Are You Interested in a Pharmacy Co-Op Placement

Are you Interested in a University of Waterloo Pharmacy Co-Op Placement?

UW pharmacy co-op students play an integral role in the success of our program. Former students have worked on research and quality improvement projects, supported our best possible medication history (BPMH) process, or created knowledge translation materials. During this rotation, the student will work with our team of medical specialists (geriatrician, clinical pharmacologists, geriatric psychiatrists), pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians. The student will be part of an interdisciplinary team that may include other pharmacy, medical, and psychiatry trainees.  

In addition to our consult work, Education and Capacity Building is a key priority at GeriMedRisk. We strive to provide our pharmacy trainees with meaningful learning opportunities, with a focus on pharmacotherapy considerations in older adults, dementia care, complex mental health, drug interactions, and polypharmacy/deprescribing.

Our Past Pharmacy Co-Op Students

Stephanie Lo, PharmD(c) | Class of 2024

PGY1 Ambulatory Pharmacy Resident at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre | University of Waterloo

Biography:

Hi, my name is Steph and I am a recent graduate (Rx2024) of the University of Waterloo PharmD Program and completed a co-op term with GMR.

Overall the GMR Experience:
I was excited to be selected as a GeriMedRisk for my very first co-op placement after they presented about the service during one of our lectures. In the height of the pandemic, the team was very welcoming to learners even in the virtual setting.

In the role, students work with multiple geriatric pharmacists, so you learn from each patient workup, assessment and documentation style. The GMR team is intentional with including didactic and patient case leaning opportunities throughout the work term.

Key Experience:
The co-op students provided BPMH support for two FHTs in the K/W region (New Vision Family Health Team, St. Mary's Medically Complex Clinic) to streamline patient intake. This was a very rewarding experience as both had long wait lists and with our help increased the number of patients seen!

Impact on placements/professional experiences:

Positive learning experiences in outpatient and community consultative services (like GeriMedRisk!) encouraged and prepared me to pursue for a residency at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center. I am finding my previous learning especially helpful as I am currently on Geriatric/Palliative Care Rotation.

I strongly believe learning about geriatric care is helpful anytime in pharmacy learning as older adults are complicated with multimorbidity and polypharmacy, they require breadth in their assessment. The line of thinking you develop is highly applicable to many clinical disciplines.

Leona Spasik, PharmD

Clinical Pharmacist in Geriatrics, Complex Dementia Care, and Psychiatry

Biography:
Leona completed her third pharmacy co-op placement at Gerimedrisk in the summer of 2022. She graduated from the University of Waterloo in 2023 and went on to complete an ambulatory pharmacy residency at Sunnybrook. She now works as a clinical pharmacist in geriatrics, complex dementia care, and psychiatry.

Testimonial:
My experience as a co-op student at Gerimedrisk shaped my interests as a pharmacist and prepared me for working in a teaching hospital. This co-op placement provides a unique mix of clinical learning as well as skills such as critical appraisal and project work. I had the opportunity to work on complex older adult patients and learn how to complete a comprehensive medication history and assessment. The team at gerimedrisk was extremely supportive and took time to have discussions and learning sessions with the co-op students. I also had the opportunity to work on developing a drug monograph and presenting a journal club. Overall, this experience prepared me for residency by dipping my toes into interpreting and applying literature into my recommendations, doing an in-depth work-up, answering drug information questions, and working with an interprofessional team. I now work in a clinical area that very closely aligns with my experience at gerimedrisk, where I developed an interest and passion for working in geriatrics. The team at gerimedrisk was truly a pleasure to work with and I have continued to keep in touch with them well beyond my co-op placement.

Julia Teves, PharmD

Clinical Pharmacist at Grand River Hospital

Biography:

Julia Teves (she/her) is a clinical pharmacist at Grand River Hospital in Kitchener. Previously she was a pharmacist intern and co-op student with GeriMedRisk. She obtained her BScH from Queen’s University and her PharmD from the University of Waterloo.

Testimonial:
I truly had the most wonderful learning experience with the GeriMedRisk Team. As a co-op student I was able to take part in a diverse offering of clinical and educational opportunities. This included a focused research project, clinical presentations and learning, as well as direct patient care. To this day I rely on the research and presentation skills I refined on this co-op. I was also fortunate to present my GeriMedRisk research project at the Canadian Conference on Dementia. GeriMedRisk was also instrumental in my understanding of polypharmacy and geriatric pharmacotherapy, topics I encounter every day in my current practice. I cannot recommend this learning opportunity enough and I feel privileged to have spent time learning with this passionate and outstanding team.