self reflection #2 - for real, this time

So since July has been pretty busy-ish and I usually have nothing to say or blog about [I guess I've been on this Twitter binge because I usually can sum up my feelings in less than 140 characters] I've neglected you, blog! But here I am, here to give you a proper entry, and to write up my 2nd self-reflection for my 2nd rotation.

My second rotation in New York took place in the quietly glamorous neighborhood of TriBeCa. When I first saw it on the list of available rotations, I said, why not take it? It'll give me an excuse to go to New York since my plans to take a rotation in California failed. My friends were all skeptical, they had never heard of the company before. I was too, but after scoping out the website I thought, they must be legitimate since they're contracted by my school. So I put it down as the first choice for Elective/Clinical Other rotation, hoping that I would get it since no one really knew what the rotation (or the company) was about. When I saw that I was assigned the rotation, I thought that maybe I was the only person taking 2 New York City rotations. After I found out that another one of my classmates took the same 2 in reverse order [she went where I just came from and vice versa] I didn't feel so bad. So I came into the rotation, not knowing what to expect. My first rotation had been quite the epitome of business formal - suits everywhere, the lushness of Park Avenue. I was expecting the same.

All I knew about Medical Communications/Med Ed was what I learned in Pharm Comm and Drug Info; I knew how to do an Ovid Search and finagle around with Powerpoint. I didn't know much about an agency except for the glamour that my Kuya Jayson would show us with pictures of him working with the people from Entourage and partying with Kanye West. I didn't think things would be that fabulous, after all, I'm in Pharmaceuticals. When I first stepped into the building though, I was mesmerized. I had never been in a place so fresh, so modern. I was excited that I would get to intern at a place like that. And of course, it was nice to be able to wear more trendy clothes and no pantyhose. Thank goodness!

Some of the days on rotation were slower than other days, it was hard for me to adjust to a more relaxed environment because I was so used to the hustle and bustle of Pharmacy school and the formalities of my previous rotation. My preceptor noticed it, and commented on it during my final evaluation. "You have to know how to work hard and play hard," he said, which surprised me. Never in my whole Pharmacy school life has anyone told me that I should give myself a break. So with that being said, I let myself breathe a little. I went on my lunch break everyday and adventured to new and exciting places around the neighborhood and discovered things that people who live/work around here sometimes take for granted. My mom was making fun of me because she said "it feels like you're not really learning anything on this rotation." But to the contrary, I was. With the ebb and flow of work in the agency, there were some days where I would get neat projects to work on or observe, like reading clinical trials, annotating slide sets, picking up errors in the slides, writing bios of research doctors, looking up CME presentations.. (it may sound boring to you but to me it was the coolest thing ever). I created 2 slides that the client requested in a day, and there were no comments on them (read: they liked them). It was probably one of my proudest moments on rotation.

Since the Medical team I was assigned to wasn't there for part of my rotation, I learned how to work on my own. It was kind of awkward at first to have to find something important for myself to do on rotation and to engage in self-learning while I was left alone. I managed to keep myself entertained as well as educated while sitting at my cubicle listening to the radio and our family ipod. I got to refresh all the stuff I forgot from Cardiovascular Tx. LOL! Sitting in the cubicle alone got me to thinking about who I wanted to be, what I wanted to be. The medical team traveled almost every week for the 5 weeks that I was there. They were in Hawaii, Chicago, and now they're going to Barcelona for the EHA Congress. I thought to myself, maybe this is who I want to be. Maybe this is a place where I might want to be.. traveling the world and seeing everything that I couldn't see by staying in New Jersey. Plus, they were so influential. The content they developed and the slides the created were the starting points for development of products. Think of it this way -- they help shape how doctors feel about prescribing medications. They start the conversations between the doctors who help develop the brand. They write the content which trains healthcare professionals about the medication. It's as if they had a hand in shaping the face of healthcare, especially since the team I was on was developing content for probably one of the biggest blockbuster medications ever to hit this past decade. It got me inspired. I felt like I had so many more doors open for me and so many more options to choose from. I feel like, this could be the career that would make the most of my six-year education. It's crazy that I found this niche after only 2 rotations. And after giving 2 inservices about disease states I feel like clinicals might not be so bad since I got to work on my public speaking. :crosses fingers:

In closing, I just want to thank everyone at BGB for their kindness and willingness to teach me and for everything that I have learned. I really miss going to TriBeCa everyday and being part of something this great. I learned so much and the experiences and knowledge I've gained are things that I will take with me throughout my career and remember for the rest of my life. I don't know if my other rotations will match my experiences from New York, but I am so lucky that I have had the opportunity to be there.

I guess not being in California was probably the best thing that could have happened to me.