200-hour CPI

How else can I start my summer vacation to make it a more of an exciting experience than this?

If you have browsed my previous entries, you might have read about my community pharmacy internship. I have not written a formal blog about it, rather, just insert the thought of it on my posts so it's expected that this will be a very long entry for today.

It has been almost a month now since I started my 200-hour CPI. It is a pre-requisite to us, pharmacy students, in order for us to be able to take the board examination. Actually, we can have it any month, any year we want, but as a regular student, I do not want to make any delays. 

My school is a 45-minute ride from home. That means I live very far away from where I study. My family and I used to live in Valenzuela before but moved here in Malate just later last year. It was an edge for me because I wouldn't have any difficulties finding a branch close by Malate that still has available slots for first batch interns since colleges near our place usually do not conduct CPI on summer, I think.

But the sad part is, it would be really rare for me to have someone, like a classmate, to accompany me during my 200-hour CPI. By God's will, I had Roma!

We are classmates since 2nd year-2nd semester. I have not spent so much time getting to know her before until we became co-interns! Is there such a word? Well, going back, actually we are not supposed to be apprenticing at the same branch, but because she ran out of first batch slots on Pedro Gil, which is nearer her place but just one station away from Quirino, she chose my selected branch the moment she saw my name on the list! Ha ha ha. Sweet! 

On our first day, we were assigned at the Rx section. Pharmacists are the ones who operate the Rx, where they fill prescriptions, dispense dangerous drugs and other hot items, and do pharmaceutical compounding. My favorite and most experienced type of compounding is making papelitos or paper tabs, destined for special populations like geriatrics and babies. I did not have the chance to take photos while doing so because cameras are not aloud inside the authorized personnel area. So glad, our manager is very nice to have permitted me to bring camera inside the Rx and take pictures because it was our last day of internship, already. But of course, there were restrictions. :)

This is my everyday get-up. Ponytailed hair, uniform attire, and pale face. Ha ha! Admittedly, I am very passionate with fashion and other girly stuff but I am too lazy to make it a routine to dress up and beautify myself. Probably, I'll mind that after I graduate college. For now, I'll enjoy being carefree.

Outside the Rx section are a thousand more drugs to memorize, to familiarize and to study. But as time-deprived as we are, we were just asked to memorize, to familiarize and to study the drugs located inside the Rx section. Yey! With all humility, Roma and I were able to familiarize ourselves around the Rx section. We took our part as interns in dispensing drugs whenever our pharmacists are busy or are not on duty, which helped us a lot on acquainting ourselves on the numerous drug products MDC has. You know our specie, we are endangered. That's why on mornings, we have our manager as our pharmacist. I do not know why not more students get interested in Pharmacy. It's a very fun and profitable profession, I say. But also requires critical cautiousness. We were free to do most of pharmacy functions except filling prescriptions because that's a serious thing. Just one mistake and buh-bye license.

Me, together with our supervisor, Ma'am Honey and our two pharmacy assistants, Ate lrene and Ate Russel.

Ate Russel, striking a pose while trying to search her take order.

Ate Jen, an alumnus of ours, with Ate Russel and Ate Irene on the cashier area.

There are the grocery also as you enter the drugstore, the rest rooms where we stay during our lunch breaks, and the storehouse which is very private. Our branch is the flagship of the district, which means it has almost all the brands of drugs being sold by MDC. Which also means, we were very blessed by God to be placed in a large branch of MDC here in Malate so we were exposed to more drugs.

Everyday, we are allowed to make paper boxes, where loose items are lodged prior to dispensing, whenever we have nothing better else to do. Also, we dust out the banquets every now and then while accustoming ourselves to the placements and arrangements of the drugs.

As well, we were happy that we had the opportunity to package Epsom Salt a.k.a. Magnesium sulfate when MDC ran out of stocks. It's an additional experience for us to practice our measuring and labeling skills.

A few days before we ended our CPI, we received this note from another supervisor of ours, Sir Dong, thanking us for helping him regarding with the upcoming inventory this May 11. We are pleased to help! 

Just this morning, I really had fun posing for the camera and taking pictures together with these lovely people. I am so touched that they were very enthusiastic doing it as well, for us. 

Roma with our very pretty and ever energetic Ate Irene, Ate Russel and Ate Sophie.

Ate Sheena, being cute and charming as always, with Roma.

Me, with our Branch Pharmacist, Ma'am Malou. I had a very good training ground in making things as organized as they can be and being an efficient worker through her. Thank you, Ma'am!

And finally, my favorite wacky picture of mine with our Branch Manager and my Ates. Ma'am Rose, you really are cute when you smile! 

Posing with the sexiest woman in this world ever, my companion, Roma! I literally call her sexiest woman in this world ever, whenever. In exchange, she calls me gorgeous. Ha ha! Don't our nicknames speak so honestly of us both? :) We are very willing to believe that.

And on the last 2 hours of our stay as interns, I goofed around with this Carnation freebie we were given of. It's so posh, isn't it? Ano say ng Louis Vuitton mo sa posh bag ko?

My training there in MDC, Malate branch, was truly one for the books! It was a ride to remember. Regretful though that Ma'am Zy, Kuya Rico, Kuya Otep and my other Kuyas and Ates were not able to take pictures with us because of the endless number of customers coming in and out of the drugstore and because some of them were on graveyard shift or on leave. Hopefully, this won't be the last chance I will be spending time to learn from them and bond with them. 

God has a wonderful way of making my April extra-special!