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Pharmacy Major

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Pharmacy Major

Joining college is one of the most significant moments in a person’s life. People choose to go to college for many different reasons. Months before joining college, students with the support of others such as their family spend some time thinking about which majors they would like to pursue. Some of the factors that drive students to choose their majors include a passion for the subject, earning potential, past experiences, pressure from family among many others. Students have a wide variety of areas to choose from, depending on their preferences. These areas include physical and biological sciences, humanities, arts, engineering and others. With all these courses available, students are bound to feel confused as to what they should do. I would recommend pursuing a major in pharmacy because it has excellent earning potential, a wide range of career opportunities and it brings satisfaction in working with patients and helping them get better.

A bachelor’s degree in pharmacy takes four academic years or three calendar years. Students with a background in health studies can apply for the degree which is offered in many colleges. TSU is one of the best colleges in the country because it has state of the art facilities so that students can carry out the necessary experiments and other requirements for their major. After earning a bachelor’s degree, a pharmacist can then go on to the doctor of pharmacy degree. The course work for an undergraduate degree is quite intense; therefore, students must be committed to putting their best efforts into study. Before getting into the major, students must also look carefully at their areas of strengths and weaknesses. The course leans heavily towards subject areas such as biology and chemistry, and students must perform well to get admission into the course. To do this, students must prepare adequately in advance before making their application. Students must also consider their area of passion to help them decide whether to take up pharmacy as their college major.

The first reason why I would recommend a major in pharmacy is that it brings a deep sense of personal satisfaction and fulfilment. People who care deeply about others’ wellbeing and have the desire to help them will do the best in this field. Being a pharmacist means that one interacts directly with patients in the process of prescription and dispensation of medication. Sickness is a time of vulnerability for many and knowing that they can turn to you in their moment of trouble is a great feeling. Before making a prescription and dispensing it, pharmacists have to consider different factors such as the ability of the patient to adhere to medication. To enable them to do this, pharmacists have training in cultural competence so that they communicate with patients and analyze their ability to comply with medication requirements (DiPiro 6). Pharmacists have to take into account factors such as language barriers, illiteracy, lifestyle, diet, among others.

Pharmacists have a wide range of career opportunities to choose from. Most people think of pharmacists as working mainly in hospitals, but this is such a limited view. Pharmacists can perform a wide range of services for patients, meaning they are very flexible. Some examples of pharmacist services include administering vaccines, asthma care, diabetes management, cholesterol screening, anticoagulation management and others. For these reasons, pharmacists can work in different settings such as community, inpatient and ambulatory settings. In addition to this, pharmacists can also work in innovation and research. In the healthcare environment, pharmacists can be found in nursing homes, hospitals, colleges, managed care organizations and the federal government (Draugalis et al. 17). Roughly 45% of pharmacists in the United States work in retail chain and independent pharmacies, as well as giving counselling services for patients seeking over the counter medication. Pharmaceutical industries that make drugs also require the professional expertise of pharmacists.

Another reason why people should choose to pursue a career in pharmacy is they will earn a lot of money in their place of work. Pharmacists are an integral part of the healthcare team, and they are well compensated for the critical services they provide to the community. There is an ever-increasing demand for pharmacists in the country, meaning that they have to be offered attractive packages to take up a position. One of the reasons for the rise in demand is that pharmacists can now transition to a doctor in pharmacy degree after graduating, which expands the services that they can offer (American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy). With the higher levels of education and skill, pharmacists can take up positions in many more fields. The second reason for the increasing demand for pharmacists’ services is a rise in the number of prescriptions across the country. More people can now access medication for their illnesses, and research has allowed companies to make more effective medicines for different conditions. Statistics from the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, the country has seen a tremendous rise in the number of prescriptions, from 1.9 million in the year 1992 to 4.1 billion in 2015. The numbers are projected to be even higher in future, reaching 4.7 billion by 2021 (DiPiro 11). Because pharmacists are at the heart of prescriptions, they earn more money.

