Brandon Utter is the second pharmacy student this summer to spend a one month clinical rotation in Pratt Regional Medical Center’s pharmacy as part of the Kansas University School of Pharmacy clinical training requirement.

Utter decided to pursue a career in pharmacy while serving his country as a National Guardsman, “I have been in the Kansas National Guard for six years and have been deployed once to Baghdad, Iraq. In Baghdad, I functioned as a field medic for the 1-127th FA unit as they performed their missions. I am currently in an ambulance company (1077th ASMD) in Olathe, Kansas, but I am in the process of taking a promotion and moving to a Medical Detachment in Lenexa.”

Pharmacy students are exposed to different types of learning environments during their schooling. Not only do they spend a lot of time in the classroom, but they also spend time learning in pharmacy settings such as hospitals, retail stores and privately owned pharmacies in rural and urban areas.

Utter is hoping his pharmacy rotations will provide him with more insight and direction, which will help him plan for the future, “I will finish with school in 2011, and right now, I am still undecided about where I want to begin my pharmacy career.”

“We are fortunate to have another outstanding pharmacy student from the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy,” PRMC pharmacy manager Doug Meyer said. “Brandon told me on his first day that he wanted to learn everything, and that is what we like to hear. He is a brilliant student and a pleasant young man. He has shown appreciation for the effort it takes to be a preceptor site.”

Throughout the month at PRMC, Utter will learn about the role of a hospital pharmacist. “I want to learn as much as I can about an environment I’m not accustomed to be a part of,” Utter said. “I hope to walk away having made new friends and professional acquaintances.”

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