Block 5 2023: Flying to Wyoming/First Week of Rotation
Fort Washakie, Wyoming is a place unlike any other and the path to get here is no different! Hours of planning, long packing lists, and two hours of sleep made for a slightly hectic but successful trip into Wyoming. Let’s start at the beginning though.
General Packing List (for the colder weather):
*The house has a washer and dryer so you can do laundry as needed*
Sweaters/Warm Shirts
Jeans
Leggings
Jackets and Sweatshirts
We brought two jackets and two sweatshirts.
Scarves, Beanies, Gloves
Rotation Clothes/Shoes
The dress code is business casual and you can wear jeans on Fridays.
Outdoor Clothes
This includes any athletic wear that you would want to wear if you do walks, trails, or any hikes.
Pajamas
Undergarments
Socks
Bathing Suit
Bring a bathing suit if you want to go to the hot springs
Boots
Tennis Shoes
Shoes for trails and hiking
We would recommend shoes with a good grip in case it is icy and slippery.
House shoes
Toiletries/Laundry Supplies
There is a Target in Jackson Hole and stores in Lander so you can always buy toiletries there if you do not have room in your luggage.
Pillow, Blanket, and Sheets
The house has pillows, blankets, and sheets if you do not want to bring your own or you run out of space. If you run out of space, pillows and blankets can be bought at Target in Jackson. Anne Thomas chose to do this.
We are lucky enough to be roommates in Birmingham which definitely made things easier when starting to plan. Thanks to unreliable cars and a lack of desire to drive 25 hours in two days, we made the decision to fly into Jackson, Wyoming (aka Jackson Hole) and rent a four wheel drive car for our five-week stay.
Renting A Car:
Renting a car was a much easier process than I (Anne Thomas) originally thought. Kristin and I decided that I should rent the car in my name since I am 25 and it would be significantly cheaper than if she were to do it since she is not yet 25. The whole booking process was completed online and took about 15 minutes total. We used Budget rental car service, located in the Jackson Hole Airport, because it was the most cost effective option. I booked the car about a month and a half before our trip and there were plenty of options available at this time. It is important to be aware of the season you are traveling in because this may impact the type of car you need. We rented a four wheel drive car (Toyota 4Runner) because there is a possibility of snow. Picking up the car was also a quick and easy process that took about 10-15 minutes. The rental agent informed us there is a limit of 150 miles per day on the car. This is not an issue because the clinic is only 10 minutes from the house.
Flights:
We Ubered from our apartment in Birmingham to the airport. We scheduled an Uber the day before to ensure one would come pick us up to take us to the airport the morning of our flight. The flight we took out of Birmingham landed in Dallas/Fort Worth. We then hopped on a connecting flight for the final two hours to Jackson Hole Airport. The flight was smooth and absolutely stunning as we made our descent.
View from the plane as we descended into Jackson Hole
From the airport, we drove into Jackson Hole where we rented a hotel room for the night. Before going to the hotel, we made sure to park downtown to explore and find somewhere for lunch. We chose to eat at Jackson Drugs for our first meal. This was recommended to us by previous students and it did not disappoint! The restaurant is a quaint spot with indoor and outdoor seating, and the walls boast historic photos of the town. We definitely recommend checking this place out! The grilled cheese and the loaded fries are two must tries!! After lunch, we meandered around the town square to view some of the monuments and shops.
Where to stay in Jackson Hole:
As for lodging in Jackson Hole, we stayed at the Elk Country Inn. Our room was ready in the afternoon around three, which was perfect timing for us to nap off our food comas. The Elk Country Inn offered breakfast from 7 to 9:30 am, provided freshly baked cookies in the afternoons, and is only a short walk to the center of town. Dinner options are plentiful in Jackson, but we opted for a casual meal at Snake River Brewing, and it just so happened to be their annual Oktoberfest. Due to having a big lunch, we were both so stuffed so we chose to split the s’mores and glacier pie. We 10/10 recommend the s’mores!
Kristin at Snake River Brewing
The temperature drops at night, which makes for a chilly walk back to our hotel after dinner. During the day, when the temperature was in the high 60’s low 70’s, we were able to get away with our leggings, t-shirts, and thin jackets. After the sunset, the temperature dipped into the 30’s and a heavier coat was definitely needed.