Despite the many advantages that a pharmacy career offers, there are several reasons that could be given against choosing a college major in the subject. The first reason is that college is generally an expensive undertaking, and some people may not be able to afford it. This is a valid argument, but millions of people have gone through college by working as they study. Students also have access to loans from the federal government to supplement their resources. The second argument against a pharmacy major is that the course work is quite challenging for many students, and some might end up dropping out due to the intensity of the workload. The best response to this argument is that nothing good comes easy. Sick people entrust their wellbeing to pharmacists who give them the right medication; thus they have to be rigorously trained. It only takes a small mistake for medication to cause adverse effects, and rigorous training ensures that pharmacists are well-versed in their area of expertise.

In conclusion, taking a major in pharmacy brings many advantages to a student. Some of these are job satisfaction, a sense of personal fulfilment, a wide range of career opportunities and high earning potential. People have a need to feel like they are doing relevant and meaningful works, and a career in pharmacy does just that. Pharmacists dispense medication to sick people so that they can get better, and nothing brings more satisfaction than knowing that only you can help in that situation. Arguments against taking up a major in pharmacy include expenses to be incurred, and the demanding nature of the course. However, these pale in comparison to the many advantages that students stand to benefit from after they graduate. High school students have to think long and hard before choosing their college major because a course like pharmacy requires a lot of dedication and commitment. After the rigorous training, pharmacy graduates will find that the whole process is worth it, especially if they are passionate about their work. A career in the field is among the best and most fulfilling ever.

Works Cited

“Top Ten Reasons to Become a Pharmacist” American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. Retrieved from www.aacp.org/resource/top-ten-reasons-become-pharmacistDiPiro, Joseph T. “Preparing our students for the many opportunities in pharmacy.” American journal of pharmaceutical education 75.9 (2011).

Draugalis, JoLaine R., et al. “A career in academic pharmacy: opportunities, challenges, and rewards.” American journal of pharmaceutical education 70.1 (2006): 17.

pH LAB

 Sorry about some of the funny formatting.  Most of it is extra symbols (I have no idea why they are there and they don’t go away)

 pH LAB

Red cabbage extract can indicate whether a substance is an acid (like vinegar) or a base (like ammonia). It can also show how strong an acid or a base a substance is. Chemists use the pH scale to express how acidic (like an acid) or basic (like a base) a substance is. A pH value below 7 means that a substance is acidic, and the smaller the number, the more acidic it is. A pH value above 7 means that a substance is basic, and the larger the number, the more basic it is. Red cabbage extract has different colors at different pH values. Acids are materials that have certain properties in common. Bases (also called alkalis) are other substances with a different set of properties. In these experiments, you will investigate some of these properties with materials that are found around your home. In addition, you will learn how chemists use the pH scale to describe acids and bases. Materials ListpH paperred cabbage ammonia vinegar Lemon juiceBaking sodaCans of veggies or fruits (look for fewest ingredients added)straws water beaker/colorless glasses/glass measuring cups teaspoontablespoonstirring rod strainer

 

PART 1:� Make the indicatorBoil the red cabbage in a beaker or pan of water until the color has been well extracted. More specifically, To make red cabbage indicator first cut the cabbage into quarters and grate into pot. Cover the cabbage with enough water and boil for approximately 5 minutes. Strain the indicator into three equal portions.Alternative method:� Place about 500 milliliters (2 cups) of red cabbage cut into 2.5-centimeter (1-inch) cubes into a blender or food processor. Add about 250 milliliters (1 cup) of water and blend the mixture until the cabbage has been chopped into uniformly tiny pieces. Strain the mixture by pouring it through a sieve.� Divide into three equal portions.

 

PART 2:� Test the indicatorSince red cabbage extract is an acid-base indicator, it should change color as pH conditions change.� To one portion of the indicator perform the following:1.      �Add a few drops of dilute ammonia. Indicator should turn green. 2.�� Using a straw, blow into the indicator solution until the green color turns blue. 3.�� Add a few drops of dilute vinegar….solution should turn pink.

