A Testimonial from a Participant in Clinical Pharmacy Training at the University of Southern California

I participated in clinical pharmacy training at the University of Southern California for two weeks, from July 24 through August 4. The University of Southern California is a private university located in Los Angeles, California. There were a total of 43 overseas participants from Japan, South Korea, and China for this clinical pharmacy training, and the program included drug administration guidance, as well as lectures on SOAP notes, depression, and anxiety disorder. The students were expected to be active participants in every lecture, which was a major difference from what I was used to in Japan. In group discussions, we talked about therapeutic medicines that would be effective for different cases. Having students from different countries share their opinions and points of view not only provided a deeper understanding of diseases, but also helped us learn about the differences in medical care from country to country.
For the pharmacy tours, we visited Keck Medical Center Plaza Pharmacy, the Norris Cancer Center, and El Monte Pharmacy, and learned about their unique characteristics. I noticed a lot of things that are different from how pharmacies work in Japan, such as how pharmacists have the right to write prescriptions within a range determined in agreement with doctors, how there is a type of assistant called a “technician” who helps with preparation and dispensing work, and how prescription preparation is becoming mechanized. I also saw uniquely American efforts that the pharmacies had made, such as how they can help customers in five different languages, and how they offer home delivery for patients who live far away.
By making active efforts to communicate with the other students from different countries who were also participating in the training, I was able to learn about the cultures, pharmaceutical education, and student lifestyles of South Korea and China. Seeing students from other countries actively expressing themselves as a part of their studies during the pharmacy training program was a shock, and I felt that I should follow their example. It was an incredibly valuable experience to be able to see American medical care in practice for myself, and to be able to interact with pharmacy students from other countries.