Summer Intern Perspectives: Marin Weiskopf, AMCP Foundation/Pfizer Inc. Managed Care Intern
Published in Dec. 2020
As the AMCP Foundation, Pfizer Inc. Managed Care Summer Intern, I was able to remotely explore the countless opportunities Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey offered. Although this summer looked different from what was initially anticipated due to the COVID pandemic, I was quickly integrated into the different teams.
I was thrilled to work alongside the residents while compiling information and data for the upcoming P&T Committee, helping spearhead a program, and calling patients to complete comprehensive medication reviews (CMRs). For many patients CMRs were often checking a box off a to-do list, however, one woman in particular stood out to me. I could tell she understood the importance of taking her medications and being adherent, but I also noticed she had fatigue from the sheer number of medications she was required to take. She opened up to me about how her community was aiding her in making sure she got what she needed since her children were adults and no longer living with her. She was so thankful for our hour-long conversation because she felt she was being heard from her health care team. We were able to figure out the gaps in her care and came up with strategies to make it easier for her to take her medications together.
I was touched forever by this experience because I realized how much a simple phone call could make a difference in a patient’s life. It’s easy to get distracted or feel isolated, especially being remote, but this moment reminded me of how much of an impact we have on patients. At the end of the experience, I am humbled to remember how much we can do as an organization and how each decision affects each of our patients personally. It will always be a relationship with a patient I will treasure. Thank you so much to Hannah Jang, Diana Turan, Cassidy Delaney, Dean Gianarkis, and Horizon BCBS of New Jersey, AMCP Foundation, and Pfizer, Inc for this opportunity and I look forward to bringing this experience, along with all the others, as I continue my pharmacy journey.