Capstone Project

All second year pharmacy students at UCSF have to complete a pharmacokinetics assignment called the Capstone Project. Working in groups of 4-6 members, we were responsible for asking an interesting and clinically relevant question related to pharmacokinetics, finding the answer to the question, validating the answer with calculations, graphs and charts, organizing the information professionally on a tri-fold poster board and presenting them to our classmates, TAs, professors and faculty members.

After spending many hours in research, discussions, writing and revisions, we finally finished the poster one day before our oral presentions. Our hard work and team effort culminated in a very professional poster and many skills and lessons learned.

I learned that although group work is extremely difficult (especially when everyone is so busy), when a team finds ways to work together and draw on the strengths of each member, excellent results can be achieved. I don't think any one of my group members alone could have produced such an amazing poster. Each one of us contributed to the project in different ways to make the project a success (although I must confess that I initially thought that I did not have much to contribute).

Without this project, I would not have learned so much about the treatments for patent ductus arteriosus, a condition in which the hole between the aortic arch and pulmonary artery does not close after birth. During the poster session/presentation, one classmate also told me a very interesting fact: adults with partially open ductus arteriosus should not dive because the high pressure can cause the duct to open, which can lead to death.

The process of completing the Capstone Project was slow and painful, but I see the value in it and feel grateful for my professor, who spent many hours beyond her call of duty to lead all of us into the right directions.