Proud Preceptor Moment

   I checked the schedule for the names of the relief pharmacists that were going to be helping us out this week. One name stuck out to me, Karina Andrews. That name sounded really familiar. I couldn't place it though.
  I checked through the names of all the pharmacists that had credentials in our computer system. Her name didn't come up. I was baffled. I knew that name. I would just have to wait until her day to work to figure out who she was.
  The rest of the week was kind of busy. I didn't have time to think about it. The day arrived. My curiosity was about to be satisfied.
   She came into the pharmacy. She was thin with dark blonde straight hair and a soft voice. She did not look familiar to me. I gave her the code to the lockbox so she could get the pharmacy keys. She got them, came back and went straight to work.
  As we worked I asked her the usual questions, where did you go to school and when did you graduate. She went to the U of M and she had graduated a few years before. I made some mention of the fact that I was a preceptor and that one day I'd probably wind up working with one of my former interns. She then informed me that she was one of my interns. The light came on for me. That's how I knew the name. The day had come.
  I apologized for not recognizing her. She didn't mind. It had been several years ago and she knew I had many other interns since.
   I remembered her as an intern. She was one of the good ones. I enjoyed working with her. I probably teared up a little on the last day of her rotation.
   We then spent some time getting caught up. She told me that she was doing home infusion therapy now and in a week would be going back to the place she had started at when she graduated. She and her husband had lived in Georgia for a year and she had worked there. She said it was nice, but she realized that she was a Midwestern girl and was happy to move back to Minnesota. I enjoyed working with her. There is always a chance that it can be awkward with someone you used to teach. There was none of that. I had treated her like a colleague when she was my intern. it was no stretch to treat her that way now.
  One of the bad parts about being a preceptor is that once my interns leave my rotation, I never see or hear from them again. I keep hoping that one of them will stay in touch. This partly because most of them are such nice people. I also want to see what kind of pharmacists they turn out to be.
  It was such a treat to work with Karina again. She was every bit as good as I remembered her being. I would have no worries once my shift ended. There would be no problems waiting for the relief person that would open the next morning.
  Once I got done with my work, I told her I was heading out for the day. I told her that I was pleased with the kind of pharmacist she was. Maybe that sounded a little condescending, but I think she knew what I meant. I also thanked her for helping us out.
   Oddly enough, I had being wondering a little the past few weeks if I had any kind of influence on my interns. Was I helpful to them at all? Did they learn any thing from me that they could use in their future careers? Were they good pharmacists? Since I never hear from them again, I never knew the answers to those questions. I now know that I have done well as a preceptor. I know there is one intern that has made me proud.