 

PART 3:� Set up references (standards)The second portion of the red-cabbage extract will be used for exploring acids and bases. Examine the label of a bottle of white vinegar. The label probably says that it contains acetic acid. This indicates that vinegar is an acid and has properties of an acid. Let’s see what effect an acid has on the color of the red cabbage extract. Pour 125 milliliters (� cup) of vinegar into a labeled colorless drinking glass. Add 5 milliliters (1 teaspoon) of red cabbage extract, stir the mixture, and note its color. What is the color of the mixture? (Write your answer below.) Red

Red

The color of the cabbage extract with vinegar is the color the extract has when it is mixed with an acid. Save the mixture in this glass to use as a reference in part 4. Now examine the effect of laundry ammonia on the color of red cabbage. Pour 125 milliliters (� cup) of laundry ammonia into another labeled colorless drinking glass. Add 5 milliliters (1 teaspoon) of red cabbage extract and stir the mixture. Write the color of this below. Yellow

Yellow

Laundry ammonia is a base (alkali). The color of this mixture is the color of cabbage extract when it is mixed with a base. The color of cabbage extract indicates whether something mixed with it is an acid or a base. Cabbage extract can be called an acid-base indicator. Save the mixture in this second glass to use as a reference in part 4. Now test the properties of a solid, baking soda. Place 5 cubic centimeters (1 teaspoon) of baking soda in a labeled glass and add 125 milliliters (� cup) of water. Stir the mixture until the baking soda has dissolved. Then, add 5 milliliters (1 teaspoon) of red cabbage extract to the solution. Write the color of the mixture below. Green

Green

The color obtained with baking soda is different from the color obtained with vinegar and from the color obtained with ammonia. �Save for use as a reference in part 4.These colors and approximate pH values are:

approximate pH: 2 4 6 8 10 12

color of extract: red purple violet blue blue-green green

Based on this information, what is the approximate pH of vinegar? 4 What is the approximate pH of ammonia? 2 What is the approximate pH of the baking soda mixture? 6

 

PART 4:� Determine pH of household itemsUse the instructions for testing vinegar and ammonia to test the pH of several other nearly colorless liquids, such as lemon-lime soft drink (Sprite or 7-Up) and lemon juice. Record your observations. Liquids that are white, such as milk, can be tested in the same way. You can also test solids that dissolve in water by following the instructions for baking soda. This will also work with viscous liquids such as liquid detergents. Test other substances around the house, such as sugar, table salt, shampoo, hair rinse, milk of magnesia, antacid tablets, and aspirin.

CAUTION: Some household products can cause skin irritations. Do not allow these to contact skin; rinse thoroughly with water if they do.

 

Part 5:� titrationLAB: Acidity of Food  INTRODUCTION: Commercial canning of food involves the sterilization and cooking of the food by pressure-cooking at a temperature of 250� F. The food is then sealed in cans. Today, people are also canning their own food at home. One major factor that determines the temperature needed to kill bacteria is the amount of acid present in the food because bacteria grow well in low-acid foods, such as green beans. This is a major problem for home canners, since a bacteria called botulinum is extremely harmful to humans. In fact, even a small amount as that in a single bean can kill an adult. These bacteria exist as spores, which are resistant to heat and therefore require an increased boiling time in order to sterilize the beans. In this experiment, the acidity of canned foods is measured using a red cabbage juice indicator. This indicator acts like litmus paper and indicates the pH of a solution quickly, but less precisely than a pH meter. The red cabbage indicator is called an acid-base indicator, which is a colored substance that can exist in either an acid or a base form. The two forms are different colors. The red cabbage juice exists normally as a purple solution. It can react and change color when in contact with acids to pink and with bases to green. Titration is the progressive addition of a solution (the titrant) usually from a graduated tube called a burette to a known volume or mass of a second solution or substance until the end-point.� The end-point is indicated by a color change of an added indicator or by some other detectable change, is reached. PURPOSE: To measure the acidity in canned fruits and vegetables by the method of titration using red cabbage juice indicator. PROCEDURE:

Create controls showing the endpoint colors of the indicator by placing 25 mL lemon juice in one 100 mL beaker and add enough indicator to get the color to change to pink. Count and record the number of teaspoons of indicator added.

Repeat step 2. with the baking soda to produce a color change of purple to green. Count and record the number of teaspoons of indicator added.

For each type of canned fruit/vegetable place 2 tablespoons of the red cabbage indicator in a 100 mL beaker.

In each beaker add the juice from the canned food one teaspoon at a time. Count and record the number of teaspoons added until there is a color change (end-point of the indicator).