On Sunday we allowed ourselves to sleep in and catch up on some much needed rest as we were wiped out post block four/traveling. Our excitement to explore meant we didn’t sleep in as long as we could have, so we started the day around 9. One of our first “to-do’s” of the day was breakfast as we had slept off our dessert-only-dinner from the night before. The Bunnery came highly recommended (via Google), so we ventured back into the town square to get our pastries. The line gets very long very quickly, so if you’re wanting to sit and eat we recommend going early. After getting our food to go, we walked back to the hotel to pack up for the day. The next item on our to-do list was stocking up on toiletries, snacks, and anything else we couldn't fit while packing. To the promised land we went (aka Target)! If you are an over packer like us and you can’t fit all the essentials, this may be a good option. We were able to buy a pillow, blanket, shampoo/conditioner, and snacks. Our blanket and pillow combined was less than $30.
Once the car was loaded, we were ready to hit the road! We made sure the car was filled with gas ($4.83/gal-Yikes!) and we loaded the driving instructions into maps before setting off because service is spotty on the two and half hour drive to Ft. Washakie. The drive is a beautiful scenic route with lots of opportunities to stop and take pictures. National parks and herds of cows, bison, and horses line the first half of the drive as we climb the curvy mountain roads. It was amazing to see the tall mountains and grassy fields transition to rocky peaks and dry grasslands the closer we got to the Wind River Reservation. Finally, we made the turn onto the reservation which took us further into our little town. We approached the small blue house and used the pin our preceptor had given us to unlock the door to the three bedroom one bath house. The Tennessee students had chosen to sleep in the bedroom at the very end of the hall so we unpacked in the second bedroom on the left since it had two beds in it. We decided to make the forty minute drive into Riverton to go to Walmart for groceries. While in Riverton, we ate dinner and planned our morning since we started block five the next day. The rest of the evening was spent unpacking and excitedly chatting about our new home. We both went to sleep early so we could be prepared for the first day of rotation.
On the first day of the rotation, we got to the clinic at 8:55 in the morning. The clinic is in Ethete, Wyoming which is only about 10 minutes from the house. Once there, we signed in with the security in the lobby of the clinic and went back into the pharmacy to meet Katherine, the preceptor. She was very welcoming and gave us a tour of the clinic. We then met with the Pharmacist-In-Charge to get set up in the computer system. After getting set up in the computer system, we shadowed Katherine and she walked us through the different tasks in the EHR and the dispensing software they use at the clinic. We then got to go to lunch. The lunch break is one hour. We chose to bring our lunch and put it in the mini fridge they have in the pharmacy. After lunch, we started on our first project. This project consisted of reviewing three patients in the EHR to prepare for the pain committee meeting that was on the Wednesday of that week. The pain committee is where the pharmacists, doctors, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners get together to review the pain medication regimens of patients who are living with chronic pain. We reviewed the three charts and then came up with recommendations for the committee. At four o’clock, it was time to head home. Before we left, she gave us the option to do 8-3 instead of 9-4. We chose the 8-3 option so we would have more time in the afternoon to explore!
We headed back to the house and changed to go on a walk to the Sacajawea Cemetery. We highly recommend doing this! The walk was around 50 minutes both ways and very flat. It was a beautiful afternoon so it was nice to get out and walk after a weekend of traveling!
Sacajawea’s Headstone
On the second day of the rotation we learned how to dispense the medications to the patients. There is a desk at the dispensing window, so we sat there and dispensed medications. We also counseled patients and answered questions that patients had on their medications. When there were no patients at the dispensing window, we continued to form our recommendations for the pain committee.
After the rotation, we headed home to change into athletic clothes. We then headed to Ray Lake Road to go on a walk. This is a nice area to walk and get some fresh air! There is a picnic table area that you can park at and then walk to the end of the road and back. It was around 4 miles total. We then headed into Lander to eat at Gannett Grill. We both got pizzas and it was delicious!
Ray Lake
On Wednesday, we continued to dispense medications in the morning. At lunch, we attended the pain committee meeting. We presented our three patients and gave our recommendations. The staff was very open to hearing our presentations and recommendations and getting to present at this pain committee was a great experience!
We then headed home at 3 and went to eat in Lander with our roommates, who were two pharmacy students from The University of Tennessee. We chose a Mexican restaurant called El Sol De Mexico, and it was very good!
We had a great first week in Wyoming! Our next post will be on our second week at the clinic and our adventures in Yellowstone and Grand Tetons!
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