College of Pharmacy hosts camp for high schoolers

June 23, 2016 | Pharmacy |

High school juniors and seniors from nine different states joined College of Pharmacy faculty and students who partnered with Walgreens for the college's eighth annual Pharmacy Camp.

From June 19-24, students explored the field of pharmacy through classes and hands-on activities. Faculty and student counselors led the prospective pharmacy students as they performed pharmaceutical research experiments and shadowed local health care professionals.

“The goal of Pharmacy Camp is to provide an opportunity for high school students to explore the profession of pharmacy so they can learn more about pharmacy as a career option,” Carol Jones, director of admissions for the College of Pharmacy, said.

Connor Edwards, a high school senior from Frisco, Texas, said he was interested in Pharmacy Camp because his father conducts clinical trials, and he thought it would be interesting to see what his father does on a day-to-day basis.

“We got to do IVs and hospital runs, which was cool because we got to see how pharmacists are working in action,” Edwards said. “I got to go to a long-term facility and learn about the role of pharmacists and treatment options in an environment like that, so that was a really cool experience.”

Among other activities, students highlighted the hands-on lab experiments as another standout opportunity at camp. Katie Lejeune, a high school senior from Gonzales, Louisiana, added that she enjoyed learning from professors and shadowing health care professionals.

“Talking to different professors and the shadowing has been a highlight for me because we really got to see their roles and their favorite parts of pharmacy,” Lejeune said.

According to Jones, students not only learned about the world of pharmacy and medicine, but they also came away from the week with improved communication skills, which she coined as one of the most important skills for a successful career in pharmacy.

“In teams of five, students research a current medication-related topic and present their findings to faculty judges on the last day of camp,” Jones said. “During this process, campers develop interpersonal communication skills as well as presentation skills.”

The big takeaway at the end of the week for Lejeune was an increased passion for pharmacy and the appreciation for the diversity of career opportunities in the field.

“I definitely think this has made me want to go into the pharmacy field and also realize that pharmacy is such a big field — it’s not just limited to one thing.” -Katie Lejeune

“I definitely think this has made me want to go into the pharmacy field and also realize that pharmacy is such a big field — it’s not just limited to one thing,” Lejeune said.

From a faculty perspective, Jones said she sees a big perspective shift among the students and their passion for pharmacy.

“They love to learn new things, and they are interested in finding a career where they can have an impact for good,” Jones said. “As their perspective on the profession of pharmacy grows, they move from thinking, ‘This could be a good job where I can earn a good salary,’ to ‘This looks like a career where I could really make a difference in someone's life.’”