OBSERVATIONS: Rank the fruits and vegetables according to acidity, from most acidic to least acidic. Differences could be caused by the presence of flavoring and other juices added during the canning process. You should check the labels of the fruits/vegetables for these additives. �Record any here.� Acids often end with ate (Ex: benzoate).    Below is a list of common items that have been organized in order of decreasing hydrogen ion concentration and increasing pH.  

[H+] pH Substance

1.0 x 10-1 1.0 battery acid

1.0 x 10-2 2.0 lemon juice

6.3 x 10-3 2.2 vinegar

1.0 x 10-3 3.0 apples

3.2 x 10-4 3.5 soft drink

1.0 x 10-4 4.0 wine

3.2 x 10-5 4.5 tomatoes

2.5 x 10-6 5.6 unpolluted rainwater

2.5 x 10-7 6.6 milk

1.0 x 10-7 7.0 pure water

4.0 x 10-8 7.4 human blood

5.0 x 10-9 8.3 baking soda solution

4.0 x 10-9 8.4 sea water

3.2 x 10-11 10.5 milk of magnesia

1.0 x 10-11 11.0 household ammonia

4.0 x 10-13 12.4 lime

1.0 x 10-13 13.0 lye

     

  LAB REPORT:1.      �Include a picture of your standards with you in the picture.2.      Make a table including the material tested, the extract color, the corresponding observed pH, and the expected pH (may have to look up).� Three of the items will also have results from the pH paper.� Include both household items and canned food.� Comment on the results.� 3.      Submit to the dropbox.

Material Extract color pH

. Sugar . Purple . 7

. Salt . Purple .67777

. Milk of magnesia . Green . 10.5

. Antacid Tablets . Blue . 9

. Asprin. Pink . 4

. Milk . Violet . 6

Toothpaste Green 10

Household Ammonia Yellow 12

Pure water Purple 7

Tomato Juice Pink 4

Lemon Juice Red 2

Canned beets Pink 5

Canned Corn Pink 6

Pfeffer’s steps for International Outreach Foundation calls for a diagnostic exercise on he political landscape of the organi

Question 1

a).

Pfeffer’s steps for International Outreach Foundation calls for a diagnostic exercise on he political landscape of the organisation. From the case study, it is clear that organisational development encompasses organisational politics. At the moment, the political climate within IOF is hostile. There are conflicting ideas on how the organisation should be managed, including the reporting structure, roles, functions, and the general interweaving of the functional groups towards the overall objectives and goals of the organisation. Active players include trustees, managers, and representatives who are all engaged in a battle of perceptions regarding the representation of the organisation to the rest of the world. In the change efforts, participation is the main issue of contention.

The views of individuals and units in relation to the issues of concern include a change process in the structure of the organisation that is yet to mature. Within this change environment, issues emerged from the chairing of meetings to the criterion applied in awarding money. Another issue was the restructuring of roles and the new job descriptions which meant an overlap of roles from previous positions. The result was that there was overall dissatisfaction and some members threatened to quit.

At IOF, power is the potential ability to influence behaviour, to change the course of events, to overcome resistance, and to get people to do things that they would not otherwise do. Cleaver had a lot of power due to his position as the head of the functional teams. His relationship with the previous director, Asha Jones, also assured him immense control and a somewhat similar decision making power to the director. He chaired meetings and bulldozed his perspectives on other employees. From an organizational behavior perspective, this definition of organizational power implies that the other stakeholder is dependent on the one with power. This means that the greater their dependency is on the influencer the more power the later will have to influence their actions. Power can be reward power, coercive power, legitimate power, expert power, referent power, and informational power. Cleaver utilized coercive power by inflicting punishment on those that failed to conform, legitimate power that came with his position, expert power from what he knew regarding his job, referent power based on the positive impressions he had made regarding his work, and informational power from what he knew through reasoning and logic.

Power is responsible for ensuring that the organization’s commitment and compliance are maintained. It aids in the elimination of employee resistance and the promotion of amicable cohabitation, both of which contribute to increased output. Even while managers are regarded as having authority, they must also work to improve their leadership abilities, which are a vital component of organizational strength. They must empower their teammates by making wise decisions that are in their best interests and those of the company. At IOF, Cleaver used his legitimate power to make decisions n behalf of the organisation and to make changes where applicable.

