Peter Paul L. Recabo

2B-PH

Community Pharmacy Internship Reflection Paper

My Internship experience was a hard and rocky journey. I did not get accepted from Mercury Drug so I was so perplexed at that time. I had no idea what to do so I told my Mom that I might skip my internship this summer and I’ll just go home to the province and spend my whole summer with the family. I got depressed and then I later I already accepted that I will miss it. She was a bit mad at me but later bought a plane ticket for me maybe because the family badly wanted me there. I had a great summer with my family and friends but at the second week of July I got a message from the president of the class that I can still accomplish my 200 hours internship at The Generics Pharmacy. At first, I did not know what to do but there was always something inside of me that kept saying “Go for it! It is your last chance at complying this”. On the next sunrise I decided that I have to try and do my best at this oppurtunity. So, the day after I rushed back to Manila and went straight to the Generics Pharmacy main office at Paranaque. They accomodated me well and the application process was so smooth it only took me 30 minutes to get accepted.

The next day, I went to my internship site and I was a bit afraid that the people there might be scary and might not welcome me to the drugstore. But at first glance, for a split second, I had eye contact with the people working there and they met me with welcoming smiles. It was an ecstatic feeling for me. To finally feel that I was welcomed and to be treated as one of their own was like a dream to me. I finally felt like home and all my worries went to the abyss.

But it was not all fun and games at The Generics Pharmacy Dimasalang branch. My first trial was how to entertain senior citizens and calculate their discounted purchases. My first trial is probably the most difficult one. Each senior citizen is unique and has each of their own weaknesses. They are like those rare pokemons you can find on your GameBoy because you have to discover their weakness and strengths first before encountering them. I often would pass the conversation to the Pharmacist-in-charge when the situation gets hot. Later on, I learned on how to speak with some seniors but there are always grumpy ones.The Second Trial was familiarizing the drugs there. Since Im doing my internship at The Generics Pharmacy, I felt the need to familiarize the generic counterparts of the common branded drugs. It was hard at first but bit by bit I learned. I learned some points/basics of operating and managing a drugstore especially a drugstore that technically sells generic drugs.

Overall, my Internship experience will always leave a mark on my brain and heart. I had heartbreaks, depression and sleepless nights but later came all the blessings. It felt like home in The Generics Pharmacy Dimasalang branch. It was a great experience and it almost felt like it was necessary in my life. They gave me a home and taught me different things on the profession. I don’t believe that “forever” exists but I will swear by my life that the treatment they gave to me, the unconditional care and the astounding knowledge they shared to me will never be forgotten.