How many people can say they are entering a healthcare profession during a global pandemic? Narrow that number down to those entering the workforce as a pharmacist, and I find myself in that relatively small cohort. For the class of 2021, this journey into the working world started with Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs) that began in Spring 2020; coincidentally, so did the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a student pharmacist who was excitedly approaching the end of her final didactic year, new questions emerged. Would my rotations be cancelled indefinitely? How would I get my intern hours to graduate? Would I be allowed to complete my rotations the same way I would in a non-COVID-19 world?

I was extremely fortunate that for the rest of 2020 I was able to complete my APPE rotations in person, of course following COVID-19 protocols. My Association Management rotation with the Texas Pharmacy Association came near the end of 2020, and I couldn’t have been happier to attend that rotation in person. Living in College Station and moving to Austin for six weeks made me timid given the recent history of lockdowns in the state, but my anxieties were lessened when I saw that everyone went through great lengths to follow social distancing and mask garbing.

My six-week rotation was exciting, as I found myself living through important moments in history including vaccine allocation meetings for COVID-19 and preparations for legislative issues important in pharmacy during the 87th Texas Legislature that began in January. I was immersed in many great projects with exceptional people. The pandemic may have upset the timing of many things, but I feel my rotation at TPA happened exactly at the right time.

TPA equipped me with the ability to use my voice in multiple ways, from advocating to informing others and lending support for pharmacy. I learned that valuable information is in the details, so active listening will take you far. Most importantly, I understood that working together on a team will move initiatives and ideas forward.

I completed my APPE rotation in an unprecedented time, but it highlighted what it means to be pharmacist, regardless of the current landscape. Be flexible, be ready to help, and above all advance the practice of pharmacy.

Leal completed a six-week rotation with the Texas Pharmacy Association during November and December of 2020.