Ashley Johnson is awed by the power of pharmaceuticals to change people’s lives.
A fifth-year pharmacy student at Ohio Northern University, Ashley is gaining invaluable experience in a competitive internship at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus. Each shift brings new insights into how the right medications, paired with compassionate care, can make all the difference for young, vulnerable patients.
“My internship experience has not only confirmed my passion for pharmacy, but challenged me to grow professionally and personally in ways I never imagined,” she said.
As an inpatient pharmacy intern, her job responsibilities change each shift. One day she may be compounding IVs and oral suspensions and the next working behind a desk resolving problems and ensuring timely medication delivery.
During one recent ER shift, she counseled a family whose child had experienced new-onset seizures.
“I taught them how to properly use their child’s intranasal midazolam spray,” she said. “It was incredibly rewarding to help the family feel confident and comfortable in administering a potentially life-saving medication during a highly stressful time.”
This experience, along with shadowing a clinical pharmacist during her pediatric rounds, affirmed Ashley’s desire to work in direct patient care.
Her interest in the human side of medicine also inspired her to add a psychology major to her ONU degree.
“I’m deeply interested in how the brain functions and how psychology and pharmacy intersect, especially when it comes to patient care,” she explained.
Ashley’s Nationwide internship began last spring and continued part-time during the academic year. This summer, she’s interning full-time at the renowned pediatric hospital.
“No two days are the same, which is one of the most enriching parts of this internship,” she said. “I am constantly learning something new and applying classroom knowledge to real-world patient care.”
