THANK YOU THAILAND

Thank you Thailand for all the unforgettable memories! I will miss your cheap and delicious green curry and mango sticky rice, all the amazing and busy markets, and will forever cherish the friendships I've made. I will definitely come back to visit again! I really enjoyed being able to explore Thailand, while at the same time, learning about the similarities and differences between Thai and US pharmacies and making those connections with other pharmacy students. I loved learning about Thai traditional medicines and how controlled and regulated it was compared to herbal supplements in the US. I loved trying so many new things and seeing all the sights of Thailand and am forever grateful to have visited. Please come to Arizona, we will definitely show you all around! Miss you all and keep in touch!

Kop Khun Ka Thailand

Hello Everyone!

Being back, everyone has asked me how Thailand was, so I want to share my thoughts about the trip with everyone. I miss Thailand and the people a lot and my experience was simply amazing. Not only did we get to see all the beautiful temples, experience the many street markets, and eat the spiciest foods, our group got to learn and experience how the Thai health care system is. I think one of my favorite parts about this trip was being able to meet and hangout with the Thai pharmacy students and pharmacists. It was such an experience to be able to speak with them and learn about their curriculum. It was nice because not only were we learning, we also had the chance to tell them what our health care and pharmacies were like. Some of the differences were that in Thailand, everyone has universal health care so their medications and hospital visits were covered, which I think is amazing. However, something their pharmacies are striving for is to implement a refill system, which I was very surprised to find out that they didn't already have this. One of the major differences, is that most of their records of patients were written on paper where as, our information is all stored online. Even though we have these differences in our healthcare, I can say that all of us student pharmacists have the same passion for learning about medicine and helping our patients. I can't wait to go back and hangout with my new friends again and I hope they get an opportunity to visit us in Tucson, so we can show them around this time. Kun Suay Mak Thailand, until next time!

Much love,
Joanna Deng

Photos

You can see all 929 photos from our trip at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10155294126614473.1073741867.635549472&type=1&l=957b5a802b

Mike

Post-Thailand Trip

After being back in the US for a few days now, I thought I would’ve already adjusted to my norm and be able to focus on school that’s starting this coming week—it’s quite the opposite. As much as I love being back home with good Mexican food, I find myself thinking about the Thai students and all the pharmacists/faculty on top of all the fun moments I had with my classmates. I honestly can’t wait to go back and visit again so I can be reunited with my new friends. Our time with them was very brief, but the people of Thailand are so humble and sincere that it’s really not that difficult in building a relationship and bonding with them. I’m already beginning to crave the food as well! It’s definitely not going to be easy eating Pad Thai and Thai tea in America and comparing the flavors to the authentic ones. Overall, I had such a memorable experience and I’m very grateful for everyone who was a part of trip. I was able to learn so much about the pharmacy profession that Thailand had to offer. I hope to be as hard-working and impacting of a pharmacist for the future of healthcare as those that I got to shadow. Thank you, Thailand! 

-Yvonne 

Home Sweet Home

Hello all.

After an eventful 24+ hours spent on airplanes and in airports, we have been home for a few days now and I can officially say that I have recovered from all of the travel and jet lag. I am extremely grateful that I was a part of this trip to Thailand. It is an experience that I will never forget. Going in to it I was really excited to experience another culture and learn about their health care system. I can say that I pretty much got the full experience. Thailand is a beautiful country filled with beautiful architecture, scenery, people and delicious food!
I really enjoyed all of the sight seeing. I'm sure that most people could agree that we would've gotten so lost if it weren't for Supranee's aunt who was our tour guide. She worked so hard to put everything together and bring us to all of the sights and the necessary food stops. I don't think I've eaten as much food in my life as i did on this trip! It was all so good. I was even brave enough to try durian :O Once you get past the smell, it isn't so bad.
I really enjoyed the pharmacy related days. It was interesting to see how they practice both traditional/herbal and western medicine. When receiving care, patients can have their preference. It was also interesting to see how a universal health care system works and it's benefits as well as its disadvantages. Most of the population has access to universal health care so they can receive free medical help and prescriptions as long as they visit their assigned providers and hospitals. This is great for those who cannot afford healthcare otherwise. But it results in long waits at the hospital and therefore a possible loss in a day's wages. When we visited one of the hospitals, we were able to see this first hand. The hallways and waiting areas were filled with people sitting shoulder to shoulder. Even though we were warned beforehand,  it was almost shocking to see so many people because its not something we would see back home in the United States. To avoid this, some patients will go directly to the pharmacist and offer to pay for their medications so they don't have to wait all day.
It's interesting to know that the pharmacists in Thailand have the ability to prescribe certain medications (as long as they aren't controlled). I think that this practice could be beneficial in the US for certain circumstances (especially for maintenance medications!). But it was so odd to realize that the pharmacies in Thailand do not require a pharmacist to be present at all times! So different than the US!!
There is so much more I feel like I can share. I am truly grateful for the experience and all of the friendships I was able to build and strengthen. 
Thailand will forever be in  my heart

Kendall

After Trip Impressions

Good evening,

Now that I have returned from Thailand, I have had time to reflect on my experience. Without a doubt, I would highly recommend traveling/studying abroad. As a pharmacy student, it was an amazing experience to meet pharmacy students and pharmacists in Thailand. We both got to learn from each other, and we all learned a lot about how pharmacy is in a different nation. I have a good understanding of how pharmacy works in Thailand, and have learned how important pharmacists are to having a healthy community. The Thai pharmacy students and pharmacists were some of the nicest people I have ever met in my life. It was an honor to work with them and learn from them. The last work day of the trip I got to visit Vajira hospital. The pharmacists gave us a presentation on what they do at the hospital and gave us a tour.  After reflecting on how well we were treated, I know that when I become a pharmacist and international students/pharmacists come to see how pharmacy is in the USA, I will be sure and give as much time and information as the Thai people did. Thanks for reading!

