Meet Meredith Reeder (’23) from Maryville, Tennessee, who experienced a rotation at ETSU Health Internal Medicine and ETSU Center of Excellence for HIV/AIDs in Johnson City with Dr. Sarah Melton, Preceptor and Professor/Vice Chair of Pharmacy Practice.
What did your day look like on rotation?
A typical day on a psychiatry rotation with Dr. Melton involves looking up new and existing patients before their appointment in the internal medicine clinic or the infectious disease clinic. Once the patient arrives, the pharmacy team conducts an interview that involves a medication reconciliation, medication assessment, monitoring, and therapeutic adjustments if needed. We get to work with other healthcare providers including primary care providers, psychologists, and psychiatrists to best manage patients’ mental health needs along with diagnosis and cognitive behavioral therapy.
What is something unique about this rotation you might not experience elsewhere?
There are not many opportunities to shadow a psychiatric pharmacist like Dr. Melton very often which makes this a unique rotation. This rotation allowed me to participate and become very involved in the management of mental health. It was very unique working in two different clinics throughout the week and having the opportunity to work with various types of patient populations.
What did you learn from this experience?
On this rotation, I learned that every patient has their own unique mental health management needs. Each patient gets an individualized therapeutic regimen which is based on the patient encounters. I was also able to learn that listening to each patient about which medications are working is a vital part of managing psychiatric medications. Being able to listen and assist patients in managing their mental health has been a very rewarding experience!
Why did you choose Gatton?
I chose to attend Gatton because I am local to the East Tennessee area and I wanted to stay close to home. I really enjoy the opportunity that Gatton offers to serve in a more rural, underserved area with lots of opportunities for growth in the field of pharmacy.