Our Students

Site Ambassador Experience

“This experience for me was unforgettable. I felt a sneak peek of the responsibility for the future pharmacist I will be one day.” Abby Allenbaugh – P2 Pharmacy Student, Former Site Ambassador

Interview with Abby Allenbaugh:

What made you decide to be a site ambassador? “Communication skills and responsibility were what drove me to be a site ambassador. Pharmacists have so many responsibilities to take care of every day. In community pharmacies, they also take charge of small groups. Why not learn small group communication now and take on that responsibility?

What does a site ambassador do? “Site ambassadors are the main organizers of the group. They keep the paperwork, keep contact with their groups and site coordinators, and organize travel for the day. It felt like I was already a pharmacist due to the responsibilities I had along with conducting medication reviews with the patients.”

Why is having site ambassadors important?“Having site ambassadors helps the workflow be more efficient. In the pharmacy, it is important to have a steady workflow and maintain it.”

Would you do it again?“Absolutely! That was a significant contribution of what led me to want to do community pharmacy as my career after I graduate.”

Language Ambassador Experience

“If my second language is a talented gift, I wish to take this gift to build a bridge between the patients and the medical care they deserve.” Susan Zhang, P2 Pharmacy Student, Former Language Ambassador

Interview with Susan Zhang:

What made you decide to be a language ambassador? “As a Mandarin native speaker, I am confident in providing Mandarin language service at my Silver Scripts site. When I first came to the U.S. 8 years ago, it was tough for me and my family to seek medical service in a second language which I was not good at. I wish to help elderly patients with language barriers using my ability and skills and provide them a better patient care experience.”

What were your responsibilities? “My responsibilities include but are not limited to introducing the group and the program in Mandarin for the patients who do not understand English, providing blood pressure and medical list review services in full Mandarin, and translating between my group mates and patients with language barriers.”

What was your experience like? “It was an enjoyable experience overall. I will not call it “easy,” because every time I visited there, I was working all the time, as my site in Greenfield has a large patient population that needs language assistance. In the process, I could feel the impact I was making as a language ambassador, and the patients were grateful to have language ambassadors like us on site.”

Would you do it again? “Yes, I would do it again. I felt needed at the site because there were many patients that I helped with Mandarin. By working with them, I understood that the service I provide made a significant impact on them and language ambassadors fill in the medical service gap brought by their language barriers.”

Do you have any advice for future language ambassadors? “Please understand that the patients with language barriers are happy and excited to have you on-site. The impact you can make is going to be much bigger than you can imagine. Do not be nervous, use the patient care skills you have learned along the way, you can do this.”

Documentation Expectations for Student Pharmacists

For each Silver Scripts visit, student pharmacists are expected to complete each of the following for one patient they worked with on site: