Hi! I had my first co-op term from Jan-April and I don't think I did well. I got a "Good" from my preceptors on my performance evaluation, which I feel is quite below average. I know from feedback that I was slower and not at the same level as previous first co-op students they have had before. Partly what affected my work last co-op was mental health issues, but I also could have done more and I honestly think I was just incompetent. I made mistakes, felt disorganized, felt awkward/anxious communicating, had trouble fitting in... I just feel like I'm not cut-out for pharmacy.
I'm wondering if you know what the average performance evaluation is (do most students get at least "very good"?) and if you have suggestions for improving my performance in future co-ops? Or any tips for time management, organization, and motivation? Thank you!
Response 1:
Hi!
Thank you so much for reaching out to RxPRN. I can definitely relate to not feeling “cut-out” for pharmacy as I too feel that way (I literally think about it daily). I also just finished my first co-op and struggled in my own way. So you are most definitely not alone!!
Here is my two cents:
First of all, recognize that the majority of people are terrible at giving feedback. I’m not sure if someone directly told you that you weren’t at the same level as previous students or you overheard it, but it was inappropriate nonetheless. Every student is different. Some have previous pharmacy experience and others have none. Some can retain information from tests, others have to learn with context in a more hands-on way (I am like the latter). I don’t think it was fair to blatantly compare you to other students, especially in an environment where you are trying to learn. Also know that “good”, “very good”, “excellent” is completely subjective. I had a supervisor in my past who didn’t give out excellents because I was inherently a student with “a lot to learn”. At the end of the day, it’s one person’s opinion of your work and should be viewed as just that.
Additionally, having worked at a number of different workplaces and having some professional experience under my belt, I can fully say it takes me about 3-4 months to “find my groove” and feel comfortable within a workplace. It definitely takes some time to get to know people. Even then, there will always be people who you don’t jive with. Hopefully knowing that will allow you to realize that your feelings about not fitting in and feeling awkward communicating etc. are normal.
My biggest piece of advice to you would be to not focus on comparing yourself to other people. Pharmacy school is f***ing hard and everyone has challenges unique to them! For example, you may have found you struggled in co-op but do really well on tests. There’s someone in your class who did really well in co-op but doesn’t do so well on tests. At the end of the day, your grades, your co-op feedback, none of it matters (I’m telling you this from experience). The only thing that matters is that you are interested and passionate about the work you are doing and you care about helping people. THAT is what is going to make you a good pharmacist.
In terms of specific suggestions as to how to improve your performance in future co-ops, I feel like I am still working on that myself. I think what I will do in my next co-op is have an upfront conversation with my supervisor from the get-go about expectations, goals, interests, and a plan for how to get the most out of the experience. I also am going to push myself a bit more outside of my comfort zone next term. For example, I am not super confident in myself when I know someone is watching me counsel. However, I know I need the feedback in order to get better. Maybe you could try to push yourself outside of your comfort zone as well? At the very least, it shows you are trying to get better and care about perfecting your skills.
I’m not sure where you are doing your co-op, but one thing that helped me in hospital was creating a chart on word with frequent drugs I encountered (mainly side effects and counselling points). So when I encountered it again and again, I didn’t have to go into Lexi to look it up. Eventually, I knew most of the chart by heart. That’s just something that helped me that you could try?
Lastly, on a more personal level, when I don’t feel smart enough to be in pharmacy school I use the 5 by 5 rule: If it’s not going to matter in 5 years, don’t spend 5 minutes being upset about it. And more recently, I learned about this quote that Obama used to have on a plaque in his office: “hard things are hard.” ← currently living by this!
Response 2:
Thank you so much for reaching out to RxPRN! As someone who is currently in their third co-op term, I’ve had my fair share of “I don’t think I’m cut out for pharmacy” moments, trust me! I didn’t start pharmacy school with very much pharmacy work experience in comparison to my peers. That coupled with having to learn everything from scratch and making mistakes while on co-op contributed a lot to my feelings of inadequacy. Your feelings are 100% valid and you’d be surprised that most (if not all) pharmacy students have experienced similar self-doubt. I’d like to share some thoughts that I picked up over my past 3 years in pharmacy school.
