Justice is served

I know most of you will not be surprised...but I received a speeding ticket tonight from a state trooper in Putnam County (Cookeville) on my way to Nashville from Kingsport. I was rolling on, making good time, averaging about 85 when he got me. 85 in a 70. He was really nice, and I was surprisingly polite as well. However, that didn't keep him from slapping a big 159 dollar fine on there. It could have been worse. It could have been better. It did get better. The court date he gave me is the day I'll be flying to Hungary...righhhhhht. Guess which I'm picking? I think I just have to call a number and get it changed.

So all of you who were thinking "I told you so": we'll just pretend I can hear you. Thanks.

This past Thursday and Friday I had the great opportunity to participate in health screenings at the Opryland Hotel. It was the National Conference for State Legislators, and a pharmacy alliance group was representing the profession by offering services such as cholesterol panels, blood pressure, bone density, body fat analysis, respiratory function testing, and heartburn awareness screenings. The first day I counseled patients on their results from their lipid (cholesterol) panel, explaining what the numbers meant and what they could do to change them if needed. I loved it! I got to interact with so many interesting people, and they were all really nice. It gave me a reminder as to why I'm in school and what I hope to be when I get out. I really felt my niche there, talking to them about their life and their health. All the while we wanted to make lawmakers aware of our capacity as primary care providers in some ways. Some states don't allow pharmacists to perform any of the collaborative practices such as these types of screenings or immunizations. Whether it be from lack of lobbying from their pharmacist political action groups or opposition from the medical advocacy groups, something needs to change. They are valuable services, and pharmacists are the most accessible health care professional. We should be allowed to be as functional as we're equipped to be. Obviously, I'm biased...

Then yesterday we moved Payten into her new dormroom at Belmont. Her roommate's really sweet, and neither of them are music majors, so it should work out great. One of Payten's biggest concerns was that everyone there was music-oriented, and about 85 % of the kids are...but not all. The campus is beautiful. They just keep improving it. I'm excited for her.

Today I'm headed back to Kingsport...it's gonna be a crazy week. We leave for Memphis on Wednesday for the residency showcase on Thursday...then maybe Huntingdon on Friday...then a wedding in Nashville on Saturday...ugh. Someone slow me down. Oh wait, then my presentation on Monday and rotation test next Tuesday...great! Somebody give me September already!

Kingsport

It's been great up here. Clara is a great roommate, one of the best I could have had. The experience at the site has been amazing due to a few things...

• Ben Gross, my "big brother" from ASP (the president before me), is doing his residency here. So I've gotten to see patients with him and learn from him and with him.
• Dr. Cross is one of the best and most progressive pharmacists I've ever met. It's been such a blessing to see his practice and learn from it.
• The people in the Disease State Management clinic are great! The women at the front, the MD, the other pharmacist, the PA, the nurses, and all the staff here have been so nice and generous to us.
• East TN is not too bad. The scenery is pretty. I wonder if I'm in a time warp every once in a while, but the people are super-nice for the most part.
• What they do here in Disease State Mgmt is phenomenal. They truly improve people's quality of life. They take time to listen, and they CARE about their patients and what will make their lives easier.

Most of our lives this month has been consumed by the rotation, I'll be honest. But I haven't minded...at all. That's really not like me, either. I'm just trying to see what I enjoy the most and trying to equip myself with the clinical skills I need to do what these people do every day: help people.

One more thing:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, REEMS!!!!