Meeting with Dr. Maddie Wiarek on her Ambulatory Care Residency and Undergraduate Experience (11/25)

Dr. Maddie Wiarek on her experiences in pharmacy (Madison.Wiarek@va.gov)

• Undergrad completed at UW-Madison

• Exposed to pharmacy with the FIG and Pre-Pharmacy Club

• Graduated from pharmacy school last year

• Pursued a pharmacy residency

  • Gaining more experience in managing chronic disease states and performing long-term patient care

• Ambulatory care (outpatient) focus

• Chosen for the ability to make longitudinal connections with patients

• Rotate through different clinics, 6 different blocks in residency to explore different areas

• Why choose a residency?

  • More experience and support from pharmacists with more knowledge

  • 1st and 2nd year residencies for specialized practices

• Why did Maddie choose ambulatory care?

  • Enjoys patient interaction

  • Pathways course that discussed different opportunities for pharmacists in pharmacy school at UW-Madison helps picks a field you may be interested in

  • Clubs within pharmacy school that can connect you to specific areas in pharmacy

• Patient/provider interaction

  • COVID made more interactions through phone calls or Telehealth

  • New patients seen about every 30 minutes

  • Less provider interaction, since some disease states can be managed by the pharmacists themselves

• Research:

  • Opioid monitoring

• Hours and tasks as a resident

  • 8-4:30 are the main clinic hours

  • Still a learner as a resident

  • Can see the patient independently and come up with a plan, and then discuss with the pharmacist about a solidified plan

  • Pharmacist reviews and signs off on what was discussed

• Maddie’s ideas of pharmacy

  • Pharmacists are respected on the healthcare team

  • Medication experts

  • Clinical work, chart reviews

  • Catching errors in prescriptions

• How can pharmacy impact public health issues

  • Clinical reminders given to patient

    • Flu shots in report

  • Try to implement preventative health measures in all visits

• Why UW-Madison’s School of Pharmacy

  • Has a tight-knit community with faculty willing to help you and get to know you

  • Small class sizes

  • Connected to health institutions which gives students great opportunities for clinical experiences