In the last step, power and politics at IOF is a means to overcome opposition, a fundamental element in attaining change. By airing different opinions regarding the changes in structure, awarding criterion, how the new departments would work, and how these issues would come together to maintain the values of the organisation, players and participants in IOF used power and politics to create and overcome opposition.

b).

Gary Bolt’s attitudes about organisational life will be influenced by the way he interprets the elements of power and politics at IOF. Organisational life and the interpretation of power and politics are among the most likely behaviors in a firm to cause a credibility chasm than any other. When managers assert that they make logical judgments, a sense of suspicion arises, despite the fact that the vast majority of observers and participants realize that personalities and politics play a significant, if not dominant, role. In spite of what they may appear to be (problem-solving tools, sociotechnical systems, or incentive systems, for example), organizations are political institutions in their own right, an issue that will allow Gary Bolt to tackle issues more effectively. This indicates that organisations work through delegating authority and creating an atmosphere that is favorable to the exercise of authority. Gary will use this to create an effective structure.

Question 2

Option A

The organisational culture at IOF is contributing to the organisation’s current problems. Organisational culture has its role in increasing employee engagement, decreasing turnover, creating a strong brand identity, elevating productivity, and transformational power to create change. A feeling of purpose and well-defined expectations drive employees in a firm with a strong organizational culture. As a consequence, employees are encouraged and inspired to become more active in their professional activities and interpersonal interactions with others. It also encourages high levels of employee involvement, which in turn increases productivity. The ability to have a strong emotional attachment to an organisation and its personnel creates a pleasant atmosphere that is difficult to ignore. The organisational culture at IOF is too detached from the employees. With the previous centralized and bureaucratic approach, the decision making process was made slow and left only to a few executives at the organisation’s helm. As expected, this had negative consequences to the satisfaction, morale, and overall employee motivation.

The common organisational culture issues at IOF include inconsistency, poor communication, and ambiguity. These problems had contributed to the creation of an unpleasant and a hostile work environment, which has increased employee turnover, reduced employee loyalty, and led to issues such as bullying and harassment as seen by Cleaver’s behavior with other employees.

The organizational culture is a set of traditions, attitudes, beliefs, and experiences that shape the lives of its employees and shape the organization’s mission and vision. In some cases, such as in a company that tolerates bullying and abuse, corporate culture may have a considerable detrimental impact on the organization’s performance. IOF has a toxic culture that has remained rigid to modern changes. The promotion of the concepts desired to be implemented in the company do not imply that they will be implemented. Change management is very slow and almost always opposed by the workforce. Individual behavior at IOF is influenced by a variety of variables including the culture and the resultant practices. Managers and lower-level employees in the organisation are affected by organisational culture in both positive and negative ways. The culture of an organisation has an impact on the decisions that managers make as well. Culture can place a priority on data-driven judgements that are dominated by analytics and statistics, or it might place a premium on gut feeling that is dominated by intuition. When a company is in good health, the culture of the organization has a positive impact on employee performance. This is not the case at IOF because the culture is unhealthy for progress. In recognition of their efforts and satisfaction with their workplace, employees at IOF do not feel involved in the management decisions and are therefore not willing to go above and beyond to meet the needs of the institution.

The impact of the negative and toxic culture at IOF is already being felt according to the case study. A negative corporate culture can have a substantial influence on a company’s performance. Because of this, turnover and motivation are regularly negatively influenced among employees. There is a possibility that this will have an affect on their employment, resulting in the development of other toxic subcultures. Due to the fact that a strong corporate culture is usually an afterthought, many organisations, on the other hand, fall into the trap of contributing to a negative corporate culture. For example, IOF’s organisation structure bred a poor organisational culture that left decision making only to a few people. The effect is that other critical employees felt unappreciated and their role marginalized. The immediate effects is poor motivation, employee turnover, tempers flaring, and a work environment that is toxic. A resistance t positive change sis also noted at IOF.

To fix the toxic organisational culture at IOF, Gary must create and reestablish the core values, communicate these values and cement them in every team, work on the management to ensure better alignment of goals and priorities, reinforce positivity in the work place, and gauge the health of the culture in order to understand where to improve and the areas to continue working on. The ultimate goal is to have a communication plan that will ensure that all employees are operating on an equal level with regards to the priorities and organisational aims.