacy students can expect when they begin their IPPE and APPE rotations. The first part, "The Essentials," covers the basics a student should be proficient in prior to beginning their rotation experience; part II, "The Particulars," further explains the specifics of varying rotation sites and the skills necessary to be successful; and part III, "Life After Rotations," covers the transition from student to pharmacist. 

Purpose

The purpose is to give pharmacy students a place to turn to for all things experiential. The book provides a glimpse of the general expectations and typical activities of rotations before they begin, allowing for better preparation and performance. Although the purpose seems simple, the objectives are important to pharmacy students and pharmacists who act as, or plan to, become, preceptors. Students may have many questions and concerns prior to beginning an IPPE or an APPE rotation, and the majority are not necessarily covered in the traditional classroom setting. The book will have special relevance for a student who has little or no work experience or limited exposure to the variety within the pharmacy profession. It allows students to review expectations and gives them a place to refer to prior to and during rotations. 

Audience

While the book is written primarily for a student audience, residents can use it as a reference and practitioners, as a guide and resource. It targets a broad range of specialties, including internal medicine and clinical rotations, hospital or health system pharmacy, community pharmacy, management and leadership rotations, academia, ambulatory care, and geriatrics. I think pharmacy practitioners as a whole will find this book useful, not just students. The author is a clinical pharmacist and an assistant professor, and therefore would have particular expertise in the section on academia and hospital and health system pharmacy. The many contributors have experience in their chapter topics. 

Features

The book covers the many aspects of IPPE and APPE rotations in a concise manner, and contains essential information such as professionalism, drug information questions, and case presentations that are crucial for success as a student and a practitioner. It describes the specifics of each ASHP-recognized rotation type and thoroughly explains it. The book concludes with information about starting a career, staying informed, and giving back, which are all essential elements of becoming a successful pharmacist in any setting. The best aspects of the book are that it is up to date with current issues in pharmacy practice and the audience can relate to the discussions of professionalism, rotation types, and what actually happens after rotations are concluded. I appreciated the section on e-professionalism. As younger generations use online resources and social media as outlets, it is important that they maintain a professional appearance. Cases, case questions, quick tips, figures, and tables are effectively used to enhance readers' experience. Cases at the beginning of each chapter are engaging and relevant to the chapter topic discussed. The case questions are brief, but are useful for applying knowledge and reviewing the material. The figures and tables are excellent, especially in the chapters on ambulatory care and becoming a preceptor. This is information I will use to enhance my own practice and interactions with students. The only shortcoming involves the chapter on evaluation of medical literature and journal clubs. This could actually be split into two separate chapters that provide greater detail, including an expanded list of common clinical trial terminology (i.e., open-label, parallel-group, cross-over, single-blind, etc.) as well as a more detailed example of a journal club format. 

Assessment 

This is a useful, high quality, and practical book for both students and practitioners who precept. I could find no other books that summarize and collate information about IPPE and APPE rotations like this one does. I will use it to improve and expand my practice and role as a preceptor. 

Weighted Numerical Score: 86 - 3 Stars