First and most importantly, let’s talk about mistakes. I used to beat myself up over every little mistake I made on co-op. I was so hard on myself and constantly thought that I should know better even though a lot of the skills were very new to me. I think being a perfectionist is a very common trait among pharmacy students. But, let me tell you this: the only time you won’t make mistakes is if you don’t do anything at all. I think I’d be correct to assume that you were working hard on co-op, so it’s completely reasonable that you made some mistakes! Everyone does because we’re all human and it DOESN’T mean that you’ll be a terrible pharmacist. It’s what you do about those mistakes that matters. Use these as learning opportunities and find ways to improve so that you won’t replicate them again. If you need additional support from your preceptor, speak up! Their job is to help you succeed.
Next, the co-op ratings are very subjective. Again, this doesn’t represent how good of a pharmacist you’ll be. It can be disheartening to hear that you’re progressing slower than previous students (I’ve gotten this comment on my first work term too), but try not to take it personally! If your preceptor offered other more meaningful feedback, take note and try to improve based on that. What helped me during co-op was to set very small goals for myself and make an action plan to reach these goals. For example, “I want to appear more confident when counselling”. An action plan could be to write a short script that includes your introduction to a patient with general important counselling points, and practising at home. Another tip that helped me was to make checklists. I can be pretty forgetful, especially in a fast-paced workplace, so I find that writing reminders down on sticky notes and checking them off when I’m done is not only cathartic, but a great way to stay organised.
Finally, different people are cut out for different jobs. I can say that from experience, I was terrible and constantly felt stupid in a certain setting because it just didn’t bring out my strengths and I didn’t particularly enjoy the tasks either. On the other hand, a different setting made me feel competent and I woke up everyday NOT dreading having to go to work! We’re lucky that we have co-op to figure out which environments we thrive in and which we don’t. Maybe the job you had during your first work term wasn’t the right fit for you, and that’s okay! Co-ops can be a hit or miss. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with you and you have two more co-op terms to try other things.
I’ll conclude with a few takeaways. First, please be patient and kind to yourself. You’re on co-op to learn and it’s normal to make mistakes, just learn from them! If they wanted you to perform at an insanely outstanding level, they’d hire a pharmacist and not a pharmacy student. Next, try to keep a positive internal dialogue. When I find that I’m saying mean things to myself, I’ll take a moment to think – is this what I’d say to my best friend? If they made the same mistake I made, would I be telling them “Wow, you’re such an idiot! How could you do this? Maybe you shouldn’t be a pharmacist!”? NO! So why should you be beating yourself up like this? Instead, “I’ve made a mistake here. What can I do to fix it now? What can I do to make sure it doesn’t happen again?” is much better. And finally, stop comparing yourself to other people. Easier said than done, I know, but focus on where you were a few months ago versus now. Instead of focusing on your faults, focus on the things you improved! You’d be surprised at just how far you’ve come. Listen to feedback, create goals, and remember that you’re here because the School/your employer saw something promising in you. Best of luck!
Response 3:
Hello! We appreciate you reaching out! I’ve also had my fair share of moments where I didn’t feel cut out for pharmacy. I can tell you that first co-ops are very nerve-wracking since you have an expectation for yourself. I had this pressure on me to do really well, but I had to remember that I only did three terms of school, barely touching upon everything that I needed to really excel in the real world. I remember during my evaluation for my first co-op, my preceptor told me that she doesn’t give the students high scores because this is their first co-op and they rarely excel in all the aspects co-op covers. So no matter how hard I tried, I wouldn’t get the highest scores. Each preceptor has their own way of thinking about their student’s progress, so it’s not fair to compare yourself to other students in the class. I wouldn’t spend too much time thinking about the score itself. It’s not going to affect your progress in school or stop you from experiencing great things from future co-ops.
In terms of staying organised, I find it really helpful to keep a list of my daily activities and set it each morning or the night before. It helps to know what’s coming. If you are experiencing disorganisation in the workplace, keeping lists of what people ask you to do, and ongoing projects is helpful. But if that doesn’t work, then don’t hesitate to ask your boss about deadlines and expectations. Some preceptors will never say it, but they know they are overloading their students and just expect them to keep up. But they won’t know your situation until you speak up. Communication is definitely key.
For future co-ops, if you run into any problems, your SEAC rep and the co-op team (Anthony and Sarah) have really been awesome at mitigating issues students have. They don’t always expect the co-ops to be easy, but they still want their students to enjoy the challenges, grow and learn. Everyone wants to see you succeed, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to anyone when you need to.
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