Best,
Michael Abrahamson

Thailand Hospitals & A Visit to the Zoo

One of my favorite days of the trip was when we went to Vajira Hospital. We were able to learn about how the hospital is run as well as learn more about what healthcare is like in Thailand. We went around 8:30 am and the hospital was already very busy. There were even some patients on beds in the hallway waiting to be seen. The long wait time in hospitals is a main downside to the free healthcare offered; however, the staff was very nice and worked hard to accommodate the patients. We were also able to tour the hospital and see each unit, including the inpatient and outpatient pharmacies as well as where compounded medications and chemotherapy medications are made. After the hospital, we had some extra time to go visit a nearby zoo. It was similar to an American zoo but there were different animals to see, such as barking deer, sun bears, and water monitors. It was a fun way to end the afternoon and see more of the sights Thailand has to offer!

Thailand - Ramathibodi Hospital Visit

Hello! It's unbelievable that we have been in Thailand for one week! We have enjoyed and appreciate what we have been able to accomplish and see in this time. Most recently, we were given the opportunity to learn about pharmacy and medicinal practices here in Thailand at Ramathibodi Hospital, one of the hospitals with the most developed clinical pharmacy practice. We were welcomed so graciously. We toured the facility and were able to see the many different settings in which their pharmacists practice and teach their students who are interning or on rotation. We were able to learn so much about pharmacy practice in Thailand and also see the differences and similarities with what we have experienced back home in the U.S.

 Our time spent in Thailand is something that will never be forgotten. The amazing students, faculty, and pharmacists we have had the pleasure of meeting and interacting with have shown kindness, humility, and sincerity when serving their patients and hosting our group that will forever have an impact on us as future pharmacists and as individuals.

 Sincerely from Bangkok,

 David Perez, Alejandra Arredondo, and Mariam El-Zein

Every day on this trip is an eventful day, but today seemed even more packed and restless from all the emotions. This morning, we visited two patients and experienced the Home Health Care with the community pharmacist from Wat Pai Tan. It was an eye-opening opportunity and us students left the patient homes feeling heart-throbbed and teary-eyed. The pharmacist was amazing and his passion to help others was clearly evident. He took a holistic approach in caring for his patients and you could just see the patients' attitudes and expressions change for the better after the visit. One even greeted us goodbye in tears while the other wanted to take a picture with us students for good luck. 

That rewarding feeling that people go into the health field seeking was definitely exposed to a whole other level today. I would love for community pharmacists in America to be able to do this as part of their regular duties. It was a lot more effective in keeping up with the patients' disease conditions and accurate in seeing their medications, supplements, meals, and living conditions. It also provided them with an unimaginable amount of support. Afterwards, we visited Osot Sala and got to see one of the biggest community pharmacies. Here, I learned more about the differences in regulations of a pharmacy between our two countries. 

After our site visits, the two Mahidol University students--Pink and Cream-- who guided us for the past two days, hung out with us some more and took us to lunch and a delicious dessert cafe. My group and I had so much fun with them and really had a hard time saying goodbye as it was most likely our last day together. Overall, it was a great day and it's moments like these that make my time here in Thailand all the more memorable.

-Yvonne

All hail the king!

Today, we conducted a home health care visit with patients. We did things like blood pressure screenings, medication reconciliations, and lifestyle assessments. Later in the day we went to the community pharmacy and learned about their smoking cessation programs and the different laws governing Thai pharmacy. We found it interesting that there are minimal regulations on what can be sold without a prescription.

At lunch, we had interesting conversation with the preceptor we were shadowing about the king - King Rama IX. We noticed that around Bangkok there are entire shrines devoted to the king who passed away in October of 2016. In the homes that we visited, there always was a photo of the king and his wife posted on the walls and some people even wore his photo on necklaces. We visited the Grand Palace a few days ago, and there were thousands of people lined up pay their respects - some waiting up to three hours. Thai traditions state that the kings body will be preserved for one year allowing people to mourn. This coming October, his body will be cremated over a 5 day period where people can celebrate his life. He was the worlds longest serving head of state reigning 70 years. His father studied at Harvard, making King Rama IX the only monarch to be born in the United States. Apparently, he was not expecting to become a king and pursued the life of a monk. His brother who was king for a moment, died of a gun shot wound and his dying wish was for his brother to become the next king. From what we can tell, he was really loved by Thai people. 

We are looking forward to visiting the hospital tomorrow and learning more about Thai pharmacy and culture!

Love,
Bradley, Eliane, Joanna, Tiffany and Ian

Lunch from today

Hanging with the Thai students and pharmacists

Shrines of King Rama IX

Thai community pharmacy