Pharmacy graduate and faculty member published in Japan

In the United States, the clinical rotation for a pharmacy student -- the Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE) – is a total of 1,600 hours. That is nearly twice as long as similar rotations in Japan.

That’s one of the differences highlighted by Lauryn Jenkins, Pharm.D. (’23), and Ryoichi Fujiwara, Pharm.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences, in Farumashia, a journal of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan. The two collaborated to share an American experience of APPE rotations.

In the article, Dr. Jenkins introduced her experience of academic rotations at NEOMED, where she had a wide variety of sites from which to choose. She had the opportunity to learn about roles of teaching, experiential education and telehealth pharmacy practice through the on-campus pharmacy clinic. “I had the opportunity to go to meetings, see the work that goes into curriculum building and teach in a pharmacy summer camp for high school students interested in pharmacy,” she said.

Dr. Jenkins wrote that the most fulfilling aspect of the rotation was interacting with high school students. “Seeing them ask questions about medications and interacting with different pharmacists reminded me of when I was learning about what a pharmacist was and how I could become one. It was great nostalgia,” she said.

Currently, Dr. Jenkins is pursuing one year of residency at the VA Ann Arbor health care system in Michigan. She hopes to complete a teaching certificate in order to continue working with students and teach as she practices pharmacy.